BREAKING: FBI Arrests Satmar Bloomingburg Developers Shalom Lamm and Volvy Smilowitz UPDATED

Federal agents this morning arrested Shalom Lamm, the developer behind a controversial project to build hundreds of homes for Hasidic Jews in an upstate New York village.
Allan Ripp, a spokesperson for Lamm’s attorney, confirmed Lamm’s arrest, but could provide no further details.

UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chestnut Ridge developers Shalom Lamm and Kenneth Nakdimen were arrested on voting fraud charges Thursday morning.

An indictment unsealed Thursday charges Lamm, Nakdimen and businessman Volvy "Zev" Smilowitz with conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process for their efforts to bring in and pay people who did not live in the Village of Bloomingburg to vote in the 2014 election for mayor and trustee.

Lamm and Nakdimen established a presence in Bloomingburg when they began plans to build a 396-unit townhouse development called Chestnut Ridge, on land that was annexed from the Town of Mamakating into the Village of Bloomingburg. It became apparent in 2012 that the homes were designed to accommodate Hasidic families, which caused an uproar in the village of only a few hundred residents.

Vehement opposition to Chestnut Ridge grew, and a series of lawsuits and planning board decisions slowed construction of the project.

"When met with resistance, rather than seek to advance their real estate development project through legitimate means, the defendants instead decided to corrupt the electoral process in Bloomingburg by falsely registering voters and paying bribes for voters who would help elect public officials favorable to their project," the indictment said.

Lamm, Nakdimen and Smilowitz bribed non-local residents with money, subsidies and other items of value to vote in the 2014 village election, the indictment said. Lamm paid one person $500 per voter recruited, totaling more than $30,000 per month.

Lamm, owner of Black Creek Holdings LLC, was taken into custody by F.B.I. agents. Lamm is the son of Norman Lamm, the prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi and longtime leader of Yeshiva University.
Lamm has bought up hundreds of acres in Bloomingburg, a small village in Orange County. According to internal documents revealed in a lawsuit this year, Lamm planned to eventually build 5,000 units of housing around the village for Hasidic Jews. His plans have drawn deep opposition from some locals.
The Forward published a feature this morning on the fight for Bloomingburg. The feature was published before this newspaper was aware of Lamm’s arrest.

A spokesperson for the F.B.I. confirmed that three people were arrested this morning, but would provide no details. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that a statement was forthcoming.
Lamm and his allies have been dogged with allegations of voter fraud for years. Residents claim that Hasidic non-residents were brought in to vote in village elections. Opponents challenged ballots in local elections. And the FBI raided Lamm’s offices in 2014.

Muslim forced his daughter to shave her head because she was dating a Christian in New York

Yasmin Seweid (r.) was allegedly forced by her parents to shave her head over the incident because they were upset she was dating a Christian. Pictured with Seweid is her father (l.)

A Muslim student who said she was harassed on the subway by drunken, hate-spewing white men shouting “Donald Trump!” lied to police because she broke her curfew, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.

Yasmin Seweid, 18, joined a growing list of local and national alleged hate-crime victims when she told cops she was taunted Dec. 1 on the No. 6 train by three men who called her a terrorist and tried to snatch her hijab off her head while straphangers did nothing.

But Seweid finally broke down Wednesday and was arrested after she admitted to detectives that it was all a big lie.

“Nothing happened, and there was no victim,” a police source said.

Police sources say Seweid made up the story because she didn’t want to get in trouble for breaking her curfew after being out late drinking with friends.

Her strict, Muslim parents allegedly forced Seweid to shave her head over the incident and were upset that she was dating a Christian, sources said.

The bareheaded Baruch College student, not wearing her hijab, was charged with filing a false report and released after her arraignment early Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court. A relative covered Seweid’s face with a black down jacket as she was escorted into a waiting SUV following her brief court appearance.

Moshe Moskowitz 13 Killed In Crash; Mother In Critical Condition

The Baltimore Jewish Community is in mourning on Wednesday, as word spread about a tragic accident that left 13-year-old Moshe Moskowitz Z”L dead, and his mother in critical condition. 

Authorities say the crash happened at around 9:15PM on the northbound lanes of I-95 near the Intercounty Connector in Maryland. Highway officials say at least four vehicles, including a tractor trailer, were involved in the crash.

Investigators believe a black Honda Pilot became disabled in the roadway resulting in a collision with a Dodge Caravan and a tractor-trailer. A white Volkswagen was also involved.

Moshe Z”L, who was a passenger in the Dodge, was flown to Children’s Hospital where he R”L succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the Dodge, his mother – 45-year-old Tamara Moskowitz, was transported to Medstar in Washington, D.C. with life threatening injuries.

The driver and passenger of the Honda were both transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured in the collision.

I-95 was closed for approximately five hours, with some closures extending in to the early morning hours Wednesday.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated at this time.

Misaskim was working with the Medical Examiner in Washington D.C. to ensure that the Niftar was being released in a timely fasion and working to ensure proper Kavod Haniftar.

Moshe Moskowitz Z”L is the son of Rabbi and Mrs. Doniel Moskowitz. Moshe was an 8th grader in Talmudic Academy in Baltimore – Where his father is a Rebbi.

He was the youngest rider in Bike4Chai this past summer. He biked the very difficult 170 mile bike ride along with his brother Naftali – raising more than $12,000 for the children of Camp SImcha.

Please be Mispallel for Tamar Adina bas Kayna Shulamis, who is in critical condition.

Levaya details will be published when they become available.

Levayah will take place tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 15, at Sol Levinson’s at 11AM.

Kevurah will be at the Agudah Cemetery in Rosedale.

Shiva will be observed at 7006 Wallis Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215

Chanukah Donuts

Democrats will stick to denial even if means burning down the Republic

Democrats from the White House on down have now gone all-in on an absurd effort to use Russian hacking to delegitimize the Trump presidency.

“You didn’t need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyberactivity,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, claiming Trump “called on Russia to hack” Hillary Clinton.

Yeah — in a joke aimed at Cinton’s national-security-endangering e-mail abuses.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid — the most free-ranging liar Washington’s seen in decades — flat-out charged the president-elect “was in on” Russian hacking of top Democrats’ e-mail.

Imagine: We now have Democrats hailing the CIA’s intelligence-gathering (which they’ve ridiculed for decades) and darkly accusing Moscow of infiltrating top US political circles and threatening the very fabric of American democracy. This is exactly what liberals used to call McCarthyism.

Never mind that, in the runup to the 2014 elections, Team Obama withheld news that Russia had hacked into both State Department and White House computers — then pooh-poohed any threat after it was disclosed.

The fact is, Russia has been cyberattacking US government agencies for years. It’s been public knowledge all along — as it was when hacking aimed at US politics was first disclosed in 2015. That the White House has only now gone into hyperdrive over this “dangerous” threat is the ultimate hypocrisy.

Did Moscow meddle in US politics this year? Probably (though it’d be nice to see public proof). Even President Obama admitted it’s been doing that “since the days of the Soviet Union.” Did that meddling toss the election to Trump? Of course not. Try to find anyone who was moved by the internal chatter at the Democratic National Committee to vote against Clinton.

No, the real story here is about a party in denial about the causes of its devastating defeat — which apparently would rather burn down the Republic than accept the truth.

Rav Mutzafi: One Shouldn’t Buy Tefilin From A Sofer Whose Wife Wears A Sheitel

HaGaon HaRav Bentzion Mutzafi Shlita in a Shu’t released which addresses one wearing a sheitel (פאה נכרית), the prominent Sephardi posek rules that one should not buy tefilin from a sofer whose wife wears a sheitel for in his view, it is tantamount to the wife being without a hair covering. The ruling is published in ‘גביע הכסף’, where a number of halachic questions are addressed.

The rav adds that if a Sephardi girl attends seminary in England and she is asked to wear a sheitel for a shidduch, she should not accept the shidduch. The rav was also asked regarding the psak of HaGaon Chacham Bentzion Abba Shaul ZT”L, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, who is matir the sheitel in his sefer Ohr L’Tzion. Rav Mutzafi stated Rav Abba Shaul was never matir a shteitel and he never wrote such a psak in his sefer.

Israel celebrating end of 'hostile' Obama regime

Fake News Becomes the Narrative: "Russia Hacked the Election"

I want to ask some questions about Vladimir Putin and his competence, because the Democrats and the Media are claiming that Putin involved himself in our election illegally. He interceded and his desire was for Trump to win. He wanted Trump and he wanted Hillary to lose.  

So I have some questions about some things from the WikiLeaks dump about Democrat meddling, Robert Creamer previously explained hiring -- at $1500 per person -- people to disrupt Trump rallies and cause violence.

Donna Brazile was giving the questions to Hillary in a series of debates.  But I have questions about this.  Did Vladimir Putin secretly persuade Hillary Clinton to take off most of August? 

Did Vladimir Putin tell Hillary, "You don't need to go to Wisconsin! You got it in the bag. You don't need to go to these Blue Wall states. You own them, Hillary! Don't waste your time. In fact, Hillary, you don't even need to campaign.  Just sit there and recuperate.  You don't need to even leave your house, Hillary." 

Did Vladimir Putin drug Hillary Clinton causing her to collapse into a van and have a seizure on 9/11?  Did Putin secretly tell Trump where to go and do his campaign right in the middle of the urban core?  Did Putin tell Trump to make a pitch for votes based on an economic message of jobs, jobs, jobs, and Make America Great Again?  Did Putin do all that?  Did Putin come up with Trump's campaign slogan?  Did Putin secretly cut a deal with that babe on Saturday Night Live to portray Hillary Clinton to Millennials as an unlikable, power-hungry, humorless, robot politician? 

Did Putin tell Trump, "Go out there and spend all kinds of money and hold all these rallies! You do all these rallies and just get thousands of people showing up at these rallies. You just keep shouting 'Make America Great Again! Make America Safe Again!'" 

 Did Putin secretly fund Robert Creamer?  Did he make Obama meet with Creamer and Black Lives Matter all those times in the White House?  Did Putin run out there and tell Democrat Party to base their election on transgender bathrooms and gay marriage and Black Lives Matter and the cops deserve to be shot and all the other things the Democrat Party stood for? 

Did Putin do that? 

Was Putin responsible for the campaign strategy of the Democrat Party?  

Was Vladimir Putin responsible for Donald Trump's campaign strategy?  

Did Putin secretly influence this election so Donald Trump would put a bunch of warrior generals in positions of high responsibility in the U.S. military?  

You're telling me that Vladimir Putin wants a bunch of George Patton-type people in our cabinet?  You're telling me that's what Vladimir Putin wanted and he cheated this election so that that's what Trump would do? 

Versus a woman who would continue the disarmament policies of her predecessor, Barack Hussein Obama, who thinks that the nuclear arsenal of the United States poses the greatest threat to freedom in the world and so we had to downsize?  

You think Putin wants a Trump and all these great military guys, or would he have preferred to have Hillary who was going to disarm the United States anyway?  

This Putin? I tell you, folks, he's one sneaky, ingenious SOB the way he pulled all this off!  He had to be a brilliant guy for the Clinton campaign to be so special kind of stupid the way they lost this election.

 Did Vladimir Putin tell Hillary Clinton to pile up all those votes in California and New York instead of focusing on electoral battleground states? 

When did Vladimir Putin tell Hillary Clinton to call half the country deplorables?  

Man, oh, man, oh, man.  What power Putin has!

Pastor heckles kids at TX mall: ‘There is no Santa!’

Christian children will now find out what Jewish Children knew all along!

Pastor Dave Grisham filmed himself Saturday standing in an Amarillo, Texas mall and heckling children as they waited in line to meet Santa.

He walked up to the line of families waiting to meet Santa and announced, “Kids, I want to tell you today that there is no such thing as Santa Claus. Santa Claus does not exist.”

The pastor, who said he was with “Last Frontier Evangelism,” then turned his focus to the parents.

“Parents, y’all need to stop lying to your children and telling them that Santa Claus is real, when in fact, he’s not.

“Don’t lie to your children and tell them there’s such thing as Santa, when you know in reality that there are no flying reindeer, there is no workshop of the North Pole, there is no elves making toys, that you buy all gifts and put them under tree. That’s all the truth!”

Grisham continued to walk back-and-forth near the line of families, as few turned to look at him — and even fewer were likely converted to his cause.

“That’s enough!” one person shouted.

Another parent eventually confronted him, repeatedly asking him to “Stop.”

But Grisham was relentless.

“Kids, there is no Santa! Santa’s not real!” he continued as other parents confronted him. He then walked away and stopped his recording.

Kupat Ha'Ir the dishonest Tzedaka Organization loses 15.6 million Dollars in stock investment

The Megurit housing fund has seen its stocks tumble in the three months since it went public, the Kikar Hashabbat Hebrew news website reported on Sunday. 

Stock prices fell 12% before the markets closed Sunday, and share prices have seen a slump of 14.2% over the past week.

Kupat Ha'ir, one of the largest haredi charities in Israel, that has been accused of fraud and deception, invested 60 million shekels ($15.6 million), or 24.9% of the fund's value. It has lost 6 million shekels ($1.5 million) to date. The burial society invested 40 million shekels ($10.4 million) and has lost million shekels to date.

According to Kikar Hashabbat, non-haredi institutions have also lost money after investing in the Megurit fund. The organization 'Excellence' and the Jewish National Fund have lost 4 million shekels each.

The Megurit fund announced Sunday morning that it would buy back many of the shares it sold off three months ago. The repurchases are meant to strengthen the value of the shares by reducing the percentage that is held by the public.

The Megurit fund is the first of its kind in Israel. It brings together smaller investors to pool larger amounts of money together and jointly purchase land around the country. the fund administers the land until it reaches profitability.

Amona ! Headache for Netanyahu?

I’m a South African Activist Who Used to Fight Against Israel—Until I Went There

Tshediso Mangope grew up under apartheid and believed that Israel had the same policies. But seeing the country for himself changed his perspective.

As a black South African and member of the African National Congress (ANC), I have often heard the accusation that Israel is an apartheid state—and therefore a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to be based on a single state of Palestine between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. 

I recently made a trip to Israel and the West Bank in order to understand the issues and the prospects for resolving the conflict.

Traveling through the country encouraged me to reflect upon the suggestions by some sections of the Palestine solidarity movement—particularly those advocating for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel—that it is possible to establish one country between Israel and Palestine based on a “one-state” solution, like the one we established here in South Africa.

Mrs. Devorah Goldfein killed by her own car in lakewood

The woman who was Niftar Erev Shabbos in Lakewood in a tragic accident, has been identified as Mrs. Devorah (Sharon) Goldfein A”H.

Mrs. Goldfein A”H, approximately 75 years old, was tragically killed after her own vehicle apparently struck her, pinning her underneath 

She was transported by Lakewood First Aid to MMCSC, where she was Niftar.

Askonim immediately rushed to the scene and to the hospital to ensure proper Kavod Ha’meis, and to expedite the release.

Baruch Hashem, with the assistance and efforts of Lakewood and County officials, Askonim were able to have the body released before Shabbos.

The Levaya will be taking place at 11:30 AM on Sunday morning at the 7th Street Chapel in Lakewood, and the Kevurah will be taking place in Lakewood.

The Nifteres was to celebrate the Bris of a grandson tomorrow morning, and the wedding of a grandchild tomorrow night.

In Election, Monsey Voted 90.2 % for Trump, New Square 96% for anti-Israel Hillary

Donald Trump polled well in traditional GOP strongholds in Rockland County, official results for the Nov. 8 election show, LOHUD reports.

Clinton’s support in Shikun Skver was strong. She won 96 percent of the vote in one New Square district, her biggest percentage in the county.

Trump’s scored his biggest percentage victory – 90.2 percent – in another Ramapo district, in Monsey.

The Problem With Dor Yeshorim

Genetics activist Sarah Dworcan says singles tested by the Dor Yeshorim organization are not "safely assured."

By Sarah Dworcan for COLlive

We are taught that the truth always prevails. But there are times when one cannot stand by and wait for the truth to be uncovered. When lives are at stake, every moment matters, and if you know something that can save a life and yet you remain silent, you too are culpable.

The Dor Yeshorim article posted on COLlive.com on Thursday, December 1st, outraged me.

Not because my child was born with an extremely rare but known Ashkenazic genetic disease, after we had both been tested by Dor Yeshorim before marriage and told we were "compatible."

It is because the lies and manipulation continue to fester.

This year alone, 25,000 young frum boys and girls will be tested by Dor Yeshorim and will think, as we did, that their genetic prospects are safely assured.

In our communities, Dor Yeshorim is painted as The Angel. This is not only misleading; it is dangerous.

The article simply fails to mention the most important fact — Dor Yeshorim only tests for 7 diseases. There are a total of 39 life-threatening Ashkenazic diseases, made up of hundreds of mutations.

In addition to the limited diseases, Dor Yeshorim only account for one known mutation of each disease that they actually test for. Who makes the decision of what disease is deemed "serious" enough to warrant being tested for? Is being at-risk for metabolic crisis, coma and death each moment of everyday considered serious enough? Apparently, not.

Also not mentioned is the "second panel" issue. The second panel only tests for another 7 diseases, which amounts to a total of 14 diseases. That is 14 out of 39. This second panel needs to be personally requested and an additional fee paid for.

Besides the fact that the concept of limited panels in the genetic world is outdated, why does a second panel even exist? If those diseases are important, surely it should all be on one test? And why only for an additional seven diseases? What about the other twenty-three?

Finally, Dor Yeshorim is NOT a medical organization, despite what their picture and tagline would have you believe.

How does this continue when their choices affect lives? Do these lives not matter? Are they not, in their words, "ensuring healthy children for Klal Yisroel”?

In truth, I believe it is better not to do genetic testing than to be tested through Dor Yeshorim. That way, at least people do not have a false sense of security that they have been "comprehensively genetically tested."

That is why my husband Yossi Dworcan and I founded Jnetic, an initiative to raise awareness regarding the systems used in screening for genetic disorders prevalent in the Jewish community.

We are working to get the facts straight and, as a community, take a stand. All known life-threatening diseases and mutations should be tested for.

* Upon request of the patient, as with any other personal medical information, results should be available and explained by a genetic counselor.

* The stigma and fear factor associated with carrier status should be broken. The answer to this is: Education, education, education. There is no shame in being a carrier; every person in the world is a carrier for at least 5 different mutations. We, as Jews, simply have a higher chance of being carriers for the same diseases because of our likely common lineage.

* When both parties are carriers, there are ways to have healthy children to the best of science's ability. These options are Halachically and medically sound and should be explained to the community.

* "Compatible" and "not compatible" are not medical terms, and we should not allow them to label us as such. Breaking up a shidduch (match) because both parties are carriers for a genetic mutation is something that we, as individuals, should be able to make an informed and educated decision about with the help of medical professionals. Making this decision for others is called playing G-d.

* Cost is not a factor. Check out Jscreen. More comprehensive tests are available at a cheaper rate than that of Dor Yeshorim’s, plus they include genetic counseling.

* MOST importantly: We all have the right and obligation to be informed and educated.

I don't expect you take my word for it. I encourage you to reach out to a medical professional who specializes in genetics and specifically how it relates to the Jewish community. If you would like a reference to one, please feel free to reach out to us at info@jnetic.org.

Hebrew may be world's oldest alphabet

A photo of Sinai 375a, a stone slab from Egypt, which is now located in the Harvard Semitic Museum. This photo contains the name Ahisamach (Exodus 31:6) on the two horizontal lines. (Credit: Douglas Petrovich)

The oldest recorded alphabet may be Hebrew. According to a controversial new study by archaeologist and ancient inscription specialist Douglas Petrovich, Israelites in Egypt took 22 ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and turned them into the Hebrew alphabet over 3,800 years ago.

The discovery of this early Hebrew alphabet has proved  to scholars the dates Petrovich has for the Israelites’ stay in Egypt – 430 years to the very day, as recorded in Exodus 12:40-41, equaling 1876-1446 BC – 

The road to Petrovich’s discovery started back in 2012, when he was researching hieroglyphic inscriptions online from an Egyptian stone slab dated 1842 B.C. The slab, known as Sinai 115, identified Joseph and his sons Ephraim and Manasseh– all figures from the Hebrew Bible, the latter of whom inscribed the hieroglyphs on the slab himself. Something in the text Manasseh wrote– translation “6 Levantines: Hebrews of Bethel, the beloved,” which referred to himself, his son, and four other Hebrews on a turquoise mining expedition– caught the eye of Petrovich. It was the world’s oldest letter, he says.

“On this otherwise Middle Egyptian caption were a Canaanite syllabic and the world’s oldest attested proto-consonantal letter–‘B’, depicting a house for the Hebrew consonant bayit,” Petrovich told Foxnews.com. “It was this single proto-consonantal Hebrew letter that helped me to understand that the world’s oldest alphabet, the language of which has been unidentified for over 150 years of scholarship, is Hebrew.”

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Petrovich's electronic drawing of Sinai 375a, which includes the separation of words and identification of proto-consonantal letters with biblical/modern Hebrew letters next to them (Credit: Douglas Petrovich).

Petrovich, who currently teaches Ancient Egypt at Wilfred Laurier University, isn’t the first to identify Hebrew as the language of the world’s oldest alphabet. Back in the 1920’s, a German scholar named Hubert Grimme identified some of the inscriptions as Hebrew. However, unlike Petrovich, he was unable to identify all of the letters in the alphabet correctly. This led to failed translations and rejection by other scholars.

Putting together a complete alphabet, detailed in a soon–to–be–released book by Petrovich, was no easy task.

“I was translating Middle Egyptian and proto-consonantal Hebrew inscriptions that nobody ever had translated successfully before,” he said. “There were many ‘A-ha!’ moments along the way, because I was stumbling across biblical figures never attested before in the epigraphical record, or seeing connections that I had not understood before.”

Dividing words properly was also a hurdle because the letters all run together, without any spaces between them or punctuation.

After finally completing the alphabet, Petrovich was able to translate 16 Hebrew inscriptions from four different sites in Egypt and Sinai. In these inscriptions he found a number of distinctly Hebrew words, including the naming of 3 biblical figures: Asenath (the wife of Joseph), Ahisamach (the father of Oholiab, who was appointed to build the tabernacle in the desert), and Moses, who was credited by the Hebrew Bible as being the man who led the Israelites out of Egypt.

“I absolutely was surprised to find [the reference to] Moses, because he resided in Egypt for less than a year at the time of his provoking of astonishment there,” Petrovich recalled. “In fact, the Hebrew letters ‘M-Sh’ could have other meanings, and I had to examine every other possibility for those uses of Hebrew words with those letters. Only after realizing that every other possibility had to be eliminated, whether due to contextual or grammatical limitations, was I forced to admit that this word must be taken as a proper noun, and almost undoubtedly refers to the Moses who is credited with writing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Torah.”

The inscription with the Moses reference dates back to 1446 or 1447 B.C.– the final year of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt– and describes events written about in Exodus 1, such as the enslavement of Hebrews. In the inscription, Moses is depicted as a man who inspired awe in the Hebrew community, which would match well with the biblical events describing Moses’ encounters with the pharaoh.

Petrovich hopes that skeptics, instead of coming to pre–conclusions about his claims, will study his new findings with an open mind and be objective.

“My discoveries are so controversial because if correct, they will rewrite the history books and undermine much of the assumptions and misconceptions about the ancient Hebrew people and the Bible that have become commonly accepted in the scholarly world and taught as factual in the world’s leading universities,” he said. “To my skeptics, I say, ‘Continue to be skeptical. Do not accept my conclusions until you are convinced they are correct.’ Truth is un–killable, so if I am correct, my findings will outlast scholarly scrutiny.”

Further details can be found in Petrovich’s book “The World’s Oldest Alphabet” (Carta Books), which will be available in the coming weeks.

Trump the "tweeter"

Fried Kugel Balls for Chanukah .....

Recipe comes from the Nosher via My Jewish Learning:

Ingredients

1 12 oz package wide egg noodles
4 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 oz full fat sour cream
10 oz canned, crushed pineapple (drained)
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt

For assembling:

2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
4 cups cornflakes, crushed
Vegetable oil for frying
Sea salt
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

To make the kugel:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep, square baking dish (8×8 or 9×9). If your baking dish not a square, the kugel will be too thin and you won’t be able to scoop the kugel into balls.

Cook noodles according to directions (around 8-10 minutes). Drain and use right away.

Place butter in a large bowl. Add hot noodles right on top and allow the butter to melt.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Pour mixture on top of noodles and mix. Add sour cream, crushed pineapple and salt and mix again.

Pour noodle mixture into greased baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until just golden on top. Place in fridge overnight.

To assemble and fry:

Using a medium or large size cookie scoop, form chilled kugel into balls. Place on a baking sheet or place and put into freezer or fridge for 20-30 minutes. This will help them keep their shape when frying.

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep pan. Kugel balls don’t need to be completely submerged in oil, just about halfway.

Crush cornflakes into crumbs and place in a bowl. In another bowl combine eggs and 1 Tbsp milk.

Remove kugel balls from freezer. Dip into egg mixture, the cornflake crumbs. Fry balls in oil, about 1 minute each side until golden brown.

Place fried kugel balls on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt while still hot.

Top with powdered sugar if desired. Serve while warm

Biblical storm cloud of dust and rain 'sent by God to put a barrier between Israel and ISIS'

Claims are being made that a biblical storm cloud of dust and rain was 'sent by God' to act as a barrier between Israel and ISIS .

The huge storm allegedly stopped on the border of Syria, and was 'unable' to enter Israel's Golan Heights region.

DIN: Can't be, because the Satmar Rebbe said in 1967 that G-d doesn't perform miracles  for the IDF ... only the "sitra achreh" do  miracles! 

But the Rebbe also said that the "6 million Jews were murdered by Hashem" and one shouldn't ask questions  .... so according to this logic, Hashem only kills,  doesn't save or perform miracles! Get me a stiff drink, folks!

Footage of the strange weather phenomenon was uploaded to Facebook by Israel News Online.

They claimed that the storm was an act of God, or 'divine intervention' to protect Israelis from the notorious terror group.

It is believed that the storm occurred last Thursday, December 1, at around 8am.

On Facebook, Israel News Online wrote: "A weather phenomenon occurred at 8am Thursday on the other side of the Syrian border, in the same place where ISIS attacked Israel.

This strange storm of what appears to be dust, cloud and rain did NOT cross the border fence into Israel. It sat like a barrier between ISIS and Israel."

One Facebook user replied: Absolutely the divine intervention of God protecting Israel. Amen!"

Other more cynical viewers disagreed, adding: "Actually, sorry to be boring, but it's simply a weather phenomenon."

But Israel News Online hit back almost immediately, writing: "Yes it is of course. Now do we ask who controls the weather? Whatever the cause it sat between ISIS and Israel and did not enter Israel."