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Thursday, May 18, 2017

Taking a ‘Sharp Knife’ to the Gemara

“Does a sharp knife cut verses?” This pungent question, asked by Rava in Bava Batra 111b, is a way of asking how much freedom the rabbis have to interpret the Torah.
 The role of the Torah in the legal thinking of the Talmud is a fascinating one, which has intrigued me since the beginning of my Daf Yomi reading. 
In general, one might say that the Talmud exists because to put it in traditional terms, the Oral Law was given to explain and supplement the Written Law. 
Biblical laws tend to be terse and generalized, and they seldom cover all the contingencies that might arise in life. 
The Torah prohibits labor on Shabbat; but what exactly constitutes labor? 
The Torah prohibits Jews from exploiting one another in commercial transactions; but how do you measure exploitation? 
The Mishna, the digest of the Oral Law, is needed to fill these gaps. In turn, the Gemara is needed to resolve ambiguities in the Mishna.
At the same time, however, the rabbis are always at pains to show that what might seem like new laws, which go beyond and sometimes even contradict the laws of the Torah, are in fact in harmony with the Torah. 
To do this, they are compelled to read against the grain of the biblical text, in ways that strike the uninitiated reader as highly counterintuitive. 
They will, for instance, make important deductions based on the presence of a prefix or suffix of a single letter; or they will look for other uses of a given word elsewhere in the Torah, and draw conclusions based on the context of those seemingly unrelated usages. 

The rabbis’ hermeneutics are far from lawless—they have a rigorous method for making deductions from the text—but they often give the impression of doing whatever needs to be done to make the Torah mean what they want it to mean.
Last week’s Daf Yomi reading, in Chapter Eight of Tractate Bava Batra, was largely devoted to this kind of biblical interpretation. 
The subject of the chapter is the laws of inheritance—a topic of central importance in a patriarchal society, where most wealth was held in the form of land or livestock. 
The basic halakha about inheritance is laid down in Babmidbar 27, where we read about a man named Zelophehad, who died leaving no sons, only daughters. 
The state of the law at that time was apparently that only male children had the right to inherit property. But the daughters of Zelophehad went to Moshe to protest, demanding that they receive their father’s estate. 
Significantly, this claim was made not in terms of fairness, and certainly not of gender equality, but in terms of the preservation of the family name: “Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family because he had no son?” the daughters demanded.
Moshe took this question to the L-rd, who told him that the women were right. From them on, daughters would have the right to inherit property under Jewish law—if, and only if, they had no living brothers. 
If a man had sons, they would divide his property between them, with a double share going to the first-born. The Torah goes on to lay down the order of inheritance: first sons, then daughters, then brothers, then paternal uncles. If none of these categories of relatives are living, then “ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family.”
This seems very clear; 
but turn to the Mishna in Bava Batra 108a, and we find that at some point between the writing of the Torah and the writing of the Mishna, the law has changed in a crucial way.
 According to the Mishna, “these both inherit and bequeath: a father with regard to his sons and sons with regard to their father.” 
In other words, not only is a son the heir to his father’s property, but a father is heir to his son’s property, provided that the son in question has no children of his own. Indeed, the father inherits before the deceased’s own brothers. Yet the Torah knows nothing of this rule because it does not list fathers in the order of inheritance. How is this discrepancy to be reconciled?
Here is where the “sharp knife” of rabbinic interpretation comes into play. 
Rather than admitting that the Oral Law contradicts the Written Law, the rabbis of the Gemara set out to prove that the rule about fathers is actually implicit in the Torah. 
How so? 
They assert that the term “his kinsman,” which in the Torah seems like a catchall for any male relative, is actually meant to refer to the father of the deceased. 
But in the verse from Bamidbar, “his kinsman” comes last in the order of inheritance; how, then, do we explain that the father actually precedes the brothers of the deceased? 
Here the rabbis focus on the word “next to him,” which suggest that the nearer a relation the heir is to the deceased, the earlier he comes in the order of inheritance. Because a father is a closer relative than a brother, he inherits before them.
But how do we know that this is where a father stands in the order of proximity? 
“And what did you see,” the Gemara asks, “to include the son as a closer relative than the father and to exclude the brother?” 
The reason has to do with relationships defined in other areas of Jewish law: for instance, a father can designate a Hebrew slave as a bride for his son, and a son can redeem a field that his father had consecrated. These legal rights are taken to demonstrate that a father and son stand in closer proximity than do two brothers, who cannot designate wives or redeem fields for one another.
The Gemara raises an objection, however, by bringing up the matter of levirate marriage. As we saw extensively in Tractate Yevamot, if a married man dies without children, his brother must marry his wife in order to produce an heir—or else perform the ceremony of chalitzah to cancel this obligation. 
This seems to suggest that brothers stand in a very close legal relationship to one another, even closer, perhaps, than fathers and sons. 
But the rabbis reject this idea, pointing out that the fraternal obligation of levirate marriage exists only in a case where there is no son; if the deceased has a son, the brother’s obligation is annulled. This goes to prove that the father-son relationship precedes the fraternal one in order of importance.
A little further on, 
The Gemara asks how we know that the Torah’s term “kinsman” really is meant to apply to a father? 
After all, the Hebrew term in question can refer to relatives of either sex; how do we know that, in this case, it doesn’t mean “mother” instead? 
If so, then a man’s mother would inherit his property, rather than his father. 
But this cannot be, the rabbis reason, because the verse says, “his kinsman who is next to him of his family,” and “it is the father’s family that is called one’s family, while one’s mother’s family is not called one’s family.” 
Paternal relatives, that is, are legally more significant than maternal relatives. 
At the same time, however, Chazal say that it is maternal relatives who do more to shape a person’s character: 
“Most sons resemble the mother’s brothers.” Clearly, the niceties of legal relationships have little to do with the actual strength of the bonds between family members.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Murdered Jewish DNC staffer was WikiLeaks’ source, say investigators

Seth Rich

The Jewish Democratic National Committee staffer who was gunned down on July 10 on a Washington, D.C., street just steps from his home had leaked thousands of internal emails to WikiLeaks, investigative sources told Fox News.
A federal investigator who reviewed an FBI forensic report -- generated within 96 hours after DNC staffer Seth Rich's murder -- detailing the contents Rich’s computer said he made contact with WikiLeaks through Gavin MacFadyen, a now-deceased American investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker, and director of WikiLeaks who was living in London at the time.
“I have seen and read the emails between Seth Rich and WikiLeaks,” the federal investigator told Fox News, confirming the MacFadyen connection. He said the emails are in possession of the FBI, while the stalled case is in the hands of the Washington Police Department.
The revelation is consistent with the findings of Rod Wheeler, a former DC homicide detective and Fox News contributor and whose private investigation firm was hired by a third party on behalf of Rich’s family to probe the case. Rich was shot from behind in the wee hours, but was not robbed.
“My investigation up to this point shows there was some degree of email exchange between Seth Rich and WikiLeaks,” Wheeler said. “I do believe that the answers to who murdered Seth Rich sits on his computer on a shelf at the DC police or FBI headquarters.”
The federal investigator, who requested anonymity, said 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments between Democratic National Committee leaders, spanning from January 2015 through late May 2016, were transferred from Rich to MacFadyen before May 21.
On July 22, just 12 days after Rich was killed, WikiLeaks published internal DNC emails that appeared to show top party officials conspired to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont from becoming the party’s presidential nominee. That controversy resulted in Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigning as DNC chairperson. A number of Sanders supporters refused to back party nominee Hillary Clinton, and some subsequently formed groups to work against Clinton and the party.
WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange has stopped short of identifying Rich as the source of the emails, but has taken a keen interest in the case, and has not denied working with Rich.
“WikiLeaks has decided to issue a US$20k reward for information leading to conviction for the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich,” the organization announced.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department has no suspects and no substantial leads as to who the killer or killers may be, sources close to the investigation said. Metropolitan Police, including the police chief, have refused to discuss the case, despite requests from Fox News dating back 10 months.
The department released a statement on the case saying it remains an active investigation and that detectives are working with Rich's family.
"If there are any individuals who feel they have information, we urge them to call us at 
(202) 727-9099 
or text us at 50411," read the statement. 
"The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on this case that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible."
The FBI’s national office declined to comment, but sources said the bureau provided cyber expertise to examine Rich’s computer.
Wheeler believes powerful forces are preventing the case from a thorough investigation.
“My investigation shows someone within the D.C. government, Democratic National Committee or Clinton team is blocking the murder investigation from going forward,” Wheeler told Fox News. “That is unfortunate. Seth Rich’s murder is unsolved as a result of that.”
A spokesman for the Rich family said Wheeler was not authorized to speak for the family and called assertions Seth Rich sent emails to WikiLeaks "unsubstantiated." Brad Bauman said even if purported emails were to surface, it would not necessarily mean Rich had helped WikiLeaks.
"Even if tomorrow, an email was found, it is not a high enough bar of evidence to prove any interactions as emails can be altered and we've seen that those interested in pushing conspiracies will stop at nothing to do so," Bauman said. "We are a family who is committed to facts, not fake evidence that surfaces every few months to fill the void and distract law enforcement and the general public from finding Seth's murderers."
Whatever Rich's possible activities prior to his murder, the case remains a mystery.
Two assailants caught on a grainy video tape from a camera posted outside a grocery mart, shot Rich twice in his back, but did not take his wallet, cell phone, keys, watch or necklace worth about $2,000.
Police should consider all angles, Wheeler said, especially in light of Assange’s statements to a Dutch television reporter who asked about Rich.
“I am suggesting,” Assange told the Dutch reporter, “that our sources take risks, and they, they become concerned to see things occurring like that.”
On Twitter, WikiLeaks announced the reward but said Assange’s statement “should not be taken to imply that Seth Rich was a source for WikiLeaks or to imply that his murder is connected to our publications” because WikiLeaks has a policy not to release the names of its sources, even after their death.
In subsequent appearances on Fox News Channel, Assange confirmed, “We're interested in anything that might be a threat to alleged WikiLeaks sources.”
Assange has not returned a series of recent emails from Fox News about Rich. MacFadyen, who was considered a mentor by Assange, died of lung cancer on Oct. 22 at age 76.
D.C. police have announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Rich’s killer. 
Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman has offered a separate $130,000 reward.
Rich had been at Lou’s City Bar a couple of miles from his home until about 1:15 a.m. He walked home, calling several people along the way. He called his father, Joel Rich, who he missed because he had gone to sleep. He talked with a fraternity brother and his girlfriend, Kelsey Mulka.
Around 4:17 a.m., Rich was about a block from his home when Mulka, still on the phone with him, heard voices in the background. Rich reassured her that he was steps away from being at his front door and hung up.
Two minutes later, Rich was shot twice. Police were on the scene within three minutes. Rich sustained bruising on his hands and face. He remained conscious, but died at a nearby hospital less than two hours later.
Police detectives will not say whether Rich provided them with any clues about the identity of his attackers or their motivation, Wheeler said. However, Wheeler believes Rich could have provided information prior to his death of who was responsible for carrying out his murder.

Police also have refused to release security footage from a market on the corner of the crosswalk where Rich was killed. The footage, sources told Fox News, shows two people following Rich across the tiny crosswalk just moments before he was attacked. The camera captured grainy footage of the assailants’ legs and Rich as he fell backward into the street after being shot.

WHITE HOUSE QUESTIONS AUTHENTICITY OF 'WESTERN WALL' SOVEREIGNTY COMMENTS

The Trump administration is denying that one of its top officials characterized the Western Wall as West Bank territory outside of established Israeli jurisdiction, after local reports claimed a US official said as much to counterparts in the prime minister's office.

"These comments, if true, were not authorized by the White House," a spokesman told The Jerusalem Post on Monday afternoon. "They do not reflect the US position, and certainly not the president's position."

Earlier on Monday, a report on Channel 2 indicated that a US official considered the Western Wall in Jerusalem — part of Judaism’s holiest site of the Temple Mount — outside of Israeli sovereignty. The wall and Temple Mount complex were taken over by Israel fifty years ago in the Six Day War, and their fate remains a core issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu had requested joining Trump on his visit to the site, Channel 2 reported, only to be denied on these grounds.
"The statement that the Western Wall is on territory in the West Bank was astonishing. Israel has turned to the US on this matter,” an official in Netanyahu’s office said in response.

Monday, May 15, 2017

HARSH EXCHANGE BETWEEN TRUMP AND NETANYAHU TEAMS

A White House official called the Western Wall part of the West Bank and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not invited to join US President Donald Trump on his visit to the site, according to Channel 2 who quoted the official on Monday evening. 

A dramatic appears to have been created between Washington and Jerusalem as US President Donald Trump's team as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's team both issued harsh statements on Monday evening less than a week prior to the president's much-expected visit to Israel. 

The drama unfolded when a senior White House official said that the Western Wall was part of the West Bank and not part of Israel's territory, as Channel 2 reported on Monday.

"The Western Wall is not in your territory," the official reportedly said. 

It seems that the official was prompted to make the statement after members of Netanyahu's team asked if Netanyahu could join Trump on the visit to the Western Wall and whether Israeli photographers could document the event, to which the Americans replied that the Western Wall was a "disputed territory."


According to Channel 2, the same official told members of Netanyahu's team that Trump's visit to the Western Wall was a private visit and also added: "No way, why is this your business?"

The official allegedly went on to say: "This is not your territory but rather part of the West Bank."

A source close to the preparations team in Israel told Channel 2 that the statements made by the White House official were received with utter shock by Netanyahu's team. "In Israel they're convinced that this statement is opposed to President Trump's policy as it was expressed recently in his behavior and in his firm resistance to the most recent Security Council resolution. Israel has turned to to the US [to discuss this further]." 

And as Netanyahu's team reeled from the shocking and negative remarks that were reportedly made by the US official today, it also faced another worrying report coming from a senior Fox news correspondent who took to social media to claim earlier in the day that the premier had asked US President Donald Trump to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv and not relocate it to Israel's capital. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office denied the claim on Monday evening, issuing a  statement that said: "The things published on Fox News are a lie."


The premier's office was referring to a tweet posted earlier in the day by Fox News foreign correspondent Connor Powell, who wrote on Twitter that "everyone I've spoken to in DC that has been briefed on #Jerusalem embassy move says #Netanyahu told #Trump not to move embassy at this time." 

The firm denial coming from the prime minister's office was backed by a rare and unusual move. The statement released by the office included a transcript from Netanyahu's meeting with Trump in Washington which took place this February, acting as proof that the report provided by Powell was false. 

The transcript included the following:

"From a summary of the lunch at the White House: 'President Trump was asked about the embassy and explained that it (moving the embassy) will not cause bloodshed in the region, like he has been warned against (President Trump).' "

Netanyahu on Monday called again on Trump to move the embassy to Jerusalem, on the same day that his controversial Israel envoy pick David Friedman arrives in Israel to begin his tenure. 



FBI TRUMP-Russian Connection


No ..... these are not Nazis ....these are Jews Burning the Jewish Flag and an IDF Soldier in Effigy


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned those who burned in effigy IDF soldiers during Lag Ba’omer celebrations in Jerusalem on Saturday night.
“Last night, there was a reprehensible incident in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting.
“An extremist and truly marginal faction of ultra-orthodox society, a faction identified with Neturei Karta, burned effigies of IDF soldiers in uniform along with Israeli flags, in order to offend ultra-orthodox soldiers,” Netanyahu said.
“This was deplorable. IDF soldiers guard everyone, including the ultra-Orthodox, including these people. I expect, request and demand that all public leaders condemn this despicable act and I also request that the police find those responsible,” he added.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Israel’s police force to get involved and for leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community to condemn those actions.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Monsey Among Worst Places In U.S. For Credit Card Debt

Residents who live in Monsey, a hamlet of Ramapo, might want to rethink their credit card use after a recent study ranked the hamlet as being the fifth worst place in the country for credit card debt.
According to a study by WalletHub, the average credit card holder has an outstanding balance of $5,849 with a collective nationwide balance of $927.1 billion in 2016.
In Monsey, the average balance was $7,569 with an average income of $18,825, or 41 percent of their income, according to Business Insider .
In the study, WalletHub looked at the average credit card balance and the median income, ranking them by how long it would take the average person to pay off the debt.
Residents of Monsey, whose medium income are below the national average of $32,261, will likely struggle to meet the minimum payments, said Business Insider.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Crazed Maxine Waters Interview on Comey Firing


Frum Child ITerrorist n Beit Shemesh Throws A Rock At Woman For Being Immodest

Now we have children following in the footsteps of their parents. We are bringing up a generation of savages ...... who have no respect for anyone that doesn't look like them .....
Where are the "internet banning" rabbis? Where are the Gedoilim who prohibit people with Iphones from being witnesses at weddings?
Tell me the difference between them and arab children throwing rocks????
A chareidi child Terrorist on Tuesday, 13 Iyar, threw a rock at a 50-year-old woman R”L when he decided she was not dressed modestly.
The woman, Mrs. Rachael Sifra, was transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital with only light injuries Baruch Hashem. Police are searching for the child terrorist who attacked her.
The victim’s daughter relates to the incident as a “terror attack”, explaining her mother was injured in her head and she required medical care in a hospital. She points out her mother was walking in Beit Shemesh; which is primarily secular and dati leumi, as opposed to Ramat Beit Shemesh; which is primarily chareidi, but she was attacked nonetheless.
Beit Shemesh Mayor (Shas) Moshe Abutbul spoke with Beit Shemesh Police Chief Ronen Garush, asking him to take part in a special session in City Hall. The investigation continues as does the search for the boy.
Mrs. Sifra spoke to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Wednesday morning 14 Iyar, telling of her ordeal and how she is disgusted, explaining she was walking on the street in her area and was attacked at 7:00PM because she was wearing a tee-shirt. She did not see the attacker, explaining “I was in shock and simply did not know how to react. They took me to Hadassah and I am still there”.
Mrs. Sifra lives in Beit Shemesh for 32 years, adding she was attacked with a rock for the first time a few years ago but the rock missed. Then too she admits it was because “They felt I was not dressed modestly”.
Mrs. Sifra lives in a mixed area of religious and secular areas but the attack occurred in the exclusively religious area. She is fed up with shouts of “Shabbes” all the time, adding in one occasion her husband fell and fractured his arm.
For Rachel, she has had enough and plans to leave the city for Ashdod. She adds many others feel as she does, questioning why religious neighbors cannot tolerate others.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Trump Hater Colbert Announces Comey’s Firing, But Audience Cheers????

Here’s a fascinating little encapsulation of life in 2017 America. When the rules change on the fly so instantly, it’s tough for an audience of trained seals to know how to react.

When the studio audience cheered James Comey’s firing, as they’ve been trained to do for half a year now, Colbert retorted: “Huge, huge Donald Trump fans here tonight.” Well, that’s what they get for missing that hairpin swerve in the narrative. The daily Two Minutes Hate gets confusing when you don’t know who and what to boo.

If you’ve picked a team, you gotta stick with that team no matter what. If that means howling for six months about firing James Comey, and then turning on a dime and condemning the firing of James Comey, so be it.


In this clip of Colbert announcing Comey's firing, his crowd appears to be confused by how Colbert wanted them to react, and then syncing back up with Colbert's opinion seconds later. This creates for a hilariously awkward moment that leaves Colbert off guard for a few seconds, and then instantly disses his audiences as "Trump fans". What a dunce.
So...does this prove Colbert fans really are sheep that happen to think whatever Colbert wants them to think?

Rabbi Dovber Pinson Defends Meeting With Irrelevant Pope

James Comey FBI Director Fired


FBI Director James Comey has been fired, according to the White House.
"Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office," the White House statement reads.
"President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions," the statement said.


Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Demented "Rabbis" Defend Linda Sarsour and Rasmea Odeh

Leon Kaner and Edward Joffe, the Jewish students murdered by Rasmea Odeh.

The New York Daily News has an op-ed by rabbis Ellen Lippman and Barat Ellman, in which they fully endorse Linda Sarsour’s activities, and defend her from accusations of antisemitism and supporting terror.
How they treat and downplay the most damning piece of evidence about Sarsour’s support for terrorism shows how intellectually dishonest that Sarsour’s supporters are:
Still others point to her friendship with and support of Rasmea Odeh, who was convicted of involvement in a 1970 supermarket bombing in Israel that killed two people. They ignore Odeh’s claim that she was tortured and coerced into confessing guilt, a contention worth exploring.
This is simply disgusting.
There is overwhelming evidence of Odeh’s guilt, not the least of which is her friend bragging about Odeh’s role in killing Israelis in a film that is sympathetic to Palestinian terrorists..
There is also overwhelming evidence that Odeh was not tortured; in fact, she confessed to the murders only one day after her arrest, not after “25 days of torture” as she claims.
Legal Insurrection tells the entire Odeh story in great detail; no one can credibly claim that she is not a terrorist after reading it. Odeh herself admits to plotting to attack the British Consulate in Israel.
Clearly, Lippman and Ellman care more about supporting those who want to destroy Israel than telling the truth. More sickeningly, they give credibility to convicted terrorists, and cast aspersions on Israel’s justice system, even though Odeh’s trial was transparent and fair (even according to the ICRC).
Lippman and Ellman are also spitting on the memories of Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner, the two students that Odeh murdered. Instead, they choose to endorse someone who supports terrorism, Sharia law, the destruction of Israel, and who claims that feminists cannot be Zionists.
These “rabbis” don’t give a damn about the facts of the case. They will support their anti-Israel friends no matter what.
They are beneath contempt.

Rabbi Accused of Raping His Student Continues As the Principal of the School

The Alleged "Groiser Chazzir" "Rabbi" Greer Shlitah

A rabbi accused of repeatedly raping and molesting a teenage boy has been ordered to testify at a civil trial after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a deposition.
Jury selection for Rabbi Daniel Greer’s trial in federal court in Hartford is scheduled to start Wednesday. Jurors could begin hearing evidence later in the day or Thursday.
Greer, 76, remains the principal at the Yeshiva of New Haven school. A former student at the Jewish boarding school, Eliyahu “Eli” Mirlis, now 29, is suing Greer and the school on allegations of sexual assault, infliction of emotional distress and other claims.
Mirlis, who attended the school from 2001 to 2005, also alleges in the lawsuit that Greer sexually abused at least one other male student. The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege sexual assault, but Mirlis wanted to come forward, his lawyer said.
Greer has denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged. New Haven police say they’re looking into a sexual assault complaint filed by Mirlis’ lawyer, Antonio Ponvert III.
Greer and his lawyers, David Grudberg and William Ward, did not return phone and email messages seeking comment.
According to court documents, Greer invoked his right against self-incrimination at a deposition last year. His lawyers asked a judge to bar Mirlis from calling Greer to the witness stand, but the request was denied.
“Parading Mr. Greer before the jury to repeatedly invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege will only serve to paint him as ‘a criminal who has probably eluded justice’ in the eyes of the finders of fact, which will cause significant and irreparable prejudice in this case,” Grudberg and Ward wrote in a motion filed last month, adding that Greer also would invoke his Fifth Amendment right if called to testify.
Although Judge Michael P. Shea denied the request this month, he said Greer’s lawyers could object to specific questions to prevent Greer from having to repeatedly take the Fifth on the stand.
Ward has questioned why Mirlis came forward with the allegations years later and did not take the matter before a rabbinical arbitration court. He said the allegations have damaged Greer, his family and the good reputation he spent years building in the community.
Greer is a graduate of Princeton and Yale Law School who has testified before the state legislature several times on a variety of issues, including opposing same-sex unions in 2002 before the state approved same-sex marriage. He also is a former member of the New Haven police commissioners’ board and a past chairman of the New Haven Redevelopment Agency.
He also led efforts to improve New Haven’s Edgewood neighborhood.
Greer’s daughter was among a group of Orthodox Jewish students who sued Yale University in the late 1990s, claiming the school’s requirement that they live in coed dorms violated their constitutional rights. A federal judge disagreed and dismissed the lawsuit.


Rabbi Yair Hoffman States That R' Gluck's Visit to the Pope was a matter of "Pikuach Nefesh"?



Rabbi Yair Hoffman the posek of Yeshivaworld Blog, paskened that the visit of R' Gluck, (the Chief Rabbi of the "Palisades Parkway") to the Pope was permitted, since the matter of discussion between R' Gluck and the irrelevant Pope was "Pikuach Nefesh"! 

Rabbi Hoffman writes: 
"As mentioned in a previous article, actually meeting with the pope and developing good will with the pontiff is certainly worthwhile to pursue. The song and dance was, in this author’s opinion, not something that should have been tacked on. Of course, it is likely that the askanim posed the questions to their Rabbinic authorities and Poskim, who may have felt that under the circumstances of the issues being discussed with the pope – it was warranted. The fact is that Reb Tzvi Gluck’s work is so important and is a matter of Pikuach Nefesh that it may indeed, trump many of these other issues – in order to get the message out. On the other hand, it could be that the message could have been made without the singing and dancing."

Excuseeeeeeeeeee me........ R' Gluck discussed a matter of "pikuach nefesh?" ..... that's interesting because you yourself wrote in the psak  and the The Yeshivaworld Blog reported  that the purpose to meet the "Old Christian Kocker" was because of Jewish graves?

Question #1 to R' Hoffman:
What was the "pikuach nefesh?"  
Crazy me, I thought that "pikuach nefesh" only applies to people still alive and breathing.....

Question #2 to R'Hoffman:
You write that: 
"Of course, it is likely that the askanim posed the questions to their Rabbinic authorities and Poskim, who may have felt that under the circumstances of the issues being discussed with the pope – it was warranted. "

Well if they "posed the question to their Rabbinic authorities," why do we need your psak?
Didn't they get a psak?




Monday, May 8, 2017

Rabbi Gluck Dons His Spodik to Meet the Pope that Represents People That Butchered Jews Throughout History!


I know, I know, Rabbonim including Rishonim would visit the Pope ....... but that was way different. In those days the Pope was like a king with an army that ruled over most of Europe, and the Gedoilim had no choice. Nowadays the Pope, rules over only the Vatican ... and is basically irrelevant even to his followers.

This mashiginar "tuchis lekker" Harav Hagoen (fin dee ma nishtana) Edger Gluck , the Chief Rabbi of the Palisades Parkway, wore his "Shabbasdike Begodim" to greet the Pope, who wears a gigantic cross!

 His encourage danced and  sang "orach yuomim" wishing the old Christian kocker "long life." See Video below

The Yeshivaworld blog, compared Rabbi Gluck, the Rabbi of the Palisades Parkway, to Harav Ovadia Yofef z"l that visited the Pope .....
Here see the Rabbi of the Palisades Parkway smiling like a "Chulent Bundel"
The Yeshivaworld blog, compared the Good Rabbi Gluck, the Rabbi of the Palisades Parkway, to Harav Ovadia Yofef z"l that visited the Pope .....
YWN wrote:
It is interesting to note, that in 2014 the Chief Rabbis of Israel met with the Pope, with haRav Yitzchak Yosef wearing a golden necklace around his neck that had the Luchos on it. At the time, YWN published the reason for this, and related that it was an inheritance from his father, Maran Hagaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZATZAL – who himself wore that golden Luchos when he met with previous Popes.

Macron wins French Election ... Radical Muslims Excited!

"The Forward" Fake News Denigrates a Friend of Jews & Israel .. Calls Him "An Anti-Semite"

What is it with stupid liberal leftist Jews who support an anti-Semite like Linda Sarsour, and at the very same time denigrate a person who loves Jews and supports the State of  Israel like Dr. Sebastian Gorka..?

The Fake News ...The Forward, will try everything to denounce President Trump even if it means making up stories ... tying dr. Gorka to Nazis????  .......

By Rabbi Heshie Billet
This past week has been both solemn and happy in Israel. Israel mourned and remembered more than 23,500 of her best men and women who died defending their country, as well as the many innocent victims murdered in evil acts of terror. 

On the very day Israel celebrated 69 years as the only true independent democracy in the Middle East, UNESCO slammed it as the aggressive “occupying power” of Jerusalem and referred to that city’s holy sites by Muslim names only.

At the same time, the invitation given to Muslim-American activist Linda Sarsour to speak at a CUNY commencement has continued to evoke condemnation. Sarsour — who was praised by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as a “suffragist” because of her role in the Women’s March on Washington earlier this year — recently shared a podium in Chicago with fellow activist and marcher Rasmea Odeh. They each attacked Zionists for their supposed “land grab.” Ironically, they spoke before a group called “Jewish Voice for Peace,” whose mission statement includes seeking “an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem” and “security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Odeh is being deported from the US because she never reported in her immigration application that, as a terrorist in Israel, she murdered two men and was convicted by a military court. She served ten years in jail before being released in a prisoner exchange.
Sarsour declared in The Nation in March that one cannot be both a feminist and a Zionist. This week, former Anti-Defamation League national director Abe Foxman called Sarsour “a bigot.” And yet, she continues to receive support from Jews and non-Jews who are blind to who she really is.
Some of the same people advocating for Sarsour have attacked Dr. Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump. The most glaring allegations against him are that he is an antisemite with connections to fascist groups in his late father’s native Hungary. Because these are very serious charges, I chose to investigate the matter. What I learned was that the allegations are baseless and entirely unfounded. Gorka’s interactions with Jews, Jewish communities and Israel have been uniformly positive and thoroughly supportive.  
But first of all, who is Gorka? He is a British-born scholar with expertise in radical Islam and counter-terrorism. His father was a political prisoner in Communist Hungary who continued fighting to free his country even after his escape to London. Before that, the Gorka family had assisted Jewish friends during the Holocaust.
Gorka himself returned to Hungary as a young man to help his ancestral homeland anchor itself with the West. Without question his politics skewed to the right. When key segments of the Hungarian Right began expressing antisemitism, Gorka fought them in ways that ended his political career in the country.
My investigation into Gorka taught me that he is (at least) the third generation of his family to take personal risks on behalf of freedom and on behalf of Jews.
Gorka’s chief critic has been Jane Eisner, the editor-in-chief of The Forward, which has published many articles making a case against him. The time and effort the paper put into this work is impressive. 
I have to believe that if there was anything — even a single anecdote — in Gorka’s past that was remotely antisemitic, The Forward would have found it. Yet in all the articles, there was not a single report of anything Gorka ever said, did or wrote that might paint Jews in a negative light. The closest thing to validation of his naysayers was a video of an interview he gave that was deceptively edited to make it look as if he supported something he clearly opposed — as anyone who read a complete transcript of the interview could discern.
As far as I can tell, The Forward’s entire case against Gorka seems to be that he is proud of his Hungarian heritage and has worked with the Hungarian Right. While we all know that Hungary — like many counties in the world — has produced antisemitic figures, including some active in its political right today, the efforts to tar him with that brush are not based on any evidence at all. To smear an innocent man is immoral and politically dishonest.
So during this week when we mourned and celebrated with Israel, we continued to face anti-Zionism and antisemitism in America. Sarsour has tried to obfuscate her anti-Zionism with a show of philosemitism (she raised money to repair a desecrated Jewish cemetery in St. Louis). Also, many Jewish women worked with her on the Washington march. But as we know from the UN — the parent body of UNESCO — anti-Zionism is antisemitism. Unfortunately, too many Jews are in the ranks of the anti-Zionist camp. And too many Jews have joined with the allies of Sarsour in libeling Gorka.
As a Jew who has children living in Gush Etzion and members of my family who have served in or are set to enlist in the IDF, I am very proud. I did not vote for Trump in November. But he is our elected president and all Americans are invested in his success.
I support freedom of the press and I think the president should spend less time attacking the media and more time doing the work of all of the people of America who he was elected to serve. I believe he will find a more balanced press when he does. But he must know that there will always be media criticism. All of America, including the president, are the beneficiaries of a free press.
In fairness to the president, Gorka was a great appointment and he should be commended for it. The Gorka calumny should be buried once and for all.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

UN Bastards Slap Israel on It's Birthday

Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum slammed the UNESCO vote to deny Israel's right to sovereignty over its capital city of Jerusalem Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that fewer nations supported Tuesday's resolution than had supported similar anti-Israel UNESCO resolutions last year.

“Over the last two days I’ve had numerous conversations with various heads of state and foreign ministers about the absurd vote at the UN. The result is that a number of countries that support this absurd proposal is shrinking,” he says. “A year ago it was 32, six months ago it dropped to 26, and now its down to 22 countries,” Netanyahu said.
“I still want to make a systematic and consistent effort to reduce this even further, because these kinds of votes have no place at the UN,” Netanyahu added.
“Today there are more countries that support Israel or abstain than countries that oppose Israel,” he adds. “Its a change, for the first time.”

Opposition leader Yizthak Herzog called the resolution anti-Semitic.

“This [UNESCO resolution] is an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel disgrace that distorts the history of the Jewish people and their unshakable connection to their capital, Jerusalem,” Herzog said.

“This is a miserable, baseless and aggressive decision that will find itself in the garbage can of history, just like the accusation that Zionism is racism," Herzog added.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said: “UNESCO’s expected political decision only harms the organization — which is supposed to preserve heritage and culture — by repeatedly misusing its role when it comes to Israel.”

“Israel does not need approvals from political bodies to connect the unshakable historical connection to our eternal capital, a connection that is over 3,000 years old and cries out from each and every stone in this city," she added.

Israeli President Reuvin Rivlin told foreign ambassadors gathered at his residence to celebrate Israel's Independence Day that their governments should respond to the resolution by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving their embassies there.

“It is time to put an end to the absurd. It is time to recognize Jerusalem, as the official capital of the State of Israel. De facto, not just de jure. It is time to move all the official embassies here, to Jerusalem,” Rivlin said.

22 nations voted to pass the resolution declaring that Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem is null and void. 10 nations opposed the resolution while 23 nations abstained.