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“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Zaks Family.. Grandchildren of the Chofetz Chaim Fighting Like Cats & Dogs in Secular Courts
Rabbi Yaakov Spivak Passes Away
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In Memory of Yoily Kish
לעילו נשמת יואלי קיש ע"ה pic.twitter.com/wayOSkqbk3
— Hasidic2 (@hasidic_1) March 17, 2021
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Portland cut police funding and Now There Is a 2,000% surge in murders
Last June, the city of Portland, Oregon, hopped on the “defund the police” bandwagon. Now, it is flooded with gun violence, and the mayor is already backtracking from his support for the cuts.
Mayor Ted Wheeler has requested $2 million in emergency funding for the police department, pointing directly to the surge in gun violence. At this point last year, Portland had seen just one homicide. This year, that number is 20, with 208 shootings in the city so far.
Wheeler backed the Portland City Council’s decision to cut $15 million from the police budget last June, which included disbanding police units that investigate gun violence. Predictably, that move backfired in a city that saw 100 consecutive days of violent rioting last year.
Riots are back once again in the city, thanks to Wheeler’s spinelessness. Rioters have once again targeted a federal courthouse in the city, a reprise of the violent storming of the courthouse last July. In June, it was reported that the city lost around $24 million due to the riots. Damage to federal buildings totals roughly $2.3 million.
Portland, like Minneapolis, doesn’t have and never did have an overpolicing problem. The city has an underpolicing problem, compounded by cowardly city leaders who pander to anti-police activists. Portland city leaders, just liketheir Minneapolis counterparts, humored these leftist ideologues while turning a blind eye to riots. Now, they reap the whirlwind in the form of a surge in violent crime.
And this is Portland, so there is no Republican to blame for this issue. Wheeler is a Democrat. So are the city council members, with one independent who was endorsed by the council’s Democratic members. Gov. Kate Brown, who said that former President Donald Trump was “provoking confrontation for political purposes” by protecting the courthouse, is a Democrat. So is President Biden, who currently has federal agents trying to protect the courthouse.
Nor is there any plausible way to blame the availability of guns in Oregon or in neighboring states. Guns are exactly as available today as they were before this 2,000% surge in murders.
This is what happens when people who are tasked with actually running a city embrace ridiculous ideologies to please activists. I would say that Portland residents deserve better, but this is the leadership they chose for their city. Given the failures of Wheeler and the city council to this point, the voters are the only ones who can change course.
If the 2020 election is any indication, it won’t be happening any time soon.
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New invasive mosquito species known for carrying viruses found in Florida
A new invasive species of mosquito known to carry viruses, including yellow fever, has been discovered in Florida, scientists have warned.
The Aedes scapularis mosquitoes have been confirmed in two South Florida counties — Miami-Dade and Broward — but are now at risk of spreading along Florida’s gulf and Atlantic coasts, according to a study co-authored by Lawrence Reeves, an entomologist and research scientist with the University of Florida.
Until now, the insects have primarily been found in the Caribbean and Latin America, NPR reported.
In Brazil, they’ve been found infected with “a range of diseases” such as Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and yellow fever virus, Reeves told the outlet.
It’s unclear whether the disease-ridden species actually spread the viruses they carry, but as outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases — most recently, dengue fever — have emerged in Florida, researchers say the discovery is important.
Lindsay Campbell, who co-authored the study with Reeves, said it is known that Aedes scapularis mosquitoes like to go indoors — and they feed on both wildlife and people.
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Why Did the Grammys Give a Platform to a Known Anti-Semite?
With the “awards” season in the entertainment industry in full swing, maybe we should all get honest and call these shows what they really are: Anti-Semitic and Anti-American propaganda.
Nowhere is this clearer than the recent Grammy awards, whose viewership was down over 50% from last year’s ratings. The “song of the year” was “I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R., a song about George Floyd, the convicted felon whose tragic death sparked so many riots.
A song that includes the lyrics about bringing a “gun to a peaceful fight for civil rights,” and an American pride in “justifying a homicide,” it is an anthem not for the equality that all Americans (black, white, and everyone) should have, but an attack on our nation while propping up a felon as if he were a saint.
It is true that music has always been a voice for political change. And it should always remain so. Even though this piece of propaganda is over the top, it carries an important voice into the national stream of consciousness.
But the inclusion and promotion of hate-monger Tamika Mallory in the Grammy awards is a great reason to never support the industry again.
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Israeli Supreme Court strikes down government limits on air travel
The Israeli Supreme Court struck down key government restrictions on air travel Wednesday, dealing a blow to the government’s airport policies.
A three-judge panel handed down the ruling Wednesday afternoon, excoriating the government over its handling of the issue of air travel during the COVID crisis.
In its ruling, the justices tossed out the limit imposed by the government on the total number of passengers allowed to enter Israel by air each day. The 3,000 passenger daily limit will end on Saturday.
In addition, the court ruled that the requirement for travelers who lack both vaccination certificates and certificates of recovery from COVID to received special permission to travel from a government committee is illegal, striking down the need to receive approval from the exceptions committee. Travelers looking to depart from Israel after this coming Saturday will not be required to receive permission from the exceptions committee.
The justices, led by chief justice Esther Hayut, blasted the government over the way it adopted the restrictions, saying the decisions were made without references to relevant data.
“In the future, any new restrictions on travel into or out of Israel need, in legal terms, a comprehensive, factual, data-based foundation.”
The court also slammed the restrictions themselves, writing in the ruling that the limits constitute an "assault on the very heart of the legal right to enter Israel and to leave it, and other rights that are at the heart of the fabric of life in democratic societies."
"It seems that instead of investing the effort and resources to enforce isolation, the violation of which is at the center of fears of outbreaks of [COVID] variants, the government preferred to impose a regime on entry and departure from Israel that is easier to do, but much more seriously harms basic rights."
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Iranian woman dies of heart attack before execution, still gets hanged
An Iranian woman who died of a heart attack shortly before her execution last week was hanged anyway to placate her alleged victim’s mother, her lawyer said.
Zahra Ismaili had been convicted of murder for killing her husband. Ismaili’s lawyer, Omid Moradi, said her husband was abusive and that she killed him out of self-defense, The Times reported.
Moradi said Ismaili was sent to be hanged in the Rajai Shahr Prison, in the town of Karaj, near Tehran.
She was forced to wait behind 16 men who were executed and watch. While in line, she collapsed, apparently from a heart attack, and died.
Her lifeless body was hanged anyway so her husband’s mother could kick the chair out from under her legs, which was considered her right.
Her cause of death was listed as “cardiac arrest,” according to Al-Arabiya.
The woman’s husband, Alireza Zamani was an official in the Iranian intelligence ministry, Moradi said. The couple had two children.
Iran draws harsh criticism from the international community for its executions, which include killings of dissidents, non-violent offenders and people convicted of committing crimes as minors.
Iran executes more people than any country besides China. The UN said Iran executed at least 233 people in 2020, including at least three who were minors at the time of their alleged offenses.
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Meshi-Zahav will claim all relations consensual in sex crimes case
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Marjorie Taylor Greene visits Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhood
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the first-term congresswoman who expressed belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory and blamed California wildfires on Rothschild-funded space lasers, visited a number of Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Long Island on Monday.
The visit came at the invitation of Nachman Mostofsky, executive director of a politically right-wing Orthodox organization and the brother of Aaron Mostofsky, who was arrested by the FBI after participating in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol while dressed in fur pelts, the Forward reported.
Both Mostofsky brothers had attended the rally that preceded the riot that day, though Nachman did not participate in the riots, and were among a number of Orthodox Jews who headed to the rally on buses chartered and organized in WhatsApp groups for Orthodox Jews.
Greene, a Georgia Republican who made national headlines for her promotion of the QAnon theory during her campaign for Congress, has been a controversial presence since taking office in January.
In response to her comments, the Democrat-controlled House voted to strip Greene of her committee assignments just weeks later in February, with only 11 Republicans joining Democrats in the majority.
In a speech before that vote, Greene said her past comments “do not represent me.”
Mostofsky took Greene to a Brooklyn yeshiva, matzah bakery, kosher supermarket and restaurant. A photo that circulated on social media showed Greene sitting at a kosher restaurant.Mostofsky, apparently undeterred by Greene’s past incendiary comments, called the visit an opportunity to show Greene “authentic Judaism.”
“Knowing the congresswoman for a bit now, she has been nothing but a friend and ally for our community,” he told the Forward. “From government interference, education, religious freedom, we share what is commonly called Judeo-Christian values.”
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100 Charedi IDF soldiers sing 'Ani Ma'amin'
Charedi soldiers - most of them married with families - finish Home Front Command's special basic training and begin serving in reserves. Watch this clip from their end-of-training ceremony.
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Boro-Park Guy Gets Ready for Pesach with a "Korban Pesach"
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Burich Ungar Does 101 Miles An Hour on the Palisades ... but not fast enough to escape police
Rockland County resident Baruch Ungar, age 26, of Monsey, was arrested around 11:50 p.m., Sunday, March 14 in Clarkstown, following a pursuit on Palisades Parkway, said Trooper Steven Nevel.
According to Nevel, troopers from the Haverstraw barracks spotted a 2020 Honda Civic traveling on the Palisades Parkway in the town of Orangetown in excess of 100 mph.
When troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, Ungar attempted to elude the troopers and exited the parkway. Troopers were able to stop the vehicle on State Route 59 and Smith Street in the town of Clarkstown, Nevel said.
Ungar was taken into custody. While speaking to troopers it was determined that Ungar was impaired by alcohol and was charged with DWI.
Ungar was also issued nine tickets, including speeding 101 mph in a 55 mph zone.
He was released on an appearance ticket and scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
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Biden clearly not up for tough questions — or the job
It’s early, but not too early to give Politico the scoop of the year award for this: “The president so far has surprised some of his former colleagues and allies with a largely gaffe-free White House debut after a lifetime of verbal stumbles.”
The hoops you have to jump through — and with your eyes closed! — to reach a sweeping conclusion like that is what makes it award winning. First, you must, at least temporarily, steel your mind to reject any contrary facts, including that President Biden has not held a press conference, meaning the chance for gaffes and inanities are basically zero because he always gets to read from a TelePrompter.
You also have to overlook the fact that he is only slightly more willing to give interview requests, which also reduces his chance to screw up. Finally, you have to pretend that he didn’t commit the many gaffes he committed when he did venture to talk with the media.
Other than that, good job. That’s how you win the big prizes in Washington.
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Doorbell Video Captures Moment Plane Crashes Into Car Near Miami, Killing Three
A 4-year-old boy who was riding in an SUV with his mother died after a small plane struggling to return to a South Florida airport crashed into them on a residential street, officials said.
The boy, Taylor Bishop, and two people on the plane died in the Monday afternoon crash, which was recorded by a neighbor’s security camera, fire officials said. The boy’s mother, Megan Bishop, was also injured, but was released from the hospital later Monday, Pembroke Pines Fire Chief Marcel Rodriguez told news outlets.
Two people on the plane also died, Rodriguez said.
The Beechcraft Bonanza plane had just taken off from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines and was returning just before 3 p.m., the fire chief said. He said it may have experienced mechanical issues after taking off.
“The car literally looks like it’s just in half,” neighbor Salah Elshaer, who called 911, told WSVN.
“We heard like a bomb, like a tremendous noise, and we went outside, and everything was on fire,” another neighbor, Annabel Fernandez, told the television station.
Megan Bishop was able to get out of the vehicle and was trying to free Taylor, officials said. Firefighters eventually freed the trapped child, and they were taken to the hospital, where the boy died.
A neighbor’s door camera recorded the crash, showing the plane nose-diving into the SUV as the woman was driving down a street. The plane’s wreckage then hurtles along the pavement, leaving a line of flames in its wake. The plane also took out a power line when it crashed, officials said.
The names of the two victims on the plane have not been released.
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Agunah Freed Thanks To Public Pressure Campaign
As momentum keeps building for the incredible movement to free all Agunos, news broke on Tuesday afternoon that we have a resolution in the #FreeMichelle case.
On Tuesday afternoon, Michelle received her Get from her husbnad Jonathan Abtan.
The public is encouraged to keep up their efforts, as we are no doubt seeing amazing positive results due to the public outcry against Get withholding, and the incredible public support for Agunos.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Tanach scroll from Bar Kochba era discovered in Judean Desert
The scroll fragments |
“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, because all those are things that I hate—declares the Lord.”
These verses, from Zechariah 8:16–17, were discovered in a cave where Jewish refugees hid almost 1900 years ago. The verses, written on dozens of parchment fragments were discovered in a complex and challenging national-archaeological operation undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority on the cliffs of the Judean Desert, since 2017, in order to prevent antiquities looting.
The historic discovery comes 60 years after the last discovery of biblical scrolls in archaeological excavations. In addition to the scroll fragments, the operation uncovered additional extraordinary finds from various periods: a cache of rare coins from the days of Bar-Kokhba, a 6,000 year-old skeleton of a child – likely female, wrapped in a cloth and mummified, and a large complete basket dating back 10,500 years, likely the oldest in the world.
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When the Charidiem Loved and "Tucheslekked" Lieberman ...
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Dovid Wasserman Refuses to Give His Wife a Get and His Mother The Holy Rebbetzin Continues To Give Musser Shiurim
The facts of the case are, that Nechama Wasserman has made it remarkably easy for Dovid to give her a Get. As soon as they were separated, she arranged a very generous custody deal, which saw Dovid get 40% of custody. Besides for that, she is not requesting any child support or alimony. The only thing she has asked for is the right to move on with her life. Yet for 7 years, Dovid has refused to allow her that right. He also refused to ever come to Beis Din. Multiple Siruvim have been issued to this effect.
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Washington Post Lied about Trump and "retracted".. Months After Election
FLASHBACK: Democrats used the fake Washington Post “find the fraud” quote that was retracted today in the Trump impeachment trial
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 15, 2021
pic.twitter.com/45G70wLaYf
Hours after The Washington Post made a correction to its story that it had “misquoted” former President Donald Trump, the former President issued a blistering statement.
The bad reporting from WaPo claimed Trump told Georgia’s top elections investigator “to find the fraud,” in December. The Post says this quote was false and they lay blame on an unidentified source.
“Correction: Two months after publication of this story, the Georgia secretary of state released an audio recording of President Donald Trump’s December phone call with the state’s top elections investigator. The recording revealed that The Post misquoted Trump’s comments on the call, based on information provided by a source,” the correction published Thursday began.
“Trump did not tell the investigator to ‘find the fraud’ or say she would be ‘a national hero’ if she did so. Instead, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize ballots in Fulton County, Ga., asserting she would find ‘dishonesty’ there. He also told her that she had ‘the most important job in the country right now.’”
“The headline and text of this story have been corrected to remove quotes misattributed to Trump.”
Sure enough, Trump fired off a statement blasting the Washington Post. Below is the full statement:
The Washington Post just issued a correction as to the contents of the incorrectly reported phone call I had with respect to voter fraud in the Great State of Georgia. While I appreciate the Washington Post’s correction, which immediately makes the Georgia Witch Hunt a non-story, the original story was a Hoax, right from the very beginning. I would further appreciate a strong investigation into Fulton County, Georgia, and the Stacey Abrams political machine which, I believe, would totally change the course of the presidential election in Georgia.
Fulton County has not been properly audited for vote or signature verification. They only looked at areas of the State where there most likely would be few problems, and even there they found large numbers of mistakes. We are seeking to find and reveal the large-scale election fraud which took place in Georgia. Many residents agree, and their anger caused them not to turn out and vote for two Republican Senators in the January election.
The Consent Decree signed between Raffensperger and Stacey Abrams was not approved by the Georgia State Legislature, and therefore should be deemed invalid, and the election result changed. Why the Governor and Raffensperger ever approved this Consent Decree is one of the great questions? We look forward to an answer.
You will notice that establishment media errors, omissions, mistakes, and outright lies always slant one way—against me and against Republicans. Meanwhile, stories that hurt Democrats or undermine their narratives are buried, ignored, or delayed until they can do the least harm—for example, after an election is over. Look no further than the negative coverage of the vaccine that preceded the election and the overdue celebration of the vaccine once the election had concluded. A strong democracy requires a fair and honest press. This latest media travesty underscores that legacy media outlets should be regarded as political entities—not journalistic enterprises. In any event, I thank the Washington Post for the correction.
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