Anti- Vaxxers refusers abandon their steadfast beliefs as soon as they are in need of an ambulance.

 

by KARNI ELDAD

Israel is in the midst of another infection wave and is galloping towards an imminent national lockdown, yet some Israelis continue to refuse to get vaccinated.

We do not trust the system, they say. The vaccine was approved way too quickly. A healthy body is not going to catch COVID anyway. I will know how to recover on my own if I get it. I am naturally vaccinated.

To all those Israelis who still think so, I say, good for you! Kudos for standing your ground. I have no problem accepting an opinion that is different than mine as long as it does not endanger me and my loved ones.

Wait a second. In this case, they are!

It has long been proven that the vaccine effectively prevents the transfer of the virus and severe illness. I wish vaccine refusers would keep their distance from us and would even somehow stand out in the crowd, so we would know to keep our distance from them, because it has also been proven that non-vaccinated individuals are seven times more likely to get infected than vaccinated ones.

I have no intention of forcing people "to inject their bodies with unreliable substances," which, by the way, sounds ridiculous considering how much harm people expose their bodies to willingly. Vaccines are not questionable. They conform to the highest of medical criteria.

And yet, instead of believing legitimate research and health experts, vaccine refusers turn to "alternative," and often ludicrous "health recommendations."

In Congo, "experts" recommended those infected with COVID to drink their urine, while in Madagascar, they told them to drink certain plant extracts. There were also suggestions of boiling the bark of a mango tree, papaya leaves, ginger and other ingredients "guaranteed to cure the coronavirus." In Israel, the recommendation was to use frankincense.

And while some nations have limited access to vaccines, for Israel, there is no excuse.

Over the weekend, two Israeli doctors shared on social media the conflict they experienced having to treat patients who chose not to get vaccinated for COVID and got infected.

And I get them.

Do vaccine refusers think that the health system is unreliable? Then let them go all the way!

When you, unvaccinated Israeli, get COVID, please do not go to your nearby hospital. Stand by your beliefs. Turn to the abovementioned "remedies."

It is mindboggling how vaccine refusers can abandon their beliefs as soon as they are in need of an ambulance.

Israeli Police Lady Probably a Satmerer Asks Motorcyclist to remove Israeli Flag because it will antagonize the damn Arabs

 

Bochur Whose Hat was thrown off by Belz Mashigiach "Will never wear a hat again"

 

Last week I posted a video of a mashgiach throwing off a hat of a bochur's head. The headline of that post was "Belz Haifa Mashgiach Yitzchak Meir Prestor beats the crap out of Bachur in Yeshiva"

I got a lot of flack for the headline because people watching the clip only saw the mashgiach throwing the hat off the bochur's hat, and didn't see the "the crap". The criticism came from readers that are experts in "crap"!

And so my friends.. there is an unfortunate epilogue to this "crap" story.....

The bochur in the video did very well in Talmud Torah, did well in yeshiva ketana. He was a kid that was well liked by his friends and was planning to continue learning after his wedding etc.

But from the moment he stepped into the "ghetto" of the Belz Haifa Yeshiva Gedoilah, he started losing his desire to learn and was slowly falling into the abyss.

And from now on, says the bochur," there will be no one to throw my  hat away, I decided never to wear one again". 

He added that he was told to wear a hat for davening, for eating, when learning, when walking the streets...... and to remove his hat when entering a bathroom, to remove it when entering a mikva,

"Now the mashgiach, whose job is, to influence me in spiritual matters, took this very hat and threw it with contempt on the floor , three times...I will never wear that hat or that chassidishe jacket again, not on Shabbos and not on Yom Tov and certainly not during the week"

Just as an aside, the father of this bochur, recently died and this episode occurred just days after him getting up from Shiva. In addition before this "crap episode" the mashgiach, the cruel  Yitzchok Meir Prestor, wouldn't let the boy daven as a shliach tzibbur even though  he was in the shloishim and he should really be trying to be shliach tzibbur at every opportunity as that is a special tribute to his late father's soul, but the "holy" cruel mashgiach doesn't want the son to mourn properly and honor his father.

So now within days we have a Mashgiach of a prominent yeshiva torturing an orphan, and a Rebbe of thousands torturing a widow who is also his mother ... 

the "Sitra Achra" is batting 1000

Biden's Mask is off ... a coldhearted imbecile

 

Our Empathizer-in-Chief has no clothes. 

The crisis in Afghanistan, mushrooming with the force and immensity of a nuclear bomb, is clearly a huge nuisance for President Biden. 

His demeanor this week is that of a sullen 12-year-old boy whose summer vacation has been cut short. He had to be dragged from Camp David to address the nation last Monday, and as the week went on he couldn’t believe this was still a thing. 

Irritation is his current mood. Not even gentle questioning from friendly Democrat George Stephanopoulos could elicit sympathy from Joe. 

About those desperate Afghans clinging to the side of an American military plane as it took off, falling to their deaths as the world watched? “That was four days ago, five days ago!” the president snapped. It had actually been two days prior, but that’s not my point. 

Ladies and gentleman, the mask has come off. This isn’t old age. This isn’t political defiance or mental defect. This is stone-cold callous disregard for human life — lives lost due to Biden’s own insistence on a hasty withdrawal, keeping our allies in the dark. American civilians on the ground, now in hiding from the Taliban, were given no heads-up.

Read more at the NY Post

Anti-vaxxer causes mass-infection in special needs kindergarten

 

An anti-vaxxer got infected with COVID-19 and sent her twins to their special needs kindergarten, sparking a mass-infection.

An anti-vaxxer was the source of a mass-infection of COVID-19 in a special needs kindergarten in Ra’anana last week, Ynet reported. 

The infection was discovered when the kindergarten teacher wrote in the parents’ WhatsApp group that one of the staff had been infected, and so all the children needed to be put in isolation. “It was the last week of kindergarten in any case, so we all immediately got tested and went into isolation,” one of the mothers told Ynet. But another mother, who has twins in the kindergarten, refused to isolate her kids. “I refuse to put the children into isolation, and I won’t get them tested,” she wrote in the WhatsApp group. “I won’t take part in this madness, I’m sorry, it’s enough.”

After a short argument with her ex-husband in the WhatsApp group, the ex-husband wrote: “Get well soon, Nurit. I hope you’re recovering well from COVID-19.” The woman immediately left the group. The next day, the parents received the results of their kids’ tests, and many of them were positive. “We went back through the messages and realized that she was the one who infected them,” a different mother told Ynet. “We went into her Facebook and discovered that she clearly wrote there that she has been sick since the 9th. She still sent her twins to kindergarten. They’re also infected now.”

Read More at the Jerusalem Post

'Astounding results' from new Israeli COVID treatment All Patients Discharged Within a Week

 The SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected over 212 million people worldwide causing nearly 4.5 million deaths.

Recent vaccination efforts have been hindered by multiple coronavirus variants that challenge current vaccines. While infection generally produces a mild disease, in some patients it can develop into a severe inflammatory COVID-19 requiring medical intervention.

Recently, Professor Yaakov Nahmias’ team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) reported that the new coronavirus causes abnormal accumulation of lipids, which are known to initiate severe inflammation in a process called lipotoxicity.

The team identified the lipid-lowering drug TriCor (fenofibrate) as an effective antiviral last year, showing it both reduced lung cell damage and blocked virus replication in the laboratory.

These results have since been confirmed by several international research teams.

An observational study carried out in multiple clinical centers in Israel was reported last October to support the original findings.

The team then launched an interventional clinical study to treat severe COVID-19 patients at Israel’s Barzilai Medical Center with support from Abbott Laboratories.

Now, the HU team is reporting promising results of an investigator-initiated interventional open-label clinical study led by Nahmias and coordinated by Prof. Shlomo Maayan, Head of Infectious Disease Unit at Barzilai.

In this single-arm, open-label study, 15 severe-hospitalized COVID-19 patients with pneumonia requiring oxygen support were treated.

In addition to standard of care, the patients were given 145 mg/day of TriCor (fenofibrate) for 10 days and continuously monitored for disease progression and outcomes.

“The results were astounding”, shared Nahmias. “Progressive inflammation markers, that are the hallmark of deteriorative COVID-19, dropped within 48 hours of treatment. Moreover, 14 of the 15 severe patients didn’t require oxygen support within a week of treatment, while historical records show that the vast majority severe patients treated with the standard of care require lengthy respiratory support,” he added. These results are promising as TriCor (fenofibrate) was approved by the FDA in 1975 for long-term use and has a strong safety record. “There are no silver bullets”, stressed Nahmias, “but fenofibrate is far safer than other drugs proposed to date, and its mechanism of action makes is less likely to be variant-specific”.

“All patients were discharged within less than a week after the treatment began and were discharged to complete the 10-day treatment at home, with no drug-related adverse events reported”, noted Maayan. “Further, fewer patients reported COVID-19 side effects during their 4-week follow-up appointment,” he added. These preliminary findings offer promise to relieve the substantial health burdens experienced by patients who survive the acute phase of COVID-19.

The investigators stressed that while the results were extremely promising, only randomized placebo-controlled studies can serve as basis for clinical decisions. “We entered the second phase of the study and are actively recruiting patients”, explained Nahmias, noting that two Phase 3 studies are already being conducted in running South America, the United States (NCT04517396) and Israel (NCT04661930).

Israeli Gov’t Lowers IDF Exemption Age From 24 To 21 For Chareidim ....Roshei Yeshivas are furious

 

You are probably scratching your bald head wondering why the Chareidie rabbis would be opposed to this ...

Shouldn't they be thrilled? The Zionists finally caved in ?

The Roshei Yeshivas are opposed to this, because now they will lose the bulk of their students at 21, since the "big learners"  would be able to join the work force, that's not good business for the Yeshivas. 

The Israeli government on Sunday approved an enlistment law that includes lowering the age of exemption for Chareidim from IDF service to age 21 for two years.

Lowering the age of exemption for Charedim to age 21 was one of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s campaign promises, with the goal of enabling Chareidim who don’t want to serve in the army to enter the job market at an earlier age. Since IDF exemptions are only granted to full-time yeshivah bochurim, bochurim who don’t want to serve in the army for religious reasons are “forced” to stay in yeshivah even if they wish to leave for various reasons.

However, the law caused conflict among the coalition members in recent weeks as Defense Minister Benny Gantz opposed lowering the age of exemption, insisting that it be maintained at age 24. Ultimately, a compromise was reached on the issue,  as detailed below:

• The age of exemption will immediately drop to age 21 for the next two years.
• After 24 months, the exemption age will be raised to age 22, and after another 12 months, it will be raised to age 23.
• At the same time, even when the exemption age is raised to ages 22 and 23, Chareidim can be released from compulsory service at age 21 if they join the labor market by completing a professional job training program or a training program in civilian national service, such as search-and-rescue or emergency services.
• Additionally, a team will be formed comprised of representatives of Bennett, Gantz and Alternative Prime Minister Yair Lapid to examine IDF and national service arrangements and formulate a new, broad and updated program in accordance with Israel’s security and labor market needs. The team will present its conclusions by November 2022.

For decades, the state of Israel has consistently chosen to cut off its nose to spite its face,” Bennett said after the law was approved.

“That is, due to its great anger that the Chareidim aren’t enlisting, it also prevented them from entering the job market until a late age. Today we’re putting an end to this and opening the gates of work and employment to Chareidi youth, without the use of force or tanks in Bnei Brak.”

“This is the correct path for the national interest. The integration of the Chareidi sector in the job market is a top priority for all of us. I am personally excited. This is a historic move for the future of Israel,” Bennet concluded.

Rabbi Yaakov David Klar allegedly carried out abuse at Chai Lifeline and in Monsey Cheder Chabad

 

from Unorthodox Jew

A New York rabbi sexually assaulted children while he was supposed to be treating them for mental health issues, and the prominent Jewish institutions he worked for covered it up, claims a lawsuit filed August 13 in New York.

Rabbi Yaakov David Klar allegedly carried out his abuse while he was a social worker at Chai Lifeline, a national Jewish social services provider, and as a teacher at the Yeshiva Kehillath Yaakov in Monsey, N.Y., also known as Cheder Chabad, Yeshiva Tzion Yosef or Pupa. 

 Klar allegedly began years of abuse of the plaintiff in 2002, when the lawsuit alleges the yeshiva already knew or should have known of the rabbi’s predatory history.

After other people at those institutions reported earlier assaults, the lawsuit alleges, the defendants continued to allow Klar to be around children.

Only later did they enter a “secret arrangement” to allow Klar to leave quietly — and they never reported his suspected actions to the authorities, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says the plaintiff, identified as John Doe, has suffered physical, emotional, and psychological damage as a result of Klar’s actions, and seeks monetary compensation from Klar, Chai Lifeline and the yeshiva.

The lawsuit was filed under the Child Victims Act, which extends the statute of limitations for child sex crimes and established a look-back window for survivors whose statute of limitations had previously expired. The window for filing on CVA cases closed Aug. 14.

While the lawsuit does not say when the institutions parted with Klar, a 2016 article in the New York Jewish Week identifies Klar as the co-associate director of Project C.H.A.I., Chai Lifeline’s crisis intervention, trauma and bereavement hotline.

The lawsuit says Klar used his position of trust to take advantage of children he knew were especially vulnerable.

Doe had “serious mental health issues” at the time, according to the lawsuit, which is why he was receiving treatment from Chai Lifeline.

“Despite [Klar]’s full knowledge and awareness that the Plaintiff had serious mental health issues, [Klar] criminally sexually assaulted the Plaintiff, and exposed the Plaintiff and other children and personnel to an increased risk of harm, all in a wanton and reckless disregard of the child’s, students, and/or patients’ safety,” the lawsuit says.

While the school’s willful ignorance of prior assaults has not been demonstrated the way it might with a full discovery process, the plaintiff’s attorney, Darren J. Epstein, said that abusers in other cases frequently receive such shelter from their institutions.

“Not just in yeshivas — we’re talking about Catholic churches, Episcopal churches, public schools,” Epstein said. “In all these scenarios, we have found that there have been complaints that have been made about individual perpetrators and nothing was done about it.”

When the Forward called Klar at his home for comment, the person answering the phone said he was unavailable. Calls to Chai Lifeline and the yeshiva on Friday afternoon went to voicemail.

With the lawsuit filed, the defendants now have time to put in an answer or a motion. If the case is not settled or dismissed during that period, it will proceed to the discovery phase.

https://forward.com/fast-forward/474469/lawsuit-rabbi-yaakov-david-klar-money-chai-lifeline-sexual-abuse/

Sadugere Rebbe...the young "lemeleh" Continues to Harrass His Mother the Widow, trying to Evict Her From Her Apartment

הראיון עם הרבנית מסדיגורא על בנה הצעיר הינוקא מסדיגורא השופך את דמה

 Chabad guys are laughing their heads off. 

When the Lubavitcher Rebbe passed on, he left without ever writing a will, and the world asked.. "Why wouldn't he leave a successor?"

When R' Yoel Teitelbaum passed away, he also left this world without ever writing a will, and when they named his nephew, R' Moshe, the previous Sigeter Rebbe, as his successor.. many Satmerers including the Rebbes widow, broke away and formed their own group called "Bnei Yoel."

 

Chabadnickers snicker and say "Look at Sadiger and Satmar and see what happens when the rebbe does leave a will.....

Police Chief Who Fought Taliban Blindfolded and Shot

 

Shocking moment as homeowner opens fire at four armed robbers who kick his door down, doorbell video show

 

A wild moment was captured on a security camera in Phoenix as four armed robbers who kick in a front door were greeted by the homeowner firing a barrage of bullets.

None of the four appeared to have been injured, and footage showed them immediately fleeing the scene, the Phoenix Police Department said according to Fox News. 

The incident occurred just before 4am August 12, when four men, their faces covered with bandanas, were caught on video getting out of a gray sedan and approaching the residence. 

The footage then shows two of the men as they make their way to the front door. 

One notices the camera and attempts to obscure it, but quickly abandons the idea as the other three get into position.

Two of the masked men then simultaneously kick the front door down, but the moment they do, they are met with immediate gunfire from inside the house. 

A different camera angle from another home down the street shows the four men run off in terror toward a slowly moving getaway car. Two eventually get in and flee, while the other two can be seen running away on foot.

A Phoenix police spokesperson told DailyMail.com that no arrests have been made as of Saturday, and the department is looking for the four men on the video.

Landmark study about honesty is canned after a decade because it was DISHONEST

 

A landmark study on how to curb cheating has been retracted after nearly a decade and the prominent professor whose team produced the paper is himself accused of cheating and relying on faked data. 

Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economist at Duke University, rose to prominence with his 2012 study that found people would be less likely to cheat and lie if they signed an honesty declaration at the top of a form before answering questions. 

The study was used as a springboard by government agencies around the world, including the IRS, who chose to include an honesty declaration at the top of their forms and credited the method with helping to collect an additional $1.6 million from government vendors in the summer of 2015. 

Governments in Canada and other nations also spent thousands of dollars working with researchers to change their own tax forms to fit the model, but to no avail, Scientific American reported.    

The 2012 study was eventually retracted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences after academics on the Data Colada research blog tried recreating the experiments in the study, only to find that there was no reduction in cheating and lying and that the main experiment was faked 'beyond any shadow of a doubt.'  

The study's co-author, Max Bazerman, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said he had raised concerns about inconsistent data during the original study, but Ariely allegedly assured him and everyone else working on the study that the odd findings were correct, The Duke Chronicle reported. 

'I wish I had worked harder to identify the data were fraudulent, to ensure rigorous research in a collaborative context, and to promptly retract the 2012 paper,' Bazerman wrote in a statement.

The three other authors who worked on the study expressed similar concerns and said they played no part in collecting the data, which all went through Ariely. 

Ariely confirmed that he alone was in touch with the insurance company that ran the test with its customers and alleged that the unnamed insurance company was responsible for the fake data, BuzzFeed News reports.

'I can see why it is tempting to think that I had something to do with creating the data in a fraudulent way,' he said claiming his innocence. 'I can see why it would be tempting to jump to that conclusion, but I didn't.' 

He added, 'If I knew that the data was fraudulent, I would have never posted it.'

Aaron Charlton, a marketing professor at Illinois State University who went over the study, claimed Ariely's statement that the insurance company was at fault did not make any sense. 

'Why on earth would an insurance company fabricate data in such a way as to support Dan Ariely's hypothesis,' Charlton wrote on his website.    

This is not the first time Ariely has come under scrutiny over his research. 

In a famous 2008 study, he claimed that asking people to recall the Ten Commandments before a test cuts down on cheating, but another team failed to replicate the same effect. 

In 2010, Ariely was caught lying to NPR, telling the radio network that Delta Dental insurance data shows dentists often disagree on whether X-rays actually show a cavity despite the company never collecting such information. 

And in July 2021, A 2004 study of his on effort received 'expression of concerns' when researchers found statistical discrepancies that Ariely could not answer for. 

Cryi'n Schumer Dancing While '10,000 Americans are stranded in Afghanistan

 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been slammed on social media for dancing backstage at the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in Central Park on Saturday.

Critics voiced their outrage that Schumer would dare to dance while 10 thousand Americans and Afghans who helped the United States remain in Afghanistan. 

Others noted that the concert was held despite the oncoming Hurricane Henri, which is expected to hit either Long Island or New England on Sunday.

Meanwhile, some critics slammed New York officials like Mayor Bill de Blasio for holding the concert while the Delta variant of COVID-19 wreaks havoc on America.

The offending video showed Schumer dancing with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert and was posted to Twitter by Bill Neidhardt, the press secretary for de Blasio.

'Backstage antics,' Neidhardt had captioned the video.

Taliban wearing US army gear mock iconic WW2 image of Marines raising flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 and release footage showing them armed with American weapons

 

A group of Taliban fighters released a collection of propaganda footage, including a photo where they mocked the famed World War II picture of soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima.

In the original 1945 photograph, a group of six Marines are depicted hosting the flag on Mount Suribachi.

The Taliban's Badri 313 Battalion recreated the image this week. 

In their version, a group of soldiers is seen hoisting the Taliban flag in a similar fashion while sporting U.S. weapons and gear that was likely stolen from allied militaries during patrols of Kabul.

The Badri 313 is a special unit of Taliban fighters that dress like U.S. soldiers by wearing camouflage, combat boots and body armor. The soldiers drive armored Humvees and carries M4 carbines.

The Badri 313 was reportedly named after the Battle of Badr that is written about in the Qur'an, in which the Prophet Mohammed successfully defeated an enemy force with just 313 men - some 1,400 years ago. 

The unit, previously unveiled by the Taliban in promotional material, are reportedly highly trained and equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment. 

Where the unit acquired the equipment is unknown, but it appears to be a combination of U.S. military hardware and that use by Afghan forces, likely seized as Western and allied forces withdrew from the country.

In videos released by the group, the Badri 313 soldiers are seen with military helmets and sunglasses instead of the usual tuban, bullet proof vests over camouflage jackets and trousers instead of the typical robes, and armed with tactical rifles.

In addition, the unit appears to be armed with modern sidearms, wearing modern combat boots, and even have night vision goggles - making them difficult to distinguish from any other country's special combat units.

U.S. officials say the militant group has seized what remains of the approximately $28billion in weaponry that America gave the Afghan forces between 2002 and 2017.

'Everything that hasn't been destroyed is the Taliban's now,' one official told Reuters on the basis of anonymity.

Most face masks won’t stop COVID-19 indoors, study warns

 

New research reveals that cloth masks filter just 10% of exhaled aerosols, with many people not wearing coverings that fit their face properly.

WATERLOO, Ontario — N95 or KN95 face masks may be the best way to avoid COVID-19 during crowded indoor events. That’s the recommendation from a new study reporting most cloth masks just don’t do the job when it comes to stopping the spread of coronavirus within enclosed spaces.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo simulated a person breathing in a large room with a cloth face mask on. Despite wearing a mask, the study finds a large buildup of aerosol droplets suspended in the air. Besides raising awareness on the vulnerability of certain face masks, these findings also emphasize the need for proper ventilation indoors. More ventilation means less of a chance for potentially viral aerosols to linger around.

“There is no question it is beneficial to wear any face covering, both for protection in close proximity and at a distance in a room,” says study leader Serhiy Yarusevych, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, in a university release. “However, there is a very serious difference in the effectiveness of different masks when it comes to controlling aerosols.”

Studies continue to show that aerosols exhaled by infected individuals can indeed infect others with COVID-19, even if someone is standing more than six feet away.

Why do most face masks fail to offer adequate protection?

Researchers theorize many people wear masks that don’t fit their face properly. As a result, many cloth and surgical masks only filter about 10 percent of exhaled aerosols. The rest make their way past the mask, most through the top, and spread into the surrounding environment. Conversely, higher-quality, more expensive N95 and KN95 masks filter over 50 percent of all aerosol droplets.

In light of these findings study authors recommend that everyone wear a N95 or KN95 mask if possible whenever indoors in the company of others.

“A lot of this may seem like common sense,” Prof. Yarusevych comments. “There is a reason, for instance, that medical practitioners wear N95 masks – they work much better. The novelty here is that we have provided solid numbers and rigorous analysis to support that assumption.”

It’s also worth mentioning that ventilation tests show even modest ventilation rates provide about the same level of protection as the highest quality masks.

The findings appear in the journal Physics of Fluids.

Denver Yeshiva Ruling out "Anti-Semitism" in Murder of Shmuli Silverberg

 

Dear Parents, Alumni, and the Denver Community:

Our Yeshiva Toras Chaim community continues to be profoundly and deeply pained by the unspeakable events that transpired this past Tuesday evening, claiming the life of our dear and beloved, Shmuel (Shmuli) Silverberg z”l. While we remain in a state of shock, there is much to do and much for which we must be grateful, Baruch Hashem.

We are supremely thankful for the tireless work of the local, state, and Federal law enforcement authorities that moved swiftly to identify and arrest four suspects in the case. We are particularly indebted to Chief Paul Pazen for his leadership and commitment to making the security, community well-being, and the safety of Toras Chaim a top priority. We also want to extend our deep gratitude to our local Jewish Federation, Secure Community Network, Chai Lifeline, Dr. Fox, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Rose Community Foundation for activating immediately to provide all the support we need to cope with this crisis. In this time of sorrow, our thoughts are with all the others that were caught in the string of events that took place on Tuesday night.

As the Denver Police Department reported at a news conference yesterday, it appears that Shmuli was caught in a random string of horrific violence. The attack began outside the Yeshiva, and ended with the death of Shmuli inside the first set of doors at our Kitchen entrance. Though vicious and tragic, it is our belief at this current time that this was not a targeted hate crime motivated by anti-Semitism. However, if evidence is discovered that it was, the Denver Police Department said it would work with the Denver District Attorney’s Office to add any appropriate charges.

There are many conflicting stories and rumors as to what unfolded at the Yeshiva that night. Untruths are being amplified on social media and are causing unnecessary and additional pain for all those involved which adds to our pain. The Yeshiva’s foremost priority is to protect the Silverberg family from any more pain and to get the Bochurim and staff the professional counseling help and support that they need. To this end, the Yeshiva is connecting with mental health professionals and services to engage the resources we need to help Yeshiva Toras Chaim in the healing process. At the same time, we are working closely with security experts to enhance our security systems and protocols to ensure that the safety of our Yeshiva is best in-class.

We are humbled and supremely grateful for the outpouring of support from our Alumni, friends and broader community. We are inspired by all of you and by our students. We will continue to keep you apprised of developments.

During these days of Elul, may the Almighty comfort our Yeshiva and our Community as we move forward with resolve.

Rabbi Aaron Boruch Kagan
Rabbi Naftali Seidenfeld
Rabbi Ahron Yisroel Wasserman

CNN’s Clarissa Ward Escapes Afghanistan after Taliban Executes Journalist’s Family Member After Door-To-Door Search

 

The Taliban executed the relative of a journalist and seriously harmed another after a door-to-door search for the reporter in Afghanistan.

The unnamed journalist, who works for German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), is one of several reporters the Taliban have hunted in the aftermath of the Afghan government’s collapse, the media outlet reported. The journalist is reportedly safe and currently living in Germany.

“The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic, and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves,” DW Director General Peter Limbourg said in a statement.

“It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces,” he continued. “We are running out of time!”

The Taliban has raided the homes of at least three other DW journalists, according to the media outlet. Insurgents also reportedly kidnapped the employee of a Middle Eastern television network and killed the head of a radio station.

“With the Taliban takeover, the lives of Deutsche Welle employees and their families in Afghanistan are under acute threat,” DW executives Karl Jüsten and Peter Clever said in a translated joint statement. “Alone the fact that they worked for a western broadcaster could result in torture and death.”

German Federation of Journalists Chairman Frank Überall issued a statement calling upon German Chancellor Angela Merkel to expedite the evacuations of German journalists from Afghanistan, according to DW. “The people are in very grave danger because of their work,” he said.

The three largest American media companies have similarly asked the U.S. government to facilitate safe transport of its employees out of Afghanistan, The Wall Street Journal reported. A WSJ spokesperson said “the situation on the ground remains extremely perilous” in a statement.

“The Biden administration can and should do all within its power to protect press freedom and stand up for the rights of the vulnerable Afghan reporters, photographers, and media workers,” Committee to Protect Journalists Executive Director Joel Simon said on Monday.

Kabul Airport Gates Are Closed, Taliban Confiscating U.S. Passports

 

The Kabul airport gates are reportedly closed Saturday, as additional details indicate the Taliban is confiscating U.S. passports.

“All of the entrance gates to the airport were closed on Saturday morning because of the dangerous situation,” the New York Times reported, adding that the U.S. embassy in Kabul is advising evacuees not to travel to the airport in light of “security threats.”

“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport,” the embassy alerted on its website, “we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

The active security threats come as the New York Post reported the Taliban is “now attempting to take their U.S. passports and identification orders in an attempt to stop them from leaving the country.”

“I got to the gates and was about to show my passport, but the Taliban got it, and he said you are not allowed to go through and wouldn’t give it back,” one Afghan American on the ground told the Post. “I was lucky a U.S. marine was right there and forced him to give it back.”

Former Navy SEAL Ephraim Mattos, who works to evacuate people on the ground, also confirmed the reports to the Post.

Hundreds of released Gitmo detainees back to killing Americans

 

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. intelligence documents reveal 229 “rehabbed” former Gitmo detainees have returned to terrorism and killing Americans — and an alarming 66% of them have not been recaptured and are still at large.

Meanwhile, President Biden is quietly freeing more of these terrorist suspects from the Guantanamo Bay prison, all to fulfill his old boss’ pledge to permanently close the facility in Cuba.

Shortly after taking office, Biden reversed President Trump’s executive order to keep Gitmo open and is lining up inmates to transfer out of the prison with the goal of emptying it and shuttering it — even though the remaining prisoners have long been classified by military intelligence as the worst of the worst and too dangerous to release.

Last month, the president freed his first prisoner — accused terrorist Abdul Latif Nasser — leaving the number of remaining detainees at 39. Ten others have been cleared for release, including some of Osama bin Laden’s bodyguards and 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s safehouse operator, according to Gitmo parole board documents.

Still other detainees have appealed to the Biden administration through their pro-bono defense lawyers to ensure their release, despite the risk of them returning to militant activities. The suspected 20th hijacker, Mohammad al-Qahtani, and a dozen other inmates are slated for parole hearings this year, documents reveal.

Biden is clearing out the cells despite being fully briefed by his intelligence agencies that one in three released detainees have gone back to fighting against America — and some have actually managed to kill more Americans.

“Based on trends identified during the past 17 years, we assess that some detainees currently at GTMO will seek to reengage in terrorist or insurgent activities after they are transferred,” a recent US intelligence report warned.

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