Two Blocks from DIN ... Kosher Mikva & Olive Press from the Times of the Chashmonim Uncovered

 

Developers were about to build a building on this site on Rechov Luz in Beit Shemesh Alef, just blocks from where I live, and discovered a Kosher Mikvah and an olive press on site. So instead of another building the Zionists will build a park around this new find so that  all of us will enjoy sitting where our grandparents lived during the times of the Chashmonim...

Who knew that 2,000 years later a descendant would move  around the corner from where my ancestors lived

תושבי בית שמש בתקופת החשמונאים בוודאי לא העלו בדעתם, שמקווה הטהרה ובית הבד שבו הם מייצרים שמן, יהפכו בתוך 2,000 שנה, לחלק מהגן הציבורי של תושבי בית שמש המודרניים

חורבת אל כיך ברמת בית שמש נחפרה במשך שש עונות חפירה, בניהולה של ד"ר אלנה קוגן זהבי מרשות העתיקות. ממש בימים אלו, נשלמות עבודות הפיתוח של השטח הציבורי בשכונה, בתום עבודות השימור רחבות של מינהל השימור של רשות העתיקות במימון משרד השיכון. במסגרת העבודות, ייצבו המשמרים את הממצאים, והם שילבו אותם בצורה הרמונית בפארק הארכיאולוגי. צוות השימור שלנו הכשיר את העתיקות, כך שכיום ניתן לבקר בהן באופן חופשי, ובהמשך ישולבו בגן שלטי הסבר והמחשות.

סיפורה של חורבת כיך הולך הרבה אחורה. אחרי הגירוש הגדול של נבוכדנאצר מלך בבל, כל שפלת יהודה ננטשה לחלוטין. מבנה מהתקופה הפרסית שנתגלה באתר, גילה לנו שהחזרה לשם אחרי הגירוש החלה בתקופה הפרסית – במאה ה-4 לפנה"ס. מבנים נוספים, מאוחרים יותר שנחשפו, מהתקופה החשמונאית, ובהם מקווה טהרה ציבורי, גת לייצור יין ובית בד, סיפרו את סיפורו של הכיבוש החשמונאי והתעצמות השלטון היהודי באזור.

היישוב אמנם ננטש אחרי חורבן בית שני, אבל סוף הסיפור, כמו שאנחנו מכירים אותו, טוב, והיום שוכנת לה כאן עיר יהודית מודרנית, שתהנה מפארק ארכיאולוגי חדש ומונגש.

מוזמנים לשתף

צילום: איל מרקו, רשות העתיקות

US pressures Israel to slow settlement building

 What exactly did Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Joe Biden discuss about settlements? And what’s behind leaks that want to suggest cracks in their relationship?

Judge reinstates ban on Jews praying on Har Habayit, Hamas celebrates Israeli ‘surrender’

 

This is how the Israeli government and Chareidie leadership respond to Hamas threats.  Hamas is correct in their celebration - this is a surrendering indeed. I wonder what would be the next Hamas demand that Israeli government will yield to. And I'm sure that Hamas, encouraged by such surrender will come up with next demand.

A ruling allowing a Jew to silently pray on the Temple Mount for the first time was reversed by a Jerusalem District Court judge on Friday.

District Court Judge Aryeh Romanov agreed with an appeal by Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and the police, ruling that only Muslims are allowed to overtly pray on the Temple Mount.

“What is important… is the fact that there was someone who noticed the praying, which evidently shows that the prayer was overt. If it was not overt, no one would have noticed it,” Romanov wrote.

Hamas was ecstatic after the Jewish prayer ban was reinstated, calling it a “surrender to the threats made by Palestinians.”

In September, police banned Rabbi Aryeh Lippo from the Temple Mount for two weeks after he was seen praying on the holy site. But Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Bilha Yahalom ruled that Lippo had a right to return to the holy site. “His daily arrival at the Temple Mount indicates that this is a matter of principle and substance for him,” Yahalom wrote.

Romanov reinstated Lippo’s 15-day ban.

Orthodox Women Reveal Their Abortion Stories

 

Abortion is never simple — no matter the state, the stage of pregnancy, or the reason.

While the nation is besotted with headlines, as Roe v. Wade is once again brought to the forefront of debate, we often overlook the actual stories of women who go through this experience.

But there is one group of women for whom abortion is an especially fraught decision — women in religiously conservative communities, and particularly, women of the Orthodox Jewish community.

For women here, it is a much more complicated decision to terminate a pregnancy, both because the Halacha, the religious law behind it, is complex — and because the shame associated with it is severe.

There is a story of two layers here: There is an official story, of rigid policy, a community that is publicly anti-abortion-rights.

And there is a secret one.

Judge Tells the Witness Testifying Against Netanyahu "I cannot believe one word you say"

 

Ben & Jerry’s founders Lying again "This is not a boycott of Israel in any way"

 

. They cancel all their business in Israel and claim they are not boycotting. When confronted with their manifest double standards, they mumble "international law."

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s told Axios in an interview on Sunday that the decision by Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, to stop selling the ice cream in Judea and Samaria is not a boycott of Israel.

Greenfield said that the states which decided to divest from Ben & Jerry’s based their decisions on “misinformation” that “Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever are being characterized as boycotting Israel — which is not the case at all. It’s not boycotting Israel in any way,” he said.

Greenfield also falsely asserted with a straight face that "what Israel is doing is considered illegal by international law."

Cohen and Greenfield, who sold Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever in 2000, were also asked in the interview why Ben & Jerry’s continues to sell ice cream in Georgia and Texas, which have abortion bans.

“I don’t know,” Cohen replied. “It’s an interesting question. I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights. ... I think you ask a really good question. And I think I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit.”

Unilever caused an uproar with its controversial July 19 announcement that it will stop selling the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Judea and Samaria.

In response to the announcement, several US states have announced they would divest from Unilever. These include New Jersey, Arizona and Florida and Texas.

Illinois, Maryland, and Rhode Island are also considering divesting from Unilever.

Shortly after the announcement, Cohen and Greenfield  wrote in a bizzare op-ed in The New York Times that they are “proud Jews” and supporters of Israel but also added that “it’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we’ve opposed policies of the U.S. government.”

“As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territories, which the international community, including the United Nations, has deemed an illegal occupation,” they wrote.

Biden’s main accomplishment? ...... Joining up with self-hating Jews

 

Shabbos ended and I opened up my social media. One of the very first posts I noticed was posted by Deborah Lipstadt. The same Lipstadt who writes about Holocaust denial. President Joe Biden nominated her to be the United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism.

She has been subpoenaed to serve as an expert witness in the case (civil) against the organizers of the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. She will be testifying about the antisemitic ideology, rhetoric and symbolism that she claims was evident at the rally. Funny, though, she wasn’t there. Usually hearsay is not allowed in court. She has been an outspoken anti-Trumper for years. I bet Mort Klein of ZOA wasn’t asked to testify. Klein was born to Holocaust survivors in a displaced persons camp in Günzburg, Germany, and recognizes the dangers of left wing anti-Semitism.

Trans woman helps a UK Orthodox synagogue complete a minyan

 

Princes Road synagogue in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

This was the news in The Times of Israel. I don't really see what the "chidush" here is, if he still supposedly has his "tool" he could technically be asked to be the tenth in a Satmar shteebel too. ....it seems that the guy who dressed up as a girl, knows deep down that the whole thing is a farce and so he was "maskim"

A transgender woman in the United Kingdom recently helped an Orthodox synagogue in Liverpool complete a minyan despite not being a man by gender.

The Princes Road synagogue asked the woman to complete the prayer quorum on the first day of the Sukkot holiday, September 21, the Jewish News reported, in turn citing The Jewish Telegraph. According to Jewish law, 10 men are the minimum needed to hold a prayer service.

“According to Jewish law, she can be counted in a minyan and we were one person short,” said the synagogue’s Rabbi Yigal Wachmann. “We took into account her sensitivities. I asked her permission so as not to offend her. She was fine with it.”

The woman sat in the women’s section throughout the service, according to the newspaper.

“It’s always good to see Jewish communities such as Princes Road welcoming and including their trans members,” said Dalia Fleming, Executive Director of Keshet UK, which supports LGBT+ Jews

“There’s no one model that works for every community or Jewish trans person, and many communities are just starting to work this through. In the meanwhile, Keshet UK really wants to see these conversations are reported sensitively and kindly, to avoid causing hurt to LGBT+ people, and to give communities and their LGBT+ members time and space to create an authentic approach that works for them.”

Majority of severe illness are unvaccinated coronavirus patients

 

The number of coronavirus deaths on Saturday surpassed 7,900, as the number of new cases continued to plummet, Israel's Health Ministry said Sunday morning.

As of Sunday morning, Israel had seen 7,904 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, including five people who died Friday, seven who died Saturday, and two who died Sunday.

On Saturday, 1,023 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed, bringing the number of active cases nationwide to 28,159. Of the 674 coronavirus patients who are hospitalized, the vast majority - 463 - are in serious condition, and 222 of those are in critical condition. A total of 186 coronavirus patients are intubated.

Among those who are in serious condition and under age 60 years of age, 5.7 people per 100,0000 are unvaccinated, compared to 0.9 who received one or two doses of the vaccine and 0.3 who received three doses.

Among those in serious condition who are over age 60, 125 per 100,000 are unvaccinated, compared to 21.3 who received either one or two doses and 2.1 who received all three doses.

At the same time, just 1.99% of coronavirus test results received Saturday were positive, down from 2.13% on Thursday and 2.01% on Friday.

Rabbi Designs "kapota" that conceals a gun

 

This rabbi is really proud of his new “piece” of clothing.

Rabbi Raziel Cohen of Morris County, NJ, has designed a $550 kapota — the long jacket donned by married Hasidic men on Shabbat and holidays — meant to comfortably conceal a gun.

After he got married about two years ago and graduated to wearing a kapota, “I realized right away it was a problem,” said Cohen, 24, of the cumbersome garment, which is traditionally fashioned with buttons and a belt known as a gartel.

The issue: He couldn’t easily pull out the Glock 19 or Glock 17 he always wears during synagogue.

“When you draw a gun, you have to do it safely, quickly and efficiently — ensuring that it’s not a risk to the person drawing the gun or to those around him,” said Cohen, an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

So he designed a “Tactical Kapota” with quick-access snaps hidden under a decoy version of the buttons traditionally required for the jacket.

“The buttons are definitely too time-consuming to undo,” he said, adding that “efficiency” is essential. “The snaps are safer. With this design, you’re able to expose the gun through those layers of material faster.”

Miami-based manufacturer Shaul Snovsky produces and sells the “luxury” kapotas. “People are calling me all the time for the product,” he said. “I’m not trying to sell anybody fear. You don’t want to be sheep going to the slaughter.”

That’s a sentiment that’s spread across the Jewish community after Boston rabbi was stabbed multiple times outside a Jewish day school in July and a teenage student was gunned down and killed was gunned down and killed outside his yeshiva in Denver in August.

“The danger increased. I’d like to be safe and be in control — I don’t want to be a victim,” said Aaron, a 20-something Hasidic New Yorker who asked The Post to withhold his last name for safety reasons. “It comes down to a matter of seconds. That’s not enough time to call for help or rely on someone else.

“This kapota allows me to not waste time,” added the married father of young children, who said has a concealed carry permit.

Cohen, who does chaplain work in prisons, is also known as the “Tactical Rabbi,” as he is firearms instructor and founder of National Defensive Firearms Academy. He regularly videos to educate people on protecting themselves and staying safe and gun safety. Indeed, it’s not uncommon to see him outfitted in tactical fatigues and a monogrammed bulletproof vest one day and his traditional black hat and religious attire the next.

“People who think anyone who carries a firearm is a vigilante, that we’re looking for confrontation,” said Cohen, noting that drawing an actual firearm should be the last resort after exhausting every other layer of protection. “It’s not true. People are getting killed in synagogues and houses of worship — the places where we never want to be the most vulnerable, but are the most vulnerable. I don’t want to have a firearm in synagogue, but that’s a perfect world we don’t live in. It’s sad.”

Cohen, who holds a concealed carry permit in a handful of states, also holds a permit to own and purchase firearms and ammunition with a license in New Jersey. (There are firearms that are legally able to be stored in the synagogue, which the rabbi has access to.)

Given the recent rash of Jewish hate crimes around the country, including a spike this past spring stemming from unrest in Israel, tensions are high.

“Anyone who said they weren’t scared is lying,” said Cohen. “I’m not scared only because I’m prepared. We’re not trying to take over the role of law enforcement. We’re just trying to make sure that until we get there, we’re able to protect ourselves.”

Doctors and Nurses Were Heroes Now They are being Fired

 

POWERFUL.

This…is…INSANITY.

FIRING doctors and nurses.

Just a few months ago, we were (rightly) calling them heroes.

This makes no sense. https://t.co/UAHOsLFkWR

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 9, 2021

Texas high school shooter parties after posting bail while victims remain hospitalized

Texas high school shooting suspect parties after posting bail while victims remain hospitalized https://t.co/PnKxWniDIg

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) October 9, 2021

Sick Sick ...6th Grade Teacher gets emotional as she tells her class that she is a lesbian

 

Teacher Gets Emotional Over Coming Out To Her 6th Grade Class https://t.co/I5ARC4NlVm

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 9, 2021

New Videos Clearly Shows Chareidim Putting up the Fence in Meron ..Not the Police

 

The video on top was obtained from the blog Kikar Hashabas, this is minutes before the disaster, showing the Chareidie appointed "sadranim" (those who organize) putting up the fence ... not one cop anywhere!

The Chareidim were against the Government Investigation because they didn't want the truth to come out..the fact that they themselves put up that fence. Hopefully the government inquiry will reveal who made that tragic decision and why?

We always claimed that the reports that the police were at blame was fabricated ... 

I am not saying that the police did everything they could, what I am saying was that this tragic disaster was caused by the Chareidim themselves and they are now looking to cover it up..

If it turns out that the police caused this  tragic event then they should held accountable.

But the families of the victims publicly called for this  government inquiry and claimed all along that it wasn't the police that put up that fence..

I was at Meron myself two years prior and I can tell you first hand that the stadium cannot hold more than 5-6,000 people at once...fence or no fence..

The Charedie rabbanim and askanim knew that as well, they should be held responsible..

That Chareidie extremist, the joker with the lulav ring on his finger,   should be arrested and tried for manslaughter... 

I hope that I am wrong... but as the videos keep coming out it looks like the Chareidim should not be in charge of any event that has more than 20 people under one roof ...

They are amateurs and liars, but this time they may have the direct cause of innocent people dying ..

They must be held accountable..

בתיעוד החדש שעוד לא פורסם - שמתעד את מה שקרה כשעה לפני תחילת האסון, נראים מאבטחים פרטיים נמצאים באזור האסון.

המאבטחים נראים מעט אבודים, ומזיזים מדי פעם את המחסומים - מסיבה שאיננה ברורה וכמובן שבתיעוד, 

את התיעוד חושף איש התקשורת מני גירא שוורץ, בשיחה עם 'כיכר השבת', הוא מתאר את מה שרואים בתיעוד: "ביום חמישי, פרסמתי סרטון, בו רואים את המחסומים שהציבו סדרנים. שם ניתן לראות בבירור שהיכן שמוצב מחסום, נמצאים מאבטחים בלבד ולא אנשי משטרה.

"בסרטון החדש", מסביר שוורץ, רואים איך נוצרת במקום מהומה, פקק אנושי וצוואר בקבוק - שמצד אחד בנס לא קורה כלום, מצד שני זה תמרור אזהרה מספיק ברור מפני הבאות. רואים בחלק מהסרטון, שיש עדיין מחסום חוסם את הדרך, ואברכים ובחורים מדלגים מעליו".

"יש שם עוד קטע, ממה שנראה לי זה עוד כמה מאבטחים עם כובעים שחורים מגיעים מלמטה. ואחר כך, הם ממשיכים ללמעלה. בנוסף רואים שם את המאבטחים סוחבים את אחד המחסומים בתוך הקהל.

 איפה הציבו אותו?".

"איפה הציבו את המחסומים האחרים?", שואל שוורץ ומפרשן: "האם חלקם המשיכו לעמוד שם גם אם רק בצידי הדרך, ולא בחסימה מלאה, והביאו בין היתר למכשול לחלק מהנדחסים. כי הרי רבים מהעדויות של הניצולים זה שהיה מחסום, גם אם נופל, או מוזז. משהו היה שם עם המחסום. והתיעוד הזה מעלה את השאלות".

ממידע שהגיע לידי 'כיכר השבת', מדובר במאבטחים פרטיים, שככל הנראה נשכרו בידי אחת מהחסידיות שביצעו הדלקה במקום. עד עתה לא ברור, מדוע אנשי האבטחה הזיזו את המחסומים והאם היה מי שנתן להם את ההוראה הזו. מה שברור מכל התיעודים שפורסמו, זה שלמשטרה לא הייתה נוכחות במקום, כבר כשעה קודם שהחל מרחץ הדמים.

בכירים במשטרה הגיבו על הסרטון הראשון ואמרו: "מנסים להטיח אשמה במשטרה, לפיה המשטרה אחראית על הכשלים שהיו בהר מירון - בעת שמתקיימת ועדת חקירה ממלכתית".

Global Warming ? Last Six Months for Antarctica Coldest on Record

 

Antarctica has reached record low temperatures in the past six months, data shows.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) noted, CNN reported, "for the polar darkness period, from April through September, the average temperature was -60.9 degrees Celsius (-77.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a record for those months."

The time distinction from April through September refers to the period of polar darkness. In the case of the South Pole, this polar night occurs when the sun sets and darkness envelops the land, lasting from the spring equinox to the autumn equinox until the sun rises again.

In the winter of 2021, the continent of Antarctica experienced its second coldest winter and recorded temperatures in the months of "June, July, and August, [at] 3.4 degrees Celsius (6.1 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than the 1981 to 2010 average at -62.9 degrees Celsius (-81.2 degrees Fahrenheit)," according to the new NSIDC report.

"This is the second-coldest winter (June-July-August months) on record, behind only 2004 in the 60-year weather record at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station," according to the NSIDC.

'Newsweek' lists Israeli cancer, heart treatment among world's best

 

Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center in Jerusalem

The US magazine Newsweek published its annual World's Best Specialized Hospitals list this week, listing what it deems to be the world's best providers of specialty care in a number of vital fields. The list features three Israeli medical centers.

The magazine ranks the top 250 hospitals for cardiology and oncology, the top 150 for cardiac surgery and pediatrics and the top 125 for endocrinology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery and pulmonology.

According to this year's rankings, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer is No. 42 in the world when it comes to cardiology care. The Heart Institute at Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center was ranked No. 173 for cardiology, and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center's cardiology care was ranked No. 204.

Hadassah's oncology care also came in for praise, with the hospital's Sharett Institute of Oncology, located on Mount Scopus, ranking 211 in the oncology section.

Sheba's neurosurgery and gastroenterology departments also performed well, coming at No. 40 and 44 in each category.

Sourasky's Orthopedics Department was ranked No. 123 in that category.

Should Israel Dump the USA as its Superpower Sponsor

 

 by Abba Yitzchak 

Throughout history, empires have exercised their long-range power through client or vassal states. A vassal state is a state that is economically, politically, and/or militarily subordinate to another more powerful state in international relations.

Israel is currently a vassal state under the protective diplomatic umbrella of the United States. Both sides have benefited greatly from the relationship and Israel feels like it has a powerful patron to protect it from various existential and non-existential threats.

Modern Israel has been a vassal state to the United States since its reestablishment in 1948. Israel has always fought its wars with its own soldiers but has relied on America for diplomatic protection and for the supply of military hardware when needed. In return, Israel has done what America tells it to do even if it goes against Israel's interests. For example, Israel removed Jews from their lawful homes in Gaza and gave those homes and farms to Muslim terrorists who now use that territory to launch missiles at Israel's cities.

Marriott in Germany apologizes to Jewish singer told to remove Star of David ...the Video of his incident got over one million views.

 

German Jewish singer-songwriter Gil Ofarim said a hotel in Leipzig denied him entry for wearing a Star of David necklace, Deutsche Welle reported.

According to the musician, who is the son of the late Israeli musician Abi Ofarim, the hotel said that if he did not put away the Star of David necklace he was wearing, he would not be allowed to check in.

In a video posted to social media, Ofarim recounted that when he attempted to check in to the Hotel Westin in Leipzig on Monday, a long line formed due to problems with the hotel computers.

Eventually, Ofarim noticed that the rest of the line was being ushered forward but he wasn’t.

Ofarim said that he asked the desk clerk, “What's going on? Why is everyone else being called up ahead of me?"

He was told by the employee that they were trying to fix the issue but he did not let Ofarim move ahead in line.

The singer then stated that “someone called out from the corner: 'Put your star away.”

Ofarim said that the hotel worker again asked Ofarim to take off or hide his Star of David.

He said he was told, “Once you put it away, then you can check in."

At the end of the video, Ofarim, who holds back tears, ends by saying the words, “Germany, 2021.”

Shoplifters Making NYC a "Third World’ Country

 

Thanks to a citywide shoplifting tsunami, bare necessities are now rare luxuries on drug-store shelves across New York City.

“It looks like the Third World,” bemoaned one Manhattan resident, after eyeing the aisles of a CVS on Sixth Avenue in Soho desperately low of toothpaste, face wash and hand sanitizer, among a long list of other items.

“They’ve all been stolen,” a CVS employee told The Post.

State bail reform laws make shoplifting a promising career option for some New York City crooks. One man, Isaac Rodriguez, 22, of Queens, was arrested for shoplifting 46 times this year alone, The Post exclusively reported last week.

The blame goes straight to the halls of power in Albany, said New York City top cop Dermot Shea.

“Insanity,” the police commissioner tweeted last week in response to The Post report. “No other way to describe the resulting crime that has flowed from disastrous bail reform law.” 

Zera Shimshon Parshas Noach