Tuesday, March 22, 2022
AIPAC’s pro-democracy ‘super PAC’ does not mention Israel in its mission statement
AIPAC’s new regular political action committee is self-evident about what it’s all about: It’s called AIPAC PAC, after all, and is committed to supporting pro-Israel candidates.
The “super PAC” that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee launched in December, however, is more opaque: It’s called the United Democracy Project. Its brief mission statement does not mention Israel nor the powerhouse pro-Israel lobby behind its founding. Instead, it emphasizes the promotion of democracy.
“United Democracy Project is an organization comprised of American citizens, Democrats and Republicans, united in the belief that we are stronger as a nation when we come together in support of our democracy and other democracies around the world,” says the mission statement on its website. “United Democracy Project works to elect candidates that share our vision of Americans coming together to support our mutual interests and belief in democracy.”
Asked why the super PAC does not state that it supports Israel, AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann did not directly answer.
“As we indicated at the time of the announcement of the PAC and Super-PAC, the creation of the PACs is an opportunity to significantly deepen and strengthen the involvement of the pro-Israel community in politics,” Wittmann said Monday in response to an email query.
Chasan seriously injured during his wedding regains consciousness
A groom who was seriously injured at his wedding last month in Modi’in regained consciousness Monday.
In mid-February, 34-year-old Itai Haim Hamani slipped and fell off of a table, after friends and relatives lifted him up onto the table, then lifted the table into the air while dancing at his wedding.
Hamani landed on his head and suffered a serious head injury in the fall, leaving him unconscious. He was rushed to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for treatment.
Now, more than a month after his injury, Hamani has regained consciousness, waking up for the first time since the wedding disaster.
Despite regaining consciousness, Hamani is still in serious condition, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
“It is an absolute miracle,” one relative said. “His medical condition is improving in a way that defies nature, he is smiling and moving his hands. We showed him photos of his bride and he was happy, the doctors and the family are still in shock from the miracle.”
“His condition is still serious and he has a long, complicated road to recovery. I call on everyone to continue to pray for his recovery.”
Historian Discovers Hitherto Unknown Fate Of 400 Amsterdam Jews Caught In February 1941 Raid
A new exhibition by Dutch historian Wally De Lang has revealed the fate of 400 Jews who disappeared 80 years ago from Amsterdam – a fate which was not known until now.
In February 1941, nine months after the Nazis invaded and occupied the Netherlands, the first pogroms began on Dutch soil. Local Nazi party members posted bills in shop and cafe windows that read “Jews Not Wanted.” Then they went on a rampage in the Jewish Quarter, breaking windows and shouting jeers.
Young Jewish men and boys banded together to protect their neighborhood. When Dutch Nazis returned a few days later, the Jews fought back. Street fights went on for days resulting in many casualties, including the death of one Dutch Nazi, Hendrik Koot.
In retaliation, the Green Police — German Nazi officers in long green coats and high boots — randomly grabbed about 400 Jewish men off the streets during a two-day sweep, ultimately forcing them into trucks and driving away. Most of these men were never heard from again and nobody knew what had happened to them or even precisely how many people had disappeared.
De Lang, a researcher of Dutch Jewish history for several decades, refused to accept that normative people from Amsterdam had just disappeared without a trace and set out to discover their stories.
“It was impossible for me to comprehend that 400 people of this town just disappeared, without anyone knowing who they were,” De Lang told the New York Times.
Mordy Gelfand Found in New Orleans Body Flown to Lakewood for Burial
After many weeks of painstaking searching by Achiezer and other organizations, Jackson resident Mordy Gelfand has sadly been found deceased, having perished in a tragic accident in New Orleans. Mordy had gone missing while on a business trip to the city and was later confirmed to have been involved in a terrible mishap that cost him his life.
The meis is being tended to by Chevra Kadisha and is currently being flown to New York for kevurah.
Mordy, 33, was a loving husband and father who took tremendous pride in his family and was beloved by the Jackson community and all who were fortunate enough to know him. Mordy z”l took a special pride in being deeply involved in his shul and his children’s schools, often going out of his way to promote and advance the interests and needs of the tzibbur.
In his unassuming and quiet way, Mordy z”l was a tremendous baal chesed, and an individual who was described as selfless, deeply empathetic, and willing to go the extra mile for another’s sake.
He is survived by his wife Devorah, his children, his parents – Yaakov and Shira Gelfand – and his siblings – Adina Erez, Sarah Tova Stern, Avi Gelfand, and Aryeh Gelfand.
The family said that the entire family are extremely grateful for Klal Yisroel’s tefillos on behalf of Mordy, and for their interest and concern for his wellbeing.
“It gave us and continues to give us tremendous chizuk knowing that so many yidden cared for Mordy and were davening for his safe return home,” a family member told YWN.
“We are also profoundly grateful to the volunteers from Hatzolah, Chaveirim, Shomrim, Achiezer, and other organizations, as well as the local police chaplains, for everything they did to find Mordy and bring him back to us.”
The family extended their thanks to Yehuda Eckstein, Elliott Zaks, Yossi Greenwald, Yaakov Gade, Chaim Meisels, Mendy Schecter of New Orleans Chabad and many others Most notably, is the tireless work that Boruch Ber Bender of Achiezer did, as he worked 24 hours a day for weeks on behalf of the family.”
The Levaya is scheduled to take place at 10:30 am Tuesday morning at the Lakewood Chapel. Kevurah will take place in Long Island.
Boruch Dayan HaEmes…
Monday, March 21, 2022
Israel Gave Zelensky a Forum and Like a Ukrainian He Stabs Her in the Back!
The Israeli Knesset is in recess and the parliamentary building is being worked on. And, despite Ukrainian pressure, it should have stayed that way.
Instead, Knesset members gave in and agreed to host the Ukrainian leader.
After a few brief polite preliminaries, Zelensky once again appropriated the Holocaust, falsely comparing the German Nazi and Ukranian mass murder of Jews to Putin’s invasion.
In a familiar appropriation, Zelensky declared, “Our people are now scattered around the world. They are looking for security. They are looking for a way to stay in peace. As you once searched.”
From there it got worse.
Zelensky repeated the lie that, “You saw Russian missiles hit Kyiv, Babyn Yar. You know what kind of land it is. More than 100,000 Holocaust victims are buried there. There are ancient Kyiv cemeteries. There is a Jewish cemetery. Russian missiles hit there.”
Russian missiles were aimed at an installation obscenely built over the cemetery.
At that point, the speech turned into a smear campaign.
“What is it? Indifference? Premeditation? Or mediation without choosing a party? I will leave you a choice of answer to this question. And I will note only one thing – indifference kills. Premeditation is often erroneous. And mediation can be between states, not between good and evil.”
That was rich coming from the leader of a state that voted in lockstep with Russia against Israel at the UN, and has deep economic links to Iran.
“One can keep asking why we can’t get weapons from you. Or why Israel has not imposed strong sanctions against Russia. Why it doesn’t put pressure on Russian business,” Zelensky demanded.
One can ask why Ukraine keeps funding Iran.
Zelensky’s speech, which the Knesset was bullied into hosting, was a combination of Holocaust revisionism, emotional blackmail, and a smear campaign.
There’s a pretty clear lesson here.
Zelensky is entitled to tell any lie he likes in the hopes of saving his country, but only idiots would provide a forum for him to attack their country.
NY college refuses to withdraw a Convicted Murderer and Israel-hating terrorist’s speaking invitation
Despite intense public backlash, school won’t rescind speaking invitation for convicted murderer who spent nearly 50 years behind bars for killing two NYPD officers.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
Despite intense public backlash, the State University of New York at Brockport has refused to withdraw a speaking invitation to Anthony Bottom, a convicted domestic terrorist who spent nearly half a century behind bars and co-founded an antisemitic organization.
Bottom, who is also known by the name Jalil Muntaqim, was a member of the violent Black Liberation Army terror group in the 1970s and 1980s, which carried out multiple deadly bombings, arsons, and robberies.
Bottom shot and killed two New York city police officers in a 1971 ambush and was linked to an additional three murders. After being incarcerated for 49 years, he was paroled in October 2020.
A description of the upcoming April talk, titled “History of Black Resistance” on SUNY-Brockport’s events calendar, invites students to an “intellectual conversation” about his experience as a “political prisoner.”
Diane Pigaentini, the widow of an NYPD officer killed by Bottom, blasted the college for hosting Bottom.
“While my husband lay on the ground pleading with them not to kill him, pleading he had a wife and children, Bottom took his service revolver and emptied it into his body,” Piagentini wrote in a letter to the school obtained by PIX 11.
“There were 22 bullet holes in his body,” she said.
But despite public pressure to withdraw the speaking invitation, the school has framed Muntaqim’s presence as a free speech issue.
AIPAC endorses 27 Democrats who fought for the Iran nuclear deal
Despite intense efforts to prevent the deal in 2015, AIPAC is now embracing Democratic lawmakers who voted for the Obama-era agreement, JTA reports.
By World Israel News Staff
Pro-Israeli lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) announced its support for 27 Democratic lawmakers who had voted for the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in 2015, despite intense efforts by the group to prevent the deal when it was originally proposed.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported that AIPAC is embracing a major policy shift on the matter and now will formally endorse politicians who voted in favor of the deal, after pulling out all the stops in 2015 to stop them from supporting it.
The JTA said that AIPAC had sent its representatives to try to persuade Jewish representatives to vote as one united bloc against the bill, with tensions rising so high that negotiations eventually escalated into “tearful angry exchanges in congressional offices.”
But despite pledging to “excommunicate” lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill, AIPAC is now openly endorsing those same politicians.
Why Pini Lipshutz Editor of US Yated Wears an "Up-Brim" Hat
Two Yeshiva Boys Held Up at Gunpoint on Friday Night in Flatbush
Two young boys were held up by a gunman on Friday night on E. 34th Street between Avenues K and L.
The boys, who were conversing in front of their homes at approximately 1:38AM, were approached by the gun-wielding bandit, who demanded their money. They explained that since it was shabbos, they weren’t carrying anything on them – money or otherwise.
Unconvinced, the suspect grabbed one of the victims by his tie and went through his pockets, which were indeed empty. He then asked the boys who was in the house they were standing in front of, and they intelligently replied that it was full of people, which kept the suspect from trying to enter.
The victims then contacted Flatbush Shomrim, which in turn contacted the NYPD 63rd Precinct, who arrived quickly at the scene. NYPD Inspector Richie Taylor also walked over from his home to assist.
Video footage of the incident has been obtained by Flatbush Shomrim and they are working collaboratively with the NYPD to identify and track down the suspect. Shockingly, a marked Flatbush Shomrim vehicle being driven by an armed off-duty NYPD Officer is seen on security camera footage driving down the same street exactly 4 minutes before the incident.
Through the intervention of Ohel, Dr. Norman Blumenthal spoke to both boys on motzei shabbos to assist them with any trauma effects they may be going through due to the terrifying incident.
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Meet Rabbi Kanievsky's 'successor
Following the death of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the Lithuanian public is hinting at the president of the Council of Torah Scholars of Degel HaTorah and the head of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, the 98-year-old Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, as the natural heir to take over the reins of leadership.
Since the death of Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, the Lithuanian community has adopted a two-part leadership in the persons of Rabbi Kanievsky and Rabbi Edelstein.
In practice, however, even though he escaped from the leadership positions all his life, Rabbi Kanievsky was behind many decisions concerning the conduct of the Lithuanian public in Israel. Now, it seems, Rabbi Edelstein will become the leader of the Lithuanian public.
The leadership of the two Rabbis has been characterized by marked differences over the years. While Rabbi Edelstein focused mainly on decisions in the Lithuanian-educational field, Rabbi Kanievsky was required to decide on political issues concerning the entire haredi public.
Although both identified with the Lithuanian idea of diminishing the admor/rebbe title etiquette in issues related to blessings and rebbe-chassid relations, over the years Rabbi Kanievsky's home has become a focal point for Jews of all walks of life to visit for blessings and advice, while Rabbi Edelstein remains less known to the secular public.
There are also characteristic distinctions between them: While Rabbi Kanievsky used to shorten his answers up to only a few words, both in his answers of Halachic responsa and in his responses to all aspects of life, Rabbi Edelstein tends to give lessons that are characterized by length and deal mainly with education and encouraging Torah study and moral laws.
The differences in leadership were also evident during the Coronavirus pandemic. While Rabbi Kanievsky refused to leave the boys' schools closed for extended periods of time, Rabbi Edelstein believed that extra care should be taken to maintain health in all that it entails.
The dominant feature of both leaders has been that both adopted Rabbi Shteinman's decisions in matters of religion and state, unlike the 'Jerusalem Faction' which adopted a much stricter approach which included going out to the streets to protest government reforms on issues related to the status quo.
What will Rabbi Edelstein's leadership be like? Will it be even more pragmatic than Rabbi Kanievsky's leadership was concerning the Lithuanian rabbinical attitude toward the current government? It's too early to tell. What is certain though, is that the longer his leadership will be, the greater his popularity will grow within the haredi community, and especially within the Lithuanian street.
During Rabbi Kanevsky's funeral, Rabbi Edelstein was the first of the eulogizers.
In his remarks, he said that Rabbi Kanievsky "was a great man. There is a lack of leadership in Israel when such a great man passes from the world... The whole world was affected by him, the whole public, the whole world owes him."
Rabbi Edelstein added: "We are a poor generation, an orphaned generation, we lack men of profound wisdom. We lack the influence of a great man like him."
R' Chaim z"l a short bio
The largest funeral in the history of the country, took place for a great rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who died on Friday at the age of 94. He was at home, collapsed and died.
Estimates of up to one million people were expected to "attend" the funeral, or at least, attempt to get somewhere near it. Already major roads and highways are closed and will be used for immense parking lots for buses bringing in the mourners from all over the country. Our local Health Care provider just called and with a recorded message informed us that no testing will take place today since they will be unable to get samples to the laboratory. Police have cautioned people to avoid the metropolitan Tel Aviv area entirely.
This was massive.
And so, who was this rabbi that few outside of the Orthodox Jewish world knew or even heard about? What did he do to warrant such a huge funeral?
To begin with, you should know who Rabbi Kanievsky was not. He was not involved in politics, he was not a great speaker (he rarely spoke in public), he may never have ever been interviewed on radio or television or by a newspaper. He was not the head of a yeshiva (higher rabbinical academy) or a some Chassidic sect or the like. He was not the appointed rabbi of a community or city. He held no official position of any type, whatsoever.
Rather, he was acknowledged as the supreme Talmudic scholar whose rulings were considered absolutely authoritative. He was noted for his unusually extensive knowledge of every important Jewish text in our vast library of more than two thousand years of rabbinic writings including the Torah, the Mishna, Talmud, Codes of Jewish Law and all the major commentaries. He was noted for his extreme diligence in what is known as "learning", meaning his exceptional ability to sit and study for hours each day, late into the night, sleeping very little, and his ability to retain to memory all that he learned.
He did, however, publish exceptionally lucid books on Jewish Law, and more. I have one of his sets in my library.
He was the scholar's scholar to whom all questions of Jewish theology and Law were addressed and whose answers were considered "final". He rarely, if ever, was challenged or questioned. (If you want to know who is at the top of a specific profession, ask people in that profession who they consider "the best" and then ask those "best ones", who they think is on top.)
As a person, he was soft-spoken and never argumentative. He lived in small, modest apartment crammed with holy texts. His table was always piled with books which he pored over every minute he could. He received visitors from all over the world who came to him with questions, asking for advice, and requests for help. He would respond, by mail, to inquiries about Jewish Law from rabbis and individuals everywhere. Typically, his responses were surprisingly brief, such as "Yes", "No", "Maybe" or "Check this source for your answer".
He had the good fortune of being the son, the son-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew of other extremely well-known and important rabbis. These things tend to run in families. But, independent of his family connections, he earned his reputation on his own by his dedication to learning and his angelic personality. He had a sense of humor, too, and there are video clips of him enjoying a good joke or story.
What I find interesting, was his response to whomever came to him for a "blessing", something that Jews ask for from great sages and religious leaders. He would simple say, "Blessing and Success". (In the Hebrew, he would abbreviate this even further with "Bu-ha".) Short and sweet. Straight to the point.
You see, what matters at the end of the day is scholarly erudition and modesty. Reb Chaim (as he was fondly known) lived a simple, honest, respectful life. He was a scholar supreme and what we call a "Mensch", i.e. a truly good and honorable person. He served G-d by his Torah wisdom and piety.
It is because he personified these character traits the Jewish world respected him more than any other public figure or celebrity could. He showed us how to behave and how to prioritize our values.
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