Monday, April 1, 2024
House Democrats endorse the vicious antisemite Jamaal Bowman
Democrats in the US House of Representatives endorsed Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who has spoken out against Israel, days after the party’s leading Jewish group endorsed his primary challenger.
The endorsement is not unusual — House leaders in both parties routinely favor incumbents facing tough primary races — but it comes as the New York lawmaker is facing a challenge from a popular local elected official, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who has blasted Bowman’s Israel rhetoric and recently gained the backing of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
The endorsement Friday, distributed by Bowman’s campaign, emphasized his local bona fides and did not touch on his condemnations of Israel, which he has accused of “genocide” in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
“Congressman Bowman’s life experiences — raised by a single mom in public housing and founding a public school serving low-income children in the Bronx — have shaped him into a public servant who fights for economic justice and in defense of historically underrepresented communities,” said the statement by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California.
Bowman was first elected in 2020 and is part of the Squad, the group of progressive Democratic representatives who are broadly critical of Israel. He represents a district that spans Westchester and part of the Bronx in New York City, and is home to a sizable Jewish community.
The Israel-Hamas war has become a focus of the campaign. Latimer has been firmly supportive of Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. In addition to the “genocide” charge, Bowman recently walked back a statement last year casting doubt on claims that Hamas committed rape in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which launched the war. He has also lost the endorsement of J Street, the liberal Israel lobby.
The Chareidie Argument that Shevet Levi Didn't Serve in the Army Totally Debunked!
by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
The Role of the Tribe of Levi
Q: Some say that yeshiva students who do not enlist in the army are like the members of the tribe of Levi who studied in yeshivas and kollelim, and did not participate in the wars of Israel. According to them, the Rambam wrote this as well. Are their words correct according to the Torah?
A: There is no basis for their words. On the contrary, the members of the tribe of Levi were dedicated to public affairs, and were committed to this. In times of peace, their role was to go out to the nation and teach Torah, instruct in Jewish law, and serve as police officers for all matters of law and order regarding interpersonal matters, and matters between man and God.
And in times of war, their role was to strengthen the spirit of the fighters, like the Military Rabbinate and the Education Corps, and to serve as military police enforcing the draft laws on the entire nation, severely punishing deserters and those fleeing from the battlefield.
They also guarded the Holy Ark that went out with the fighters and the senior command that was close to it, in the capacity of the “king’s legion” (like a Special Forces Unit). And anyone who remained without a specific role was among the first to go out to battle with the other soldiers, as befits public servants of the highest echelons.
After defining all their roles, I will briefly explain each detail.
New York Times Terminates Freelance Reporter for Pro-Israel Social Media Posts
The New York Times has ended the employment of freelance Israeli reporter Anat Schwartz due to her liking pro-Israel posts on social media platform X. Schwartz, who began writing for the Times in November, was part of the paper’s coverage of the Israeli response to the Hamas massacre and kidnappings in October.
An investigation was launched in February after the Times became aware of Schwartz’s social media activity, which included liking posts that Israel and its war against Hamas. A spokesperson for the Times stated that the “likes” were “unacceptable violations of our company policy” and that the matter was being reviewed.
Schwartz was one of several writers involved in the Times’ investigation into the Hamas violence and assaults against women on October 7.
Rebbe In Telzstone: State Should Fund 2000 Yeshiva Students, The Rest Must Serve Community
An unusual position regarding funding yeshiva students and the contentious issue of army exemptions was presented by Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb, a Chasidic rabbi who serves as the leader of the Ashlag community in Telzstone.
Rabbi Gottlieb described the demonstrations by secularists, demanding that charedim help them and “get under the stretcher” for military service.
He wrote that “In a time of war, even a groom must leave his chuppah and go to help. Although other rabbis insist that we must not stop Torah study, this is not the issue. Nobody wants to stop Torah study, but it is “a time to do for Hashem and to ‘transgress’ the Torah.”
Rabbi Gottlieb suggests that yeshivos be established on the borders in the north south and where required and study half day while spending the other half on patrols and guard duty , in order to “take away from the terrible burden on the general community in Israel.” He warns that “The Israeli public will not forget if the yeshiva students won’t join the war effort.”
He also admits that the yeshiva students are not all sitting and studying day and night. “Not everyone has the strength for this, only a small amount. Near my house there are all kinds of bakeries with food, restaurants and eateries. I see the whole day long that there are quite a few yeshiva students eating with great relish baked foods and other items.” Rabbi Gottlieb concludes: “Do they have no shame?”
In another post Rabbi Gottlieb decries the funding of yeshiva students, stating that it is a “custom whose time has passed”. From the age of 18, he claims that “everyone must contribute their part for the people of Israel and study in their “free time”. He adds that this was the view of the Baal Hasulam, that people should work, should enlist and take part of the burden on themselves. He was even against kollelim, believing that Toraso U’Manuso is meant for a person’s free time, and should not be for remuneration.
Rabbi Gottlieb concedes that the state should fund “some 2000 people every year” as it is in the interest of the Jewish nation to have Dayanim, Poskim, rabbis and Talmidei Chachamim. He believes this number is enough to produce the requisite number of Torah leaders.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
‘Zionist pigs!’ and ‘End Israel!’ at Berkeley City Council Meeting
WATCH: Susanne DeWitt, an 89 year-old Holocaust survivor who was arrested and sent to Dachau Concentration Camp at age 4, was repeatedly heckled by demonstrators as she spoke in favor of the City of Berkeley's Holocaust Remembrance Day proclamation. pic.twitter.com/B3mx5mjjSo
— JCRC Bay Area (@SFJCRC) March 28, 2024
A Berkeley City Council meeting last Tuesday spiraled into disorder as a group of pro-Hamas protesters targeted council members and supporters of Israel, hurling derogatory slurs such as “Zionist pigs,” “Genocide enablers,” “Murderers,” and “money suckers,” and calls to “End Israel.”
The meeting included a vote on marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in Berkeley.
The Jewish Community Relations Council shared excerpts from Tuesday’s meeting on social media, one of which quickly went viral, capturing the instance when the proceedings had to be halted when Susanne DeWitt, an 89-years-old Holocaust survivor, was being drowned out by the shouting antisemites.
They repeated the cry of “Lies!” when DeWitt urged the City Council to adopt the Holocaust Remembrance Day proclamation because of what she described as a “horrendous surge in antisemitism.” This was a second opportunity for DeWitt to be attacked by Nazis after she had been hurled at age four into the Dachau concentration camp outside Munich.
The shouting increased when the elderly survivor told the council about the 1,200 Israelis who were tortured, raped and killed by Hamas.
A bereaved father responds to the violent Tel Aviv protesters
Response:
Nobody will burn my country.
We are tired o f the threats of extremists.
Yes, even if these extremists have relatives in Gaza.
You will not burn the country.
That's out of the question.
And if I have to fight you, I will fight.
Millions of people look at you in disbelief, disapproval, shock,
And only out of respect to you, they are silent.
I will not be silent.
My son was killed in Gaza.
He went to protect and free your children, and was killed
Left everything, left behind a pregnant wife and a nine-month-old child, and was killed
He won't come back again. Not in any deal.
And so I am allowed to tell you:
You must not break up the country.
You must not go wild.
You are not allowed to block roads.
You must not confront the police.
You must not call for people to refuse to serve.
You are not allowed to shake police cars.
You must not try to break into the Prime Minister's house.
The fact that your children are captives in Gaza,
It hurts, it's unfortunate, it tears us all to pieces inside,
This will make me send again the three sons I have left, to fight, and to risk their lives for them.
But this does not give you any special rights:
You have no right to 'take your gloves off'.
You have no right to curse the elected officials.
You have no right to scream “shame”.
You have no right to violate public order.
You have no right to block Ben Gurion Airport.
You have no right to declare a strike in the economy.
You have no such right.
Restrain yourselves - Do you hear?
R E S T R A I N
MICHAEL SAVAGE PRAYING FOR THE SOULS OF SCHUMER, SANDERS, NADLER WHO TOOK THE SIDE OF THE HAMAS NAZIS
In this passionate monologue, Savage expresses concern over the actions of politicians Schumer, Sanders, and Nadler, who have taken a stance against Israel in supporting Hamas, a group similar to Nazis.
He criticizes their timing during sacred holidays for Christians and Jews and expresses doubt about their moral character.
He also shares personal stories of his experiences with the supernatural, including encounters with a Fijian card reader, surviving a car accident, and a heart attack while praying in Hebrew. He emphasizes the spiritual aspect of medicine and the interconnectedness of different worlds and religions.
Additionally, he criticizes the Biden Administration for its call for a ceasefire. He offers prayers for the souls of Schumer, Sanders, and Nadler and encourages true Christians and Jews to understand the concept of many worlds.
Clients of the Daughter of the Judge Presiding on Trump Case Made $93 million off the case!
Two major Democratic clients of the daughter of the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s hush-money trial have raised at least $93 million in campaign donations — and used the case in their solicitation emails — raising renewed concerns the jurist has a major conflict of interest.
Trump’s attorneys are now considering filing another motion demanding Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan recuse himself from the trial set to begin April 15, sources said.
The judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is president of Authentic Campaigns, a Chicago-based progressive political consulting firm whose top clients include California Rep. Adam Schiff, who was the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial, and the Senate Majority PAC, a major party fundraiser.
“Authentic Campaigns, and thus the judge’s daughter, is actively making money from this sham attack against President Trump, rendering Judge Merchan conflicted out,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told The Post, adding that evidence of bias is even clearer now than it was in August when Merchan rejected Trump’s first recusal motion.
“The judge should do the right thing and immediately recuse himself in order to show the American people that the Democrats have not destroyed our justice system completely . . . him continuing to be involved in this Crooked Joe Biden-directed Witch Hunt is a complete violation of applicable rules, regulations and ethics.”
Can conjoined Twins have kids?
Abby and Brittany Hensel have always said they wanted to be mothers, but since the conjoined twins share reproductive organs, a new report has questioned whether it’s possible — and which of the women would legally be considered the mother should they become pregnant.
The 34-year-old twins said in a documentary made when they were teenagers they planned on becoming mothers later in life, according to the Telegraph.
“Yeah, we are going to be mums one day, but we don’t want to talk about how it’s going to work yet,” the newly married woman said at the time.
But how that would work, as the sister’s share reproductive organs, has come into question, the outlet said.
The twins were back in the spotlight this week after posting a video with snippets of Abby’s 2021 wedding to Josh Bowling, 33.
If Abby or Brittany go on to have biological children, they would be the first female dicephalic — or fused side-by-side — twins to do so.
The women each have a heart and lungs, but all other organs, including their reproductive system, is shared, the Telegraph reported.
Male conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in 1811 in what is now Thailand, went on to have 21 children between the two of them –10 for Chang and 11 for Eng — breaking the record for most children born to unseparated twins, according to Guinness World Records.
The twins made a small fortune being paraded around America, before settling in North Carolina after gaining citizenship. They married sisters, Adelaide and Sarah Yates, and lived in separate homes, spending three days at a time in each home.
They would die in 1874, hours apart from each other, and were the oldest conjoined twins ever, according to Guinness.
One half of the formerly conjoined twins, Rosa and Josepha Blažek, of what is now considered the Czech Republic, had a child.
Rosa had a son in 1910, according to a study. The twins were later separated from each other.
Unlike the Bunker brothers, who shared a liver, the Hensel share vital organs — meaning it’s unclear if a pregnancy is possible or who would be the legal mother, the Telegraph claims.
The twins each have their own spine and control separate sides of the body, conjoining at the pelvis.
It’s unclear if the world will ever find out the answers: the women have asked for privacy.
“The whole world doesn’t need to know who we are seeing, what we are doing and when we are going to do it,” Brittany said.
For the third consecutive year, no Jews at all will be allowed to visit the Har Habyit during the last ten days of Ramadan.
Israel Police announced Saturday evening to the Temple Mount administration that Jewish entry to the Mount will not be allowed until further notice. This is a continuation of the policy of the last two years to ban Jews from the Mount towards the end of Ramadan.
Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said: "It's not just Fridays, but for all of Ramadan, there have been several attempts at attacks in various places."
"The challenge is to succeed in keeping watch this whole month, and afterwards, because it does not end with Ramadan, but we are more pressed this month. We must really be very vigilant, very meticulous, with very good security."
"We are in a multi-front war - Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza and even more distant things," continued the Chief of Staff, "Everyone, every soldier, IDF, Border Police, we work together, has responsibility for all arenas, because every event that happens in one arena really affects and can create incidents in other areas."
Not all of the Hostage Families Support the Protests
 |
| Amit Segal |
Some of the hostages' families on Saturday blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the fact that there has not yet been a prisoner swap deal which would bring their loved ones home, and demanded that he resign his position.
Channel 12 News analyst Amit Segal pointed out that while the call had been made in the name of "the hostages' families," in Hebrew "mishpachot hachatufim," the letter "hey" at the start of "hachatufim," a prefix which translates to "the," should not be there.
He noted that without the "hey," the phrase would read, "mishpachot chatufim," or "families of hostages," instead of "the hostages' families."
This difference, he stressed, is important, because not all of the families of hostages believe that Netanyahu should resign, or support a prisoner swap deal at any price. Thus, those who are calling for Netanyahu's resignation should not speak as though they represent all of the hostages' families.
Some Families of Hostages Say They Will Join Hamas to Burn down the Country If Israel Doesn't Meet all of Hamas' Demands
DIN: If they keep talking nonsense like this, the silent majority will slowly turn against the families of the kidnapped!
Families of the kidnapped:
In order to bring back our loved ones," we have decided to enlist to Hamas". We demand that the Israeli government immediately accept all the organization's demands. If not, we will burn down the country.
Meanwhile Lebanese channels are celebrating the footage from Tel Aviv.
Crazy!!! UN "verifies" Israel Killed Journalist Meanwhile Austria Announces That he is In their Custody??
I can't believe the U.N. made things up. Just can't believe it. https://t.co/Pdh9wsgFvx
— Melissa Weiss (@melissaeweiss) March 29, 2024
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Governor Hochul Told Off at Memorial For Slain COP Not Everyone "chanfes" Like Satmar
Jonathan Diller in Massapequa Park, former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. and others called out her appearance as disrespectful and self-serving.
Images captured outside the funeral home showed Hochul being confronted by mourners, after which time she left the venue.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who lives in Massapequa, also reported that Hochul was denied a request to speak at a Saturday funeral for Diller, and that sources told him New York State Attorney General Letitia James had requested to pay her respects to the fallen officer.
Granddaughters of Charedi MKs Enlist in the IDF
Two granddaughters of two members of the Knesset from the United Torah Judaism party are serving in the IDF.
According to Israel Hayom, they serve while not in uniform, live in mobile homes, work in separate buildings, eat specially supervised kosher food, and work on intelligence projects in a recognized military base in the center of the country.
The report claims that the women in question are mothers to several children and from deeply Charedi communities.
Those who pioneered the project made one of the conditions that the husbands of the women in service be yeshiva students. Their husbands reportedly attended the ceremony for their wives finishing training on a fixed base while in Charedi garb.
US Backs Off Sanctions on Settlers after Smotrich Announces His Surprising Response!
Thursday Bezalel Smotrich beat the Biden administration at its own game.
On March 14, the US Treasury Dept. announced new sanctions against two Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria that the administration accused of being used as a base for attacks on innocent PA Arabs. The Treasury Dept. also sanctioned three Israeli settlers: Moshe Sharvit, Zvi Bar Yosef, and Neriya Ben Pazi.
They followed earlier sanctions against four other Jewish settlers, which Israeli banks promptly blocked from accessing their personal accounts.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced in response, “These decisions are a surrender of the Biden administration to the BDS campaign designed to blacken the entire State of Israel and lead to the elimination of the settlement enterprise and the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state. The Israeli government is standing to the right of the settlements. These measures are completely unacceptable and we will fight to cancel them.”
In retaliation, Smotrich refused to renew his signature on a document that protects Israeli banks doing business with the Palestinian Authority from lawsuits, namely Discount and Ha’Po’alim.
Without government protection, those Israeli banks would have been forced to sever their ties with the PA banks, fearing that they become exposed to lawsuits on charges of transferring funds to entities that pay out salaries to terrorists.
And since the PA’s economy wholly depends on its relationship with Israel, this meant an immediate freeze of economic activity in the Palestinian Authority.
This week, according to Israel Hayom, the US Treasury Dept. sent an urgent letter to the finance minister, explaining that there is no reason for the banks in Israel to prevent Israeli citizens who appear on the sanctions list from making routine use of their bank accounts.
The treasury official explained that the sanctions do not include routine checking or business account operations, which are permissible and will not result in the administration punishing the Israeli banks that allow Jewish settlers to access their money.
The treasury’s letter essentially kills the entire Biden sanctions attack, because the only real harm to the Jewish victims of those sanctions was from not being able to access their bank accounts in Israel. All the other components of those sanctions, originally designed against Russian tycoons, have nothing to do with the settlers who don’t hold assets that can be frozen in America, and don’t fly there.
Back on March 14, Minister Smotrich stated that “these measures are completely unacceptable,” and vowed, “We will fight to cancel them.”
On the eve of Shabbat, Parshat Tzav, 5784, we declare that he did and they got canceled.
Friday, March 29, 2024
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