Merrick Garland corrupted the Justice Department with political persecutions

As what’s left of the Biden administration winds down, I’d like to offer an end-of-days reminder: Joe Biden wasn’t just a terrible president. 

His Attorney General Merrick Garland was an equally terrible leader of the Department of Justice.

Garland, you may recall, was nominated for the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died suddenly a few months before the 2016 election. 

Republicans sat on Garland’s nomination, maintaining that the seat should be filled by a new president.

We were told that this was hideously unfair and partisan, especially because, as the Obama administration and its friendly media repeatedly assured us, Garland was a moderate, a nonpartisan straight shooter, a person with a first-rate judicial temperament: honest, just, fair and wise.

Garland didn’t get the seat, which wound up being filled by Neil Gorsuch.  Four years later, when Joe Biden came into the Oval Office after Donald Trump’s (first) term, he nominated Garland to be his attorney general. 

Consolation prize? Perhaps.

But Garland went on to spend his entire time as AG demonstrating to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that he is anything but honest, just, fair and wise.

Let me be clear (to use an Obama phrase): Garland has been a dishonest, unfair, partisan hack.  And none too wise, either.

As Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told the AG in hearings about the FBI’s war on political opponents, “Thank God you are not on the Supreme Court.”

Those hearings involved Garland’s inexplicable decision to hurl federal law-enforcement resources at parents who spoke against critical race theory and unpopular transgender policies at school-board meetings.

In response to a letter from the left-leaning National School Boards Association, which described those meetings with lurid language but scant evidence of any real threats, Garland ordered the FBI and the Department of Justice into action against these “domestic terror” threats.

It turned out the Biden White House was talking to the National School Boards Association about the matter before its letter was even sent, the Washington Free Beacon reported, raising questions of collusion between the administration and outside “activists.”

The FBI also infiltrated traditional Catholic congregations — all while leftist groups were promoting riots and terror in cities across America, unhindered by the feds. 

Garland’s Justice Department showed less pity to grandmas praying outside of abortion clinics than to actual domestic terrorists who were inciting riots and trying to burn federal buildings.

Biden’s AG has also presided over the absurd “lawfare” prosecutions of Trump. He approved the FBI SWAT raid on Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago, where agents pawed through Melania’s underwear and left bogus classified-document covers lying around so as to produce photos that gave the false impression that Trump had, well, left classified documents lying around.

To add to the outrage, special prosecutor Jack Smith, who Garland sicced on Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents, had to admit to the court that his office had . . . mishandled those very classified documents, mixing them up in ways that disadvantaged Trump’s defense lawyers, then falsely representing that the documents were exactly as they had been received.

Garland prosecuted former Trump official Peter Navarro and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, sending both to jail for months 

But when Garland himself was held in contempt of Congress, he did not, surprisingly, bring charges against himself, or appoint a special prosecutor to objectively investigate.

Garland was charged with ignoring a congressional subpoena regarding its probe of Biden family business dealings. 

Hey, ignoring a congressional subpoena is what he jailed Navarro and Bannon for! That doesn’t sound very judicious or fair.

Well, no surprise. Garland just followed the lead of Obama’s attorney general and “wingman,” Eric Holder, who also let himself off the hook when charged with contempt of Congress.

In a bid to polish up Biden’s rusted image, The Washington Post on Sunday reported on the president’s private complaints that Garland should have been faster to prosecute Trump, so that he could have staged a “politically damaging trial before the election.”

Funny, as I recall Trump had a lot of trials before the election — and they all seemed to drive his approval levels up, not down. 

In any case, this seems like an admission, as law professor Ann Althouse observed, that “Biden intended to use the Justice Department to destroy his political adversary!”

Indeed. That now seems to have been Garland’s role throughout this administration, which — in the name of “protecting democracy” and our institutions — has only undermined our democracy and corrupted our institutions.

That’s Biden’s sorry legacy. And Merrick Garland’s, too.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the InstaPundit.com blog.

 

Palestinian leader predicts Trump will ‘destroy’ Iran and crumble Hamas

 A top Palestinian leader told The Post he expects that President-elect Donald Trump will “destroy Iran,” which will cause remaining Hamas influence to crumble.

Hamas has been decimated by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, but in the West Bank the terror group has been rising up against the Palestinian Authority, which is run by the rival Fatah party.

The Palestinian Authority is supported by western governments including the US, and Hamas and other Islamist groups accuse it of cozying up to Israel.

Palestinian security forces have been cracking down in particular at refugee camps in the West Bank town of Jenin, where more than a dozen extremist gunmen stole two PA government vehicles earlier this month, parading them around while waving Hamas and ISIS flags.

“We are confronting Hamas’ ideology. Our problem is with Hamas’ link to regimes outside Palestine,” Mohammad Hamdan, Secretary General of the PA’s ruling Fatah party told The Post, referencing Iran in particular.

But Hamdan said he expects Trump’s return to the White House will lead to the jihadists’ defeat.

“We see that Trump and the ruling government in Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so Hamas [followers] will have no other choice than to become Palestinian,” the Fatah leader predicted.

The PA has killed at least three extremist militants in Jenin since the Dec. 6 incident as it pledges to either arrest or eliminate all participants.

The Post spoke with Hamdan and several other top PA leaders in Nablus, about an hour south of Jenin, on Dec. 19.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip after defeating Fatah in a 2006 election. The terror group’s brutal rule included an Islamist crackdown in the Palestinian territory and repeated incursions into Israel.

It culminated with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.

Fatah, the US and Israel have a shared goal in fighting Hamas, which includes the destruction of the state of Israel as a founding principle.

“Hamas rejects international legitimacy, meaning UN resolutions,” Hamdan said.

“The world cannot accept a situation where a party does not accept international resolutions.”

In interviews with The Post, Palestinian Authority leaders condemned the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank — but acknowledged Israel’s right to exist.

Hamdan also said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “still supports realistic relations with the Americans in order to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians.”

However, he also expressed strong skepticism of US policy in the Middle East — and blamed the rise of Islamic extremism on American foreign policy.

“Look what happened in Syria. First, the US declared the rebels to be al Qaeda, and then [last week] an American delegation visited Syria,” he said. “And the one before that, when the Americans struck deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan.”

“We as Palestinians believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups are produced by America by its effort to create a new Middle East,” the secretary general claimed.

A senior Israeli official told The Post that the PA’s opposition to Hamas could further provide leverage for peace talks.

“There could be a historically unprecedented opportunity for the PA” to strengthen its grasp on the Palestinian territories, the official said.

The Palestinian Authority has been floated as one option to govern the Gaza Strip once the war ends.

However, the official said, the Palestinian Authority would need to “stop the corruption” and cease “funding terrorism” on Israeli settlers to “participate in day-after talks” about Gaza’s post-Hamas governance.

“I still prefer [the PA] to radical Islamists,” the official noted.

Sa'ar responds to criticism: Dedicate my life to hatred of Netanyahu? Not happening

 Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded on Monday evening to the increased criticism against him from the opposition and the media, noting that it is an attempt to destabilize the government, which is facing significant security and diplomatic challenges, while stressing his resilience in the face of the pressures.

"The attack against me in the past 24 hours by the opposition, along with its media, has broken records when it comes to lies and cynicism, and it is truly not an easy challenge," Sa'ar began his remarks.

Referring to the media quoting his past comments against being part of a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sa’ar said, "They are broadcasting archive footage from two election campaigns ago, showing me saying that I won’t sit with Netanyahu. They announce that I will support the ‘draft-dodging law.’ And all of this under the guise of moral sanctity on their lips and an obsession with ousting Netanyahu in their hearts, as if we haven’t gone through the hardest year in our history. And it’s all fake after fake after fake."

"I'll make it easy for you," Sa'ar continued. "Your pressure to bring down the government, which is dealing with enormous challenges in the security and diplomatic fields, will not succeed. Your campaign against me and my family will not achieve its goal. I am proud to be part of the decision-making that has strengthened Israel’s security and restored Israel’s image of power in the region and the world. I dedicate day and night to representing Israel in the best way possible."

"I have proven that I know how to fight when needed, pay enormous prices when needed, resign when I believe in it, give up any position, including the prime ministership, and not hang on to my seat—more than any other public servant," he said.

He expressed regret over his resignation from the government last March, saying, "When I resigned from the government last March due to a real disagreement on the war and on the ability to influence decision-making, I was a hero (for an hour) in their eyes. In hindsight, it was a step I would have avoided."

"So now I will disappoint you even more: I am a rightist. I have been one all my life, and I will remain one. I am committed to Israel’s victory (the concept you recklessly mocked in the studios) in the most decisive fight in its history from seven fronts – that’s how I was and that’s how I will remain. I am committed to the value of military service in the IDF and to the serving public – that’s how I was and that’s how I will remain."

"In a choice between politics and patriotism – for me, patriotism will always prevail. But the people of October 6th will always prefer the wars of the Jews."

On the handling of the war, he said, "Prime Minister Netanyahu is leading a historic campaign in a way that even the most honest of his greatest rivals admit is changing the face of the Middle East. Even now, we still face existential challenges. Who do you want to deal with them? Lapid? Do you want me to dedicate my life to hating Netanyahu, which you have become addicted to, at the expense of the future of the state and our children? Keep wanting. I will dedicate my life to our survival in this tough and violent space."

In conclusion, Sa’ar wrote, "All the attacks on me only strengthen me in the path I have chosen: to lead the diplomatic campaign as Foreign Minister and to strengthen the government in managing the security campaign in the crucial forums. I will never return to October 6th."

The comments come a day after it was reported that Sa'ar will rejoin the Likud party in the coming days.

However, MK Sharren Haskel, currently a member of Sa'ar's party, is not expected to join him in the process, and will instead run independently.

Sa'ar joined the Netanyahu government at the end of September, as a minister without a potfolio and a Cabinet member.

He received the Foreign Ministry after then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was fired and his portfolio given to then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz. With Sa'ar's party, the coalition rose from 64 to 68 Knesset seats.

Fragments of Yemen Rocket Hits Ramat Beit Shemesh 5 Minute Walk From DIN World Headquarters

Mossad still investigating if the target was DIN!

Sources close to the Houtis, deny that they were targeting DIN, they were targeting the Cellphone Store in Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef that refuses to get a Badatz Hashgacha! 
 

OTD Youth Terrorizing Bnei-Brak Residents ... "Afraid to leave the house"

 

The stabbing of a yeshiva student in the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood resurfaces the phenomenon

 of marginalized youths in the city "We've been complaining for a long time, but no one is

 doing anything," residents of the neighborhood claim. "It was only a matter of time before it 

came to a danger to human life"

The serious incident in Bnei Brak, in which a 23-year-old yeshiva student was stabbed in the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood – Bechdrei Chadarim – has resurfaced the phenomenon of marginalized youths in the city, which has intensified in recent times in the quiet neighborhood in the north of the city. Residents who spoke to "In the Ultra-Orthodox Quarters" express concern over the increase in cases of violence, and claim that the phenomenon has become a real threat.

Yaakov, a resident of the street where the incident took place, said in a conversation with "In My Ultra-Orthodox Rooms": "They walk around here at night, screaming, throwing bottles and harassing the residents. We've been complaining for a long time, but no one is doing anything. Now it's no longer just noise, it's an injury to a young man. It was only a matter of time before it came to human life."

According to the residents, some of the youths who roam around the city at night are involved in vandalism, theft and fights. "We are used to Bnei Brak being the city of the Torah, not a city of crime," said Rivka, a resident of the neighborhood. "Today I'm afraid to let the children leave the house in the evening."

According to Moshe, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, the stabbing of the yeshiva student was the culmination of the escalation that has been going on for many months: "Just two weeks ago, windows were broken near my house. Before that, we saw them cursing and threatening passersby. It used to be rare, but today it happens almost every night."

"Could end in disaster"

Some of the residents who spoke to B'Hadrei Haredim point an accusing finger at the police, which they say is not doing enough to eradicate the phenomenon. "The police's response comes too late, and even then they arrest two or three boys and release them within a few hours," says Haim, a father of four. "There is not enough punishment here to make them think twice before destroying property or harming people."

"A stabbing is not just another 'incident,'" Haim adds. "It's a sign that what has been until now – noise and breaking of property – is becoming much more dangerous. If it is not dealt with immediately, it could end in a bigger disaster. We are not asking too much – only to restore peace and security to the neighborhood. We can't live in fear in our city."

The Israel Police said in response: "The Israel Police is constantly working proactively to increase the security of the residents while maintaining continuous contact with the local authority. Upon receiving a report about the incident, police officers arrived at the scene quickly, conducted searches and opened an investigation that is still underway in order to reach the truth."

The incident began after a group of marginalized youths gathered in the street and created a noise late at night. A resident of the neighborhood asked the boys to stop the noise, but they responded by breaking his car with iron bars.

At the same time, the yeshiva student, who is not connected to the incident, passed by. Suddenly, one of the boys approached him and started punching him. During the attack, when the student tried to retreat, he felt a sharp pain and realized that he had been stabbed.

Medical teams from MDA and United Hatzalah gave the young man first aid at the scene and evacuated him to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, suffering from a penetrating wound and his condition is described as moderate. At the hospital, the doctors had to operate on him due to the serious injury.

Biden Wanted Trump Prosecuted Earlier, Regrets Garland Pick

President Joe Biden reportedly wanted the Department of Justice to target then-former President Donald Trump for prosecution far sooner and more aggressively than it did, and regrets naming Merrick Garland as Attorney General.

The report, published in the Washington Post on Saturday, echoes reporting nearly three years ago by the New York Times, which suggested in 2022 that Biden was frustrated with the slow pace of Garland, a “ponderous judge.”

The Post noted:

In private, Biden has also said he should have picked someone other than Merrick Garland as attorney general, complaining about the Justice Department’s slowness under Garland in prosecuting Trump, and its aggressiveness in prosecuting Biden’s son Hunter, according to people familiar with his comments.
…

Ron Klain, Biden’s incoming chief of staff, pushed for Garland. He stressed that Garland — a federal judge with a sterling reputation for independence and fairness — would show Americans that Biden was rebuilding a department badly shaken by Trump’s political attacks.

 

Biden was persuaded, and some Democrats believe the decision had devastating results. Had the Justice Department moved faster to prosecute Trump for allegedly seeking to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents, they say, the former president might have faced a politically damaging trial before the election. (Others blame the Supreme Court and a Trump-appointed judge in Florida for repeatedly siding with the former president and delaying the cases; the Justice Department declined to comment.)

The Biden White House claimed throughout his presidency that it was not politicizing the Department of Justice, and was in fact depoliticizing it. Democrats claimed that the department had been politicized by then-Attorney General William Barr, who refused to release grand jury materials related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into so-called “Russia collusion.” Barr noted that it was against the law for him to release grand jury materials.

The Post omits one of the other reasons Garland was picked: he had been blocked from confirmation to the Supreme Court by Republicans in 2016, and his appointment was seen as a consolation prize, as well as a strike at the GOP.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

 

An Islamic regime agent tried to attack an Iranian woman for not wearing hijab. But she bravely defended herself!

 

An Islamic regime agent tried to attack an Iranian woman for not wearing hijab. But she bravely defended herself! pic.twitter.com/xiPsoktGzO

— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) December 30, 2024

Soon the end of the line for barcodes after 50 years

 

Barcodes are set to disappear in favor of modern QR codes. After more than 50 years of ubiquity, the organization that oversees the world's barcodes is preparing to consign them to the bargain bin of history.

GS1, an international non-profit that maintains the global standard for barcodes, says they will be replaced by a new square version capable of storing much more information about products. Anne Godfrey, chief executive of GS1 UK, said almost half of British retailers have already updated their tills to accommodate the new codes. 'This has been in the works for some time, but Covid really accelerated it,' she said. 'During the pandemic, everyone got used to pointing their phones at QR codes in pubs and restaurants to access the menu.'

'Increasingly, QR codes that bring up bits of information are already appearing on the front of many products. Very soon we will say goodbye to the old-fashioned barcode and every product will just have one QR code that holds all the information you need.' Traditional barcodes can only hold seven pieces of very basic information — a product's name, manufacturer, type, size, weight, colour and, most importantly, its price.

They have become so crucial to the daily running of most supermarkets that it has become impossible to purchase a product unless it has a barcode on it. When they are scanned at the till, the number on the barcode is matched to an enormous database of products to ensure customers are charged correctly. The new QR codes contain much more information about products, such as their ingredients, any allergens they contain and even recipe suggestions, that can be accessed by consumers via their smartphones.

Mrs Godrey said: 'The old barcodes do what they say on the tin — they go beep, tell you the price and get you out of the store. But today's consumers want much more information about the products they buy. The next generation of barcodes will give greater power to the consumer. Retailers will have to upgrade or get left behind.' Barcodes were invented by US science graduates Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver in the late 1940s, but didn't appear in shops until decades later.

The first barcoded product ever scanned was a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum at a supermarket in Ohio in 1974. They arrived in the UK in 1979, first used on a box of teabags at a shop in Spalding, Lincolnshire. Since then, GS1 has registered barcodes for more than 200million products around the world.

Though they are basic by today's standards, no two barcodes are the same. The lines on a barcode could be rearranged to register up to ten trillion different products. A study commissioned by GS1 found that 96 per cent of leading UK retail executives expect to see another retail technology transformation.

It also found that 46 per cent of retailers have already upgraded their checkout technology to accommodate QR codes, and another 52 per cent will do so over the coming year. GS1's new codes are currently being tested in 48 countries, including at Morrisons supermarkets in the UK. Many leading brands including PepsiCo, Proctor & Gamble, L'Oreal, Amazon and US grocery giant Walmart are already on board.

A full international roll-out of the new QR codes is expected to be complete by 2027. Mrs Godfrey said: 'The invention of the barcode is one of the great, untold stories in the history of our modern world. It is more frequently used than Google. We won't celebrate the death of the humble barcode, but it is time to say a long goodbye to it.'

35 Chareidim will Join the Zionist Police Force ...Many live in Beit Shemesh!

 

*Beit Shemesh News*

Thirty-five Chareidi policemen, some from Beit Shemesh, have finished their training and are joining the police force

Thirty-five Chareidi policemen, several of whom live in Beit Shemesh, have just been certified to serve in the police force after completing the obligatory course in the Police Academy.

They each signed on to fill roles in patrols, detection, investigation and more, in order to contribute to the safety of their communities and the public at large. They are now awaiting their assignment.

The police see the integration of Chareidi individuals into the institution as an important part of improving police operation and the safety of civilians.

A Chanukah Message from all Types of Jews

 

Muhammad among the top 10 names for baby boys in NYC ... "Yoilie" Doesn't Appear on the list

The name Muhammad is now among top 10 names for baby boys in New York City, United States, for first time in American history.

 

Chazaan Nissim Saal Rehearsing for "Shabbas Chazonas" in Beitar!

 

New York Times Columnist a Gazan Hospital Director is a Hamas Terrorist!

 Israeli forces arrested the director of the last major hospital operating in northern Gaza and accused him and his staff members of being Hamas terrorists.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has repeatedly criticized the Israel Defense Forces’ actions, including in opinion pieces he wrote for the New York Times.

He was among the more than 240 people arrested at Kamal Adwan Hospital by the Israeli military on Saturday on suspicion of being a “Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist,” the IDF said.

“We do not know the fate of Dr. Hussam. He was actually threatened by the army as soon as they arrived at the hospital,” nurse Rawiya Al Batsh told CNN.

The IDF said it conducted a raid on the hospital because it was allegedly being used as a shelter by terrorists looking to escape Israel’s bombardments in northern Gaza against their bases.

The Israeli military described the health facility as “Hamas’s last bastion in Jabalia,” which had last been cleared by the military in late October after Safiya’s predecessor was arrested and admitted to being a Hamas commander.

Prior to the raid, the IDF facilitated the evacuation of 350 patients, caregivers and staffers in the hospital, Israel said. Soldiers then entered the hospital and forced everyone remaining to leave.

While few weapons were found in the hospital, the IDF said a rocket was fired from the building and 19 terrorists were killed in the skirmish.

The Hamas-run ministry of health, however, said about 50 people were killed in the fighting, including medical staff. The health ministry does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists in its tallies.

Safiya said in a post on social media that the IDF was besieging the hospital, with the Israeli military screening nearly 950 people as they emptied the building.

Of the 240 people arrested, the IDF claims at least 15 were terrorists who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre that left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel.

Several staffers who were evacuated from the hospital told CNN the IDF soldiers forced everyone to strip naked for inspection and beat those who refused.

“The detention of suspects involved in terrorism, their arrest, and the search conducted on their bodies were carried out in accordance with international law,” the IDF said in a statement.

Safiya’s whereabouts remain unknown following his arrest on Saturday, triggering outcry from humanitarian groups who slammed the raid as effectively shutting down the last major hospital in war torn northern Gaza, where the IDF continues to struggle to eradicate Hamas.

Safiya’s last guest essay from the Times was published earlier this month and centered on him being one of the last doctors working at the Kamal Adwan hospital, pleading for help.

Hamas has called on the United Nations to investigate the arrests and shutdown of the Kamal Adwan Hospital.

“We demand the sending of international observers to these facilities to ascertain the truth of what is happening and to refute the lies and claims of the occupation regarding their use for military purposes,” the terror group said in a statement.

The patients who were evacuated from Kamal Adwan were moved to other hospitals, which Gaza health officials said are not equipped to handle their needs.

Many have criticized the operation against the hospital as a method to evacuate northern Gaza, which the IDF has repeatedly denied.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

 

The following is an unedited JTA article that appeared after the historic meeting in December of 1979: 

President Carter told a group of Hasidic rabbinical leaders in what was described as the first time any President had ever received such a delegation that Hasidic Jews were making a lasting contribution to urban centers to stabilize neighborhoods and communities a Hasidic spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today The 25 minute meeting was held in the Oval Office in the White House on Monday.

Rabbi Hertz Frankel chairman of Ravtov, the National Committee to Aid New Immigrants was the source of the assertion that the Monday meeting was the first by any American President with such a delegation He also told the JTA that at the request of the President no reporters were present during the 25 minute meeting.

The participants included Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum the rebbe of the Satmar movement Rabbi Solomon Halberstam the rebbe of the Bobover movement and Rabbi Mordechai Hager the rebbe of the Vizitzer movement Frankel who was a member of the Hasidic delegation said that other Hasidic leaders at the session were Rabbi Sander Deutsch vice president of the Satmar United Talmudical Academy Rabbi Naftali Halberstom the Bobover rebbe’s son and president of the Yeshiva B’nai Zion of Bobov and Rabbi Ephraim Stein administrator of the United Talmudical Academy.

Frankel said the meeting was arranged through a cooperative effort of the White House and the Central Rabbinical Congress of America the Hasidic rabbinical organization.

SPECIAL PRAYER OFFERED
The meeting was opened by Teitelboum who thanked Carter for receiving the delegation A special prayer for heads of state was recited by Rabbi Solomon Halberstam in Hebrew and translated for the President by Stein The rabbis offered their prayers and support to Carter for the position he has taken in handling the Iranian crisis.

The Hasidic rabbis expressed their appreciation to Carter for his accomplishment in preventing further bloodshed in the Middle East and recited a blessing asking the Almighty to give the President added strength for his efforts for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world

The rabbis asked Carter to use his good offices to help preserve the Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe “the last remnants of once proud and vibrant communities.” The Bobover rebbe made a presentation in Yiddish which was translated for the President by Frankel calling on all Jews who have ancestors buried in those resting places to strive to have them preserved and said that it was important to declare all Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe as historic shrines and monuments for the great Jewish communities that had existed for many centuries before World War II.

The rabbis also told the President that they felt that he should try to ease the burdens of nonpublic education through new programs of aid from the recently established federal Department of Education They expressed to Carter and his Administration their appreciation for his interest and help to Soviet Jews to absorb them as emigres into the United States.

Curter said that he appreciated the contribution of the Hasidic communities their lifestyle their family life and educational system He said he was very pleased to receive the blessings of such prominent rabbis at this time of crisis from a people who have themselves suffered so much and understand the agency and suffering of others He promised to continue his efforts to achieve a lasting world peace and said in reference to the current Chanukah holiday that “we could use those miracles today,” Frankel reported.

The President was presented with a silver goblet as a gift from the Central Rabbinical Congress as a symbol for good luck in his arduous undertakings.

Lower birthrates and increased use of Internet in Charedi sector

 

The Haredi Institute for Public Affairs published its report on the state of the haredi sector in 2024, which indicates significant changes in this society.

The document, authored by Dr. Eitan Regev and Yehudit Miletsky, shows that increasing economic pressures are accelerating significant changes in haredi lifestyles, and these are reflected in education, housing, employment, and digitization, among others.

In late 2024, about 1.26 million haredi Jews will be living in Israel, comprising about 12.5% of the population. One of the surprising findings is the sharp decline in birthrates among haredi couples, which has reached a 43-year low of 6.1 children per family on average. The percentage of the haredi community in the Israeli population in 2065 is expected to be significantly lower than previous estimates, and stand at about 20-22%.

The past decade has seen significant negative immigration from the haredi nuclear cities, with about 75,000 haredi individuals leaving Jerusalem and about 42,000 leaving Bnei Brak. At the same time, about 40,000 haredim moved to Beit Shemesh during the same period. The report points to a trend of haredi residence in peripheral cities, with the haredim becoming a significant majority of the population in some cities.

For the first time in seven years, there has been a drop in the rate of home ownership in the haredi community, from 69% to 65%. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in the rate of mortgage takers, which reached 43%.

The average price of an apartment purchased by haredi families jumped by 14% to NIS 1.6 million and the average mortgage repayment increased by 11% to NIS 3,840 per month.

The employment rates of young haredi women aged 20-24 have reached a peak of 89%, while a threefold increase since 2005, from 10% to 30%, has been seen among young ultra-Orthodox men of the same age. Even so, the overall employment rate of haredi men remains relatively low, at 54%.

The wage gaps between haredi men and non-haredi Jewish men continue to widen – with the wage of a haredi man less than 50% of that of a non-haredi Jewish man, compared to 70% in 2005. In contrast, the hourly wage of haredi women has reached NIS 73, which is 11% higher than the hourly wage of haredi men.

The report shows some improvement in the economic situation of haredi households. Between 2014 and 2022, the average net income from work in haredi households increased by 57%, compared to a 46% increase in the income from work of a non-haredi Jewish household. During the same period, there has been a decline in reliance on government allowances and subsidies, with the poverty rate among the haredi declining from 53% in 2014 to 39% in 2022.

One of the most significant findings highlights the digital revolution in the haredi society: the share of Internet users reached a record high of 71%, almost double the rate in 2014, when it stood at 39%. However, the use of social networks remains limited, with only 39% of haredim using WhatsApp, compared to 88% among non-haredi Jews.

Eli Paley, founder of the Institute, said, "The report attests to significant and profound changes in haredi society. Economic pressures have led to fundamental changes in the lifestyles of the haredi community, and this has been reinforced by the challenges of the Sword of Iron war."

Prof. Shai Stern, head of the Institute, concluded: "The State of Israel is standing at an important juxtaposition in its relations with the haredi community. The reliable data we provide is essential for setting informed policies and building long-term plans that will meet the challenges we face."

Chanukah Gelt from the Chashmonoim....Hasmonean Era Coins Found On Chanukah In Jordan Valley

In ongoing archaeological excavations taking place in the Jordan Valley under the auspices of the University of Haifa and led by Dr. Shay Bar from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the university, Dr. Yoav Farhi, and Dr. Michael Azband, a rare hoard of Hasmonean coins was discovered last Friday morning, coinciding with the Hanukkah holiday.

The hoard contained around 160 coins, all from the period of King Alexander Yannai, also known by his Hebrew name, Yehonatan. Alexander Yannai, who ruled from 104 to 76 BCE, was the son of Yochanan Hyrcanus, grandson of Shimon (brother of Yehuda Maccabee), and the great-grandson of Matisyahu, the leader of the revolt against the armies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This famous revolt, which began in 167 BCE, led to the purification of the Temple and the establishment of the Hanukkah holiday in Jewish tradition.

Yannai was the brother-in-law of Shimon Ben Shetach, one of the senior sages of the period, and was succeeded after his death by his wife Shlomtzion.

The hoard was found at an ancient road station previously unknown in research. “The site where the hoard was discovered is likely a road station that was not recognized in previous research, including a ritual bath (mikveh), a reservoir, and other structures, located along the banks of the Tirzah Valley, on the main road leading to the fortress of Herodium (Alexandrium), which was built by King Yannai,” said Dr. Bar.

According to Dr. Yoav Farhi, curator of the Kadman Pavilion at the Eretz Israel Museum, it appears at first glance before cleaning that all the coins in the hoard are of a single type. This type features on one side an eight-pointed star with the inscription “King Alexander Year 25” in Aramaic, while on the reverse is an anchor, surrounded by the Greek inscription “[coin] of King Alexander.” This type is dated to 80/79 BCE, the 25th year of Yannai’s reign.  Only a few hoards of Alexander Yannai’s coins are known to researchers, and those found in organized archaeological digs are particularly rare. This hoard is also one of the largest of its kind ever discovered in Israel.

“All the students and volunteers working on the excavation were very excited to find such a Hasmonean hoard, especially during Hanukkah, which added a special meaning to the holiday, particularly in these difficult times for our people,” added Dr. Bar. “I hope the site will become a public attraction and will join the archaeological and heritage sites of our land.”