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Saturday, August 30, 2025

Sen. Graham warns Norway over Caterpillar ban

 

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere contacted US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Thursday in an effort to defuse tensions surrounding Norway’s sovereign wealth fund’s decision to divest from American construction giant Caterpillar, Reuters reported.

The $2 trillion fund, the largest of its kind globally, announced Monday that it had sold all its shares in Caterpillar over ethical concerns related to the company’s supply of bulldozers used by Israel in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. The divestment followed a recommendation from the fund’s Council on Ethics, a public body established by Norway’s Ministry of Finance to ensure companies meet ethical standards set by parliament.

Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a staunch supporter of Israel, responded sharply to the move, warning that Norway could face U.S. trade tariffs or visa restrictions on fund managers.

“Your decision to punish Caterpillar, an American company, because Israel uses their product is beyond offensive,” Graham wrote on X, adding, “I would urge you to reconsider your shortsighted decision.”

According to State Secretary Kristoffer Thoner, the Prime Minister informed Graham via text message that the fund operates independently from the government and that decisions to exclude companies are made by the board of Norges Bank under an established framework. “This is not a political decision,” Thoner emphasized.

Graham confirmed receipt of the message, though his office did not immediately respond to further inquiries.

The Norwegian fund had previously announced on August 18 that it would divest from six companies as part of an ongoing ethics review related to the Gaza war and developments in Judea and Samaria. At the time, the fund declined to name the companies until the stakes were sold. The Council on Ethics had initially been scrutinizing Israeli banks for underwriting Israeli settlers' housebuilding commitments in the region.

The August 18 announcement came just a week after the fund sold stakes in 11 other Israeli firms.

The divestment campaign is gaining momentum in Norway ahead of the September 8th elections, with some political parties openly advocating for a full-blown boycott of all Israeli companies.

Despite calls from some parliamentarians, Norway’s legislature voted in June against a proposal to divest from all companies operating in what it refers to as “occupied Palestinian territories.”

The fund has already blacklisted 11 companies for assisting Israel's "occupation," most recently Israeli petrol station chain Paz and Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq.

Houti Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi eliminated

The Houthi rebel group on Saturday announced that their leader, Prime Minister Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, was eliminated earlier this week, along with a list of other senior officials.

According to the reports, among the Houthi officials killed were the Foreign Minister, Justice Minister, Welfare and Labor Minister, Youth and Sports Minister, government secretary, Deputy Interior Minister, and two of al-Rahawi's aides.

It is not yet clear if the Houthi's Chief of Staff, Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari, and Houthi Defense Minister Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi were also eliminated, as Israel expects.

In a statement, the Houthis said: “The Israeli enemy attacked the Prime Minister and the ministers during a routine situation assessment meeting. Several of the ministers were moderately and severely injured and are receiving intensive care. We wish to reassure the Yemeni people, and to promise to them that the government, with Allah’s help, will continue its work as usual and that the institutions will continue to provide services to the Yemeni people. The government will not be affected by any deaths, no matter how many.”

On Thursday, Israel struck in Sana'a, Yemen. An Israeli source confirmed that the target was the Houthi military's top brass, including the Houthi Chief of Staff, who survived a June assassination attempt.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said afterwards, "Just as we warned the Houthis in Yemen - after the Plague of Darkness comes the Plague of the Firstborn. Whoever raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off."


 

Belzer Rebbe hospitalized


 Concern is spreading among the Belz hasidim following reports that their Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, was admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem due to a broken leg.

One of the Rebbe’s attendants issued an official notice to the community stating that the Rebbe underwent a series of tests, which confirmed the fracture to his leg.

The Rebbe spent Shabbat (Sabbath) in the hospital, together with his close aides, and is expected to undergo surgery early next week.

Meanwhile, the Gerrer Rebbe fell about two weeks ago while in the Jerusalem-area community of Ora, and is suffering from a broken arm. According to reports within the community, he remains weak and has not yet resumed receiving visitors ahead of the High Holidays.

The public is asked to pray for both hasidic leaders: Rabbi Yissachar Dov, the son of Miriam; and Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh, the son of Yuta Hena.

US Revokes Visas of Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

 

In a move aimed at confronting Palestinian support for terror, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will deny entry to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The Trump administration has suspended the visas of Abbas and top PA officials, underscoring its demand that Palestinian leadership abandon policies that glorify violence and undermine peace.

“In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA),” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Pigott made clear that U.S. policy will not reward the PA’s ongoing campaigns against Israel. “Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism, lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood,” he added.

The only exception will be waivers for the PA’s UN mission, in line with U.S. obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.

While often portrayed as a “moderate” counterweight to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund and encourage violence against Israelis. Central to this policy is the Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund, which pays stipends to families of terrorists killed, jailed, or injured while carrying out attacks. Critics argue that this so-called “pay-for-slay” program serves as a direct incentive for terror.

By blocking Abbas’s trip to New York, the administration is signaling that business as usual is over. U.S. officials emphasized that re-engagement is possible — but only if the PA takes verifiable steps to end its financial and political backing of terrorism.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Zera Shimshon Parshat Shofetim

 


Florida cracked down on ‘billboard lawyers’ — and is reaping the rewards

 

For decades, “billboard lawyers” were untouchable as they plastered highways with promises of easy money, weaponized emotion and turned lawsuits into a profit machine.

As personal-injury law firms flourished, industries and governments cowered, insurance premiums soared, and ordinary Americans — playing by the rules — paid the price.

But Florida decided enough was enough, and the results are impossible to ignore.

Two years ago, lawmakers in the Sunshine State rolled out a series of reforms targeting the very engine of the scam: runaway attorney fees, exploitative claims practices and a court system primed to reward volume lawsuits.

Florida Republicans’ tort-reform efforts in 2023 cut off the special fee system that allowed personal-injury attorneys to cash in endlessly, shut down an auto-glass provision that turned courts into casinos, and set deadlines so cases would not drag on for years, jacking up lawyers’ take.

Rav Yitzchak Yosef And Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein Cave and Approve IDF Enlistment For Non-Yeshiva Students

 


After all the ill will created by the previous pronouncements of these three individuals, they are now backtracking – notwithstanding their claim that these are only “clarifications”. 

However, there’s already been tremendous damage done to the standing of Torah and Rabbanim amongst the Israeli population due to the extreme positions previously expressed by these individuals and their fellow leaders of the Chareidi community – the Chilul Hashem is staggering, and they were ultimately forced to back down anyway. “Eizehu Chacham? Haro’eh es Hanolad.” There were some major blind spots here…

I only hope that the Mesirus Nefesh shown by other groups of Shomrei Torah uMitzvos in the defense of Klal Yisrael will help mitigate the damage.

In the last few days, three leading charedi rabbis have clarified their positions regarding enlisting in the IDF. All three qualified previous statements which implied that they were opposed to IDF enlistment even for those who are not studying in yeshiva and are working full time.

Rabbi Moshe Maya initially signed a letter which prohibited all forms of enlistment in the IDF even for those who are not currently studying. However in recent days he stressed that if the IDF order enables a charedi to maintain his religious lifestyle in the army, he would not oppose enlistment for charedim.

Former Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, who has been one of the strongest opponents of attempts by the IDF to conscript yeshiva students, and even stressed that those who are not learning should tear up their draft notices, qualified his statement and said that he was only talking of those who are going through a difficult period in their enthusiasm for study but are still connected to yeshivos, but those who are working as waiters in restaurants can definitely be conscripted into the IDF.

Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein, the rabbi of Ramat Elchanan and a son-in-law of Rabbi Elyashiv zt’sl, also qualified a statement attributed to him, claiming that a person can desecrate Shabbat rather than serve in the IDF if it will lead him to abandon his religious lifestyle. Rav Zilberstein stressed that the frameworks approved by Rabbi Steinman (Nahal Charedi, and apparently the new Chashmonaim brigade) would be good options for those who are not studying in yeshiva, and are the preferred option if they are wasting their time otherwise.

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Israel Porush Has Given Up on Torah and his Creator ...Wants a Chrisian to Intervene to Help Avoid the Draft


From Rationalist Judaism 

 

Britain's Wheelchair Basketball Team Turn their backs on the Israeli National Anthem and Get Beaten by the Israelis

 

Pepper spray is close to being legalized in New York — and it’s about time

 

by Rikki Schlott

Pepper spray, aka mace, is an effective, non-lethal form of self-defense. And yet, it’s just about impossible to get in New York, thanks to a state law that bans shipping it to addresses here and only allows specially licensed pharmacists and firearm dealers to sell it.

But that might finally change soon. A new bill proposed by State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton would remove restrictions on which businesses can sell pepper spray and let New York residents buy pepper spray online and ship it to their homes without hassle.

“This is about, first and foremost, making sure people feel safer and feel they have some defense against someone who has nefarious intent,” Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat representing New York’s 23rd District, told The Post. “It’s just very, very common sense.”

She’s totally right. As a young woman living in New York City, pepper spray has been my saving grace in sticky situations with predators on the street. I always carry it on my keychain. I’ve only had to brandish it three or four times, and, thankfully, I’ve never had to deploy it.

The closest I came to actually spraying someone was in 2022 when I was aggressively pursued in Union Square for blocks by a stranger who threatened to rape me.

Dumb Jewish Minneapolis mayor uses school shooting to speak out about transgender rights



Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey preached about trans rights during a presser on the mass shooting that left two children dead at Annunciation Catholic School, hours after it was revealed gunman Robin Westman identified as a transgender woman.

“I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community,” Frey told reporters at an update presser Wednesday afternoon.

“Anybody who is using this … as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone,” the mayor said.

Frey stated emotionally that instead of the shooter’s gender-identity and state of mind, public focus should be put on the child victims —- and then he segued into calls for gun control.

“Look, we need to be doing more than talking. It can’t just be words there needs to be action. When we have seen school shooting after school shooting. When we have seen church shootings by horrible actors,” Frey pontificated.

“To recognize that we’ve got more guns in this country than we have people. And it’s on all of us to recognize that we can’t just say that this shouldn’t happen again and then allowed to happen again and again beyond that,” Frey intoned.

Westman, 23, who killed himself on scene, changed his name to Robin and began to identify as a female in 2019, Fox News reported

His mother, Mary Grace Westman, who worked at Annunciation Catholic School as a secretary until retiring in 2021, signed that document approving of the name change for Robert, according to the outlet. 

On a page of the shooter’s deranged writings that he shared on YouTube, one page had a trans pride flag sticker with “Defend equality” printed across the bottom, A black AK-47 sticker laid on top of it.

In that YouTube video, which has since been taken down from the site, Westman is seen stabbing the manifesto as he flips through its pages, muttering in deranged voices, and whispering at one point, “Nothing makes me want to stop my plans.”

Westman carried out his plot Wednesday morning, slaughtering two children and injuring at least 17 others when he opened fire through the stained glass windows of Assumption Catholic Church in Minneapolis during Mass.

“Where is your God?” Westman wrote on one of the magazine clips he posted in the video manifesto.

 

Rav Zilberstein Backtracks: I did not say to leave Israel on Shabbat

 


Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberstein, a leading Lithuanian-haredi rabbi and a member of the Council of Torah Sages, responded to questions from followers following reports attributing to him a halachic ruling permitting the desecration of Shabbat to avoid military service, Lechatchila newspaper reported.

Asked during a Torah class about his statement, Rabbi Zilberstein said, "Whoever publicized that does not know his right hand from his left hand. One didn't hear what I said, and publicized it. It's all a tale."

He explained that he had asked hypothetically what a Jew should do in a place where the government bans Torah study. In such a case, it would be permitted to leave the country on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath, when travel is prohibited - ed.) in order to escape.

"But where is that happening here in the Land of Israel? Do the authorities prevent Torah study? Of course not! If when they do their army service, they want to learn Torah - will someone oppose that? G-d forbid!" he continued. "This was said only about a scenario where the nations of the world ban Torah study."

When one of the listeners said his son is desecrating Shabbat "because Rabbi Zilberstein said to desecrate Shabbat and not to enlist," the rabbi responded, "Maybe he had a dream. Maybe he dreamed a dream! I did not say that."

Regarding young men who are not dedicated to Torah study and instead spend their time in the streets, Rabbi Zilberstein responded that such a young man should "enlist where Rabbi Shteinman said - of course. What's the question? Of course he should."

The unit in question is the IDF's Netzach Yehuda battalion, created specifically for soldiers from haredi backgrounds, and intended for those who cannot study all day. Netzach Yehuda soldiers combine military service with Torah study.


Trans Shooter Who Killed 2 Children and Injured 17 Hated Jews but Killed Catholics

 

Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman is a transgender woman whose mother worked at the school where two children were slaughtered.

In a deranged video posted on YouTube, the shooter explained how he was 'feeling good' about committing a 'devastating tragedy' at Annunciation Catholic School.

Westman also showed a rifle magazine labeled 'For the children, hahahahahahaha.' 

Court records seen by the Daily Mail indicate that Westman had previously been known as Robert, having petitioned to have his name changed in 2019. 

According to court papers filed in Dakota County, Minnesota, Westman asked the court to change his name to Robin. 

Westman's mother Mary sign the application for a name change as he was still a minor at the time. 

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Biblical mystery solved as 5,500-year-old factory is discovered in Israel

 


The ruins of an ancient blade factory unearthed in Israel may offer the clearest evidence yet of the Canaanites, a people long described in the Bible. 

 Archaeologists in Kiryat Gat, about 40 miles south of Tel Aviv, uncovered the first-ever Canaanite workshop in the region. The factory contained long flint blades and massive stones used to shape and mold weapons with precision.

Researchers also discovered hundreds of underground pits, some lined with mud bricks, that served as storage areas, dwellings, workshops and even ritual spaces.

The scale and sophistication of the site reveal that the Canaanites had organized settlements, specialized crafts and thriving trade networks.

This glimpse into their daily lives offers a tangible link between the archaeological record and the society described in the Old Testament.

The Bible portrays the Canaanites as the original inhabitants of the Promised Land before the Israelites arrived and conquered the territory.

Experts with the Israel Antiquities Authority said the discovery sheds light on the

beginnings of urbanization and professional specialization in the ancient land.

'The most impressive findings discovered at the site are large flint cores, from which extremely sharp, uniformly shaped blades were produced,' IAA shared in a Facebook post.

'The blades themselves were used as knives for cutting and butchering, and as harvesting tools, like sickle blades. 

'The production technology was extremely advanced and included the use of a kind of crane to exert precise pressure on the flint.'

The team noted that this also marked the discovery of a never-before-seen technology during that time period. 

IAA's prehistorians Dr Jacob Vardi said: This is a sophisticated industry, not only because of the tools themselves, but also because of what is not found.

'The waste fragments, the debitage, were not scattered outside the site, perhaps to better protect and preserve the professional knowledge within the group of experts. 

'Today, we understand that this site served as a center, from which Canaanite blades were distributed across broad regions in the Levant.' 

In the Early Bronze Age, humans used tools made from natural raw materials: flint, bone, stone and ceramics. 

However, in this period, the Canaanite blades were the main cutting tools. 

'An advanced industry was revealed at the site, requiring an extremely high level of expertise,' Dr Vardi said.

Only exceptional individuals knew how to produce the Canaanite blades. 

'This is clear evidence that already at the onset of the Bronze Age, the local society here was organized and complex, and had professional specialization.' 

Archaeologists explained that the ancient tools aligned with the material culture of Canaan during Abraham's era, referring to the time period known as the Middle Bronze Age (roughly 2100-1900 BC), when the biblical patriarch Abraham is said to have lived and migrated to Canaan.

Abraham, the revered ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is known in the Bible for his unwavering faith in God and the covenant to establish a new nation in the land of Canaan.

Moses, described in Scripture as a descendant of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, later led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the Promised Land that was originally home to the Canaanites.

The Canaanites are mentioned several times in the Old Testament, including the books of Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Joshua.

In the book of Joshua 3:10, God tells the Israelites that he will drive out the Canaanites before they arrive in the Promised Land.

The Israelites fought a series of wars against the Canaanites and ultimately took over most of their land - this conquest took place in the second half of the 13th century BC.


Trump Going After George Soros and His ‘Wonderful Radical Left Son’:

 

President Donald Trump threatened George Soros and his “wonderful Radical Left son” with RICO charges in a Wednesday Truth Social post that saw him warn the duo that his administration is “watching” them.

“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” began Trump. “We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends.”

“Be careful, we’re watching you! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” added the president for good measure.

George Soros is a billionaire and longtime funder of progressive causes and candidates. His son, Alex Soros, took over his father’s Soros Open Society Foundation in 2023

Trump’s threat comes less than a week after his FBI raided his foreign policy adviser-turned-critic John Bolton’s home and office as part of what many consider to be a politically motivated investigation.

Both The Wall Street Journal and National Review have editorialized against investigation of Bolton, with the former observing that “vengeance is a large part, maybe the largest part, of how he [Trump] will define success in his second term,” and the latter submitting that the investigation “sounds more like a personalized grievance against a fierce Trump critic rather than a dispassionate probe of a particular violation of the law.”


Breslov Mashpia Rav Sholom Arush "Protests Not the Jewish Way"


After some groups in Breslov threatened to hold mass protests at Ben Gurion Airport if they were not allowed to travel to Uman, citing concerns that many could be arrested for being draft dodgers, 
Harav Shalom Arush issued the following statement.

Demonstrations are not the Jewish way, saying: “It is forbidden to demonstrate — that is not our path. We do not act with force, only with prayer.”

Rabbi Arush added that efforts are being made with the Prime Minister and ministers through respectful and peaceful means. “We are trying to work with the government in a good way. Chas Vesholam to protest — we follow the way of the Torah.



 

Monsey podiatrist Ira Bernstein hired hit man to kill his wife — just months after prison release for first failed $100K plot to have her murdered

 

Ira Bernstein pleading guilty



Susan Bernstein 

An unhinged Rockland County podiatrist is facing down another prison stint after a second failed attempt to kill his estranged wife — who is now a certified divorce coach, prosecutors announced Monday.

Ira Bernstein, of Montebello, plotted to kill the mother of his children twice in five years, most recently in 2022, according to the Rockland County District Attorney’s office.

That attempt came after Bernstein, 51, spent nearly four years behind bars on an earlier murder-for-hire scheme targeting Susan Bernstein, who eventually divorced the creepy foot doctor, records show.

In 2017, Bernstein conspired with his then-lover, mother of three Kelly Gribeluk, to offer a car salesman about $100,000 to fatally mow down Susan in what would look like an accident, Lohud.com reported.

But the salesman instead alerted Ramapo police about the offer, leading to the pair’s arrests.

Bernstein pleaded guilty in 2017 to second-degree conspiracy and other counts, and was sentenced to a prison term between five and 15 years.  Gribeluk was hit with at least four years in jail.

Bernstein was cut loose on merit on July 1, 2021 — and again looked into having his other-half killed, according to prosecutors.

During that conspiracy, Bernstein was recorded asking a landscaper to kill his estranged wife, and then tried to get the file destroyed after realizing it existed, prosecutors said.

“This is the kind of conduct where we have victims, victims of domestic violence, that we will prosecute fully,” Rockland DA Thomas Walsh said, according to News 12. “We in Rockland County want to stand for protection of innocent victims in all walks of life.”

During the second plot, the doctor and his sister, attorney Jaclyn Goldberg, attempted to destroy an audio recording in August or September 2022 that had him on tape asking a landscaper to murder Susan, according to prosecutors.

The siblings would agree to give the landscaper back control of his business that was at the center of a dispute if he handed over the audio, prosecutors said, according to Lohud.com.

Bernstein was originally indicted on criminal solicitation and tampering with evidence while his sibling, Goldberg was charged with tampering with evidence, hindering prosecutors and conspiracy in the fifth degree.

Bernstein could spend between a year-and a-half and three years behind bars in exchange for the guilty plea. His sentencing is scheduled for December.

Goldberg is expected to plead guilty in September, but will likely avoid jail time, Lohud.com reported.

Susan Bernstein could not be reached for comment, but called her husband “evil” at his first sentencing.

Court records indicate the two divorced in 2023. It’s not clear how long they were married or how many children they have.

Susan has been a divorce coach for at least several years, promising to help clients thrive following nasty break-ups.

“She helps clients achieve their goals and get to where they want to be,” according to her website.

“Susan helps many clients who want to get out of toxic relationships get what they need and deserve related to their children and finances.”