Friday, September 24, 2021
What put the fear into Israel's radical Left?
Just a week ago, all of Israel's political establishment was in an uproar over a debate in the finance committee on a topic that would normally be totally technical and utterly devoid of interest: the reauthorization of eligibility for Clause 46 in Israel's tax laws which grants tax benefits for donations to a long list of NGOs, among them "Ad Kan! Young Israelis for Israel" (an organization the first two words of whose name is an idiom meaning 'enough is enough').
During the discussion, a previously unknown Member of Knesset from the Labor Party accused my organization of "trying to criminalize leftist activists by forging documents" and of "leading a hunting expedition armed with lies and dubbed soundtracks." Her stance led to the non-renewal of the eligibility of donations to "Ad Kan" for tax benefits of Israeli donors' income tax.
What the previously unknown MK said was unadulterated nonsense, and we hereby request that she give up her Knesset immunity long enough to be forced to defend her accusations in court – or, alternately, to apologize and return to her colorless anonymity.
But what is the reason the anti-Zionist Left is so afraid of "Ad Kan"? We have the feeling that they are simply afraid that you as well as others will learn the real truth.
"We're dedicated to elimination of Zionism" ...NOOOOO It's not a Statement of Satmar Rebbe It's the Iranian FM
I don't think that the FM of Iran heard the Satmar Rebbe's Shalosh Seuda Toreleh ... but it sure sounds like he did...
Both Satmar Rebbe brothers are against Zionism and daven three times a day for the "elimination of Zionism" and are against the "territories"
Iran’s new Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, spoke at the United Nations Durban IV conference, where he said his nation’s "willpower is dedicated" to the elimination of Zionism, Fox News reported.
"As the new foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I’m honored to announce that my nation’s willpower is dedicated to the total elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, including apartheid and Zionism," said Amir-Abdollahian, according to the report.
"These are crimes that constitute horrible atrocities such as child killing and the creeping occupation through settlements, which extends to the proximity of Al-Aqsa Mosque," he added
The Durban IV conference was boycotted by some 30 countries, including Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and New Zealand.
On Sunday, Human Rights Voices, Touro Institute on Human Rights and CAMERA hosted a conference opposing Durban IV.
Ahead of the event, pro-Israel groups and NGOs also launched social media campaigns calling on countries to refuse to attend.
Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices who organized the counter-conference, told Fox News, "For the enemies of Israel who had high hopes that Durban IV would fast track Israel to political isolation and oblivion, the global gathering was instead a major setback. Not only did 34 states boycott, but they boycotted because the demonization of Israel was recognized as a form of modern antisemitism."
She noted that 75% of the countries speaking at the conference were deemed "not fully free" according to the definition by Freedom House that ranks countries based on freedom, and noted that "Durban IV proved to be an opportunity for the Iranian Foreign Minister to broadcast over UN WebTV around the world a call for the "elimination" of the Jewish state. In effect, backing another mass genocide for the one they claim never happened. And yet in the 21st century UN, it was just business as usual and nobody interrupted, cut the mic, or escorted him off the premises."
Ben & Jerry fired David Rosenbaum for taking off during Rosh Hashanah
That’s cold.
A Jewish man says he was fired from Unilever — the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s that was criticized for an ice cream sales ban in the West Bank — for taking days off from work during Rosh Hashanah, new court papers allege.
David Rosenbaum — a general manager at Unilever’s Englewood Cliffs, NJ headquarters — told boss Frank Alfano he planned to take days off for the Jewish high holy days in the fall of 2019, according to his Bergen County lawsuit from Thursday.
But, Alfano “told [Rosenbaum] that he could not take off for Rosh Hashanah and probably not for Yom Kippur as well,” the court papers allege.
A “distressed” Rosenbaum, 55, told Alfano that his religion required him to not work on those days. But, the boss wouldn’t budge, the filing claims.
Rosenbaum, of Washington Township, took the time off anyway and sent an email to the higher-ups on Sept. 30, 2019 — the first day of Rosh Hashanah — explaining what Alfano told him and how it was against the law. The Unilever lawyer merely replied saying she would speak with Human Resources, the suit claims.
The next day on Oct. 1, Rosenbaum was fired over the phone, “since he had not come into work on Rosh Hashanah,” the court documents allege.
In a prior incident, Alfano retaliated against Rosenbaum for an August 2019 complaint Rosenbaum made after Alfano allegedly touched him, propositioned him and asked Rosenbaum to lend him money,” the filing claims.
Rosenbaum — who also worked with Ben & Jerry’s marketing team to organize sales events — alleged his situation is “further evidence of Unilever’s anti-Semitism, which was demonstrated in July 2021, when Unilever’s subsidiary, Ben & Jerry’s, began an illegal boycott of Israel by refusing to sell its ice cream there,” the suit claims.
“This despite the fact that it continues to sell ice cream in some of the most repressive countries in the world,” the court papers allege.
In July, Ben & Jerry’s stopped selling ice cream in the West Bank saying in a statement: “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).”
The move drew criticism and was called anti-Semitic by Israelis including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and ousted PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Since, a still-unemployed Rosenbaum has had a hard time finding a new job during the pandemic, his lawyer Cindy Salvo told The Post.
Salvo said it’s bad enough that Alfano didn’t let her client take the time off but it’s even worse that upper level management “didn’t try to do anything. They didn’t engage in any interactive process,” following Rosenbaum’s email.
He simply can’t work,” Salvo said. “It’s against the religion.”
“It’s not like they have no other people to handle things,” the lawyer said. “They didn’t give an explanation and if they had — it wouldn’t have been adequate anyway.”
Through his lawyer, Rosenbaum said, he is “Shocked, surprised and deeply saddened that this could happen in this day and age.”
Rosenbaum is suing for unspecified damages.
Unilever and Alfano did not immediately return requests for comment.
US House Overwhelmingly 420-9 Advances Iron Dome Funding, As Anti-Semite Tlaib Calls Israel “Apartheid State”
Nine House members, including eight Democrats, voted against funding for the Israel Iron Dome missile defense system on Thursday.
The bill passed overwhelmingly 420-9.
The “no” votes were Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; André Carson, D-Ind.; Marie Newman, D-Ill., Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Chuy Garcia, D-Ill.; and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., both voted present.
IN the video above, AOC appears to be crying on the House floor after she changed her vote from “no” to present, during voting on funding to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome Defense Systems.
Congressional Democrats initially wanted to pass the Iron Dome funding in a continuing resolution on Wednesday. But because the legislation contained a debt ceiling increase Republicans refused to vote for it. That left Democrats with just a three-vote margin for error. When a handful of progressive lawmakers objected to the Iron Dome funding, Democrats were forced to pull the provision from the bill in order to ensure its passage along party lines.
In a Blow to AG James.. Judge Throws Out Massive Case Against B&H Photo
A New York state court dismissed a $7.3 million tax whistleblower suit brought by the state attorney general against Manhattan-based B&H Foto, finding the photography retailer’s “instant savings” program transactions aren’t manufacturer coupons subject to sales tax.
James’ office accused the photo and video equipment retailer in 2019 of failing to pay at least $7.3 million in sales and use taxes on $67 million in so-called instant savings reimbursements from 2006 to July 2017.
In November 2019, James’ office said B&H “intentionally underpaid sales tax on millions of dollars in receipts from its sales of cameras” and other electronics since 2006 using an instant rebate program in which manufacturers reimbursed the retailer for sales — with B&H never paying tax on those reimbursements as it should have.
We've filed a lawsuit against B&H, the photo & electronics store, for allegedly failing to pay sales tax on tens of millions of dollars they received from manufacturers for "instant rebate" discounts to customers.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) November 14, 2019
In New York, no company is above the law.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
US Jewish students feel unsafe on campus, half hide identity, survey finds
The survey, which polled 1,027 members of the predominately Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) and the leading Jewish sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi), found that nearly 70% of the students surveyed personally experienced or were familiar with an antisemitic attack in the past 120 days, with more than 65% of these students feeling unsafe on campus and one-in-10 fearing physical attack. Furthermore, 50% of students said they have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.
Palestinians admit capture of Gilboa prisoners shows Israeli intel prowess
The recapture of the last two prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison on Saturday night shows that Israel has very good intelligence sources in the West Bank, residents of Jenin said Sunday.
The recapture of Ayham Kamamji and Munadel Enfayat is also a blow to the Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp who had over the past few days pledged to defend the fugitives and foil any attempt by the IDF to enter the camp or the city of Jenin, the residents said.
Iron Dome will be funded, but more ‘Squad’ trouble is on the way
The Iron Dome may ultimately receive the American funding it needs, after progressive pressure led Democratic Party leadership in the House of Representatives to remove it from a broader bill, and then vowed to propose the aid as its own bill within days. But that doesn’t mean that the drama surrounding it is over.
Tuesday’s events in the House should ring alarm bells in Jerusalem that more trouble with the “Squad” is on the way, even as public statements by Israeli officials tried to minimize the problem.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Israeli housing prices show largest increase in the world
Prices per square meter in Israel rose from $2,145 in 2010 to $9,560 in 2020. That's not just keeping up with inflation, which rose by only 0.92% during the same period. And it definitely isn't in keeping with the last decade's 17.5% rise in wages.
Israel's No. 1 position is more than double the closest runners up – Switzerland, which saw a 165% increase; Germany, where housing prices rose 162%; and the United States, which logged a 153% bump. Coming in 10th place was the United Kingdom, with a 75% increase in housing prices since 2010.
Greece experienced the biggest decrease in prices per square meter – a negative 17.9%. This was in keeping with the country's economic crisis, which also depressed wages by 16% annually during the same period.
Norway, the Czech Republic and Belgium also saw decreases in housing prices.
The research, cited by Israel21c, doesn't consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the average price of owner-occupied dwellings in Israel fell by 3.2%, the largest contraction since 2007. When adjusted for inflation, prices fell by 2.2%. The number of apartments bought during the second quarter of 2020 also plummeted by 27%.
However, by 2021, the figures were trending upward again, with housing prices in Israel rising by 5.6%, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics.
Real estate accounts for 19% of gross domestic product directly, another 13% indirectly [and] no less than 40% of the public's total wealth," says Elli Kraizberg, a professor of business administration at Bar-Ilan University.
Tel Aviv holds the distinction of having Israel's most expensive residential real estate, followed by the Tel Aviv suburbs of Kfar Saba and Ramat Gan, and then Jerusalem. Beersheva has the cheapest housing in Israel among the country's big cities.
More Verbal Abuse on Frum Community as Netflix renews ‘My Unorthodox Life’ for second season
Netflix is bringing back “My Unorthodox Life,” the reality series about a formerly Orthodox fashion mogul and her family, the streaming giant announced Monday.
No details about the content of season two or any approximate release date were disclosed.
The series follows Julia Haart, who left the Orthodox community she grew up in in Monsey, New York, to become CEO of the Elite World Group fashion model agency.
Over the course of nine episodes, she and her four children wrestle with how to adapt their varying levels of Jewish practice in secular New York City society.
The show sparked a wide array of debates in different Jewish communities and drew some criticism for its portrayal of Orthodox communities as harshly restrictive.
"Before you judge the show, maybe you might want to watch the show?” Haart told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency after the series debuted in July. “Because they had the word ‘unorthodox’ in it, people have made a thousand assumptions without actually taking the time to listen to what I actually have to say.”
How a Reform Temple Wouldn't Let Someone in Without a Ticket on Yom Kippur ...
by Alla Umanskiy
It was a rainy Yom Kippur day when I pulled up into the parking lot of a reform temple in the Atlanta area. This was a temple where my husband and I got married. Ten years later, we renewed our vows here in front of family and friends. A couple of years after that, my husband’s parents renewed their vows here. All that’s to say, this place was special, and we have a connection to it. We are also not members.
To be more specific, I’m not a member of any synagogue in town. I do occasionally visit my local Chabad house, where I always feel welcomed. However, on this Yom Kippur, I wanted to go to this temple where my family has a connection. It’s the holiest day of the Jewish year, I thought to myself as I entered the half-empty parking area. I’m sure they won’t send me away.
The police officer sized me up and down as I approached the entrance. Security, understandable, no problem. I generally don’t look too menacing and don’t pose much of a threat. I walked up to the nice middle-aged woman who was sitting out front behind a folding table. She looked at me above her mask. “Do you have a ticket?” she asked. I replied that I do not.
“So how does this work?” I asked, probably looking somewhat lost.
“How does what work?” she was perplexed.
“I don’t have a ticket. I’m not a member. I was hoping to come for service today,” I began explaining. “I got married here years ago.”
“You have to have a ticket,” she replied firmly, her brows furrowing above the said N-95.
“Can I purchase a ticket on the spot?” I inquired, quickly losing hope, but still determined.
“Yes,” her voice was now almost apologetic. “It’s $245. That buys you a ticket for access to services during the High Holidays.”
“I see,” I said, because I didn’t know how to respond. “But Rosh Hashanah is over. And Yom Kippur is today. So I’d pay $245 for just coming in today..?”
Maybe she smiled behind her mask. Maybe she didn’t. I’m not sure. I took one last shot.
“So, there’s no open-to-the-public service today?”
“No, there’s not.”
I thanked her and began what can only be described as the walk of shame back to my car.
Yom Kippur is the holiest of days. Jews all around the world gather in temples to pray and to atone. Some of those Jews belong to synagogues, have memberships that allow them to drop in on whatever services they want. Others – many others – do not. Yet, it seems that on this holiest of days, all Jews might be welcomed at all temples. It would seem that the doors of all shuls should be open during the High Holidays to embrace Jews of all types who want to feel a moment of closeness to the Almighty. On this day, of all days.
I know some may argue that everyone else must pay for the privilege of membership – why should I get to come for free? That argument is valid, I agree, every other day of the week, every Shabbat, sure. But on Yom Kippur? On Yom Kippur?
I hate to make this comparison, but would a church turn away a person who wanted to come in on Christmas Eve? I don’t believe it would. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and have been inside many churches, big and small. Most of them are open to the public. You can sit in a pew. You can use the bathroom. You can marvel at the magnificent architecture, while you drink from your water bottle. That house of G_d is open to all, including Jews. Why aren’t ours? Especially, on High Holidays.
Of course, I realize that there are plenty of free Yom Kippur services around town. Yes, I know. But my soul was pulling me in the direction of this one particular temple. Unfortunately, on that day, it was not to be.
I ended up attending a lovely service at my local Chabad house on Yom Kippur. The rabbi was wonderful and inspiring. The humongous crowd was beautiful, excited, dressed up. The parking lot was overflowing. The police presence was strong. I sat on a folding chair, breathing in and out, thankful for being welcomed, grateful for being surrounded by people, who, like me, wanted a place to come to on this day. A place where we won’t be turned away. The rain was tapping on windows, as I remembered a line from the “Munich” movie – “You’re a Jew. I’m a Jew. I’m sure it says somewhere that we’re supposed to break bread together.” That line was in my head all day. We’re all Jews. I’m sure it says somewhere that we don’t turn each other away, especially on holidays, especially during a pandemic, especially in the rain.
Reb Yechiel Benzion (“Benny”) Fishoff Longtime Askan And Philanthropist
Reb Yechiel Benzion (“Benny”) Fishoff Z”L, noted philanthropist & askan of klal yisroel, passed awat at 97. Reb Benzion was the Chairman Emeritus of Agudath Israel’s Board of Trustees, and a longtime Askan and Baal Chesed who devoted his entire life to helping others.
The Niftar was born in Lodz, Poland, to a family of Gerrer Chassidum. As a young child, he was Zoche to see the Imrei Emes.
He miraculously escaped WWII by escaping to Shanghai, China, along with Talmidim of Yeshiva Chachmai Lublin. He later wrote his memories of that period in a book he co-authored “From Lublin to Shanghai: The Miraculous Exile of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin”.
He resided in Forest Hills, Queens.
Throughout his life, Reb Benzion kept a close Kesher with leading Gedolei Hador and Admorim around the globe with an especially warm kesher with the Bais Yisroel and the worldwide Gur Chasidus. Mr. Fishoff was universally respected as an eloquent statesman and was well known as one the closest confidant’s of Rabbi Moshe Sherer Z’TL, the legendary Agudath Israel President. “Benny” as he was lovingly known was often tasked with the the role of Ambassador for Rabbi Sherer on behalf of Agudath Israel and American Jewry. His accomplishments on behalf of Torah and Klal shtadlonus in America span many decades and much more about the life and accomplishments of this great Torah Askan will surely be forthcoming.
Agudath Israel’s Chairman of the Board, Reb Shloime Werdiger credits Reb Benzion with creating the model by which the next generation of Klal Askonim followed. “R’ Benny was a pioneer, a Shearis Haplaita Yid who taught us all how a Yid rebuilds and lives a Torah life. He was my mentor, my guide, my Rebbe in klal askanus and my dearest friend. His influence is everywhere and his loss to Klal Yisroel is incalculable.”
Sunday, September 19, 2021
Laura Loomer Needs A Refuah Shleima .. Has ‘Brutal’ Case of COVID
Right-wing activist Laura Loomer confirmed this week she has COVID-19 and the symptoms have been “brutal.” In the past, she expressed an interest in contracting the virus so she could prove it’s no worse than food poisoning.
“Just pray for me please,” she wrote on Gettr, a social media platform launched by Jason Miller, a former spokesperson for Donald Trump. “Can’t even begin to explain how brutal the body aches and nausea that come with covid are. I am in so much pain. This is honestly the worst part about it.”
Last year, Loomer said she wanted to “get COVID” just to prove she’d had “bouts of food poisoning that are more serious and life threatening than a hyped up virus.”
“Have you ever eaten bad fajitas? That will kill you faster than COVID,” she wrote on Parler, another social media app favored by conservatives. Loomer, known for her anti-Muslim views and a failed Congressional run in Florida, has been banned from Twitter for three years.
Though she’s not on the popular microblogging platform herself, Twitter users shared screenshots of her past Gettr posts about the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
“I believe when a few years pass, we will see that the vaccines will have killed more people than COVID,” said one of Loomer’s old posts. “How is a vaccine ‘saving lives’ for a virus with a 99.7% recovery rate? A bad case of food poisoning is literally more lethal than COVID.”
Another post said, “People get COVID and don’t even know they have COVID. I know people who have cancer and are on chemo who got COVID and nothing happened to them.”
She called the virus “the biggest hoax” since the 2020 election.
Loomer told her Gettr subscribers she received a Regeneron treatment, but is in a lot of pain and “will be sleeping” for the time being. She said she still does not plan on getting the vaccine.
Not Enough "Mishagaim" California moves closer to decriminalizing psychedelic drugs
California legalized medical marijuana 25 years ago when voters approved an initiative that eventually helped to overturn cannabis prohibition in all but three states today.
The legalization movement that brought upmarket marijuana shops to Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco is now focused on psychedelic drugs. A voter initiative to decriminalize magic mushrooms was recently approved for signature-gathering, and a legislative proposal is set to be considered next year.
Some in the decriminalization movement say the legalization of psychedelic drugs is inevitable, pointing to Oregon, where voters approved magic mushroom decriminalization last year, and Denver and Oakland, California, which had passed similar laws in 2019.
"I believe it is possible that eventually, a critical mass or even a majority of states will legalize or decriminalize some or all of these psychedelics," said Ismail L. Ali, acting director of policy and advocacy at Santa Cruz-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, in an email.
Last Afghani Jew Gives Wife Get Erev Yom Kippur
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| Zablon Simintov, last Jew in Afghanistan, signs a get to his wife, Sept. 15, 2021. |
Kahana tweeted afterward: “I did something good for the new year, I helped a woman get a get. Not sure it’s kosher. There will surely be an argument, after all, we are Jews. But we live in the twenty-first century and Zoom exists. So may we all have a happy new year and an easy fast.”
Simintov was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in the city of Herat in 1959 and later moved to Kabul. The Taliban harassed him, forcing him to move into the city’s only synagogue. The owner of a carpet warehouse, he was detained, jailed, and abused by Taliban members, and was forced to pay protection money.
Simintov’s hostile relationship with the other last Jew in Kabul, Ishaq Levin, became the subject of a play in the UK. The two lived in opposite ends of the synagogue and the feud between them was so heated that both men snitched on each other to the Taliban which ended up jailing them for the charges they brought against each other. The Taliban also confiscated their only Torah.
Levin died in 2005 at age 80, leaving the entire synagogue to his rival who was encouraged, now that the city was under American rule, to make aliyah. But Simintov refused to make the move to Israel because he didn’t want to be forced to give a get to his wife—who had left him with their only daughter.
After the US had withdrawn its army from Afghanistan in August and the Taliban took control over Kabul, Simentov said he felt safe and preferred to stay. But shortly thereafter, things in Kabul began to deteriorate, and Moti Kahana, the owner of a logistics and security company, warned the last Jew that “ISIS will either kidnap you and try to sell you or they will chop your head off.”
Simintov finally consented to leave with Kahana’s help and funds from New York-based Rabbi Moshe Margaretten. But both his rescuers conditioned their support on his agreeing to give his wife who lives in Israel a get. After he had given his word, Simintov was taken to a neighboring country and then flown to NYC.
Israeli singer Sarit Hadad comes out as gay
Hadad, 43, the mother of two young daughters, is considered a trailblazer, having made Mizrahi-style music mainstream in Israel. An icon of the genre, she has won the title of "Singer of the Year" four times and was crowned "Singer of the Decade" for the first decade of the 21st century.
Yahalomi is an Israeli singer-songwriter with many hits to her credit. She was discovered in 2011 in A Star is Born, the Israeli version of American Idol.
The hunt concludes: 'The terrorists gave up without a fight'
During the night, two weeks after the escape of the six terrorists from Gilboa Prison, the last two prisoners still on the run were apprehended in Jenin without resistance.
Nissim Mash'al and Anat Davidov of Radio 103FM spoke Sunday morning with IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav, who spoke about the moments of capture, which took place last night at 1 am.
He said IDF forces entered the Jenin refugee camp and the city, isolated and encircled the area until a "final indication" was obtained and the terrorists were captured in the east of the city.
He admitted that they expected resistance, because they are "terrorists, we do not call them prisoners but terrorists, and they are usually armed and fighting. We prepared for them to be armed and willing to fight, both with armed forces, with intelligence capabilities and also with the exchange of fire and deterrence we carried out as soon as we knew where they were. So they eventually decided to surrender without fire, and were taken in for questioning."
The IDF spokesman noted that the terrorists were "supported by Islamic Jihad" and that there was a possible response to their capture, but clarified: "We are prepared for the response of the enemy, of Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Gaza with air defense, we we have among the most advanced systems in the world. We are prepared with the defense divisions, we have increased ongoing security, in some places many fighters will remain for the holiday and we are definitely preparing for the possibility of a response."
He added that "every balloon is responded to by a fighter jet bombing. Every terror attack will definitely have an overwhelming response. We will not accept either a small attack or a rocket. All of them and those similar to them need to know that we will pursue each and every terrorist in any place to thwart him, catch him and, if needed, kill him."
Despite the success of the operation, Kochav stressed: "We are not celebrating. We are interrogating, learning, getting better. We have additional tasks, and from the first lessons that are already emerging it seems that what brought about the execution [of this task] is our intelligence capability."
Israeli police cancel investigations for 150 travelers from Uman
Israeli police have cancelled three-quarters of the investigations into Israelis who had been suspected of falsifying COVID tests in order to return home from Uman after the Rosh Hashanah holiday this month, Galei Tzahal reported Sunday afternoon.
According to the report, authorities have closed the investigations of 150 of the 200 travelers who returned from Ukraine after Rosh Hashanah, retracting requests that they report for questioning.
The travelers, who had spent the holiday at the tomb of Rebbe Nachman, founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement, had been suspected of forging the negative COVID tests needed to return home, after authorities found them to have tested positive upon their return. In addition, Israeli police had claimed that the suspects had tested positive in the Ukraine prior to departure.
Now, however, it appears that the 150 travelers in question in fact tested negative both upon their arrival to Israel and in the Ukraine prior to departure.
Following the return of the roughly 17,000 Israelis who traveled to Uman this Rosh Hashanah, data collected by Israel’s Health Ministry found that over 9% of the returnees tested positive for COVID upon their arrival in Israel.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett castigated the travelers suspected of falsifying COVID tests, and ordered police to immediately open investigations of those under suspicion.
“The Israeli government takes a very serious view of patients who fraudulently enter Israel by falsifying documents and deliberately spread disease, which constitutes an irresponsible act of harming public peace,” Bennett said in a statement.
In response to the Galei Tzahal report Sunday, MK Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) excoriated Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz for pushing for a rapid investigation of travelers returning from Uman.
“I’m willing to bet that we won’t be hearing any apologies from any of the populist politicians, from Bennett to Horowitz, who rushed to join in the border-line anti-Semitic attack on those returning from Uman in order to distract from their colossal failures in handling the coronavirus pandemic; failures which cost more than a thousand lives since the establishment of this government – along with crowding at hospitals. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
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