Amatrice, Italy - Strong aftershocks rattled central Italy and shut down a key route into the hard-hit town of Amatrice on Friday as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 267 people. The Italian government declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella. Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock of the morning struck at 6:28 a.m. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8. The shaking ground also damaged a key access bridge to Amatrice, forcing emergency crews to close it and making an already challenging traffic flow into th...
New York - In light of recent tragic suicides committed as a direct result of child sexual abuse, as well as other physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual consequences suffered by innocents in Jewish Orthodox communities and beyond, a proclamation signed by a large and diverse group of rabbis from the United States, Canada and Israel has taken a firm stand against abuse in children, acknowledging that the Jewish community has been slow to recognize incidents of molestation in the past and calls upon schools and synagogues to institute policies that will prevent sexual abuse. The statement, signed by close to 300 Orthodox Jewish rabbis, admits that rabbis and community leaders have not always dealt effectively or appropriately with victims of child sexual abuse or their ...
In this week's parshah, the Torah warns us not to forget Hashem in our pursuit of wealth, nor when we achieve it. After describing a future where the Jewish people enjoy great prosperity, the Torah foretells and warns "...you will then say in your heart: my strength and the might of my own hand made this wealth for me". The Saba of Kelm observes that the Torah does not write, "maybe you will say" that your ingenuity and hard work brought you your success. Rather, the Torah attests that you will certainly say this and think that you earned your wealth through your own hard work and good ideas. Apparently, the Torah is attesting that this is human nature. The Torah, therefore, proceeds to instruct us to take to heart that it is really Hashem who gives us our talents for making wealth (...
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 24, 2016       
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 25, 2016 - These short videos of Doniel Lansky, a'h, singing Nishmas were shot in April at the Ksivas Sefer Torah for Mercaz Torah U'Tefilah.
New York - US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump met with minority Republicans in New York on Thursday, including his former Republican campaign rival Ben Carson. Trump said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party at large have done “little work” for African-Americans, and said he will make this a “focal point” of his speeches moving forward. Trump said America cannot become ‘great again’ unless blacks, Hispanics and others—“everybody”—are involved in the process.
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 25, 2016 – Please be aware that Park Heights Road between Glen Avenue and Pinkney seems to be completely closed off to vehicular traffic with police activity. Currently, traffic is being rerouted to both Cross Country and Reisterstown Road.
Umm Al-fahm, Israel - On the rundown streets of Umm al-Fahm, an Israeli-Arab city of 50,000, locals in smoky cafes are reluctant to speak. Violent crime at the hands of drug gangs is rife here. Reprisals are common. Israeli Jews rarely set foot in the city. “The gangs are in control,” said a man who refused to give his name, standing beneath two security cameras that he said were pointless since the police rarely came. Cities like Umm al-Fahm illustrate a stark division within Israeli society: the growing lawlessness in parts of the Arab community, which makes up 20 percent of Israel’s population and frequently complains of discrimination. With murder rates and other criminal activity far higher among Arabs - 59 percent of all murders are committed by Arabs, p...
Rio De Janeiro - Brazil’s Senate on Thursday began deliberating whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the final step in a leadership fight that has paralyzed Congress and cast a pall over a nation in the midst of a severe recession. Brazil’s first female president is accused of illegally shifting money between government budgets to mask yawning deficits. Detractors say she did that to shore up support and argue those maneuvers exacerbated the recession in Latin America’s largest economy. Rousseff denies wrongdoing and says her enemies, including the country’s elite who have fumed about her Workers Party’s lock on power the last 13 years, are conducting a “coup.” Senators are now embarking “on their mos...
Los Angeles - It’s a conspiracy: The 2016 campaign features one candidate who warned against the “vast right-wing conspiracy” and another who was a leader of the so-called “birther” movement. Donald Trump and his surrogates hint at a mysterious “illness” afflicting rival Hillary Clinton. Pushing back, Clinton warns of murky ties between Trump and the Russian government, insinuating that her Republican opponent may be a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rumors and innuendo long confined to the far reaches of the Internet are dominating the presidential race, forcing Clinton to grapple — once again — with the kinds of whispers that have dogged her family for decades. Clinton has largely avoided discussing the conspira...
Bear, Delaware - Delaware State Police investigators were trying to determine Thursday how a woman fell 35 feet to her death from a zip line platform at a state park. Tina Werner, 59, of Felton, was waiting to ride the zip line at the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure at Lums Pond State Park in Bear on Wednesday afternoon when she tumbled from the platform, authorities said. Participants are equipped with climbing harnesses and carabineers that clip onto safety wires throughout the treetop course, which spans seven acres and includes four zip lines and a variety of swings, rope ladders, bridges and trapezes. According to the website of Go Ape, which is based in Frederick, Maryland, and operates attractions in 15 states, patrons receive a 30-minute training session before being turned l...
A man is in custody and three people are dead after an apparent crossbow attack on a residential street in Scarborough on Thursday afternoon. Paramedics confirm the deceased are two men and a woman, all adults. Another male was taken to hospital with minor injuries. It happened at Lawndale and Argo roads near Eglinton Avenue East and Markham Road. Homicide detectives are on scene and have launched an investigation. No further information is currently available. It’s not the first time a crossbow has been used to end a life in Toronto. In December 2010, Zhou Fang shot and killed his father with a crossbow in a busy east end Toronto library. Two years later, Fang was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 10 years.
London - An easyJet flight from London’s Gatwick Airport to Belfast has faced an hourlong delay after two crew members got into an epic shouting match. Shocked passengers tweeted about the argument that grew so heated that the two crew members had to be removed from Wednesday’s flight. Dan Lobb, a television presenter on the flight, described the scene as “unreal.” He tweeted: “This is quite incredible. We’ve all worked with people we don’t get on with right? But this tiff means a 1 hr flight is delayed!” The low-cost carrier confirmed what it called a “verbal disagreement” and apologized to passengers for the inconvenience. The company said Thursday that the safety and welfare of EasyJet passengers and employees requir...
Philippines - A Filipino fisherman in western Palawan island has found possibly the world’s biggest pearl, but he didn’t know it. For 10 years, the 34-kilogram (75-pound) pearl was hidden in a bag under a bed. The fisherman’s family would rub it with their hands before going out to sea in the belief it would bring them luck, said relative Aileen Amurao. Amurao, who is also Puerto Princesa city’s tourism officer, said Thursday that the man gave her the pearl last month for safekeeping because he was moving to a new place. The pearl was sitting on a bench in her home for weeks until she found time to check the internet, and she was shocked to learn that it could be the world’s biggest at 2.2 feet (67 centimeters) long and 1 foot (30 centimeters) wide...
Tehran - Iran’s defense minister said on Thursday four of his country’s vessels accused of harassing a U.S. warship were only doing their job, and Tehran would confront any American ship that entered its waters. The vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted what a U.S. defense official described as a “high speed intercept” of the warship on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz. The official said two of the Iranian vessels came within 300 yards of the USS Nitze in an incident that was “unsafe and unprofessional,” underlining the tensions that remain more than a year after Washington and other Western powers reached a landmark nuclear deal with Iran and lifted sanctions. Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Thursd...
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 25, 2016 - It is with deep regret that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah of Mr. Chaim Avrohom Benyowitz, father of Rabbi Yoel Benyowitz, Rabbi Yirmiyahu Benyowitz and Rabbi Gidon Benyowitz. The levaya will take place tonight in Eretz Yisroel at 10:00 pm. Shiva will be observed at the Benyowitz home – 4010 Labyrinth Road beginning this afternoon until after Shacharis Wednesday morning. Davening times are as follows: Shachris  (Fr, Su, Mo-Wed) -  7:30 am Mincha (Th, Su-Tu) -   7:00 pm Maariv  (Th, Su-Tu) -  9:00 pm Friday Mincha  -   4:30 pm Bila HaMaves LaNetzach...
Washington - Mylan NV said on Thursday it would reduce the out-of-pocket cost of its severe allergy treatment EpiPen through a discount program, a day after Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joined lawmakers in criticizing the drug’s high price. The company, which did not lower the drug’s list price, said it would reduce the patient cost of EpiPen through the use of a savings card, which will cover up to $300 of EpiPen 2-Pak. Price of the product, acquired in 2007, has zoomed to $600 from $100 in 2008. For patients previously paying the full list price, the card effectively reduces their out-of-pocket cost exposure by 50 percent, Mylan said. The company said it is also doubling the eligibility for its patient assistance program, which will eliminate ...
New York - Global messaging service WhatsApp says it will start sharing the phone numbers of its users with Facebook, its parent company. That means WhatsApp users could soon start seeing more targeted ads on Facebook — although not on the messaging service itself. The move is a subtle but significant shift for WhatsApp, which has long promised to safeguard the privacy of more than 1 billion users around the world. WhatsApp is giving users a limited time to opt out of sharing their information with Facebook, although they must take the extra step of unchecking a box to do so. It also says Facebook won’t post phone numbers online or give them out to anyone. But the giant social network has been looking for ways to make money from WhatsApp since it bought the service t...
Brooklyn, NY - Police are hoping that a driver with Taxi and Limousine Commission license plates will come forward after hitting a six year old boy yesterday in Borough Park. The driver of the black Toyota Sienna hit the boy at 4:13 PM Wednesday at the intersection of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 41st Street. Police said that the boy was crossing the street with his family at the time of the accident. Britt Argueta, of Eben-Ezer Winner Wireless Video located at the corner of 41st Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway, caught the entire episode on surveillance video. The video shows the minivan running the red light at Fort Hamilton before striking the boy who had stopped for a moment to pick something up off the ground.  The boy was pushed several yards by the minivan which then ...
New York - A Mississippi firefighter who received the world’s most extensive face transplant after a burning building collapsed on him said Wednesday that he feels like “a normal guy” for the first time in 15 years. Patrick Hardison, 42, said he can now eat, see, hear and breathe normally, thanks to last year’s surgery. He has a full head of hair and hits the gym twice a week. “Before the transplant, every day I had to wake up and get myself motivated to face the world,” Hardison told reporters at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Now I don’t worry about people pointing and staring or kids running away crying. . I’m happy.” Hardison was a volunteer firefighter in Senatobia, Mississippi, when a building collapsed on him in 2...
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