During the Second Temple, the Greek empire reigned (over Israel),1 and they (the Greeks) passed decrees against the Jews and (tried) to erase their religion, and did not allow them to carry out Torah (study) or the commandments. They put their hands on their property and their daughters. They entered the Temple, destroyed and made the pure unclean. The Jews were in great distress because of them and were much oppressed, until the G-d of their fathers had mercy on them, delivering them from their hands and saving them. Then overcame, the sons of the Hasmonean High Priest, (the Greeks) and killed them and saved the Jews from their hands. They appointed a king from the Priests, and the kingdom of Israel was restored for more than 200 years until the destruction of (the) second (Temple). When the Jews overcame their enemies and destroyed them, it was the 25th of Kislev2 when they entered the Sanctuary (inner room) and did not find pure (olive) oil in the Temple, except one jar sealed with seal of the High Priest, and it did not contain enough to light except for one day only. But they lit from it the lamps of the Menorah3 for eight days, until they could crush olives and produce a (new quantity) of pure oil. For these reasons, decreed the Sages of that generation that these eight days that begin on the 25th Kislev, will be days of joy and praise. One lights on them lamps at evening at the entrance to the houses, every evening of the eight nights to show off and demonstrate the miracle. These days are called ''Hanukah'' that is to say ''they rested'' (chanu) on the ''25'' ('th of the month) because on the 25th they rested from their enemies. and also because of those days they (re)-dedicated the house (Temple) which their foes had defiled. Also some say that it is a commandment to increase slightly the festive meals on Hanukah. Another reason is because the work of (building) the Sanctuary (in the desert) was completed in these days. One should tell one's children the story of the miracles that were done for our fore-fathers in those days, (see Josephus) However, these meals are not considered as part of the commandment unless one says at the meal songs of praise. One should increase charity in these Hanukah days, for this can help mend any defects in our souls. This charity, should be given particularly to poor Torah scholars. (KSA 139:1)
1) 352 BCE until 70 CE
2) 139 BCE
3) The Menorah was made of gold and had seven branches.
Philadelphia, PA - Police Commissioner Richard Ross says 72 Philadelphia police officers have been placed on administrative duty amid an initial investigation into a national group’s accusation of officers in at least five states posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media.
Ross said he believed at least “several dozen” people would be disciplined and he expects some to be fired. The commissioner said the internal affairs division prioritized posts “clearly advocating violence or death against any protected class such as ethnicity, national origin, sex, religion and race.” An independent law firm had been hired to determine whether posts were constitutionally protected before any discipline is imposed.
“I am not prepared to tell you at this...
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young expressed frustration Wednesday with rising violence in the city, and with residents he says do not cooperate with police.
There have been 143 homicides this year, including 19 this month. There have also been 18 nonfatal shootings so far in June.
"People in the African American neighborhoods need to stand up, and say enough is enough, and start turning these folks in," Young told reporters at City Hall. "Everybody knows what's going on, they are in your families, turn them in."
Young said he is "sick and tired" of getting notices of shootings and homicides in the city. He says police and city officials cannot solve crimes on their own, they need the help of residents.
"It takes the community to help us out," Young said. "I mean, eve...
A Baltimore County jury remains deadlocked on eight counts in the trial of a man accused of robbing and fatally shooting a Canton bartender two years ago.
Malik Mungo is accused in the killing of Sebastian Dvorak as Dvorak walked home from work on Boston Street. Deliberations began Monday after a 12-day trial. Mungo faces 19 criminal charges, including 13 felonies.
The jurors were sent home just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. Jurors will return at 9:30 a.m. Thursday for a fourth day of deliberations.
Attorney General Brian Frosh alleged that Dvorak's killing was linked to a subset of the Bloods gang. Indictments alleged the gang members were responsible for many other violent acts, including a fatal Baltimore County stabbing.
The jury has sent a number of notes to Baltimore County ...
Baltimore police officials are investigating a photo found posted on social media of what appears to be an officer asleep in his patrol car.
The photo was shared with police on Monday after it was found circulating on Instagram, police say. It appears to show the officer sleeping, and was taken Monday morning at East Eager and Washington streets.
"We are looking into the circumstances of the picture. What we have seen raises serious concerns about public safety, officer health and wellness, and officer performance," police spokesman Matt Jablow said.
Officials have yet to comment on when or where this incident took place.
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The US Navy on Wednesday displayed limpet mine fragments and a magnet it said it had removed from one of two oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week, saying the mines bore a striking resemblance to Iranian ones.
The US, waging a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Iran to curb its nuclear and regional activities, has been trying to build an international consensus that Iran was behind last week’s blasts, as well as a May 12 strike on four oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates.
Tehran has denied any involvement in both attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies, but the incidents have raised fears of broader confrontation in the Gulf region.
The US military previously released images it said showed Iran&lsquo...
San Francisco - Apple Inc has asked its major suppliers to assess the cost implications of moving 15%-30% of their production capacity from China to Southeast Asia as it prepares for a restructuring of its supply chain, according to a Nikkei Asian Review report on Wednesday.
Apple’s request was a result of the extended Sino-U.S. trade dispute, but a trade resolution will not lead to a change in the company’s decision, Nikkei said, citing multiple sources.
The iPhone maker has decided the risks of depending heavily on manufacturing in China are too great and even rising, it said.
Earlier this month, credit rating agency Fitch said it views Apple, Dell Technologies Inc and HP Inc as potential blacklist candidates if China blacklists U.S. companies in retaliation for restrictio...
New York - Delta Air Lines Inc on Wednesday said it was addressing a technical problem that has affected travelers’ ability to book, check-in and board planes, resulting in delays.
“Delta is working quickly to address a technical issue impacting some of our applications ... We apologize to customers for any inconvenience,” the U.S. airline said in a statement. Read more at Reuters
New York - If drug interdiction can be compared to a giant game of whack-a-mole, federal law enforcement officials delivered one mighty wallop this week when they raided a container ship at Philadelphia’s port and discovered a staggering amount of cocaine.
Hidden inside seven shipping containers were 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms) of the illicit drug, one of the largest caches ever intercepted on U.S. shores and a quantity that’s almost “beyond comprehension,” as Patrick Trainor, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Philadelphia, put it Wednesday. Federal officials estimated the seized drugs had a street value of more than $1 billion.
The feds’ find was another sign that traffickers are turning to East Coast seaports as a result of increased...
Anchorage, AL - It’s not America’s Top 40, but it’s a cutting edge song.
Federal marine biologists for the first time have recorded singing by one of the rarest whales on the planet, the North Pacific right whale.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers used moored acoustic recorders to capture repeated patterns of calls made by male North Pacific right whales.
It’s the first time right whale songs in any population have been documented, said NOAA Fisheries marine biologist Jessica Crance on Wednesday from Seattle. She spoke to southern right whale and North Atlantic right whale experts to confirm that singing had not previously been documented.
Researchers detected four distinct songs over eight years at five locations in the Bering Sea of...
The International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement recognizing “Palestine” as a country, as it joined the nuclear watchdog on Tuesday as an observer.
Although it isn’t a member, it is allowed to attend meetings, said an IAEA spokesperson.
“The agreement, which was signed by the agency’s director general Yukiya Amano and the Palestinian Ambassador in Vienna Salah Abdul Shafi, gives the IAEA inspectors the ability to check the safety of radioactive materials and fissile nuclear materials, such as uranium,” reported The Jerusalem Post.
Although the Palestinian Authority has no nuclear reactors, “it does have physics departments in hospitals and universities, which have medical equipment containing components of nuclear materials,” acc...
A 79-year-old woman was seriously injured on Tuesday when she was hit in the head by a metal object thrown at her as she exited a shul in Paris.
The woman was taken to a hospital, where she was in stable, non-life threatening condition on Wednesday.
As of press time, it was not known who hurled the object — a steel pétanque ball — and a motive had not been ascertained.
The incident took place in the French capital’s 11th arrondissement, the site of two brutal antisemitic murders of Jewish women, Sarah Halimi and Mireille Knoll, since 2017.
The French Jewish communal organization CRIF strongly condemned the attack, and said it would be monitoring the investigation with “seriousness and concern.”
Union of French Jewish Students (UEJF) President Sacha...
The Fatah movement, which rules the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, has called for violence in response to next week’s US-sponsored economic workshop in Bahrain.
The conference is intended to be the first stage in the Trump administration’s long-gestating Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Representatives of several Arab states are set to take part, along with an Israeli business delegation. The Palestinian Authority is refusing to attend.
Fatah’s call for violence appeared in an Arabic-language Facebook post, translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).
“The program of activities against the Bahrain Conference and the deal of the century. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 24, 25, and 26, 2019. An escalation of the confrontations with the Israeli occupatio...
The mighty fall fast and fall hard! Parshat Behaalotecha begins by showcasing a a confident nation, primed to enter to land of destiny and to usher in historical utopia. The encampment has been divided into four quadrants encircling the mishkan, which itself is guarded by teams of Levites who will protect but also help port that mishkan to the land of Israel. Sadly, this idyllic scene quickly disintegrates into chaos. Complaints bubble over, material desire for food quickly mounts and simmering tensions between Moshe and his siblings surface. All this occurs amidst a major political and judiciary realignment. As the parsha concludes, the peaceful campsite has deteriorated into a scrapyard of complaints and distractions.
Amidst all this commotion two unlicensed prophets- named Eldad and Me...
Washington - President Donald Trump plans a speech at the Lincoln Memorial and a possible Air Force One flyover for an amped-up Independence Day celebration in Washington, drawing criticism that he wants to transform a traditionally nonpartisan, national event into a political rally.
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that this year’s July 4 production will have military demonstrations and aircraft flyovers, as well as the customary concert and fireworks. Air Force One, the custom Boeing 747 used by U.S. presidents, is expected to be among the featured aircraft.
The annual celebration on the monument-lined National Mall typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The biggest change is Trump...
World Jewish Congress expresses horror and concern after 79-year-old woman hit in the head with metal ball near Paris synagogue.
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Wednesday expressed horror and concern following Tuesday’s attack on a French Jew.
The victim, a 79-year-old woman, was wounded in the head with a metal object as she exited a synagogue in Paris’ 11th arrondissement and taken to a nearby hospital. The suspect fled and remains at large.
“The WJC views this incident in Paris as part of a disturbing trend, not just in France but around the world. We wish the victim a speedy recovery and call on the French authorities to do all in their power to bring the perpetrator to justice,” the organization said in a statement.
“The WJC is in conta...
Bahrain has allowed journalists from six different Israeli media outlets to enter the country next week in order to cover the "Peace to Prosperity" conference in Manama which will launch the economic part of the Trump administration's peace plan, Barak Ravid of Channel 13 News reported on Wednesday.
According to Ravid, Bahrain approved the entry of the Israelis at the request of US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner, whose team has been working for the last two years on gradually normalizing relations between Israel and the Gulf states.
This is an unprecedented move by Bahrain that for the first time will allow Israeli journalists to report from the Kingdom which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.
Jason Greenblatt, the US Represe...
Kelly Craft tells Senate says she would follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, Nikki Haley, regarding Israel.
Kelly Craft, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for the post of Ambassador to the United Nations, promised on Wednesday that, if confirmed, she would follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, Nikki Haley, regarding Israel.
“Without US leadership, our partners and allies would be vulnerable to bad actors at the UN. This is particularly true in the case of Israel, which is the subject of unrelenting bias and hostility in UN venues,” Craft told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in a confirmation hearing.
“The United States will never accept such bias, and if confirmed I commit to seizing every opportunity to shine a light on this conduct, c...
Complaint Alleges Syrian Man Plotted Attacks in the Name of ISIS
Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested today based on a federal complaint charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and two counts of distributing information relating to an explosive, destructive device, or weapon of mass destruction in relation to his plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Divis...