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.
Washington - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday called the religious leaders of Iran “hypocritical holy men” who amassed vast sums of wealth while allowing their people to suffer, part of a highly critical broadside issued as the republic approached the 40th anniversary of its Islamic revolution and the U.S. prepared to reimpose economic sanctions.
“At times it seems the world has become desensitized to the regime’s authoritarianism at home and its campaigns of violence abroad, but the proud Iranian people are not staying silent about their government’s many abuses,” Pompeo said in prepared remarks for a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
“And the United States under President Trump will not stay silent eithe...
TORONTO (AP) — A man firing a handgun into restaurants and cafes as he walked along a Toronto street shot 14 people, killing one of them, before dying after an exchange of gunfire with police late Sunday, police said.
Police Chief Mark Saunders did not rule out terrorism as a motive in the shooting in the city's Greektown neighborhood.
"Other than the shooter we have a young lady that is deceased," the police chief said.
Saunders also said a girl aged 8 or 9 was in critical condition.
A video from one witness shows a man dressed in black clothes and a black hat walking quickly and firing three shots from the sidewalk into at least one shop or restaurant. Toronto's Greektown is a lively residential area with crowded Greek restaurants and cafes.
The condition of the othe...
A stone was released on Sunday morning and fell from the Western Wall, crashing on the stair leading up to the Israel Section platform used by the mixed prayer groups of the Reform and Conservative movements, Yaki Admaker and Yair Cherki tweeted.
They both noted that “Miraculously there were no worshipers and no one was hurt, but it could also happen in the northern part of the wall – that is, in the large plaza of the wall which is always more crowded.”
Cherki followed his report with the comment: “Waiting for the interpretations of those who know the accounts of heaven as to why it happened here and now.”
To which Aryeh Erlich tweeted in response: “As a regular visitor to the Western Wall, I can assure you that this ‘miracle’ of the ab...
Multiple people have been injured after gunfire erupted on The Danforth Sunday night.
Shots were fired in the area of Danforth and Logan avenues at around 10 p.m.
Toronto Paramedic Services said they were responding to initial information that there are as many as 10 people injured, but they could not provide a confirmed number of patients.
Witnesses in the area said they heard anywhere between 10 and 20 shots being fired. Witnesses also said they saw a number of people lying on the ground in the aftermath.
There is a heavy police presence at the scene and a large swath of the area has been blocked off as emergency crews respond to the situation.TORONTO MASS SHOOTING- Danforth Avenue in Greektown- Multiple shooting scenes- At least 9 people shot- Suspect not in custody- Motive unknown.
St. Louis - Ride-sharing company Uber has suspended a driver who recorded hundreds of St. Louis-area riders without their permission and streamed the live video online.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported 32-year-old Jason Gargac, of Florissant, Missouri, has given about 700 rides in the area since March. Almost all have been streamed to his channel on the live video website Twitch, where he goes by the username “JustSmurf.”
Gargac said he is just trying to “capture the natural interactions between myself and the passengers.”
But some riders said they felt their privacy had been violated. Of about a dozen the newspaper interviewed, all said they didn’t know they were livestreamed and wouldn’t have consented.
After the story’s publication, Uber...
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday night delivered remarks on “Supporting Iranian Voices” at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs in Simi Valley, California.
In his speech, which was attended by Iranian exiles, Pompeo said, “The Trump Administration dreams the same dreams for the people of Iran as you do.”
“At the same time Iran’s regime is trying to convince Europe to stay in the nuclear deal,” he continued, “they’re covertly plotting terrorist attacks in the heart of Europe.”
“The Iran regime’s ideology has led many Iranians to be angry they cannot call their homeland a ‘normal’ country. The United States condemns the oppression levied on the Iranian people by...
Jason Greenblatt, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations, on Sunday night praised the IDF for the rescue operation of hundreds of members of the White Helmets in Syria.
“Following a request from President Donald Trump and other allied leaders, last night Israel conducted a daring humanitarian rescue from Syria of hundreds of ‘White Helmets’ personnel and their families and transferred them safely to Jordan,” tweeted Greenblatt.
“The Israel Defense Forces deserve special commendation for this - they managed to pull this operation together quickly and were focused on saving as many people as possible. Thank you as well to the Government of Jordan for their efforts,” he continued.
Greenblatt also thanked...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a week of drama, back tracking, a double negative and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump on Sunday was back to referring to "a big hoax."
Trump spent days trying to reassure the country that he accepts that the longtime foe interfered in the 2016 election after his public undermining of U.S. intelligence agencies in Helsinki while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump cast doubt once again in a Sunday tweet, diminishing at least the significance, if not the existence, of the interference and the U.S. investigation into Russia's actions.
"So President Obama knew about Russia before the Election," Trump tweeted. "Why didn't he do something about ...
Washington - U.S. President Donald Trump will showcase American-made products ranging from beef jerky and cowboy boots to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet on Monday, as his administration wages trade battles on a series of fronts.
A White House spokeswoman said on Sunday that Trump would make remarks at the exhibit designed to demonstrate the administration’s “commitment to ensuring more products are made in America.” Vice President Mike Pence, six Cabinet secretaries and some dozen other senior officials will also attend.
The U.S. Commerce Department held a hearing on Thursday into its investigation over whether imported vehicles and parts pose a national security risk. All major automakers, including Ford Motor Co, which will have an F-150 pickup truck on dis...
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) investigators believe the rifle that was used to kill Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi near the Gaza border on Friday was Iranian-made, local media outlets reported on Sunday.
According to Israel’s Channel 2, a major clue was that the rifle succeeded in penetrating the soldier’s heavy body armor. The armor was made of a ceramic material described as “level 4.” It is capable of stopping bullets fired by AK-47s, M-16s, and heavier machine guns. Nonetheless, it proved ineffective against the sniper rifle that killed Levi.
The investigators reportedly believe that the rifle was an Iranian-manufactured copy of an Austrian rifle called a “Steyr.”
Channel 2 reported that the IDF was aware of the fact that this weapon was in t...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A feud between a man and his grandmother over his girlfriend staying at the grandmother's home exploded into violence that ultimately led to him taking dozens of people hostage inside a Los Angeles supermarket, a relative said Sunday.
Investigators believe Gene Evin Atkins, 28, shot his grandmother several times and wounded his girlfriend at their South Los Angeles home on Saturday afternoon before he led police on a chase, while exchanging gunfire with officers, crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section and ran inside.
Atkins was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder after an employee was killed as he ran into the supermarket, police said.
His cousin, Charlene Egland, told The Associated Press that he had been ...
London - Britain is holding a Big Butterfly Count to help experts assess the state of the wildlife environment. The count is being backed by celebrities, including naturalist David Attenborough, and depends on people devoting 15 minutes to counting butterfly species.
More than 60,000 volunteers took part in the Butterfly Conservation survey last year. The annual survey began in 2010 and the group says it’s become the largest butterfly monitoring project in the world.
The group says butterflies react very quickly to environmental changes, making them excellent indicators of biodiversity. It says a decline in butterflies is “an early warning” of other wildlife losses.
The count, which also helps to identify threatened species, goes until Aug. 12.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. version of what the top American and Russian diplomats discussed in their most recent telephone call makes no mention of the Russian woman arrested by American authorities and suspected of being a covert Kremlin agent — even though Moscow says her case came up in the conversation.
The State Department's description Sunday of the officials' call mentions "a broad range of issues," including Syria, counterterrorism, dialogue between U.S. and Russian businesses and "diplomatic access."
But Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had complained in the call to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pahm-PAY'-oh) about the arrest of Maria Butina on "fabricated charges" and spoke about "the ne...
Jerusalem, Israel - July 22, 2018 - Restaurants and places of entertainment were closed. Synagogues throughout Jerusalem, Israel, held large gatherings for Eicha and Kinnot. Special programs for Tisha B'Av were held in Kikar Safra, groups gathered on the Tayelet, and at the Confederation House. Ir David offered guided tours of Jerusalem excavations going late into the night..
The 24th annual walk around the Walls of the Old City took place Motzi Shabbat. The event began with a gathering in Independence Park on Agron Street, to daven Maariv and read Eicha. Publicist and journalist Caroline Glick, deputy editor of the Jerusalem Post was guest speaker.
The walk, in which Israeli flags were carried, included explanations and historica...
The Jordanian government lodged an official protest with Israel Sunday, after more than 1,000 Jews visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
On Sunday, as many as 1,400 Jews ascended the holy site to mark the Ninth of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the two Jewish temples which were located on the Temple Mount.
Ten people were arrested on the Temple Mount Sunday, including nine Jewish visitors who were removed from the site for bowing on the Mount. One Arab youth was arrested after he confronted Jewish visitors, shouting slogans and waving a Palestinian flag.
Non-Muslims are prohibited from praying or making religious gestures on the Temple Mount, which is administered by the Waqf – a Jordanian-based Islamic trust.
Later on Sunday, the Jordanian government condemned the ma...
Police arrested three activists on Sunday after they performed a skit near the Temple Mount pantomiming the construction of the Third Temple.
The three, who are members of the 'Students for the Temple Mount' advocacy group, had arrived at the Temple Mount clad in work clothes, hard hats, and carrying shovels. When queried, the activists said that they had arrived to rebuilt the Third Temple and were swiftly arrested.
Their attorney Moshe Polski decried the arrest, telling the press that the arrest infringed on his client's freedom of speech. "This is an incomprehensible arrest of a number of students who came to perform a skit in order to awaken the people of Israel on the day we mourn the destruction of the Temple. The Israel Police arrested the students without any justi...
MEXICO CITY (AP) — President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday released a seven-page letter he sent to U.S. President Donald Trump detailing how he plans to improve Mexico's economy and security when he takes office in December so that Mexicans do not feel the need to migrate.
"There will be many changes," he promised in the letter. "And in this new atmosphere of progress with well-being, I'm sure we can reach agreements to confront together the migration phenomenon as well as the problem of border insecurity."
Lopez Obrador also suggested the two countries draft a development plan backed by public funds and invite Central American countries to join, with the aim of making it "economically unnecessary" for Central Americans to migrate.
Marcelo Ebrard, who is sl...
UJA Federation, CIJA, condemn anti-Semitic vandalism in Toronto.
The word "Achtung" was spray-painted over a sign promoting Holocaust education outside Toronto's Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, CityNews reported.
The sign belonged to the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greater Toronto.
“We were deeply disturbed to learn of this incident at a synagogue in Toronto, where the word ‘ACHTUNG’ was spray-painted over a UJA sign promoting Holocaust education,” said UJA Federation Vice President of Philanthropy Sara Lefton.
“As we witness a rise in anti-Semitism, racism, and hate, UJA’s investment in Holocaust education is as important as ever. Every hate crime reminds us that we must strengthen our efforts to educate the next ...