Baltimore, MD - May 20, 2024 - Yitzie Pretter’s personal mantra is, “We’ll have plenty of time to rest after 120.”
In the interim, he intends to live life to the fullest and do as much chesed and klal work as possible, including at the OU, where he chairs its Advocacy Center and sits on the general OU Board of Governors.
“I have always admired the OU and the broad reach it has for the Orthodox community in so many facets of life,” he says. “I think it is the single most impactful Jewish organization.”
A resident of Baltimore, MD, Yitzie grew up in Staten Island, NY, and attended JEC (Jewish Educational Center) high school in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Raised in a home where his parents, Chaim, a”h, and Simie, were always &ldq...
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik called for Congress to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders in addition to Hamas leaders in connection with the war between Israel and Hamas that began with the Hamas massacre of October 7.
“The ICC is an illegitimate court that equivocates a peaceful nation protecting its right to exist with radical terror groups that commit genocide,” Stefanik (R-NY) told the New York Post.
“Congress must pass my bill with Congressman Chip Roy, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, that will punish those in the ICC that made this baseless undemocratic decision,” she said.
Stefanik&nbs...
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Baltimore, MD - May 16, 2024 - On Wednesday, May 29th, Jewish Educational Services, an agency of The Associated will be hosting Celebrating Education: JES Educator Awards Ceremony and Annual Meeting. This momentous event will take place at 7:00 pm at Congregation Shomrei Emunah, where we will pay tribute to not only our incredible awardees, including the 2024 Sam Kahan Distinguished Educator, but also to the 100+ educators who were nominated for awards, and we invite you to join us to celebrate ALL the teachers in our community who dedicate themselves to their students and to Jewish Education. Registration is still open - go to bit.ly/CelebratingEducation2024.
This year, we invited community members to participate in our Educator Awards program by nominating outstanding educat...
Rabbi Yonah Sklare is a Rosh Kollel in Baltimore, MD as well as Magid Shiur at Congregation Shomrei Emunah. His refreshingly creative approach to learning as well as his captivating presentation style, have attracted a diverse and beloved following. He lectures at numerous local institutions, including Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary, as well as out of town and online. Rabbi Sklare received semichah and his PhD in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College. He can be reached at rabbisklare@gmail.com.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have successfully evacuated approximately 950,000 Palestinian civilians from Rafah in the Gaza Strip in just two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday.
This large-scale evacuation was part of the ongoing Israeli military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas' control in the region.
According to the IDF, around 30 to 40 percent of Rafah is now under IDF control, while 60 to 70 percent of the city has been completely evacuated. The remaining civilians, estimated at 300,000-400,000, are concentrated near the Tel al-Sultan area along the Gaza coast.
This evacuation was achieved despite earlier U.S. predictions that such a large-scale movement could not be accomplished without significant casualties or a lengthy timeframe of a...
When the Wicked Perish
It truly feels like we are living inside a chapter of the Tanach. Yesterday, when news started to come in about the crash of the Iranian president's helicopter, I saw that some people were quoting the verse from Mishlei, written by Shlomo HaMelech: "When the wicked perish, there is joy." When righteous people perish from the world, we are sad, and unfortunately, this happened a great deal since Simchat Torah. But on the other hand, here is an opportunity to rejoice. When the wicked perish from the world – there is joy in the world, it is cleaner and purer, and better here without them.
But there is another verse, the last verse of the Haftarah that will be read in shul this coming Shabbat: "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything t...
Jerusalem, Israel - May 20, 2024 - On X this morning, Israel's President Herzog expressed outrage over the ICC prosecutor’s announcement,
"The announcement of the prosecutor at the ICC is beyond outrageous, and shows the extent to which the international judicial system is in danger of collapsing.Taken in bad faith, this one-sided move represents a unilateral political step that emboldens terrorists around the world, and violates all the basic rules of the court according to the principle of complementarity and other legal norms.Hamas’ leaders are oppressive dictators guilty of launching mass murder, mass rape, and mass kidnappings of men, women, children and babies.Any attempt to draw parallels between these atrocious terrorists and a democratically elected governm...
Following the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan's application for arrest warrant against Israeli and Hamas leadership over war crimes, Israeli politicians and civil society have rejected the equalization of the parties' violations.
Benny Gantz, the war cabinet member, said "placing the leaders of a country that went into battle to protect its citizens, in the same line with bloodthirsty terrorists, is moral blindness and a violation of its duty and ability to protect its citizens. Accepting the prosecutor's position, would be a historical crime that will not go away."
The Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid stressed: "It is a political, moral failure. We can't accept comparison between Netanyahu and [Hamas chief Yahya] Sinwar."
Then Hosta...
Iran’s first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president of the Islamic Republic on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest.
Mokhber, 68, largely has been in the shadows compared to other politicians in Iran’s Shiite theocracy. Raisi’s death under the constitution thrust Mokhber into public view. He is expected to serve as caretaker president for some 50 days before mandatory presidential elections in Iran.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement of Mokhber’s appointment in a condolence message he shared for Raisi’s death in the crash Sunday. The helicopter was found Monday in northwestern Iran.
Despite his low-key public pr...
IDF troops are continuing to operate against terrorist targets in the area of Jabaliya, locating weaponry in a UNRWA facility and eliminating terrorists in close-quarters combat.
Additionally, an IAF aircraft eliminated operatives who had fired anti-tank missiles at the troops. No IDF injuries were reported.
During one activity in the area, terrorists armed with RPG launchers and identified on their way to attack IDF troops were eliminated in an aerial strike.
Meanwhile, an Islamic Jihad tactical-level commander was eliminated in an aerial strike in the eastern Rafah area along with three other terrorists from the organization who were operating against IDF troops in the area.
Operations continue in the central Gaza Strip, where IDF tanks struck several terrorists and destroyed militar...
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States is at fault for the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Talking to Iranian state media, the former minister blamed US sanctions for the crash: "One of the causes of this heartbreaking incident is the United States, which by embargoing the sale of the aviation parts to Islamic Iran caused the martyrdom of the president and his companions."
He added that "the crime of the United States will definitely be recorded in the minds of the Iranian people and in history."
The Iranian President died when his Bell 212 helicopter crashed. The Bell 212 is a civilian version of a Vietnam War-era UH-1N "Twin Huey," developed in the 1960s by an American company. With Iran not having ties with the Un...
Today (Monday, 20 May 2024) Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant hosted National Security Advisor of the United States, Jake Sullivan at the Ministry of Defense Headquarters in Tel Aviv. The parties held a professional briefing together with the IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Director General of the Ministry of Defense Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, Head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog, Head of the Policy Bureau Dror Shalom, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense Shachar Katz and Military Secretary to the Minister of Defense Brig. Gen. Guy Markizano.
Minister Gallant briefed Advisor Sullivan on developments in the war against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, as well ...
Rabbi David Chai Hacohen, dean of the Netivot Hatora yeshiva in Bat Yam and a neighborhood rabbi in the city, has instructed his students to omit "Tachanun" during Monday's morning and afternoon davening, following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Tachanun is a prayer of supplication, which is not said on festive days or days of thanksgiving.
"The President was a very 'special' hater of israel, and he was the greatest of all the Iranians. And may it be G-d's will that the wolves in the forest where he fell will eat him. This is good news for the Jewish people. Even more than Haman - if we make a festive meal on the day he was killed - then even more so, we should not say Tachanun. It is mentioned in the Mishna Berura that o...
The Iranian Jewish community headed by its Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, published in the name of the "Agudat Kiliman" (the community's nickname) a bereavement notice following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's Foreign Minister, and several others in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
"We are filled with sadness and sobbing following the deaths of the holy ones of the Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the nation and the servant of the Iranian people, together with other diplomats and officials of Islam, the Iranian Republic, and the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and all the people of his land," the announcement read. "Without a doubt, Iranian history will never forget the memory of the modest and tortured President."
"The Kiliman community of I...
An official Israeli source has confirmed to Reuters that Israel was not involved in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi and his Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed Sunday when the helicopter carrying them crashed in northwest Iran. Other Iranian officials, along with the helicopter's crew, also died in the crash.
Iranian authorities have said that all nine bodies were evacuated from the scene, and the Air Force chief said that some were burned so badly as to be unidentifiable.
Lebanon has declared three days of mourning for Raisi.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responded to Raisi's death, affirming "Syria's solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran and with the families of the late deceased and his comrad...
The International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of "war crimes and crimes against humanity" over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
Khan also said the court is seeking warrants for Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as two other top Hamas leaders: leader of the Al Qassem Brigades Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader.
Khan told CNN that the charges against Sinwar, Haniyeh, and al-Masri include “extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention.”
He added: “The world was shocked on the 7th of Oc...
Tasnim news agency, associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced deaths of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Monday morning.
They were killed on Sunday afternoon after the helicopter they were traveling in suffered a hard landing due to inclement weather, and apparently went up in flames.
Intense search-and-rescue efforts, impeded by fog and rain, continued throughout the night to find the crash site in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, with diminishing hopes of finding signs of life. According to Iranian Red Crescent Society, all passengers of the flight died in the incident. Rescuers found "no signs" anybody survived the crash, the organization stated on national television.
Aside from the Iranian...
Baltimore, MD – May 19, 2024 – Today, volunteers took time from their busy schedules and repaired matzeivos and trimmed trees at the German Hill Road Jewish Cemetery, in Dundalk. Participants included the organizer Steven Venick and Barry Dubin, Jeremy Diamond, Larry Franks, Chen Goodman and his son, Hillel, Pikesville Tree Service’s Levi Lowenstein, Levi, Ephy Rosenbloom, and Shalom Rosenbloom.
Jerusalem, Israel – Today, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik delivered an address to members of the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem following an invitation from Speaker Amir Ohana highlighting how America stands with Israel and House Republicans’ fight to protect Jewish students on American college campuses.
Rep. Stefanik is the highest ranking member of the House of Representatives to visit Israel since the October 7th terrorist attacks.
Read her full address below.
“Thank you, Speaker Ohana, for your kind introduction and for inviting me here today. Mr. Speaker, MK Moshe Tur-Paz, MK Dan Illouz, distinguished guests, and dear friends: I am profoundly honored to speak in the hallowed halls of your Knesset, in your eternal capital, the holy c...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Sunday, 19 May 2024), at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, met with northern confrontation line local council heads, listened to their requests, and was presented with the existing gaps in the decision on a plan for the north. The Prime Minister instructed the directors general of the Prime Minister's Office and the Finance Ministry to meet with the local council heads in order to bridge the minor remaining gaps and present him tomorrow with an agreed-upon plan that will be submitted for Government approval during the week.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the local council heads for being steadfast.
Prime Minister Netanyahu at the end of the discussion [translated from Hebrew]:
"In the end, the revival and the momentum ...
