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July 26, 2016 at 1:19 pm
The Jewish community of Omsk, in southwestern Siberia, was founded 150 years ago, largely by “Cantonists,” young Jews who had been forced into the Czarist army for 25-year terms of service as part of a larger 19th-century plan to assimilate the Jewish community into Russian culture.
Yet despite their years of isolation, vicious beatings and other forms of maltreatment, many of these young men still clung to their Jewish identities, and founded synagogues and benevolent societies in the military cities where they were discharged, including Omsk. The community was further bolstered by Jews who had been exiled to Siberia throughout the decades.
In 1854, the city’s first synagogue was built—the same synagogue that serves the community today.
Last week, two ce...
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July 26, 2016 at 1:16 pm
Philadelphia - Bill Clinton was once the Democrats explainer-in-chief, electrifying the convention crowd with his support of President Barack Obama.
Today, he increasingly seems to be explaining himself.
In the four years since the party’s last national convention, the center of gravity in Democratic politics has shifted decidedly to the left. Clinton must finesse some of his administration’s biggest achievements, including a landmark free trade agreement and major criminal justice law, lest his wife pay the price with the party’s emboldened liberal base.
On Tuesday night, the former president will promote what aides say are his wife’s lesser-known achievements, her early days as a child advocacy lawyer, her policy campaigns as first lady and work as sen...
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July 26, 2016 at 1:14 pm
Hillary Clinton is viewed unfavorably by 57 percent of Americans, an all-time worst in her political career and a precipitous drop from just two years ago, according to the latest Gallup poll.
Just 38 percent view Clinton favorably, compared to 55 percent in 2014, Gallup reported. Further, Clinton's image took a 3-point dive in just one month, down from 41 percent favorable in June. Clinton's highest favorable rating was at 67 percent in late 1998.
Other results:
Donald Trump's image is at 36 percent favorable, 59 percent unfavorable the past seven days;
71 percent of Democrats and left-leaning independents view Clinton favorably;
Trump's favorability among Republicans improved to 72 percent during convention week.
Gallup reported that the only comparabl...
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July 26, 2016 at 1:05 pm
“The claim that there was never any discussion about [Hamas terror] tunnels before Operation Protective Edge is the opposite of the truth,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, following the publication of a letter in which Israeli parents who lost their sons in the 2014 Gaza war demanded an official state committee investigation into how the government prepared for the operation and handled the operation itself.
In a meeting with military reporters, Netanyahu said he directed the Israel Defense Forces to find operational solutions to locate and destroy enemy tunnels and that the Defense Ministry convened numerous meetings on the subject. Despite claims to the contrary by some members of the cabinet, the issue of how to deal with the terror tunnels was rai...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:49 pm
Jerusalem - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was slammed by bereaved parents on Tuesday during his speech at the national memorial service for the fallen soldiers of Operation Protective Edge at the Mount Herzl military cemetery.
The memorial ceremony was also attended by President Reuven Rivlin and the families of the soldiers who fell during the 2014 summer conflict.
“My brothers and sisters, fellow bereaved families, your anguish is my anguish and your pain is my pain,” Netanyahu began only to be interrupted by a bereaved father, Yehoram Tal, who shouted, “we don’t believe you.”
“You are ruining democracy and taking control of the media,” shouted Yehoram, whose son, Major Omri Tal, was killed in action along with several of h...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:37 pm
During the Holocaust, my grandmother gave up everything for her closest friend, only to be abandoned in return.
Train from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, 1945:
Maniusia Adler was as alone as any human being could possibly be. Her mother and her baby brother had died in the Lodz ghetto. Her three younger siblings had been sent to the gas chambers as soon as they’d arrived in Auschwitz. Her father was gone and she had no idea if she’d ever see him again. Her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - all of them gone.
She was 16 years old.
She rested her feverish head against the hard wooden planks of the train. Suffering from a carbuncle, the Jewish doctor at Auschwitz had already told her that without medical treatment, she would die soon.
“So this is how I am to m...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Activists using the title "Progressive for Palestine" raise Palestinian flag in audience during platform vote at DNC.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC), opened in Philadelphia yesterday (Monday) under a cloud of scandal, as recent leaks of emails between Democratic party officials showed a clear bias in favor of Hillary Clinton over Senator Bernie Sanders in the race for the party's nomination, together with a readiness to actively interfere in the primary process.
Nevertheless, Senator Sanders did indeed call for his supporters to campaign and vote for Clinton on the first day of the convention, but the influence of his campaign in pulling the party to the left is still tangible.
One of the consequences of the leftward swing within the Democratic party has been a ren...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:23 pm
Residents of the town of Carmel, in the Har Hevron region, were shocked on Shabbat to discover their new Palestinian neighbors.
The European Union has expanded its illegal building activities - to the southern Har Hevron area.
Until now, the EU has sponsored illegal construction mostly in the Adumim region, east of Jerusalem.
However, last Shabbat, residents of the town of Carmel were shocked to discover two new, large, EU-sponsored trailer homes, placed over Shabbat, only ten meters away from the town.
The trailers, mostly provided for Palestinian citizens, break international law and are a security threat for Israelis.
Recently, the Palestinian Authority have invested massive funds and resources in the Har Hevron region. Last week, the PA planted groves right up to the fence of ...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:20 pm
A new plan, called "Yachad," will allow the IDF provide for every soldier - while preventing them for providing for themselves.
A new initiative, pushed by MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Zionist Union), will allow donors to contribute directly to the IDF.
Called "Yachad," the plan will allow the IDF to receive donations, and distribute official equipment to its soldiers - while disallowing any individual soldiers from receiving equipment privately.
At a presentation to the Foreign and Defense Ministries, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot explained that the IDF is obligated to provide all equipment necessary for IDF soldiers. Therefore, it is now illegal for a soldier to use equipment not provided by the IDF.
Nahmias-Verbin argues that the IDF isn't doing enough to provide for its perso...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Georgia Democratic Congressman Rep. Hank Johnson acknowledges 'poor choice of words' but fails to issue full apology.
A Georgia Democratic congressman apologized for calling Jewish "settlers" who live in Judea and Samaria "termites" at an anti-Israel event near the Democratic national convention.
“There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming,” Rep. Hank Johnson said Monday at a Philadelphia event organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
The Washington Free Beacon, a news websi...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:13 pm
Lake George, NY - Authorities say a 9-year-old girl has been killed and her mother injured in a hit-and-run boating accident on an Adirondack lake.
Officials say two power boats collided around 9:30 p.m. Monday on Lake George near Cramer Point on the west shore of the lake located in the southern Adirondacks about 55 miles north of Albany.
Warren County Sheriff Bud York says Tuesday that the girl and mother were among seven relatives in a 28-foot boat that was run over by a 22-foot vessel that left the scene. He says the girl died at the scene and her mother suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
York says the girl and mother were visiting family members on vacation. The victim’s names haven’t been released.
Police located the other boat and its operator at a nearby...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:09 pm
Updated: July 26, 2016 - 12:07PM - 15-year-old David Horowitz, who went missing from Camp Sha’arei Chemle in Roundtop New York has been found alive and well, b"H!
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There is an ongoing search for a missing person in Upstate New York, and hundreds of volunteers have joined the search.
Missing is 15-year-old David Horowitz, who went missing from Camp Sha’arei Chemle in Roundtop New York (Green County).
The camp is part of the Satmar [Kiryas Joel] Camp network
David is a special needs child. He was last seen at the camp at around 8:00PM on Monday night.
He was wearing the clothing seen in the attached photo of him.
The search is being coordinated by The NY State Police, NY Forest Rangers as well as Catskills Hatzolah, Kiryas Joel Hatzolah and the Misaskim Organization.
A...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Dear Congressman Hank Johnson, it has come to my attention that you believe that we Jews of Judea and Samaria are "termites." I fear you have been misinformed.
Dear Congressman Hank Johnson,
It has been brought to my attention that you believe I am a termite.
Not just me, but my family, neighbors, and many of my friends - in fact, all of the Jews currently living in the ancient Jewish lands of Judea and Samaria (unless, that is, like many of the anti-Israel activists you were speaking to at the time, you believe that Jews anywhere at all in Israel qualify as "settlers.")
Congratulations: you have just added to the litany of dehumanizing characterizations of Jews promulgated by anti-Semites throughout history.
Your worthless excuse of an "apology" not...
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July 26, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Baltimore, MD - July 26, 2016 - Crime in our neighborhood is ongoing.
Last night on the 6100 block of Greenspring, a door was kicked in, with computers and other electronics stolen.
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Also last night, Shomrim received reports of an attempted lock-picking off of Seven Mile Lane.
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Sunday night several cars on the 3900 block of Pinkney were burgled between 12 and 12:45 AM, and bicycles were stolen.
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Saturday night we received an email:
On Saturday morning my apartment was attempted to be broken into at about 2:30am but after about 20 minutes, the person left. The police came after an hour and did not do anything due to the person not being there. I live a block away from Seven Mile Lane.
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Last Thursday night multiple cars were broken into on Ivymount and around the Woodcrest area...
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July 26, 2016 at 11:34 am
[Ed. Note]: BJL readers are urged to share this as much as possible
Shalom. My name is Esther Caplin, from Neve Daniel, Israel.
After a year of treatments for stage 4 breast cancer which has spread to my liver, my oncologist decided to put me on Ibrance (with Faslodex) providing me with a free 3-month supply of Ibrance that he had obtained from a former patient.
Unfortunately, Ibrance is not one of the cancer drugs supplied on the health plan in Israel and my oncologist hoped to use the three month period to assess its effectiveness on me and to try to acquire more of the drug from Pfizer on compassionate grounds.
While the Ibrance has succeeded in halting the spread of the cancer, the request to Pfizer did not work out. As buying the drug was not a viable option, I began a search in m...
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July 26, 2016 at 11:20 am
One day before a pre-trial hearing in the case of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the defense is worried about a "tainted prosecution."
In motions unsealed on Monday, defense attorneys for Officer Garrett Miller have advised the Court that they have issued subpoenas to six Baltimore City prosecutors, to determine if they discussed Miller's case.
CLICK HERE to read the defense motion.
Miller was offered immunity when he testified for the prosecution on May 16 at the trial of Officer Edward Nero.
Under an immunity agreement none of what Miller said on the stand at Nero's trial, and no evidence resulting from that testimony, can be used at Miller's trial.
As part of that agreement Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mos...
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July 26, 2016 at 11:03 am
Jerusalem - The Knesset Education Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the final ratification of a bill passed in its first reading that would nullify the requirement that Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) elementary schools teach a minimum of basic courses in English, math, and science in order to receive government funding.
The first reading of the new bill had been approved on Monday by a majority of 37 lawmakers in favor versus 33 who opposed it. The bill has yet to pass a second and third reading in order to be ratified into law.
The bill revokes a previous law passed in 2013 by Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid in collaboration with former Education Minister Rabbi Shai Piron. The law had mandated that a portion of state funding for Haredi schools be conditioned upon compliance wit...
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July 26, 2016 at 10:56 am
Washington - Donald Trump is complaining about hot air at a Virginia hotel, and the hotel is pushing back.
The Republican presidential nominee said he felt like he was “in a sauna” speaking to supporters at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on Monday and warned he might not pay the bill.
Onstage, Trump, owner of luxury hotels, interrupted his remarks about free trade to berate the hotel about its air conditioning system.
“I don’t know what hotel this is, but you ought to try turning on the air conditioning or we’re not going to get you paid,” Trump said.
Hotel officials told WDBJ in Roanoke that the air conditioning system “was on and working properly throughout the event.” The hotel said temperatures in the 90s did pose &ld...
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July 26, 2016 at 10:51 am
Waze has developed a warning that will remind drivers to check whether they have left their children behind
Children left behind in cars is one of the worst plagues of the summer. According to figures from Beterem – Safe Kids Israel (Hebrew), the media reported 293 cases of children being forgotten in various vehicles in 2009-2014, with 15 cases ending in the child’s death. We have now learned that Waze, one of the world’s most popular navigational apps, is on the road to launching a new feature that may be able to prevent the next forgotten child.
Have you finished your journey? Waze will show you a reminder to check the back of the car
Photo credit: Geektime
Screen captures we have obtained from Waze’s recent beta version show that the compa...
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July 26, 2016 at 10:25 am
Washington - Donald Trump is talking about polls again.
The Republican presidential nominee had recently avoided the subject, given that many preference polls showed him in a close race with Hillary Clinton.
But on Monday, Trump cited polls following the Republican National Convention that show “the biggest bounce that anyone can remember.”
Yet while all preference polls taken months before the November vote should come with a grain of salt, those published around the conventions are often especially volatile. They require a shaker.
And, by the way, those national polls don’t reflect the way America chooses its president. The White House isn’t decided by a popular vote, but in state-by-state votes that make up the Electoral College.
Here’s a deeper...
