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March 19, 2017 at 10:07 am
Teenagers arrested for vandalizing menorah in family's front yard in Arizona.
JTA - Four people have been arrested on suspicion of twisting a large decorative menorah in the front yard of an Arizona family’s home into a swastika.
The arrests were reported Friday by the Arizona Republic newspaper.
One of the suspects was identified by Chandler police as 19-year-old Clive Jamar Wilson. The other three suspects are male juveniles, according to police.
The four suspects were arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespass and aggravated criminal damage. They reportedly were released pending charges.
The Hanukkah candelabra damaged on Dec. 30, 2016, was made of gold spray-painted PVC pipes and solar-powered lights.
Parents Naomi and Seth Ellis said they bu...
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March 19, 2017 at 10:03 am
Flight chartered by Jewish pilgrims heading to tomb of Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum in Poland forced to make emergency landing in Amsterdam.
A charter flight for Jews taking part in the annual pilgrimage to an 18th century Hasidic rebbe’s grave in Eastern Europe was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday in Amsterdam.
The Boeing 767, carrying some 200 passengers, was forced down after the cabin suddenly depressurized. Witnesses say passengers were forced to breathe through masks tied to the plane’s emergency oxygen system while the plane diverted from its flight path to land.
Originating in London Stansted Airport, the charter flight was scheduled to fly to Ukraine, where passengers would disembark and continue on their way to the city of Lezajsk, just over the border in...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:58 am
President Trump has chosen the husband of White House advisor Kellyanne Conway to head the civil division of the Department of Justice, the Wall Street Journal reported.
George Conway was chosen to head the office that has responsibility for defending the administration's proposed travel ban and defending lawsuits filed against the administration, the newspaper reported.
He is a partner at the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The law firm's website says Conway has extensive experience in litigation involving securities, mergers and acquisitions, contracts and antitrust cases. He graduated from Harvard and Yale Law School. He joined the law firm in 1988, soon after his graduation from law school.
He has been involved in numerous complex, high-profil...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:44 am
Washington (AFP) - The US Secret Service has bolstered security at the White House after a man was arrested making threats at one its checkpoints, a third such security scare in just over a week.
CNN reported that the man made a threat claiming he had a bomb in his car, and that he was immediately arrested and the car in which he was traveling seized.
President Donald Trump was away in Florida at the time
"On March 18, 2017 at approximately 11:05 pm, an individual drove a vehicle up to a Secret Service checkpoint located at 15th Street and E Street NW," a Secret Service spokesman said in the latest of a series of White House security concerns.
"Upon contact with the individual, US Secret Service Uniform Division Officers detained the individual and declared his vehicle suspicious. In a...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:36 am
There are no reports of advanced negotiations as a nationwide Egged strike is looming. Egged officials announce that baring any last-minute change, their nationwide strike will begin on Tuesday, 23 Adar as planned. This will bring the nation’s largest bus company to a halt.
The strike is set to begin on Tuesday morning and Histadrut National Labor Union Chief Avi Nissankoren is announcing that Israelis should prepare for this eventuality, which appears likely.
The strike threat surrounds the government’s unwillingness to continue subsidizing Egged as it has in the past, making it difficult for Egged to be competitive. As a result of holding back the sums of money, Egged insists it can no longer afford to pay all salaries and if the government does not take the necessary step,...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:36 am
President Donald Trump defiantly refused to back down from his explosive claim that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones, and sidestepped any blame for the White House decision to highlight an unverified report that Britain helped carry out the alleged surveillance.
In brushing off the diplomatic row with perhaps America’s closest ally, Trump also revived another: the Obama administration’s monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s calls.
“At least we have something in common, perhaps,” Trump quipped Friday during a joint news conference with Merkel.
Merkel, who was making her first visit to the White House since Trump took office, looked surprised by the president’s comment, which he appeared primed to deliver. The Obama administration’s sp...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:34 am
The House GOP health care bill has competition from other Republicans, a group of governors who’ve made their own proposal about how to overhaul Medicaid for low-income people. They’re hoping GOP senators will find their ideas more persuasive.
It’s a gradual approach, with additional options for states. It’s likely to involve more federal spending than the House bill, but also keep more people covered. In the end, though, the governors are still talking about fundamental change.
Four GOP governors are pushing the plan, saying they represent most of the 33 Republican state chief executives. There’s no inkling of any involvement by Democratic governors, and it’s hard to conceive of such major changes without them.
Medicaid is a federal-state program tha...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:29 am
Maryland Parents for Education (MPFE) praised Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk and Senator Roger Manno for introducing a new school security grant program bill (HB 1161).
The new bill will authorize the Maryland Center for School Safety to make grants for security related projects. Schools and childcare centers deemed at risk for hate crimes or ideological attacks will be eligible for the grants.
In the wake of increased threats and incidents, the Teach Advocacy Network (a Jewish national partner organization of MPFE) is urging legislatures across the U.S. to increase security funding for children in at-risk schools and childcare centers. In Maryland, the Rockville and Baltimore Jewish Community Centers, and the Charles E. Smith Day School in Rockville were recently targeted with bomb threa...
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March 19, 2017 at 9:21 am
Air raid Sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council of southern Israel on Sunday morning; signaling a rocket attack from Gaza.
Thousands ran to nearby shelters as is protocol.
Thankfully, no rocketscience had been fired.
An IDF Spokesman unit informed the media moments later that the sirens were a false alarm.
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March 19, 2017 at 5:53 am
Jerusaelm, Israel - Mar. 18, 2017 - A group of Baltimore community members on a visit to Eretz Yisrael, led by Rabbi Shmuel Silber, had the zchus to participate in the 2017 Jerusalem Marathon as part of their trip.
The marathon provides multiple running options and included more than 30,000 participants from over 60 countries. The path goes in and around Yerushalayim, including the old city.
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March 19, 2017 at 5:51 am
Magen David Adom units are responding to a crane collapse at a Ramat Gan building site on N’vei Yehoshua Street.
Hatzalah responders are treating at least one person on the scene. More to follow.
11:36AM: MDA reports a 70-year-old male is being treated and appears to be in moderate condition, apparently, a passerby who is being transported to Kaplan Hospital.
A second victim, a 38-year-old male is also reported in moderate/stable condition with injuries to his head and extremities is also being transported to an unspecified hospital.
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March 18, 2017 at 10:44 pm
"Today, in our bitter exile, there are people who receive ruach hakodesh more easily than in the time of the prophets." [Noam Elimelech]
Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk was the student of Dov Ber of Mezerich, the brother of Meshulam Zushia of Anipoli. He was born in 1717, and died on 21 Adar in 1786 [21 Adar begins tonight: Thursday Feb 24]
During the lifetime of Dov Ber of Mezerich he traveled widely with his brother all over Poland to spread Hassidism. After Dov Ber's death, Rebbe Elimelech settled in Lizhensk and attained great fame, thanks to his lofty life. During his lifetime, Lizhensk was turned into a center of Polish-Galician Hassidism. There, many famous Tzadikim and Hassidic activists of Galicia were educated and obtained their inspiration during t...
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March 18, 2017 at 10:07 pm
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 18, 2017 - In response to the discovery, this week, of a swastika drawn on a sign next to their synagogue, the congregation of B'nai Israel Synagogue is holding a "Demonstration to Erase Hate" tomorrow morning. Led by Rabbi Etan Mintz, members of the local community and B'nai Israel will gather tomorrow, Sunday, March 19 at 9:30am to show that they will not stand silent in the face of hatred. Rabbi Etan Mintz told his congregation on Saturday morning during Sabbath services: "In the face of racism, bigotry, Islamophopbia, xenophobia, and anti-semitism we will continue to stand-up and speak out. Our tradition teaches us that we must not ignore hatred, we must confront in, struggle with it, so that we can ultimately persevere. In light of the numerous acts of ...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Jerusalem, Israel - Mar. 18, 2017 - The Jerusalem Marathon of 2017 was run on Friday, March 17, through the winding and hilly streets of Jerusalem, Israel. International runners and locals, including Mayor Nir Barkat participated.
Along with a full and half marathon, are numerous other short tracks. A significant feature of the Jerusalem Marathon has become the hundreds of charities which participate as groups, raising millions of dollars.
The 10 Kilometer race was run in three parts, with thousands of runners in each group. The day ended with a special short family friendly race.
The weather started cool, but warmed enough to be pleasant, but not hot. Streets opened to traffic earlier than in past years. One wedding proposal was reported. Tens of thousands of people enjoyed...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:28 pm
The Israeli military says it has carried out airstrikes against two Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in response to a projectile fired from Gaza into southern Israel.
No injuries were reported on either side.
The military says it carried out the airstrikes early on Saturday in retaliation for the projectile that landed in an open field. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the firing.
Gaza is ruled by the Islamist militant Hamas group. Since a 50-day war between Israel and Gaza militants in the summer of 2014, a cease-fire has largely held. But militants in Gaza occasionally fire rockets at Israel’s south, and Israel usually retaliates.
Most rocket fire since the war has come from smaller rivals of Hamas. Israel holds Hamas responsible for attacks from the territory.
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March 18, 2017 at 9:28 pm
A proposal to support a ban on ritual circumcision and label it child abuse is splitting the leadership of a liberal party in Norway that supports outreach to Muslim immigrants.
Socialist Left secretary Kari Elisabeth Kaski will push for language supporting the ban in the party’s official platform during a general assembly meeting this weekend, the Klasse Kampen far-left news site reported Thursday.
The plank would propose 15 years as the minimum age for non-medical circumcision of boys, pending their consent. Jews typically have boys circumcised at 8 days old in a ritual called brit milah. The Muslim variant typically occurs later in life but before the age of 13.
Party leaders Audun Lysbakken and Snorre Valen oppose the plan.
“For Norwegian Jews, such ...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:10 pm
New York, NY - With both City Hall and the City Council issuing warnings that changes may be coming to the the 2015 agreement that lifted certain regulations imposed on metzitzah b’peh, a broad-based rabbinical group that has been involved in the ongoing dialogue regarding mbp have spoken out, saying that it is the Board of Health, not the rabbonim involved, who have reneged on their part of the deal.
As previously reported on VIN News (http://bit.ly/2n7c2Lp), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that his office would be reviewing the agreement after being informed that only two of six mohels linked to cases of neonatal herpes that were tied to metzitzah b’peh had been tested for the virus, as required under the terms of the agreement.
Representing the Vaad L’mi...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:09 pm
The Trump administration wants to build a 30-foot-high border wall that looks good from the north side and is difficult to climb or cut through, according to a pair of contract notices posted to a government website further detailing President Donald Trump’s promise to build a “big, beautiful wall” at the Mexican border.
The notices were made public late Friday by Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that will oversee the project and eventually patrol and maintain the wall. The proposals are due to the government by March 29.
One of the CBP contract requests calls for a solid concrete wall, while the other asks for proposals for a see-through structure. Both require the wall to sunk at least six feet into the ground and include 25- and ...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:09 pm
Education Minister Bennett calls on coalition members to prevent new elections which would 'harm Israel's economy.'
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) responded on Saturday night to the coalition crisis caused by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement that he would no longer support the creation of the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC).
"I call on everyone to act responsibly and prevent unnecessary elections which will cause Israel's economy much harm," Bennett said. "With a bit of good will, this crisis can be solved."
On Saturday, Netanyahu announced via Facebook that he had recanted his decision to support the IPBC's creation. He also held a meeting with Likud ministers in which he said that if...
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March 18, 2017 at 9:07 pm
Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, a suspected Islamic extremist attacked a French soldier Saturday morning at Paris’ Orly Airport and wrested away her assault rifle, a French prosecutor said. Two colleagues on her patrol shot and killed the man before he could fire the military-grade weapon in the busy airport terminal.
The attack forced the airport’s terminals to shut down and evacuate, sent passengers and workers fleeing in panic and trapped hundreds of others aboard flights that had just landed. It was the violent climax of what authorities described as a 90-minute spree of destructive criminality across the French capital by the suspect, identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem.
The attack further rattled France, which remains under a state of emergency after atta...
