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June 27, 2017 at 9:40 pm
Chareidi lawmakers in Knesset celebrated a victory on Sunday, as the cabinet voted to freeze the Kosel religious status quo, removing the threat of an egalitarian prayer area, at least for the time being.
Acting on that success, the faction leaders are now moving to pressure Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to end regularly chilul Shabbos pertaining to bus lines running in cities around the country.
Shas and Yahadut Hatorah have already sent Transportation Minister Director-General Karen Turner a letter, asking to revoke permits permitting the limited bus service operating in some cities on Shabbos, including Ramat HaSharon, Holon and Herzliya. In the letter they explain the amended regulations place the authority for preserving Shabbos and halting service in the hands of the m...
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June 27, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Opposition MK (Yesh Atid) Elazar Stern is angry of the cabinet decision to freeze the Kosel’s status, which amounts to the de-facto elimination of the egalitarian prayer area at Robinson’s Arch.
The chareidi parties succeeded in pressuring the cabinet into accepting their position, to maintain the religious status quo, which amounts to abandoning plans to establish the egalitarian prayer area. The decision was made at Sunday’s cabinet meeting, with the provision that any change to the status of the Kosel will demand cabinet approval.
The leaders of chareidi factions in Knesset have met with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the matter, and they have sent a clear message, that any attempt to move forward with the egalitarian prayer area would result in their br...
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June 27, 2017 at 9:35 pm
In light of recent violence against chareidi soldiers, on Tuesday 3 Tammuz, President Reuven Rivlin held a military tour of Binyamin Brigade, where he visited the soldiers of the Netzach (גדוד נצ״ח [נוער צבאי חרדי])Yehuda battalion, known more commonly as Nachal Chareidi.
Mr. Rivlin said, “You, the soldiers of Netzach Yehuda, are awake at night in ambushes and checkpoints, fighting against terrorists and enemies, and it is inconceivable that when you return to your neighborhood, someone will dare to raise your hand against you.
The president received a comprehensive survey of the situation in the area as well as the activities of the battalion. The visit was accompanied by the National Planning and Personnel Administration, Brig.-Gen. Eran Shani, the Kfir ...
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June 27, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Facebook said Tuesday that it deleted about 66,000 posts a week in the last two months as the social media giant cracks down on what it deems to be hate speech.
The company said in a blog post that deleting posts can “feel like censorship,” but that it is working on explaining its process better and improving its enforcement of hate speech.
Facebook defines hate speech as attacks on people based on their race, sexual orientation and other “protected characteristics.” The Menlo Park, California, company said it mostly relies on its 2 billion users to report any hateful posts they see. Workers then review the posts and decide whether to delete it.
Facebook Inc. said it plans to hire an additional 3,000 people in the next year to review posts. That’s on ...
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June 27, 2017 at 9:29 pm
It was 6:30AM Tuesday morning, 3 Tammuz, when a 60-year-old bicycle rider was struck and killed by a vehicle in Kiryat Yam, in northern Israel. The fatal accident occurred on Warburg Boulevard, the area’s main thoroughfare.
United Hatzalah EMT Liran Krispin explains the accident was near his home and therefore, he was there in moments of hearing the collision. Upon arrival on the scene, he found the male was unconscious, with head injuries. He was in traumatic arrest.
Resuscitation efforts were implemented but the victim was pronounced dead on the scene.
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June 27, 2017 at 9:27 pm
For the past 13 years, the U.S. State Department has maintained an office devoted to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism in the United States. But it appears as if that will no longer be the case.
On Wednesday, June 14th, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson indicated he might not be appointing a Special Envoy to the office. Since then, an unnamed source told the JTA that the office would go indeed go unstaffed as of July 1.
In a testimony before the foreign operations subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Tillerson explained his position that hiring such an envoy wasn’t necessary and that the overall effort to combat anti-Semitism would be more vigorous without one. Part of his argument was that local State Department missions neg...
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June 27, 2017 at 8:41 pm
A warning from the White House to Syrian President Bashar Assad about another possible chemical weapons attack was also aimed at two of Assad’s key backers, Russia and Iran, the U.S ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday.
During testimony before the House panel on foreign operations, Nikki Haley also called Assad “barbaric” and said she can’t envision a “healthy Syria” if he remains in power.
“The goal is at this point not just to send Assad a message, but to send Russia and Iran a message,” Haley said. “That if this happens again, we are putting you on notice. My hope is that the president’s warning will certainly get Iran and Russia to take a second look, and I hope that it will caution Assad.”
Her comments...
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June 27, 2017 at 8:40 pm
It is already known that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was not present for the cabinet meeting during which the decision was reached to ‘freeze’ the religious status quo at the Kosel. This ended plans for development of an egalitarian prayer area nearby.
It is also known that the vote on the Kosel’s religious status was not on the agenda. In addition, it is being reported that officials in the Finance Ministry were also unaware of the vote that was going to take place, as shortly before the vote, they gave their approval for the transfer of 19 million shekels to the Israel Antiquities Authority for the construction of the egalitarian prayer area.
Three officials approved the transfer of funds, and they were clueless to the planned freeze placed on the projec...
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June 27, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Investigators of the Israel Police Lahav 433 Unit believe they have gathered sufficient evidence to move ahead with a criminal indictment against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the investigation alleging he accepted gifts illegally. (There is more than one investigation taking place against Mr. Netanyahu).
That said, police seem to be uncertain what crimes he will be charged with, as the matter must be determined if the Prime Minister provided something in return for the gifts. Police are still in the process of interviewing another witness, American businessman James Packer, with whom they have made contact and are in the process of arranging a time to question him.
However, the testimony given by Packer they explain will not make or break the case, citing there is already suffici...
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June 27, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Baltimore County Police are actively searching for a missing woman with severe dementia and need the public's help to find her safe.
Shirley Benny (76) was last seen more than three hours ago in the 6100 block of Marglenn Avenue in White Marsh. She is approximately 5'0", 90 pounds, with gray shoulder length hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with multicolored trees printed on the front, blue jeans and gray shoes. She may also be wearing a long-sleeved button-down shirt of an unknown color, as well.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact police at 410-307-2020 or by dialing 9-1-1.
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June 27, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Officials at Tel Hashomer Hospital reported on Tuesday 3 Tammuz that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was discharged. The former prime minister last week stated he did not feel well and after examined by a prison doctor and his personal physician, it was determined to hospitalize him to rule out a possible cardiac incident.
After determining he is fit for discharge, Mr. Olmert was returned to Massiyahu Prison on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a parole board is scheduled to announce if his latest request to wipe one-third from his sentence for good behavior would be granted. The prosecution is opposed to the early release.
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June 27, 2017 at 3:36 pm
In a bruising setback, Senate Republican leaders are delaying a vote on their prized health care bill until after the July 4 recess, forced to retreat by a GOP rebellion that left them lacking enough votes to even begin debating the legislation, two sources said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., delivered the message to GOP senators at a private lunch attended by Vice President Mike Pence and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. The decision was described by a Republican aide and another informed person who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door decision.
All GOP senators were planning to travel to the White House later Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump, one source said.
McConnell had...
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June 27, 2017 at 3:33 pm
Even as it allowed a limited version of the Trump administration’s travel ban to take effect for now, the Supreme Court carved out a major exception.
It said Monday that travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen could come to the United States if they have “a bona fide relationship” with a person or entity in the United States.
Immigration advocates and administration officials are likely to disagree about what exactly is a credible claim of a “bona fide relationship.” But the court offered some guidance:
— A foreign national who seeks to enter the United States to live with a family member, such as a spouse or mother-in-law. The court said a “close familial relationship is required.”
— A student who has been admit...
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June 27, 2017 at 2:31 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a bruising setback, Senate Republican leaders are delaying a vote on their prized health care bill until after the July 4 recess, forced to retreat by a GOP rebellion that left them lacking enough votes to even begin debating the legislation, two sources said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., delivered the message to GOP senators at a private lunch also attended by Vice President Mike Pence and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. The decision was described by a Republican aide and another informed person who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door decision.
All GOP senators were planning to travel to the White House later Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump, on...
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June 27, 2017 at 2:27 pm
President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to repeal and replace “Obamacare” is now in the hands of a key group of GOP senators who are opposing —or not yet supporting — legislation Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing to bring to a vote this week.
These lawmakers range from moderate to conservative Republicans, and include senators who were just re-elected and a couple facing tough re-election fights. Their concerns about the legislation vary along with their ideology, from those who say it’s overly punitive in ejecting people from the insurance rolls, to others who say it doesn’t go far enough in dismantling former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Satisfying one group risks alienating another.
Trump spent pa...
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June 27, 2017 at 2:26 pm
While Bayit Yehudi is trying to offer a compromise regarding giyur, Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita spoke out against all such efforts.
In a conversation with dayanim, Rav Yosef said, “Every compromise attempt that means recognition of all kinds of private conversions not through the state conversion system, should be vigorously fought, neither for the purpose of marriage nor for the purpose of naturalization and recognition under the Law of Return.”
Rav Yosef continued, “The attempts of the Reform and Conservative movements to bring non-Jews in via the back door and to bring about the assimilation that has already occurred in world Jewry will not work.”
Rav Yosef explained that while Bayit Yehudi is trying to find a compromise to the Giyur...
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June 27, 2017 at 2:25 pm
The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from survivors of a 1997 terrorist attack who want to seize museum pieces in U.S. collections to help pay a $71.5 million default judgment against Iran.
The justices said Tuesday they will review a lower court ruling that said the U.S. victims of a suicide bombing in Jerusalem couldn’t go after collections of Persian artifacts at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Chicago.
The victims accused Iran of providing training and support to Hamas, which carried out the attack. They won a judgment and sought assets to pay it after Iran refused to pay.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Iran didn’t own some of the collections and said other artifacts were immune under U.S. law.
The artifacts...
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June 27, 2017 at 2:24 pm
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned anti-Semitic vandalism in Bloomingburg, Sullivan County where an under-construction mikvah was defaced with swastikas and other hateful messages overnight between June 25 and 26.
“A mikvah is a central piece of Jewish life, and spray-painting swastikas and crude symbols strikes at the heart of traditional Jewish life and practice,” said Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director. “This incident is all the more troubling in the context in which it occurs as there is a growing Jewish community in Bloomingburg. We call on local elected officials and community leaders to denounce this bias incident.”
Mr. Bernstein added, “The Sullivan County Sherriff’s Office has launched a thorough investigation and ...
