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October 16, 2017 at 5:10 am
Israel’s prime minister says he intends to establish a parliamentary committee to investigate the funding Israeli NGOs receive from foreign governments.
Benjamin Netanyahu told a gathering of Christian journalists in Jerusalem that the committee will probe “organizations that operate against” Israeli soldiers.
Such committees mostly serve as a way to shed light on a pressing public issue and tend not to have much bite. Israel already has a law, passed last year, which increases the regulation of many Israeli human rights organizations who receive foreign funding.
But Netanyahu’s announcement Sunday highlights the hostility against those groups from Israeli hard-liners. It comes after Israel convicted an Israeli soldier this year for shooting to death a woun...
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October 16, 2017 at 5:10 am
President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump hosted an event at the White House last Tuesday for Jewish children suffering from cancer.
The children were brought to the White House under the auspices of Chai Lifeline, an organization dedicated to assisting Jewish children suffering from cancer. As part of the visit, the children met Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson, took a tour of the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley and visited Vice President Mike Pence's office.
"Honored to spend yesterday afternoon bowling with these amazing kids. Thank you for visiting us at the White House!" wrote Ivanka Trump on Chai Lifeline's Instagram.
Chai Lifeline thanked the White House for enabling the children to tour the President's ...
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October 15, 2017 at 8:16 pm
A high-ranking North Korean official says the country’s development of nuclear weapons is necessary because of the threat posed by the United States and contends the nuclear program is for deterrence.
The deputy chairman of the parliament of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ahn Dong Chun, made the comments Sunday at an assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“Our country is being threatened, the very existence of the DPRK is at stake,” he said, referring to statements by President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly.
“Our nuclear programs are nuclear deterrence programs aimed at protecting our independence; we have no choice but to develop our nuclear programs,” he said, according to Russian state news ...
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October 15, 2017 at 7:59 pm
There is chaos at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday night, as thousands of travelers are being delayed.
According to multiple reports, approximately 200 temporary employees who were hired for the Yomim Tovim have been dismissed.
There seems to be a mess-up in the timing, as the regular employees who handle baggage unloading and sorting have yet to arrive for their shifts, causing delays and angry passengers in the airport.
Thousands of people are scheduled to be boarding flight now to return to their destinations after spending Sukkos in Eretz Yisroel.
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October 15, 2017 at 7:33 pm
President Donald Trump blames the Senate’s GOP leader for the health overhaul failure, tantalizes deals with Democrats and watches his former strategist work to bulldoze the Republican establishment on Capitol Hill.
There’s no need for air conditioning at the White House with that chill in the air when Trump, a public official since January, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, first elected to Congress in 1984, meet on Monday.
“Mitch McConnell’s not our problem. Our problem is that we promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and we failed. We promised to cut taxes and we have yet to do it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of Congress since 1995. “If we’re successful, Mitch McConnell’s fine. If we’re not, we&r...
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October 15, 2017 at 7:33 pm
Among the rishonim in this week’s parsha, we find a dispute as to when the rainbow was created. The pesukim imply that the rainbow was created after the mabul as a covenant, and, indeed, the Ibn Ezra explains the verse this way, disputing an earlier interpretation of the posuk from Rav Saadyah Gaon. However, the Ramban contends that the rainbow was created during the six days of Creation. This provides us with an opportunity to discuss a great rishon, about whom most people know very little: Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra
Question #1: The Right Bensch
“What is the correct text of our bensching?”
Question #2: Contract Law
“I signed a five-year employment contract, and, three years later, I have an offer that is much better for me. Am I halachically required to turn down ...
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October 15, 2017 at 7:32 pm
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the North Korean crisis “will continue until the first bomb drops.”
But it was only recently that President Donald Trump tweeted that Tillerson was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with the leader of the nuclear-armed nation.
Tillerson says in a television interview that Trump “has made clear to me that he wants this solved diplomatically. He is not seeking to go to war.”
Mixed messaging from Washington has raised concerns about the potential for miscalculation amid the increasingly bellicose exchange of words by Trump and Kim.
North Korea has launched missiles that potentially can strike the U.S. mainland and recently conducted its largest ever underground nuclea...
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October 15, 2017 at 4:38 pm
Washingto n- Senior Trump administration officials said on Sunday that the United States was committed to remaining part of the Iran nuclear accord for now, despite President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the deal and his warnings that he might pull out.
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear accord intended to increase Iran’s accountability in return for the lifting of some economic sanctions.
“I think right now, you’re going to see us stay in the deal,” Haley told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
In a speech on Friday, Trump laid out an aggressive approach on Iran and said he would not certify it is complying with the nuclear accord, despite a determination by the United Nations&rsqu...
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October 15, 2017 at 4:24 pm
Local governments and nonprofits trying to recover from major disasters have sometimes learned the hard way that money spent on protective measures, cleanup and rebuilding is not always reimbursed by the U.S. government.
The Associated Press analyzed more than 900 final appeals of public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the past decade. A look at some of the common reasons money is denied, with examples:
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IMMEDIATE THREAT
A common point of dispute is whether work undertaken by cities, counties and other governmental bodies was vital to address an “immediate threat” to life or property.
Sticking tightly to its definitions, this means that some appeals can be denied even when FEMA acknowledges that particular protective ...
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October 15, 2017 at 4:22 pm
The long and brutal 2017 wildfire season is stressing the state and federal agencies that have to pay for the army of ground crews and machinery required to fight them.
The federal government spent more than $2.7 billion on firefighting in its most recently finished budget year, a record that far surpassed the previous high point of $2.1 billion set just two years ago.
In California, firefighting costs have already chewed through more than half of the state’s $469 million emergency fund for big fires just three months in — and that doesn’t include the costs of the recent catastrophic fires that have claimed dozens of lives and thousands of buildings.
California officials said Friday they expect the cost of fighting those fires will be hundreds of millions of doll...
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October 15, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Authorities in Britain and Ireland say the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia could bring disruption and damage as the work week gets underway.
Ophelia was a category 2 hurricane Sunday as it moved northeast across the Atlantic, with sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph).
It is expected to weaken to a storm before hitting land Monday, but U.K. Met office forecaster Luke Miall says it could still pack “hurricane-force” winds.
Ireland’s Met Eireann says western counties could get gusts of up to 80 mph (130 kph), with heavy rain and storm surges.
Britain’s Met Office has a similar warning for Northern Ireland, and warns of potential power cuts, flying debris and disruption to transport and phone signals. Strong winds could also hit Scotland, Wales and England.
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October 15, 2017 at 4:10 pm
How do you improve on a track record of more than 90 years of success?
That was the question that Bnos Agudas Yisroel faced going into the year 5778, but once again, Bnos is back and better than ever. Having spread to more than 40 cities all across the United States, Bnos has embraced its unprecedented growth by kicking off the new year with a nationwide theme that will be shared by Bnosers everywhere, “Eitz Chayim Hi.”
Truly a tree of life that serves the needs of our amazing girls, Bnos is a real eitz chayim, that expects Shnas Ayin Ches, to be a year of serious growth for everyone. The response from Bnos leaders to the new theme has been incredibly positive, with everyone excited to have branches from Brooklyn to Los Angeles all sharing in the same Shabbos group lesso...
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October 15, 2017 at 3:55 pm
At 22:16 on Sunday evening, Tzeva Adom sirens sounded in Jewish towns all across the Eshkol region that borders Gaza. The Sirens have sounded a few times in the past two months as tensions in the Gaza Strip and Sinai continue to escalate. Previously the IDF has responded with lethal force destroying Hamas viewing outposts near the border in response to intermittent rocket fire coming from the strip.
Residents in the Eshkol region reported to Israeli media that they heard multiple explosions, but no crash sites in Israel have been identified. The IDF has stated that they have identified two rockets fired from Sinai and are currently searching for the landing locations of the two rockets.
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October 15, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 15, 2017 – It is with sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com (BJL) informs the community of the petirah of Mr. Irwin Hochberg, z’l, brother of Mrs. Sybil Barer.
Shiva in Baltimore begins Monday, Oct. 16 at Noon - Thursday 10 AM - 9 PM, Friday 10 AM - 4 PM
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
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October 15, 2017 at 3:00 pm
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A huge truck bomb blast in Somalia's capital has killed 231 people and injured 275, Abshir Abdi Ahmed, a Somali senator said Sunday, citing doctors at hospitals.
It is believed to be the single deadliest attack ever in the Horn of Africa nation.
Doctors struggled to assist horrifically wounded victims, many burnt beyond recognition. Officials feared the toll would continue to climb from Saturday's truck bomb that targeted a busy street near key ministries.
Ambulance sirens still echoed across the city as bewildered families wandered in the rubble of buildings, looking for missing relatives. "In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this," the Aamin Ambulance service tweeted.
Grief overwhelmed...
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October 15, 2017 at 12:51 pm
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 15, 2017 – It is with sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com (BJL) informs the community of the petirah of Mr. Toby Jacobovitz, a’h, (formerly of Baltimore), husband of Mrs. Faigy Jacobovitz and father of Nachamah Jacobovitz, Malkie Jacobovitz, Dena Leiter, and Moishe Jacobovitz
The levaya is today at noon at TAG elementary school, 444 Beach 6th, and at 1:45 PM in front of 90 Bennett Ave in Washington Heights.
Shiva will be observed at 1243 Beach 9, Ground Floor Apartment, Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
