Natural Earth wishes to advise consumers that there have been reports of infestation in bags of Natural Earth Red Quinoa with expiration code 12-20-20, lot code 154. This infestation seems to have been caused by improper storage in some regions. In consultation with Star-K, Natural Earth is advising that consumers should check these bags prior to use by soaking the quinoa in water for 10-15 minutes and lightly stirring it. If there is infestation present, insects will be seen floating on the surface of the water. If no insects are seen, the quinoa may be used.  
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 19, 2018 - On the dais in the Waldorf-Astoria Jerusalem ballroom for a Monday evening event of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP) were five former Israeli Ambassadors. Moderator Ambassador Ron Prosor served as Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and as Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The four former Israeli Ambassadors to the US to discuss Israel - US relations were Moshe Arens, Sallai Meridor, Iamar Rabinovish, and Zalman Shoval.  Amb. Arens who served during the Reagan years, mentioned James Baker as the most difficult US official he had to deal with, Baker would not meet Arens in person. To please President Bill Clinton and Warren Christopher, Amb Rabi...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 19, 2018 -  Parshas Tetzaveh discusses the bigdei kehunah (Priests' clothing). The clothing that the Kohen Gadol wears is essentially Bigdei Malchus, clothing of royalty. He wears this clothing because he is the emissary of Hashem and represents Him in this world. In the Purim story when Achashveirosh shows off the wealth of his kingdom, the Gemara explains that he wore the clothing of the Kohen Gadol. He wanted to show that Hashem's people are lost and he is now the sole representation of G-d, therefore the people are obligated to serve only him. Mordechai puts on sackcloth, the opposite style of clothing, to show that we have work to do to get back to being representatives of Hashem. Only by taking off the royal garme...
Fire & Explosion in Yerushalayim Restaurant Casued by Oil Oven Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 19, 2018 -  Two people were lightly injured by smoke inhalation at a restaurant on Agripas Street in Jerusalem, near the Mahaneh Yehuda market. The fire was apparently caused by an explosion in an oil oven in the restaurant, and extensive damage was caused to the site Photo Credit: @michaltchinn
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 2018 - Many Jewish families and businesses in the Mid-Atlantic grocery industry can trace generations back to the economically difficult early years of the family and beginnings of a grocery business. A corner grocery store turned into a dominant supermarket chain or a peddler with his horse-drawn wagon grew into a major food distributor. These families took pride in their hard work to make a better life for the next generation. As the businesses grew, these families became active civically and philanthropically within their communities and institutions. This book, titled TASTEMAKERS, highlights those selected and prominent Mid-Atlantic grocery businesses and their families while preserving the legacy/history, untold stories, events, and photos of these companies and f...
6ab4d5b8-6019-4d97-b312-37ce8cd3bfcc from BaltimoreJewishLife.com on Vimeo.
USA Today has named Baltimore America's most dangerous city following 343 murders in 2017.  Baltimore's 55.8 murders per 100,000 people set its own record and led the nation by more than 15 in that category last year. A national decrease in killings in 2017 was helped by decreases in large cities such as Houston and Chicago. Also, New York City reported its lowest per capita murder rate in almost 70 years.  Chicago's murder total fell from over 750 to 650 in 2017.  Baltimore's 343 total was an increase of 25 from 2016.  In light of recent corruption convictions, some have called for more transparency of Baltimore police personnel files. Baltimore's population approached a 100-year low last year.  The FBI will...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 19, 2018 -  Happening Now: Cuff & Co, The Premier Men & Boys Store of Monsey is in Baltimore for a One-Day Pre-Purim/Pesach Sale!
Billionaire philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman, economic consultant to President Donald Trump, gifted $10 million to Israel’s National Library to establish the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Center, currently under construction next to the Knesset. While Schwarzman has a history of supporting transformational education programs, this is thought to be his first major donation to an Israeli cause.
Russian President Vladimir Putin inherited a two-and-a-half-room apartment in downtown Tel Aviv, Ynet reported. It was bequeathed to him by his former high school German teacher, Mina Yuditskaya Berliner, who died last year at the age of 96. Putin bought her the apartment in 2005 after the two reunited in 2005 when he was visiting Israel.
President Trump on Sunday met with House Speaker Paul Ryan at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the Republican Party’s agenda, as calls grow for both the administration and Congress to take action on gun control following a deadly shooting at a nearby Florida high school. Trump, who has said he is “working with Congress on many fronts” to prevent future shootings, has not yet weighed in on his stance on tougher gun measures following the shooting. He did, however, rail against the Obama administration on Twitter on Sunday for supposedly failing to pass gun control legislation when it had the chance. Read more at The Hill.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a stark warning to the U.S. on Monday for its support of the Kurds in Syria, saying Washington should not “play with fire” in the region. “The U.S. should stop playing very dangerous games which could lead to the dismemberment of the Syrian state,” Lavrov said at a Middle East Conference in Moscow on Monday, according to Bloomberg. Read more at The Hill.
MK Yisroel Eichler sent a letter to the attorney general, prime minister and minister of religious affairs demanding they tell the Supreme Court that the Kosel extends south until the Old City wall. This was in anticipation of a fast-approaching deadline. The state must soon explain to the High Court why it is not honoring the original terms of an agreement to set up a pluralistic Kosel, The court also wants to know why Kosel regulations instated in 1981 did not include a detailed map of the area included with former regulations dating from 1972. Eichler said the state must insist that the borders of the Kosel plaza extend to the Old City’s wall as indicated in 1972 map. No new map was included with the 1981 regulations because this was obvious, h...
COGAT message to Hamas heads: 'Stop violent border disturbances. IDF will take harsher measures.' The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, published a video today in Almonsk, the Arabic COGAT Facebook page, calling on Gaza residents to stop the violent disturbances on the Gaza border. Mordechai sent a threatening message to Hamas, stressing that "as of today, the IDF will take more severe measures against the rioters on the Gaza border. You should stop this now; go and demonstrate against Hamas in Gaza." In the past few months, some 15 Arab rioters were killed and more than 400 injured in the dangerous Gaza riots. "We know the violent border confrontations serve as cover for terrorist activity, as happened last ...
A child in New Jersey has died after coming down with the flu, possibly making it the third pediatric flu-related death in the state. Elizabeth Schools Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer said in a note to parents on Sunday saying, “It is with great sadness that I must report to you that the Elizabeth School District has lost one of its own.” Hugelmeyer says that while it has been confirmed that the student had been diagnosed with influenza, it “presently remains unclear whether or not the virus was the primary contributing factor to the child’s passing.” The death is currently under investigation by the New Jersey Department of Health. The child’s name and age have not yet been released. Just last week, 6-year-old Nevaeh Hernandez lost her life aft...
The Trump administration is once again calling for the complete elimination of a heating assistance program that helps to keep the homes of low-income families warm. And once again, program supporters are vowing to fight it. The administration is using the same arguments from a year ago when it tried to abolish the program, saying it's rife with fraud and that no one would be left freezing if the program goes away. "These arguments are very misleading and wrong," said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association in Washington, D.C. The program, known as LIHEAP — Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program — helps families pay their heating bills primarily in the form of a grant that's sent directly to utility companies or heating...
Not long ago, I authored a column for The Boston Herald warning of yet another Middle East humanitarian crisis in the making. Sadly, that prediction appears well on its way to becoming reality. Lebanon was once one of the most progressive and liberal countries in the Middle East.  Beirut was a center of culture and finance and often referred to as the “Paris of the Middle East.” Years of sectarian warfare and conflict resulted in weak, unstable governments that were held together by a delicate power-sharing arrangement among the various religious/political factions. One of those factions is Hezbollah, the radical Shia terrorist organization backed by Iran. Hezbollah has always held significant power in Lebanon, especially in the south along Israel’s nor...
Lisbon - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. Guterres said the latest signals from Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah showed the will to not let this happen but “sometimes a spark is enough to unleash this kind of a conflict”. Hezbollah said last week it could act against Israeli oil facilities if necessary in an Lebanon-Israel offshore energy dispute. U.S. diplomats have been mediating between the two countries after a rise in tensions also involving a dispute over a border wall and Hezbollah’s growing arsenal. “I am deeply worried about hard-to-foresee escalations in the whole region,” Guterres told report...
Jerusalem - Israel says it has successfully tested the country’s advanced missile defense system capable of defending against ballistic missile threats outside the atmosphere. The Defense Ministry says Monday’s successful mission test of the Arrow-3 interceptor is “a major milestone” in Israel’s ability to defend itself “against current and future threats in the region.” Two previous tests of the system were recently called off. Arrow-3 is part of the multi-layered system Israel is developing to defend against both short- and mid-range rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as Iran’s long-range missiles. It includes Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow-2 systems. It was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and ...
More articles