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June 6, 2019 at 11:49 pm
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin on Thursday to offer condolences on the passing of First Lady Nechama Rivlin, drawing fire from his rivals.
“His excellency offered his condolences to President Rivlin during the call and asked God to provide him and his family with comfort and patience,” the official PA news site Wafa reported
Rivlin thanked Abbas for the call and wished him happy holidays on the occasion of Eid al Fitr, the Muslim festival that takes place following Ramadan, the Wafa report added.
The Hamas terror group slammed Abbas for offering his condolences.
“The PA president expressing condolences to the president of the Zionist entity on the death of his wife is a betrayal of our Palestinian people, a s...
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June 6, 2019 at 11:45 pm
Several midrashim depict how when G-d sought an appropriate mountain upon which to give the Torah, two mountains, Mounts Tavor and Carmel, vied for that opportunity claiming they were naturally suited to the task. G-d responds that they were blemished with arrogance and thus unworthy of that role. Instead, G-d selected Mount Sinai, a low and humble mountain, to serve as the focal point for G-d’s revelation.
Despite their tainted status these two mountains were each rewarded in playing a vital function in two historical events.
It was from the vantage point of Mount Tavor that the Jewish armies waged battle against the powerful general Sisera and his troops, handily defeating them.
On Mount Carmel the great prophet, Eliyahu HaNavi, challenged the worshippers of Baal. On that very m...
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June 6, 2019 at 10:19 pm
A California man’s new lawn display has triggered complaints from his neighbors due to the symbol's history representing hate, racism and Nazism.
Steve Johnson, a homeowner in the quiet, residential neighborhood in El Sobrante, recently put a giant concrete swastika on his front yard, however, he insists it has nothing to do with Adolf Hitler or the Third Reich.
“It’s a Tibetan symbol. That’s a life symbol,” he told local Fox news affiliate KTVU. “The Tibetan priests used to have that way before Hitler was even thought of.”
He told reporters he added the symbol to match those on his handrail and doorbell.
San Francisco ABC affiliate KGO noted many Eastern religions use what is known as a Swastik, which looks s...
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June 6, 2019 at 10:14 pm
Sacramento, CA - California fire officials say sparks from a hammer driving a metal stake into the ground ignited a 2018 blaze in Northern California that killed a firefighter and became the largest wildland fire in state history.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Thursday the blaze started July 17, 2018, in Mendocino County and quickly spread, aided by tinder dry vegetation, strong winds and hot temperatures. It spread to Colusa, Glenn and Lake counties.
The blaze burned a total of 640 square miles (1,660 square kilometers), much of it in the Mendocino National Forest, making it the largest wildland fire, or fire on undeveloped land, in state history. It also destroyed 280 structures and killed a firefighter from Utah.
Cal Fire did not identify the person w...
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June 6, 2019 at 9:14 pm
There is a prevalent although not universal minhag to read Rus on Shavuous. Many have suggestions reasons behind the minhag connecting the story of Rus, the birth of דוד המלך, and יום מתן תורתנו. Perhaps there is another connection.
One of the central themes in the story of Rus is the concept of יבום. While many have argued that there is no true יבום in the story, many allusions to the concept of יבום are made. On her way back to בית לחם, Naomi tells Rus and Orpah to return to their original homes, and says (Rus 1:11-13)
״...למה תלכנה עמי, העוד לי בנים במעי והיו לכם לאנשים. שבנה בנתי לכן, כי זקנתי מהיות לאיש, כי ...
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June 6, 2019 at 9:13 pm
A new exhibit at New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is filled with chilling artifacts outlining the transformation of Auschwitz from a Polish town known as Oswiecim to the largest documented mass-murder site in human history, where 1 million people were killed.
Nearly 20,000 people have already seen “Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away.,” the most comprehensive exhibition about Auschwitz ever shown in North America. Seventy-four years after the liberation of Auschwitz, this is the first traveling exhibition in the United States dedicated to the camp’s historical significance. The exhibition opened on May 8, the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, when the Allies celebrated Nazi Germany’s s...
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June 6, 2019 at 9:10 pm
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s return to the election drawing board, it sent political shockwaves throughout the country. It also proved shocking for the Trump administration since the government coalition failure comes just as it launches robust efforts to implement the first part of its long-touted Mideast peace plan.
The Bahrain “Peace to Prosperity” summit, which will see Americans, Israelis and the Arab League come together, is meant to act as the launching pad for a proposal arranged by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all.
The stumbling block by the Israeli government temporarily threw the summit into question, bu...
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June 6, 2019 at 9:09 pm
Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a podcast deal with Spotify, the streaming platform announced.
According to Spotify’s press release, the Obamas, through the multi-year partnership agreement between their production company Higher Ground and Spotify, “will develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics.”
Last year, the Obamas and Higher Ground signed a production deal with Netflix.
Read more.
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June 6, 2019 at 9:05 pm
House Democrats have officially introduced a resolution to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas.
The contempt resolution allows Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to go to court to seek civil enforcement of the subpoena for Barr to turn over special counsel Robert Mueller’s unredacted report and underlying evidence, as well as for McGahn to provide documents and public testimony.
The resolution also gives any committee chair the rare power to go to federal court to seek civil enforcement of subpoenas, both current and future orders, so long as they are granted approval by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Board.
Read more at The Hill.
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June 6, 2019 at 9:04 pm
The Israel Defense Forces’ Medical Corps is in the midst of a pilot program that places nurses and male nurses in combat battalions, as part a series of changes designed to improve the military’s medical services.
IDF head nurse Lt. Col. Oshrat Gozlan told JNS in an interview that some 200 nurses and male nurses serve in the military today, but that unlike in the past, a growing number of them are in the field, together with combat soldiers.
“In the past, you saw them mainly away from the front, in first aid clinics or in the unit that accompanies hospitalized soldiers. Now, there is a trend involving growing numbers of nurses who are strengthening the medical chain in the field,” said Gozlan.
The pilot program began a year-and-a-half ago, she said, based on the ...
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June 6, 2019 at 9:02 pm
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar improperly spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds on non-campaign expenses in 2016 and 2017 while serving in the state legislature, Minnesota’s campaign finance and public disclosure board ruled Thursday.
The state board ordered Omar to personally reimburse her campaign for just under $3,500 the campaign spent on out-of-state travel for Omar and on her joint tax returns.
Omar is also required to pay a civil penalty of $500 for using campaign funds to pay for her travel to a conference in Florida, where she received an honorarium for speaking.
Republican Minnesota state Rep. Steve Drazkowski filed the initial complaint in July 2018, alleging Omar’s campaign had paid attorneys $2,250 for services related to Om...
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June 6, 2019 at 5:08 pm
When Hashem gave us the Torah, He thereby set us aside as His chosen nation. Before this point in time there was no concept of a Jew. Adam and Chava were not Jewish. Noach was not Jewish. In fact, even Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov were not "Jewish" per say. If they were, Yishmael and Esuv would be Jewish, and they aren't. They were the forefathers of the Jewish nation and devoted their lives to Hashem, but were not Jewish. Only now, with the giving of the Torah, did Hashem officially choose us as His special nation. Why was it necessary to have a "chosen nation"? Also, if it was so important, why didn't Hashem choose one sooner? The Purple Jacket People Let us explain with an incredibly powerful parable told by R' Benion Klatzko: There once lived a kind and benevo...
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June 6, 2019 at 5:03 pm
A chilling confession from a captured ISIS fighter has shed light on how the terrorist group intended to exploit the vulnerabilities of the U.S. border with Mexico, using English speakers and westerners to take advantage of smuggling routes and target financial institutions.
Seized ISIS fighter Abu Henricki, a Canadian citizen with dual citizenship with Trinidad, last month said that he was sought out by the violent insurgency’s leadership to attack the U.S. from a route starting in Central America, according to a study by the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and published in Homeland Security Today.
“ISIS has organized plots in Europe with returnees so it seems entirely plausible that they wanted to send guys ...
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June 6, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Andrew Hardy was crossing the street on an electric scooter in downtown Los Angeles when a car struck him at 50 miles per hour and flung him 15 feet in the air before he smacked his head on the pavement and fell unconscious.
The 26-year-old snapped two bones in each leg, broke a thighbone, shattered a kneecap, punctured a lung and fractured three vertebrae in his neck, in addition to sustaining a head injury.
"My brother thought I was dead," said Hardy, who wasn't wearing a helmet.
Doctors told Hardy he'd likely be paralyzed for life. Five months later, he has learned to walk again. But he says he'll never ride another scooter.
"These scooters should not be available to the public," Hardy said. "Those things are like a death wish."
As stand-up electric scooters have rol...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:58 pm
The acting leader of the University of Maryland Medical System on Thursday announced more changes to come for the system's embattled leadership, including a slew of resignations.
“My goal is to create long-term, sustainable change that enhances our core mission of effectively serving the health care needs of the people of Maryland," interim president and CEO John Ashworth said in a statement. "I am grateful to each of these individuals for their contribution and tenured service to the organization. I am keenly focused on building a strong foundation for the future for our patients and team members.”
All leadership changes are effective Friday, June 21.
Kristin Jones Bryce, now the vice president of external affairs and system integration, will become the chief of staff ...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:56 pm
Baltimore, MD — According to a Baltimore Circuit Court filing, the owner of Harborplace is now being forced to sell the property after defaulting on its loan with Deutsche Bank, opening the door to new possibilities for the Inner Harbor.
At one time, the Inner Harbor was an economic and cultural jewel for the city, but recently things have changed.
Its latest owner is accused of neglecting the property and more and more stores have left.
The question now can a new owner turn this place around?
Baltimore's Harborplace is getting ready to celebrate its 40th birthday next year, but there may not be much to celebrate.
According to court filings, the Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corporation has defaulted on its almost $80 million loan, so Harborplace has been placed in receivership.
...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:54 pm
A desperate search by police for a missing detective ended in tragedy Thursday when his body was found at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, multiple law enforcement sources said.
Det. Joseph Calabrese, 57, had been last seen between midnight and two a.m. at Maimonides Medical Center, according to sources.
After his car was found abandoned at Plumb Beach near the Belt Parkway about 3 a.m., dozens of officers scoured the Sheepshead Bay area with K-9 dogs, boats and helicopters in the search. As many as 100 police vehicles rushed to the scene, tangling traffic on the parkway.
The search continued into the afternoon when Calabrese was found.
“I am shocked and shattered beyond belief. Joseph Calabrese was a dedicated detective, union official, husband and fa...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Berlin - When Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the Allies for the D-Day invasion and the “liberation” of Germany in World War II, she might have raised some eyebrows internationally. To those at home, the statement was unremarkable.
There’s no denying that the machine guns and howitzers firing at the Allied forces landing in Normandy 75 years ago were manned by German soldiers. But over the decades, Germans’ attitudes toward the war have evolved from a sense of defeat to something far more complex.
While the leaders of France, Britain, the United States and Canada went to England to commemorate the troops’ sacrifice and duty on Wednesday, Merkel listened quietly. After the ceremony was over, she told reporters that she considered her invitation “a gift...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:25 pm
Housing starts are sharply up, building permits are at a 10-year high, and the number of high-rises is growing, but Jerusalem will remain a poor city.
The trend in construction in Jerusalem is changing. An investigation by "Globes" found that housing starts in 2018 were substantially more numerous than in previous years because of an increase in high-rises in the city, while the proportion of large apartments under construction has reached an all-time record. The rate of building permits, a reliable indication of the extent of construction in the coming years, is at a 10-year high, after years of negative cranes indices.
According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, housing starts totaled 2,875 in 2018, 2.9% more than in 2017. The clear upswing in construction is pr...
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June 6, 2019 at 4:25 pm
U.S. stocksOpens a New Window. got a late day boost on word that U.S. tariffs against Mexico may be delayed by the White HouseOpens a New Window..
The Dow Jones Industrials closed 181 points higher or 0.7 percent and is on pace for its longest winning streak in almost three months. While the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also gained. Bloomberg News was first to report the developments between the U.S. and Mexico, as talks between officials from the two countries continued in Washington. Currently, tariffs are expected on Monday.
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