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June 11, 2019 at 6:09 pm
Writing a Sefer Torah for soldiers, serving local Jews and touring the historic area with visitors
Exactly 75 years ago, Normandy was the site of one of the largest military invasions ever staged. Forever known as D-Day, June 6, 1944 marked the turning point of World War II, in which 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops stormed 50 miles of fiercely defended beaches in northern France.
U.S. President Donald Trump will headline a flurry of ceremonies, presentations and memorials this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary.
Among those present will be Rabbi Mordechai and Zlata Lewin, co-directors of Chabad ofCaen since 2014.
In an interview with Chabad.org, Rabbi Lewin shares what it’s like to serve as the only rabbi along the beache...
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June 11, 2019 at 6:04 pm
THE FOLLOWING IS VIA YWN
The directorate of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate Batei Din on Tuesday released data regarding 2018, including divorces in chareidi cities.
Documents state that the number of couples divorced in 2018 stands at 11,145, as compared to 10,661 in the year 2017, a 5% increase. In addition, 4,102 divorce cases were opened in 2018, and 8,626 cases were opened for couples seeking to have their divorce agreement approved.
There were 7,857 cases asking the beis din for shalom bayis, and 3000 cases demanding alimony, 1500 seeking property division and 2000 regarding custody and arrangements regarding children.
As for the breakdown by city: In Jerusalem, 733 couples divorced – a decrease of 7% compared to last year. In Tel Aviv, there is an increase of 16% in the num...
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June 11, 2019 at 6:00 pm
The fifth-grade students were headed to Richmond, Virginia for a field trip
Delta Air Lines took their customer service to sky-high heights last week when they chartered a special plane for 41 fifth-graders left stranded in an Oklahoma airport.
The group of fifth-graders and chaperones from James L. Dennis Elementary School in Oklahoma City were headed to Washington, D.C. for a field trip last week when American Airlines canceled their flight.
With no way to get to the east coast, the group was stuck at Will Rogers World Airport — until Delta ground agents reached out with a solution.
After contacting the airline’s Operations and Customer Center, Delta, with the help of Delta Connection partner Endeavor, was able to track down a spare airplane in Atlanta and send it to Ok...
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June 11, 2019 at 5:55 pm
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden assailed each other during overlapping visits to Iowa on Tuesday, previewing what the country might get in next year’s election if Biden becomes his party’s nominee.
Even before he left the White House, Trump unleashed a series of schoolyard taunts, declaring that “Joe Biden is a dummy.” Biden quickly retorted that the president is “an existential threat to this country.”
The back-and-forth laid bare the rising political stakes for each, even with Election Day 2020 still about 17 months away. Trump has zeroed in on Biden as a potential threat to his re-election chances and is testing themes to beat him back. Biden, meanwhile, is campaigning as a front-runner, relishing the ...
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June 11, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Yarmouth, MA - Ryan Cooper was a 20-something Californian unsure of his place in the world when he struck up a pen pal correspondence in the 1970s with Otto Frank, the father of the young Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
Through dozens of letters and several face-to-face meetings, the two forged a friendship that lasted until Frank died in 1980 at the age of 91.
Now 73 years old, Cooper, an antiques dealer and artist in Massachusetts, has donated a trove of letters and mementos he received from Frank to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington ahead of the 90th anniversary Wednesday of Anne Frank’s birth on June 12, 1929.
He wants the letters to be shared so that people can have a deeper understanding of the man who introduced the world to Anne Frank, whose famous World War II...
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June 11, 2019 at 5:33 pm
Baltimore, MD – June 11, 2019 - It is with sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah of Edward Howard Schaffer, z’l, husband of Robyn Schaffer (nee Kundin), father of Anne Schaffer, stepsons, Yossi Kuttler and Gil Kuttler, brother of Brian (Jane) Schaffer, Scott (Wendy) Schaffer, and Randi (Tim) Hennigar, and son of Ruth Schaffer. Mr. Schaffer was predeceased by his father, the late Albert Schaffer.
Levayah will take place at Levinson’s on Wednesday, June 12, at 3 pm.
Kevurah at Chevra Ahavas Chesed Cemetery - Randallstown.
Shiva will be observed at 7507 Labyrinth Road, Baltimore, MD 21208, with Mincha/Maariv at 8:15pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, Shacharit at 7am on Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, and 8...
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June 11, 2019 at 5:14 pm
Paris - French judicial authorities are investigating five people after uncovering an ultra-right plot to attack a religious venue.
A judicial official said Tuesday that two people, one a minor, were arrested and placed under investigation in May for criminal terrorist association. Three others were arrested in the probe that was opened in September in Grenoble, southeast France. The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office took over the case.
The official said only one of the four was being held.
He was confirming portions of a BFMTV report saying that targets were Muslim or Jewish. The official, who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, didn’t say at what stage the plot was or what the target was.
There was no link with a 2017 ultra-right plo...
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June 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm
New York - The pilot killed Monday when his helicopter slammed into the roof of a New York City skyscraper was not authorized to fly in limited visibility, according to his pilot certification, raising questions about why he took off in fog and steady rain.
Tim McCormack, 58, was only certified to fly under regulations known as visual flight rules, which require generally good weather and clear conditions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The rules require at least 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of visibility and that the sky is clear of clouds for daytime flights. The visibility at the time of Monday’s crash was about 1¼ miles (2 kilometers) at nearby Central Park, with low clouds blanketing the skyline.
McCormack was not certified to use instruments to he...
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June 11, 2019 at 4:57 pm
An eight-hour crackdown on illegal street racing on Interstate 695 and other local highways led to 130 traffic stops Friday night, Maryland State Police said.
Police say their joint operation with other local police agencies resulted in 120 citations, 93 warnings and 58 safety equipment repair orders being issued. In addition to the beltway, police patrolled Interstate 70, Interstate 795, Baltimore National Pike, Security Boulevard, and Pulaski Highway looking for vehicles involved in races. They say this year's operation led to exactly twice as many traffic stops as a similar operation a year ago.
So far in 2019, at least three people have been killed while taking part in street races in Baltimore County alone, police said.
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June 11, 2019 at 4:56 pm
Baltimore, MD — A new member of the Baltimore City Council was sworn in to office on Tuesday.
Baltimore Mayor Jack Young swore in Councilwoman Danielle McCray on Tuesday at City Hall. McCray represents District 2.
"I look forward to working with the members of city council," McCray said.
McCray takes the seat formerly filled by now Council President Brandon Scott.
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June 11, 2019 at 4:34 pm
The remains of another person presumed dead from the September 11 attacks in New York have been identified, the New York City Medical Examiner said.
The medical examiner’s office has been working over the years to identify remains of the 2,753 people reported missing in the terror attacks at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The man — whose name was not released — was No. 1,643 and the first since July 2018, the department said in a statement.
The ID was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2013.
Read more at CNN.
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June 11, 2019 at 4:32 pm
Now that Shavuos is past, we enter the heaviest wedding season of the Jewish calendar. I decided to discuss this usually not-well-understood topic.
Question #1: Our wedding is going to be after nightfall. Do we fast until the wedding, or may we break the fast when it gets dark?
Question #2: Yocheved asks: I usually do not fast well, and I am concerned how I will feel at my wedding if I fast that day. What do I do?
Question #3: Sheryl’s dilemma: "What will I explain to my non-observant parents when they exclaim at my pre-chupah reception - 'What! You can't eat anything at your own wedding?’”
Sheryl comes from a very assimilated background. Let her explain:
“In my extended family, my parents were considered the religious ones, since they were the only o...
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June 11, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Baltimore, MD – June 11, 2019 - It is with great sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah of Rivka Sheen, a’h, daughter of Eitan and Lisa Sheen; sister of Chana Sima (Nissim) Fuentes, Sarra Ruchel (Avigdor) Horowitz, Menachem Sheen, Yitzchok Sheen, Yakov Sheen, and the late Yehuda Sheen, z’l.
Shiva will be observed at 3220 Nerak Road, Baltimore, MD, 21208
Shacharis
Wed-Fri, Mon 6:45a
Sun 9:00a
Mincha/Maariv
Tues-Thurs 8:20p
Sun 8:25p
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach...
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June 11, 2019 at 4:18 pm
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new product geared to help stroke survivors walk again.
Israel-based ReWalk Robotics Ltd. announced on Tuesday that its ReStore product will have a starting price in the United States of $28,900, though leasing options will be available.
Last week, ReStore received the CE mark, allowing it to be sold in the European Union.
ReWalk Robotics Ltd. is known for its exoskeleton that enables paraplegics to walk again. It received FDA clearance in 2014.
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June 11, 2019 at 3:59 pm
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair, praised President Donald Trump during an interview on American television, lauding Trump as the “best friend” Israel has ever had in the White House, citing the president’s decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Yerushalayim and the decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
“President Trump is the best friend that Israel and the Jewish people ever had in the White House,” Netanyahu told BlazeTV during an interview Monday night.
&...
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June 11, 2019 at 1:12 pm
New York - The New York City medical examiner has determined that a woman who fell down Manhattan subway stairs with her 1-year-old daughter died of natural causes.
The medical examiner said on Monday that 22-year-old Malaysia Goodson’s death in January was caused by heart and thyroid problems. Her child was unharmed.
The office previously had stated that it appeared the Stamford, Connecticut resident’s death was related to a pre-existing medical condition.
Nonetheless, the incident prompted complaints about the lack of accessibility in the subway system. Only about a quarter of the city’s 472 subway stations have elevators, and the elevators that do exist are often out of service. The problem also makes it difficult for people in wheelchairs to use the subways, and di...
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June 11, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Jerusalem - The Health Ministry has warned of possible measles exposure on Wednesday on a flight from Israel to London.
According to a ministry statement, a patient with measles boarded EasyJet Flight 2084, which left Ben-Gurion Airport at 3.15 p.m. and arrived at Luton Airport in London at 7.30 p.m.
“Anyone who was on the flight and who was born from 1957 onwards and is not immunized with two measles doses is recommended to contact the district health office in Jerusalem immediately or any health office close to their place of residence, or the Health Ministry,” it said. “It is important to clarify the need for vaccination and to receive it if necessary, within 6 days of the flight.”
The Health Ministry advised passengers from this flight “who suffer from ...
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June 11, 2019 at 1:09 pm
New York - Amazon said Tuesday that it is closing its U.S. restaurant delivery service, a 4-year-old business that failed to take off amid fierce competition from Uber Eats, DoorDash and others.
The service, called Amazon Restaurants, offered delivery in more than 20 cities in the U.S. It expanded into the United Kingdom, but Amazon shut down the service in that country late last year. The closure of the U.S. business, which was first reported by technology news site GeekWire, will happen on June 24.
Still, Amazon.com Inc. has shown interest in delivering meals to diners’ doorsteps. Last month, it bought a stake in British food delivery company Deliveroo, whose kangaroo logo is a common sight on bicycles and scooters in Britain.
Amazon Restaurants was a tiny player in the U.S., ta...
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June 11, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Los Vegas - After 25 years living under the shadow of one of the nation’s most notorious murder cases, O.J. Simpson says his life has entered a phase he calls the “no negative zone.”
In a telephone Interview, Simpson told The Associated Press he is healthy and happy living in Las Vegas. And neither he nor his children want to look back by talking about June 12, 1994 — when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman , were killed and Simpson quickly was transformed in the public mind from revered Pro Football Hall of Fame hero to murder suspect.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” Simpson said. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved...
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June 11, 2019 at 1:05 pm
Houston - A Jewish death row inmate who was part of the “Texas 7” gang of escaped prisoners has filed an appeal claiming the former county judge who convicted him was anti-Semitic and frequently used racial slurs.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Randy Halprin alleges in his federal appeal that ex-Dallas County Judge Vickers Cunningham referred to him with anti-Semitic language.
Halprin argues that Cunningham should’ve recused himself.
Halprin was among the inmates who escaped from a South Texas prison in 2000 and committed numerous robberies, including one in which a suburban Dallas police officer was fatally shot.
Cunningham didn’t respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
Cunningham faced allegations of bigotry last year after telling the Dalla...
