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July 10, 2019 at 6:19 pm
Jerusalem - An interdisciplinary research team at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has trained dogs to respond to haptic vibration commands that are transferred through a modified canine vest, deepening the bond between man and his best friend.
Haptics (derived from the Greek phrase “I touch”) technology simulates the senses of touch and motion, which is helpful in a remote operation in which the user is not able to interact with physical objects.
The technology may be useful for delivering remote commands to dogs for use in search and rescue, assisting disabled handlers, and other service animal applications.
“Our research results showed that dogs responded to these vibrotactile cues as well or even better than vocal commands,” said Prof. Amir Shapiro, dir...
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July 10, 2019 at 6:17 pm
New York - The benchmark S&P 500 closed higher on Wednesday after briefly crossing the 3,000-point mark for the first time following dovish remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell boosting the case for an interest rate cut this month.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 76.71 points, or 0.29%, to 26,860.2, the S&P 500 gained 13.43 points, or 0.45%, to 2,993.06 and the Nasdaq Composite added 60.80 points, or 0.75%, to 8,202.53. Read more at Reuters
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July 10, 2019 at 5:54 pm
A bipartisan group of Senators plan to introduce this week the “Never Again Education Act” that, if enacted, would create a grant program at the US Department of Education to enable teachers across the United States the resources and training necessary to teach students about the Holocaust and its lessons.
“This week I will file the Never Again Education Act to help states obtain resources through @usedgov so our students learn about the historical fact that Nazi Germany systematically murdered over 6 million Jews,” tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) will join Rubio in introducing the measure, two sources familiar with the matter told JNS.
Rosen’s office declined to comment on the record, and Cramer&rsquo...
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July 10, 2019 at 5:53 pm
Shas Chairman Deri asked UTJ leaders to hold an urgent and joint discussion following the by the Ramat Gan city council to allow for public transportation on Shabbos.
“I want to hold an urgent discussion between us, representatives of Shas and United Torah Judaism, to formulate a joint position on how to deal with the new situation. The position is brought to the Rabbonim, members of the Moetzes, who will guide us the way to go and what is to be done.
“It is important that this be done jointly and in a single voice to properly present the position of charedi Jewry in the situation that has arisen.”
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
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July 10, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Rav Baruch Soloveitchik, a member of the Rabbinical Committee of Degel Hatorah, decided to resign from his position and from all public activity in Yerushalayim.
Rav Boruch, who was appointed by HaGaon Rav Aryeh Leib Shteinman zatzal, made the decision so he could return his focus to his yeshiva and talmidim.
“[The job] came at the expense of my yeshiva, I decided to invest in the yeshiva and leave the public business,” Rav Boruch explained.
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July 10, 2019 at 5:29 pm
The Rambam authored a well-known principle known as the “golden mean” or the middle road. Every trait embedded within the human heart can ultimately prove beneficial, but can also prove dangerous in excess. Given the inherent potential and danger within every trait, each quality should be carefully calibrated. For example, a person shouldn’t be excessively frugal but also not wasteful or profligate. Spending habits should be carefully balanced to avoid either extreme. Similarly, a person shouldn’t be eternally solemn but also shouldn’t be overexcited and frenzied; ideally a balance between sincerity, focus and humor should be struck, to enable a contented life and a pleasant demeanor. The Rambam underscores that the entire range of human character traits...
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July 10, 2019 at 5:22 pm
Israel’s minister of education said in a cabinet meeting this month that the rate of marriage between US Jews and non-Jews is like a “second Holocaust,” a report said Tuesday.
Rafi Peretz made the statement in the July 1 cabinet meeting that was attended by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported.
He said that because of the rate of mixed marriages, Jewish people have “lost 6 million people,” which is “like a second Holocaust,” according to the report.
Read more at THE NY POST.
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July 10, 2019 at 5:18 pm
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court threw out a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel, handing Trump a significant legal victory Wednesday.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned the ruling of a federal judge in Maryland who said the lawsuit could move forward.
The state of Maryland and the District of Columbia sued in 2017, claiming Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel. The case is one of three that argue the president is violating the provision, which prohibits federal officials from accepting b...
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July 10, 2019 at 5:13 pm
New York, NY - July 10, 2019 - The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America met on Wednesday, July 3rd at the organization’s national headquarters. They heard a comprehensive report about the state education department’s new rules and regulations regarding substantial equivalence for yeshivos and the danger that presents for Torah Chinuch.
They also heard a report about the extraordinary Harbatzas HaTorah that is being generated by the upcoming 13th Global Siyum HaShas, which will be held in Met Life Stadium on January 1st, 2020.
They gave their enthusiastic bracha and support to the Daf Yomi Chabura, Chavrei, and Masmidei HaSiyum programs and encouraged all of Klal Yisroel to take part in this tremendous Kiddush Hashem.
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July 10, 2019 at 5:07 pm
You can cage the singer but not the song.
Harry Belafonte
No “one-hit wonder”, the Torah presents us with two great songs. The first, and most famous is Az Yashir – “Then sang Moshe and B’nei Yisrael this shirah…”, praising the splitting of the yam suf and allowing the Children of Israel to be free at last from their bondage in Mitzrayim. The second and less well-known song occurs near the end of Chukat. It is a short song of gratitude for the uninterrupted supply of water (the well!) throughout the forty years sojourn in the desert. “Then Israel sang this song; ‘Come up, O well, announce it! Well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated, through a lawgiver, with their staff. A gift fr...
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July 10, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Baltimore, MD - July 10, 2019 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to David & Gabri Kozlovsky (Modiin, Israel) on the birth of Shirelle Rose.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Harry & Adriane Kozlovsky and Ely & Marsha Weller (Skokie, IL)
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
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July 10, 2019 at 3:46 pm
Baltimore, MD - July 2019 - Every Shabbos table offers every Jewish family an incredible opportunity by which they can share their joy for Shabbos, for Yiddishkeit and for HaShem with their children. Unfortunately, our schedules are hectic and many people don’t have the time to prepare themselves to utilize the Shabbos table to its fullest. Therefore, we at ACHIM <https://achim.org/> created TableTalk as a pre-packaged talking points pamphlet which is attractive, fun and has something for everyone. Limited copies are distributed to many shuls on a weekly basis but they are snatched up very quickly. Get yours ASAP or click on the graphic below and print your own.
What’s in it and what’s all the excitement about?
TableTalk features
weekly halachic dilemma c...
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July 10, 2019 at 1:41 pm
Washington - Chairman Jerome Powell signaled Wednesday that the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates late this month for the first time in a decade in light of a weakening global economy and rising trade tensions.
Delivering the central bank’s semiannual report to Congress, Powell said that since Fed officials met last month, “uncertainties around trade tensions and concerns about the strength of the global economy continue to weigh on the U.S. economic outlook.” In addition, annual inflation has dipped further below the Fed’s annual target level.
Powell’s remarks triggered a stock market rally, with the Dow Jones industrial average up nearly 100 points in late-morning trading.
Economists suggested that Powell’s message made a quarter-point...
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July 10, 2019 at 1:40 pm
Virginia Beach, VA - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Norfolk area Jewish teacher who disappeared yesterday after attempting to rescue a student in distress in rough waters off the shores of Virginia Beach.
Petty Officer Stephen Lehman told VIN News that the search and rescue operation for the teacher, identified as Rabbi Reuven Bauman, had been called off as of 11:25 this afternoon.
The decision to end the search, which was initiated at approximately 1 PM on Tuesday, was based on numerous factors determining the potential for survival, including water temperature and conditions and Rabbi Bauman’s age and physical condition. Lehman said that the Coast Guard will resume its efforts should there be any indication that Rabbi Bauman is still alive.
The rescue and r...
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July 10, 2019 at 1:37 pm
The Ramat Gan city council on Tuesday evening decided to offer Shabbos busing to entertainment centers, after a previous council meeting had ended inconclusively and was met by a sharp response from religious Knesset members.
MK Ofir Sofer tweeted, “I have a lot of love for the city of Ramat Gan. As a paratrooper, I remember the city as being very connecting, it’s the paratroopers’ adopted hometown. And I ask, where on earth are you taking this, [mayor] Carmel Shama? And for what – the love of the media? What about the love of your residents?”
MK Uri Maklev also criticized the move, saying, “Throughout the years, Ramat Gan has known how to respect every part of the community. Every mayor throughout history has respected sensitivity to religion. Harming...
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July 10, 2019 at 1:36 pm
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday revealed that the special forces officer who was killed in an operation in the Gaza Strip that went awry in November was hit by friendly fire from another member of his team.
The information was released following the presentation of the military’s investigation into the affair, which sparked a heavy but short-lived round of fighting, to IDF chief Aviv Kohavi last week, the army said.
The probe’s findings were a mixed bag, identifying a number of tactical errors and improper planning that led to the operation’s failure, alongside courageous actions by members of the special forces unit who took part in the raid that prevented a greater disaster, including by the officer who accidentally killed his comrade — who for security reas...
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July 10, 2019 at 12:04 pm
Update on our missing Rebbe:Good morning. This is Rabbi Haber with an update. There has been no further news overnight. The coast guard and other agencies have searched through the night and continue to search now. Achiezer is working closely with the command center and is poised both to assist them and to coordinate resources to take over the search if necessary. Please continue to daven for Hashem’s help and that he give koach to everyone involved.
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UPDATE: The Coast Guard is continuing its search Wednesday morning for 35-year-old Reuven Tzvi ben Esther Baila who disappeared into the ocean Tuesday while helping a teen at False Cape State Park.
Crews searched overnight and are still in active search and rescue posture, said Petty Officer Steve Lehmann.
Ur...
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July 10, 2019 at 11:29 am
The S&P 500 broke 3,000 for the first time Wednesday morning ahead of an anticipated interest rate cut, before dropping back below the benchmark.
In prepared testimony before a House panel on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell seemed to suggest that the central bank would cut interest rates in the face of slowing global growth and increasing trade tensions.
“Economic momentum appears to have slowed in some major foreign economies, and that weakness could affect the U.S. economy,” Powell said.
The outlook comes despite strong economic growth and low unemployment. In June, the economy saw the addition of an unexpectedly robust 224,000 new jobs. Read more at The Hill
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July 10, 2019 at 10:13 am
Secret meetings between US government officials and Iranian officials took place last week at a hotel in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in Iraq, sources informed i24NEWS, as the Iranian regime shows signs of a nascent upheaval.
The Iranian delegation, which has at times been at odds with government policy, was headed by the grandson of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, Hassan Khomeini, and also included two officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as well as Iraj Masjedi, Iran’s special envoy to Iraq.
Iran has reportedly been contacting Kurdish opposition parties based in Iraq, but the talks remained “useless,” according to internal Iranian sources.
Read more at i24NEWS.
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July 10, 2019 at 10:11 am
Paris - France will introduce a new charge on plane tickets from next year, with revenue used to fund environment-friendly alternatives, the country’s transport minister said Tuesday.
The “ecotax” costing between 1.50 euros ($1.7) and 18 euros ($20) will apply to most flights departing in France, Elisabeth Borne said.
The only exceptions will be for domestic flights to Corsica and France’s overseas territories, and connecting flights that pass through France. It will not apply to flights arriving in France.
Shares in Air France/KLM and budget airlines EasyJet and Ryanair dropped following the announcement.
The move received a cautious welcome from environmental campaigners, who argue that the airline industry needs to curb its greenhouse gas emissions as part of...
