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September 16, 2021 at 9:50 pm
'In the end, it all comes down to courage,' Mansour Abbas says of Naftali Bennett
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people for 2021, joining world leaders from US President Joe Biden to Chinese premier Xi Jingping.
A short blurb written by Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas, who is an unlikely coalition partner for Bennett’s right-wing Yamina party, said that for Israel’s prime minister, “it all comes down to courage.”
Abbas said that Bennett told him, “I don’t do things in the dark," and that "in a time of polarization and hate, the Israeli public needs unity."
"As the leader of an Arab party, I had become used to cameras being kept outside the room," Abbas said. "It wasn&rs...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:49 pm
Twenty-four states threatened to sue the Biden administration on Thursday over the president's new rule to require employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations and frequent testing for their workers.
A group of Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Biden vowing to take legal action if he did not reverse course, arguing that the mandate would be illegal and unlikely to be successful as a public health measure.
"The vaccines have helped protect millions of Americans, and there are surely others who could benefit from obtaining this treatment," the letter reads. "But convincing those who are hesitant to do so would require you to allow room for discussion and disagreement. Instead, you have offered the American people flimsy lega...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:45 pm
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted attorney Michael Sussman on a charge of lying to the FBI during the 2016 campaign, marking the second prosecution brought by John Durham, the special counsel tapped by former President Trump to investigate the FBI's probe into Russian interference.
The indictment alleges that Sussman, an attorney at the firm Perkins Coie with ties to the Democratic Party, misrepresented who he was working for when he presented evidence to the FBI in 2016 of a link between the Trump Organization and the Russian financial company Alfa Bank.
Prosecutors in Durham's office say that Sussman falsely claimed to investigators at the time that he was not acting on behalf of any client when he had actually been representing Hillary Clinton...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:40 pm
Lebanon defaulted on its debt in 2020, leading to shortages in fuel
Dozens of tanker trucks carrying Iranian fuel arranged by Shiite militant group Hezbollah arrived in shortage-hit Lebanon Thursday, an AFP correspondent reported.
As they entered from Syria through an illegal crossing in the eastern region of Hermel, the trucks were greeted by Hezbollah supporters waving the group's yellow flag and ululating women tossing rice and rose petals.
Hassan Nasrallah, the Iranian-backed group's leader, had promised in August he would bring fuel from Iran to alleviate the rationing that is sowing chaos across the country.
Lebanon defaulted on its debt last year and can no longer afford to import key goods, including petrol for vehicles and diesel to power generators durin...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:37 pm
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is speaking out again about the violence in Baltimore city and issues at Baltimore City Public Schools.
“It’s outrageous and unacceptable that we continue to have more than 300 people murdered on the streets and it doesn’t seem like there is a real willingness to get anything done about it,” Hogan said to reporters on Wednesday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has met with Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison to discuss this week's violence involving young people. On Tuesday night a 12-year-old boy, 14-year-old twin girls and a 17-year-old girl were shot in the 1700 block of North Milton Avenue. Harrison says investigators are trying to determine if the victims were targeted.
Seven people under the age of 18 have been s...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:37 pm
Gov. Larry Hogan has announced more than 10,000 Marylanders have died from COVID-19 and that state flags will fly at half-staff in remembrance.
"More than 10,000 lives have now been taken from us by this deadly virus," Hogan said in a statement. "Each of these Marylanders was the most important person in the world to someone, and our prayers are with all the family members and loved ones who are grieving."
As of Thursday, there are 804 Marylanders currently hospitalized, and 1,330 new cases confirmed. The seven-day positivity rate is at 4.46%.
"We have overcome so much over the last 19 months," Hogan said. "Our recovery continues, and more people are getting vaccinated every day. But even while the worst may be behind us, this virus remains a significant threat to the vul...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:36 pm
Four, including 16-year-old from Syria, detained in incident investigated as Islamist terror attack
German authorities said a possible Islamic terrorist attack on a synagogue was thwarted Thursday.
The attack was intended to hit a place of worship during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, in the city of Hagen in western Germany. Police were tipped off with “very serious and concrete information," said Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Hagen is located.
The information provided included names and dates in “an Islamist-motivated threat situation.”
The incident caused services to be canceled and law enforcement to cordon off the synagogue.
"After the attack on the synagogue in Halle on the highest Jewish holiday Yom Ki...
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September 16, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Baltimore, MD – Sept. 2021 - 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 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 creating ...
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September 15, 2021 at 1:40 pm
She was clinically dead for 45 minutes, but miraculously, doctors brought her back to life.
A Baltimore County woman went into cardiac arrest while she was waiting for the birth of her granddaughter at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Thankfully, she was in the right place at the right time when her heart stopped. Against all odds, Kathy Patten is now enjoying her life as a mom and now a new grandmother. She has experienced a full-functioning recovery after her astounding near-death experience.
Dr. Dov Frankel was one of the doctors who rushed to help when the code blue was announced. "You asked why we didn't give up. We didn't give up because you didn't give up. You were going to survive," Frankel said.
Tuesday, with big hugs and a smile hidden behind a medical mask, Pa...
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September 15, 2021 at 1:01 pm
Baltimore, MD – Sept. 14, 2021 - It is with regret that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petira of Richard Stanley Miller, z'l, brother of Arthur (Sherry) Miller.
The levaya will be graveside at the Beth El Cemetery in Randallstown on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 9:30am.
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
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September 15, 2021 at 12:52 pm
Akhundzada is the Taliban's supreme leader, and holds final authority over all matters
Two key leaders within the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, have seemingly vanished from the public eye, leading many Afghans to question the officials' wellbeing.
Akhundzada has been missing for a month since the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan. Baradar has been missing for several days.
The Taliban embarked on a campaign to dispel rumors regarding Baradar's disappearance, releasing voice messages and handwritten notes allegedly from the official, but no videos.
In the past, the group impersonated Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar for two years after his death, concealing his passing from the public, The Guardian wrote.
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September 15, 2021 at 12:20 pm
A significant increase in antibodies was recorded following measurements conducted at Sheba Medical Center
A serological study conducted in an Israeli hospital found that antibody levels after a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine were ten times higher than those detected after a second dose.
These preliminary results, observed among the staff of Ramat Gan's Sheba Medical Center, promoted cautious hope regarding the duration of Covid protection provided by the booster dose, Israel's public broadcast channel Kan reported on Tuesday.
The analysts compared antibody levels one week after administering the third dose of vaccine to data obtained one week after receiving the second dose.
Earlier this month, the head of the fight against Covid in Israel, Dr. Salman Zarka, ...
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September 15, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl) has demanded that Congress and the White House officially declare the Taliban a terrorist organization after the group seized power in Afghanistan last month, Fox News reported.
Rubio will introduce legislation Wednesday which would prohibit any federal agency from taking action which could be interpreted as expressing US recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
As part of the bill, Rubio also seeks to require the US State Department to present Congress with an annual report on which countries have "diplomatic relations" with the Taliban government as well as individuals who provide aid to the Taliban,
The Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15 as the US withdrew its military forces from Afghanistan.
Senators from President Joe Bi...
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September 15, 2021 at 11:54 am
For millennia, Jewish communities have marked Yom Kippur as an occasion to reflect and pray; fast and seek forgiveness; account for past transgressions, and commit to future change.
At its core, this sacred and solemn day reaffirms a universal principle at the essence of our humanity: that, through word and deed, we each have the ability to right wrongs, mend rifts, and heal wounds. That every place where we have fallen short provides an opportunity for growth, and that by acknowledging shortcomings with honesty and humility, before our Creator and to one another, we can forge a more promising future – for ourselves, for our communities, and for our country.
In that spirit, Jill and I extend our very best wishes for an easy and meaningful fast to all who observe Yom Kip...
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September 15, 2021 at 11:47 am
In Parshas Toldos, we are told of Yitzchak and Rivka’s pleas to have a child. The Pasuk says Vaye’etar Yitzchak (Toldos 25:21) Rashi explains this unusual term of “Vaye’etar” as a Tefilla of unprecedented intensity and of unprecedented relentlessness. Noone had ever davened like this before – neither in duration nor in quality. Quite a statement by Rashi for certain, but the question remains - why? We are told that all the Avos had to wait for children. Various explanations are offered for why the Avos and Imahos were not blessed with children right away. Some say it was because Hashem treasured their Tefillos and wanted them to daven for children. Others say that it was so the children would be even more dear to...
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September 15, 2021 at 11:42 am
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that he is prepared to accept a scenario in which the US manages to revive the Iran nuclear deal, in a rare comment from a senior government official not rejecting the multilateral accord offhand.
“The current US approach of putting the Iran nuclear program back in a box, I’d accept that,” Gantz told Foreign Policy in an interview published Tuesday, employing rhetoric used by the Biden administration to describe the goal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
While security officials not in government have indicated a degree of tolerance for the JCPOA in the past, that sentiment has not extended to public officials, and Gantz appeared to be the most senior cabinet member to reflect it on the record.
Prime Minister Naftali...
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September 15, 2021 at 11:21 am
President Joe Biden denied on Tuesday a media report that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, last week turned down an offer from Biden for a face-to-face meeting.
The Financial Times cited multiple people briefed on a 90-minute call between the two leaders last week as saying Xi did not take Biden up on the offer and instead insisted that Washington adopt a less strident tone toward Beijing.
“It’s not true,” Biden said when asked by reporters if he was disappointed that Xi did not want to meet with him.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement earlier on Tuesday that the report was “not an accurate portrayal of the call. Period.”
A source who was among those briefed on the call confirmed the report was accurate.
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September 15, 2021 at 11:16 am
In a surprise statement Tuesday afternoon, retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman (US Army) strongly suggested that Gen. Mark Milley should resign as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Vindman was reacting to excerpts from a new book in which Milley is reported to have called a counterpart in China following his own conclusion that President Trump was unstable following the 2020 elections last November.
“If this is true, GEN Milley must resign,” tweeted Vindman, a former National Security Council staffer who testified before Congress about a phone call in which President Trump sought damaging information on Joe Biden from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to “Peril,” Milley took extraordinary and secret steps two days after the Januar...
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September 15, 2021 at 11:13 am
North Korea fired a pair of ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, ratcheting up regional tension just days after testing a cruise missile that is believed to have nuclear capabilities.
The launches came amid a flurry of activity on the peninsula, including high-level diplomatic talks and South Korea’s testing of a newly developed submarine-launched ballistic missile of its own.
North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid a standoff over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for U.S. sanctions relief. The negotiations, initiated between former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, have stalled since 2019.
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September 15, 2021 at 11:08 am
The holiest day of the year begins in a few hours and what is its ultimate purpose? To stop comparing ourselves to others and to begin comparing ourselves to ourselves. These are the hours in which it is possible to resolve to become the best version of ourselves. It is told of Reb Zusha, among the founders of the Chasidic movement, that he was accustomed to say:"I am not afraid when I pass away that they will ask me, in heaven, why I wasn't Moshe Rabbeinu. I am not afraid that they will ask me why I wasn't the Rambam. I am only afraid that they will ask me why I wasn't Zusha."May we merit to be ourselves! And may we all be inscribed for a good judgment in the Book of Life.
