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October 11, 2021 at 10:32 am
Yeshivas Kol Torah and the entire Torah world were plunged into mourning with the passing of Hagaon Rabbi Avraham Erlanger, known as the Birkas Avraham for his set of commentaries and novellae which cover the entire Talmud. Rabbi Erlanger had been hospitalized in Shaarei Tzedek hospital suffering from coronavirus and passed away Sunday night in his 90th year. In the last year Kol Torah lost two other Rosh Yeshivas to coronavirus- Rabbi Yehezkel Koren Ztz’l and Rabbi Shalom Povarsky Zts’l.
Rabbi Avrohom Erlanger was born in December 1931 in Lucerne, Switzerland. His father rabbi Shimshon Refoel was a prominent member of the local community and his grandfather Rabbi Avraham Erlanger who founded the community was a disciple of Rabbi Yitzhok Dov Halevi Bamberger.
Rabbi Erlanger&r...
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October 11, 2021 at 10:11 am
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Avrohom Erlanger zt”l, rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalayim. He was 90 years old.
Rav Erlanger contracted the coronavirus on Erev Yom Kippur and was hospitalized since then at Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim. He passed away overnight.
Rav Erlanger was one of the senior gedolei Torah and marbitzei Torah of Eretz Yisroel. He was known for his magnum opus, Birkas Avrohom, a set of many volumes on all of Shas.
Rav Erlanger was born in Switzerland on the 2nd of Teves, a son of Rav Shimshon Refoel Erlanger, and a grandson of Rav Avrohom Erlanger, who was one of the leaders of the chareidi community in Switzerland.
Rav Erlanger w...
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October 11, 2021 at 10:11 am
A plane carrying a group of parachute jumpers crashed in the Russian region of Tatarstan on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.
The aircraft, which came down near the city of Menzelinsky, had been carrying 20 parachutists and two crew members. Six people were in a serious condition, the Health Ministry said.
A Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine short-range transport aircraft, the plane was owned by an aeroclub in the city of Menzelinsk, the TASS news agency reported.
Cosmonauts use the area for training and the aeroclub has hosted local, European and world championships, the club’s director Ravil Nurmukhametov was quoted by TASS as saying.
The state-run Cosmonaut Training Facility has suspended its ties with the aeroclub pending an inv...
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October 11, 2021 at 10:02 am
Question #1: THE TALIS EXCHANGE
Dovid asked me the following shaylah: “I put down my talis in shul and, upon returning, discovered that it had been replaced with a similar-looking talis. I left the talis undisturbed, and hung up a sign noting the exchange. Unfortunately, no one responded, and, indeed, the owner may not even realize that he has my talis. Should I take his talis home? May I use it, or must I purchase a new one and leave his until he claims it, which may never happen?”
Question #2: THE LAUNDRY EXCHANGE
A laundry returned the correct quantity of items that had been brought originally; however, the customer, Reuvein, later realized that one sheet was not his. A different customer, Shimon, picked up his laundry and was missing some items; however the laundry insis...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:58 am
The archaeologists: "Approximately two million litres of wine are produced here every year" * The huge 1,500-year-old industrial estate has been uncovered in archeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority as part of the development of the city of Yavne, at the initiative of the Israel Land Authority
Yavne was a world wine powerhouse about 1,500 years ago: a huge and well-designed industrial estate from the Byzantine period, with a very impressive wine production complex - the largest known in the world from this period, has been excavated in the city over the past two years. This huge excavation has been conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority as part of the Israel Land Authority's initiative to expand the city. The plant includes five magnificent wine ...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:50 am
Jerusalem, Israel - Oct. 11, 2021 - Sunday afternoon, President Isaac Herzog and Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tameno-Shete jointly presented the “Minister of Integration Award to New Olim for the Exceptional Contributions to Society and the State of Israel” in an award ceremony at the Beit Hanasi in Jerusalem, Israel.
Aliyah to Israel has increased by 31% in 2021, with 20,360 Olim arriving compared to 15,598 during the corresponding period last year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency for Israel.
The figures come ahead of Yom HaAliyah (Aliyah Day) - a national holiday on October 13th, which celebrates immigrants to Israel from all over the world. The Yom HaAliyah, which was establish...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:42 am
The price tag on lumber, after declining since its all-time high in May, could climb higher through the early months of the coming year, experts recently told Insider.
The outlet reported Saturday:
Lumber futures as of October 8 were hovering around $713 per thousand board feet – still 58% lower than the record high of $1,711 achieved in May as supply chain disruptions and demand for housing drove an incredible boom for the commodity. A year ago, the lumber futures were trading at roughly $586 per thousand board feet.
But after prices bottomed out below $400 per thousand board feet in late August, they have since recovered by $100 per thousand board feet in just over a month, data from Fastmarkets Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price showed.
Meanwhile, Presiden...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:40 am
Former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge to force Facebook to reinstate him as he seeks to use the social media giant to influence elections in 2022 — and possibly a 2024 bid of his own.
Trump, banned from most major social media platforms for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, brought a class-action lawsuit in July alleging censorship by Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s YouTube, along with their respective CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai. Thursday’s filing, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, was for a preliminary injunction on Facebook’s ban while he continues to try to get permanent access.
“This preliminary injunction against Faceboo...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:18 am
A request to block Michigan State University’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate based on natural immunity was denied by a federal judge.
Jeanna Norris, a university employee, sued against the mandate since she already had the virus and recovered. She presented two antibody tests to MSU that showed her previous infection, and said her doctors told her that she did not need the vaccine.
The university’s mandate states that all students and staff, unless they have a medical or religious exemption, must get vaccinated or face termination.
U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney denied Norris’s lawsuit, stating that the school did not violate her rights. Maloney based his opinion on a 1905 Supreme Court case, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, saying that “This Court must apply the law...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:15 am
Goldman Sachs cut its U.S. economic growth target to 5.6% for 2021 and to 4% for 2022 citing an expected decline in fiscal support through the end of next year and a more delayed recovery in consumer spending than previously expected.
The firm previously expected 5.7% gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2021 and 4.4% growth in 2022, according to research released on Sunday from authors including its chief economist Jan Hatzius.
They pointed to a “longer lasting virus drag on virus-sensitive consumer services” as well as an expectation that semiconductor supply likely will not improve until the first half of 2022, delaying inventory restocking until next year.
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October 11, 2021 at 9:13 am
Authorities have arrested a man suspected of gunning down a Georgia police officer during his first shift with the department.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Sunday that 43-year-old Damien Anthony Ferguson had been taken into custody after a large manhunt. No other details were released, and authorities said they planned to hold a news conference later in the day.
Authorities have said that Ferguson fatally shot Officer Dylan Harrison, 26, outside the Alamo Police Department early Saturday. Officials have not said what prompted the shooting in Wheeler County, about 90 miles southeast of Macon.
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October 11, 2021 at 9:09 am
Southwest Airlines canceled more than 1,800 flights this weekend, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of customers and stranding flight crews — the airline blamed the meltdown on a combination of bad weather, air traffic control and its own shortage of available staff.
“I know this is incredibly difficult for all of you, and our Customers are not happy,” Alan Kasher executive vice president of daily flight operations told staff in a note on Sunday, which was seen by CNBC.
The airline said initial problems on bad weather and an “FAA-imposed air traffic management program” were to blame.
“Although we were staffed for the weekend, we could not anticipate the significant disruption that was created from unexpected ATC issues and bad weather acro...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:05 am
An Annapolis couple is facing espionage-related charges based on accusations they tried to sell secrets about U.S. nuclear-powered warships to a foreign government.
Jonathan Toebbe, a 42-year-old Naval nuclear engineer who has a security clearance for his work with nuclear warships, and his wife, Diana Toebbe, 45, were arrested Saturday in West Virginia by FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jonathan Toebbe, aided by his wife, sold information known as restricted data concerning the design of nuclear-powered warships to a person who they believed was a representative of a foreign power who was actually an undercover FBI agent who spoke with Jonathan Toebbe over a number of months.
Officials said the undercover FBI agent colle...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:05 am
Drugmaker Merck asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its pill against COVID-19 in what would add an entirely new and easy-to-use weapon to the world’s arsenal against the pandemic.
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19. All other FDA-backed treatments against the disease require an IV or injection.
An antiviral pill that people could take at home to reduce their symptoms and speed recovery could prove groundbreaking, easing the crushing caseload on U.S. hospitals and helping to curb outbreaks in poorer countries with weak health care systems. It would also bolster the two-pronged approach to the pandemic: treatment, by way of medication, and prevention, p...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:04 am
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday announced plans to massively increase the number of Israelis living in the Golan Heights, including the establishment of new towns in the strategic area on Israel’s northern border.
Speaking at Makor Rishon’s Golan Conference Monday morning, Bennett said his government is moving forward with a plan to double, then quadruple the number of Israelis living in the Golan Heights from roughly 26,000 to 100,000.
The plan, Bennett said, will include the establishment of two new towns in the Golan, as well as expansion of existing communities and investment in local infrastructure.
“The development of the Golan is a national interest,” Bennett said. “It is not enough to say ‘The people are with the Golan,&r...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:04 am
Several days ago, during a large women's event, a teenage girl approached me. I did not recognize her, but then she said her name: "Naama Har Kesef."Wow. Naama is the daughter of Chaim Har Kesef, of blessed memory. He was a volunteer for Magen David Adom and Hatzalah who was killed in an automobile accident during Chol HaMoed of Pesach. Naama was seriously injured, anesthetized, and placed on a ventilator. Lots of us prayed for Naama Bat Revital Sarah for many days.And suddenly she is here next to me, after a long period of rehabilitation, not even with crutches, telling me how she has returned to her twelfth grade studies.We spoke a little and Naama said: "I know that many people I have never met continue to pray for me, and so it is important for me to say thank you, baruch HaShem. ...
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October 11, 2021 at 9:04 am
Following the Aug. 29 meeting in Ramallah of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, Gantz announced that Israel would “loan” the P.A. half a billion shekels ($155 million) to keep it afloat over the coming months.
At the same time, Israel is belatedly implementing a freeze on the tax revenues it transfers to the P.A., in protest against the stipends the P.A. disburses to convicted terrorists and their families. By coincidence, the sum being withheld is similar to that of the “loan”—about 600 million shekels ($186 million) per year, or NIS 50 million ($15.5 million) per month.
(This amount does not reflect the total sum paid by the P.A. to convicted terrorists and the families of deceased terro...
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October 11, 2021 at 12:40 am
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s told Axios in an interview on Sunday that the decision by Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, to stop selling the ice cream in Judea and Samaria is not a boycott of Israel.
Greenfield said that the states which decided to divest from Ben & Jerry’s based their decisions on “misinformation” that “Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever are being characterized as boycotting Israel — which is not the case at all. It’s not boycotting Israel in any way,” he said.
Greenfield also asserted that "what Israel is doing is considered illegal by international law."
Cohen and Greenfield, who sold Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever in 2000, were also asked in t...
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October 10, 2021 at 1:01 pm
Experts are split on whether the waning delta surge will be the last major COVID-19 wave to strike the U.S., as Americans grow eager for the pandemic to end after 19 months.
The vaccination rate and decreasing cases in most states have provided a ray of hope that the pandemic could be winding down after its final large wave, some experts say.
But other public health experts caution the unpredictability of the virus suggests another surge could still happen as the country braces for winter — which led to skyrocketing cases, deaths and hospitalizations last year.
Nicholas Reich, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said declaring there won’t be another major wave after delta “feels like” a “premature” and ...
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October 10, 2021 at 12:59 pm
Abdul Qadeer Khan, revered at home as the “father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb” and accused of illegally sharing nuclear technology with Iran, Libya and North Korea, has died at 85, it was announced Sunday.
The Pakistani atomic scientist was hailed as a national hero for transforming his country into the world’s first Islamic nuclear power, but regarded by the West as a dangerous renegade responsible for smuggling technology to rogue states, including Iran.
Khan had been hospitalized with COVID-19. He died after being transferred to the KRL Hospital in Islamabad with lung problems, state-run broadcaster PTV reported.
Khan had been admitted to the same hospital in August with COVID-19, it said. After being permitted to return home several weeks ago, he was transferr...
