A pig's kidney has been transplanted into a human and was not immediately rejected for the first time. The medical advancement, called a "transformative moment" by researchers, could pave the way to help the thousands of people in need of organ transplants every year.  On September 25, researchers at New York University performed the transplant, called xenotransplantation, in a two-hour procedure. The kidney, which was obtained from a genetically engineered pig, was placed in a brain dead human who had been placed on a ventilator with the consent of her family. The kidney was attached to the blood vessels in the donor's upper leg and kept outside the abdomen, where it was covered with a protective shield, for the duration of the 54-hour study.  Researchers observed th...
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 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 l...
A 28-year-old police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty on Sunday night in Hollywood, Florida. The tragic incident unfolded in the neighborhood of Emerald Hills, which is home to the largest Jewish community in Hollywood. Local residents tell VINnews that police were responding to calls related to an individual who was allegedly going through the neighborhood on a bicycle, trying to open car doors and steal whatever he could get his hands on. This came following an uptick of car theft incidents in the same neighborhood. According to Hollywood Police Chief Chris O’Brien, a group of officers were dispatched to the neighborhood at approximately 10:30 PM on Sunday evening. After conducting a search through the neighborhood, officers caught up with 18-year-old suspect Jaso...
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 20, 2021 - Less than a decade ago, the name of HaGaon Rav Michoel Forshlager, ztk"l, was a weak memory in the minds of those few who still remembered him and others who heard a little about him and even fewer who chanced upon his Torah in the only published work Toras Michoel al Inyanei HaShas.  All that has changed here in Baltimore and throughout many sections of the frum world.  With the publication by Rav Benzion Bergman of Michoel b'Achas, two volumes of unpublished Torah: Toras Michoel, Braishis and Shmos, the republication of the original Toras Michoel (now in its second reprinting) and the English Biography: The Hidden Giant of the Torah World, Rav Forshlager's name and reputation continues to spread in ever wider circles. Over the past sev...
The kindergarten teacher arranged the table for the weekly Shabbos party in her class. Little “Moshe” was the Shabbos Abba that week and stood at the end of the table with the kiddush cup in his hand. After making the blessing over the grape juice, he sat down, sipped from the cup and exclaimed, “Oy, what a difficult week. Boy, am I tired. Let’s get this show on the road!” The incredulous teacher, never at a loss for words, stood in silent disbelief (or perhaps shock) at little Moshe, who, not yet 5 years old, had perfectly mimicked his father’s weekly post kiddush ritual. Dorothy Law Nolte touched on the foundation of practical “chinuch” (she called it by another name…) in her 1955 poem “Children Live What They Learn” (...
White House press secretary Jen Psaki characterized the supply chain crisis that is causing a shortage of consumer goods across the country as the “tragedy of the treadmill” on Tuesday — the second time a member of the administration has made light of the crisis. During Tuesday’s White House briefing, Psaki was questioned about why President Biden failed to take a more aggressive approach to the bottleneck when the signs were evident in March 2020 that the coronavirus pandemic would disrupt the global supply chain. “It was crystal clear that things were not improving on the supply chain. People couldn’t get dishwashers and furniture and treadmills delivered on time. Not to mention all sorts of other things,” the reporter said. Psaki interje...
Donald Trump, who claims he never conceded the 2020 election, establishes himself as a former president in his lawsuit against the Capitol riot committee and National Archives. The passage appears on page 11 of the complaint filed in federal court on Monday. “Plaintiff Donald J. Trump is the 45th President of the United States. President Trump brings this suit solely in his official capacity as a former President under the PRA, associated regulations, the Executive Order, the Declaratory Judgment Act, and the Constitution of the United States,” the lawsuit states.
The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland is on lockdown Wednesday morning as officials investigate a bomb threat and an active shooter threat. Officials say security personnel responded after they received an anonymous call at 8:45 a.m. stating there was a bomb at or near a building in the Naval Support Activity Bethesda, which houses the hospital. Officials did not specify details about the active shooter threat. The base went into lockdown, and all personnel were ordered to shelter in place. All gates to the facility are closed to non-emergency traffic and officials asked the public to avoid the area.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill vowed to back Israel’s right to build in Judea and Samaria and to block efforts to impose a building freeze on Israeli communities beyond the Green Line. Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan met with members of Congress from both parties during his ongoing trip to Washington DC, which is aimed at coordinating opposition to efforts by the Biden administration to press Israel to freeze all construction in Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria. During the past three days, Dagan has met with more than 20 Republicans and Democrats from both the Senate and the House. Congressman Bob Good, a Republican who represents Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, vowed his support for Dagan’s efforts to prevent a building freeze. “I am happy to b...
The Biden administration said Wednesday that once a Covid-19 vaccine is authorized for children ages 5-11, it plans to make the shot available at more than 25,000 pediatric offices and primary care sites and at nationwide pharmacies and schools. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE submitted data to the Food and Drug  Administration this month seeking emergency authorization of the vaccine. The Biden administration said it has procured enough doses to inoculate the nation’s children if and when it is cleared for use.
And Abraham raised his eyes and saw - behold a ram! - afterwards, caught in the thicket by its horns, so Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as an offering instead of his son (Bereishit 22:13) Who dares imagine Abraham’s heart at that awful moment when he was tested and called to place his son, his only son, the son he loved, upon an altar to be sacrificed?  Who could fathom his soul in that moment of utter obedience to God?  And let us be clear, the moment was solely about Abraham’s faith and obedience.  This act was no punishment for some transgression on Yitzchak’s part, for Yitzchak had made no transgression.  He was pure. The God who asked Abraham to sacrifice his son is the same God who revealed Himself to Abraham and had given him Yit...
The Biden administration is holding meetings with Saudi Arabia on the issue of normalization with Israel, Walla! reported. According to the report, the US would like to see Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his meeting with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the kingdom last month, three US and Arab sources familiar with the issue said. According to the sources, bin Salman did not reject outright the possibility of normalizing ties with Israel. The Saudis emphasized, however, that such a process would take time, and gave Sullivan a list of steps which will need to be taken before it can happen. Several of those steps include improving the relationship between Saudi Arabia an...
600 Russian Jewish youths from numerous locations in Russia flew on special chartered flights to Dubai as part of a unique experience spearheaded by “YaHaD”, the largest Jewish youth organization in all of the FSU. The youths had all participated in weekly evening classes in Torah, halacha and chassidut taught by rabbis and Chabad emissaries throughout the year in over one hundred cities all over Russia. After the students applied themselves assiduously to their studies during the year, they were rewarded with a unique trip and are making history as the largest Jewish group ever to visit Dubai. The trip’s highlight is scheduled for Wednesday night, when two of the students will get married according to Jewish law under a chuppa canopy in the middle of the Dubai desert. ...
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who turned 95 last April, turned down an award for “Oldie of the Year” from a British magazine with a polite but delicately sarcastic response. “Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel, as such the Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you find a more worthy recipient,” Tom Laing-Baker, the Queen’s assistant private secretary, said in a letter shared by the magazine on Tuesday. Unruffled by the royal refusal, the magazine, a British monthly named The Oldie, cheekily decided to run a youthful picture of Her Majesty on its front cover and quoted her adage: “You are as old as you feel.” The Oldie is aimed at senior citizens “as a light-hearted alternative...
Now that a vaccination policy is in effect for city workers, it appears many workers have not told the city about their vaccination status. According to the Baltimore Mayor’s office, as of Tuesday, 53% of all city workers uploaded documentation showing they were fully vaccinated. In the police department, the number is 41%.  Anyone who does not submit vaccination documentation, for whatever reason, will be put on the list and subjected to weekly COVID-19 testing beginning Oct. 25. Last week, the police union told members to not share their vaccination status, but in an updated letter obtained by the 11 News I-Team, the union says sharing vaccine information is compliant with the law, but they stress it's not a requirement. The city administration said it's pla...
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) urged his party to focus on President Biden heading into 2022, and not relitigating the 2020 election that former President Trump still falsely claims was stolen. McConnell, speaking to reporters during a weekly press conference, was asked if he was comfortable with the party embracing Trump. The former president was at a retreat over the weekend for Senate Republicans’ campaign arm and endorsed Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) for reelection in Iowa earlier this month. “Well, I do think we need to be talking about the future, not the past,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “I think the American people are focusing on this administration. … It’s my hope that 2022 electi...
Mayor de Blasio is set to announce a coronavirus vaccine requirement for all municipal employees Wednesday, The Post has learned. The city workers — including firefighters and cops — will have to get their first shot by Nov. 1, sources told The Post. Currently only Department of Education staff are required to be vaccinated, but de Blasio has long considered extending the mandate to all 300,000 city workers. The news did not sit well with one Brooklyn elected official. “The mayor has no idea what he’s doing. We’re going to lose half of our cops and half of our fire department if this goes through and then what?” the official said.
Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The coming name change, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about at the company’s annual Connect conference on October 28th, but could unveil sooner, is meant to signal the tech giant’s ambition to be known for more than social media and all the ills that entail. The rebrand would likely position the blue Facebook app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more. A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment for this story. Facebook already has more than 10,000 employees building consumer hardware like AR glasses that Zuckerberg believes will ev...
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of Tom Nides to serve as the next US ambassador to Israel. Republicans Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Bill Haggerty were the only members of the 22-person panel who requested to have their opposition marked for the record during the voice vote. Nides still needs to get through a vote on the Senate floor in order to be confirmed, and while he is expected to receive overwhelming support from both parties, Republicans can hold up the vote from being scheduled.
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