Gov. Larry Hogan is urging Marylanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a new variant emerges across the globe. Hogan said he was briefed Monday morning from the state's COVID-19 Response Team regarding the new variant and said the state is closely monitoring it. Hogan said Maryland has one of the most robust testing surveillance systems in the country to identify and track variants. He further urged Marylanders to get vaccinated, and for those who are vaccinated to get the booster shot. "While there is still much unknown about the omicron variant and how it will spread, the most important thing Marylanders can do right now is to get vaccinated or get a booster shot. It is the best way to maintain your immunity and protect yourself and your family from severe illness. All Mar...
Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli (Labor) on Monday submitted to the Ministry of Justice an amendment to the traffic regulations, the purpose of which is to allow the public the opportunity to order public transportation services from private companies during Shabbat, Channel 12 News reported. According to the report, the amendment will allow passengers to book a public vehicle that can transport eight or more passengers by prior reservation and payment by technological means, without subsidy from the state. The service offered in the amendment is a complementary service to organized transportation at an unsupervised price, while reducing the regulation that requires those to travel only with the booking and payment of one customer. The Ministry of Transportation stressed...
As Apple and WhatsApp have built themselves into multibillion-dollar behemoths, they’ve done it while preaching the importance of privacy, especially when it comes to secure messaging. But, in a previously unreported FBI document obtained by Rolling Stone, the bureau claims that it’s particularly easy to harvest data from Facebook’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage services, as long as the FBI has a warrant or subpoena. Judging by this document, “the most popular encrypted messaging apps iMessage and WhatsApp are also the most permissive,” according to Mallory Knodel, the chief technology officer at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has articulated a “​​privacy-focused vision” built around WhatsA...
Ilhan Omar, anti-semitic member of the socialist “Squad”, refused to accept an apology from Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. In fact, Omar hung up on her Republican colleague, who reached out sincerely to make amends, days after she told a joke that some people found offensive. Part of the friction stemmed from the fact that Boebert asked Omar to apologize for being an anti-semite, however Omar apparently refused to do so. In a video posted on social media, Boeb...
Jews are in the midst of celebrating Chanukkah. Marking the holiday, President Joe Biden called Chanukkah a “undeniably American” festival. But, with policies he and his supporters are pushing on a resistant population, he doesn’t seem to realize the half of it. Chanukkah is a Jewish festival, lasting eight days from the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees in 165 BC after its desecration by the Syrians. Many refer to it as the “Festival of Lights.”  Biden celebrated the start of Chanukkah with his “undeniably American” statement, adding the lessons it offers are akin to America’s democratic founding. Biden said “[i]t teaches us that even a little bi...
The NYPD is searching for three suspects behind a string of attacks against Jewish children in Brooklyn. Police say the three women seen in surveillance pictures are linked to three incidents. All the victims were wearing traditional Jewish attire at the time of the attacks.
BERLIN—The Omicron variant of the coronavirus could lead to more infections among vaccinated people but they will most likely remain protected from a severe course of illness, according to the inventor of one of the first Covid-19 vaccines. While the new variant might evade the antibodies generated in reaction to the vaccine, the virus will likely remain vulnerable to immune cells that destroy IT once it enters the body, BioNTech SE co-founder Ugur Sahin said. “Our message is: Don’t freak out, the plan remains the same: Speed up the administration of a third booster shot,” Dr. Sahin said in an interview Tuesday. Based on current knowledge about the mechanisms behind the vaccine and the biology of variants, Dr. Sahin said he assumed that immunized peop...
It was a big "win" for the Afghan women’s youth development soccer team. The girls, many in their teens, plus coaches and family, 130 in all, arrived recently at a London-area airport. The girls are happy and grateful after their lives had been threatened by Afghanistan's new, harsh Taliban rulers, who oppose many freedoms and rights for women -- especially in sports. Former Afghan women’s soccer captain Khalida Popal was a key "player" in getting the girls and others out.      "Some of their family members were killed or taken by the Taliban," Popal said. "So the danger and distress was very high, and that’s why it was very important to move very fast to get them outside Afghanistan."  But with the departure of U.S. troops, gett...
Pirkei D’rebbi Eliezer (16:16) states that חתן דומה למלך" “- a bridegroom is compared to a king. By association, we can say that a bride is compared to a queen. The explanation is that as the groom and bride wear expensive clothing, are escorted and celebrated upon, they in fact resemble “royalty”. While all of that makes sense there must be something deeper than the externals of the new couple. The statement of Pirkei D’rebbi Eliezer should have meaning that applies beyond the superficial. I believe that the deeper lesson comes from the dreams in Parshat Mikeitz. Paroh’s dreams include 7 healthy and 7 scrawny cows ,7 healthy stalks followed by 7 withered ones. These dreams greatly disturb not only his sleep but his peace of mind. Paroh t...
Baltimore, MD -  Nov. 30, 2021 - Sunday evening, the first light of Chanukah, was celebrated at Baltimore’s Downtown Esther Anne Menorah by Mayor Brandon Scott, public officials and a cadre of Chabad Shluchim led by senior Maryland region Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan. Due to Covid concerns there was only limited participation by the public. In his remarks Mayor Scott emphasized the importance of the Menorah standing at one of the most prominent locations in the downtown district. The city is the center of the entire region and the Menorah belongs here. Rabbi Kaplan highlighted the important message of the lights of Chanukah bringing light which represents bringing intelligence and experience that comes with age to guide the energy and actions of youth.  Rabbi Yaakov Kapla...
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 30, 2021 - Ushering in the special days of Chanukah, Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah celebrated with an uplifting mesiba on Sunday night, the first night of Chanukah. Held in the Yeshiva’s Bais Medrash at 3506 Bancroft Road, the atmosphere and setting were just right for an evening of aliyah and simcha. Led by the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi Dovid Hoffman and Rabbi Moshe Aharon Rosenbaum, the ruach and spirit of achdus of the Hanhala, Bochurim and Kollel yungerleit shone through as dancing began even before sitting down. After a few minutes everyone found their seats to enjoy the sushi, donuts and other Chanukah delectables. Third year Bais Medrash Bochur Avrami Saltzman of Milwaukee addressed the asifa. He noted the chizuk that we can take from the Chashmona’im an...
A woman in her 60s is in critical condition in Carmel hospital after choking on a sufganiya (jelly donut) on HaHursha Street in Haifa. United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs responded to the incident, the second of its kind in two days, and performed CPR on the woman in an attempt to save her life. Volunteer EMT with United Hatzalah Itamar Galili who was one of the first responders at the scene relayed: "When I arrived at the scene I was told that the woman had choked while eating a sufganiya and that she was eating it while she was riding in a minibus. I treated her at the scene, including performing CPR on her in an attempt to save her life. She was later taken by ambulance while still undergoing CPR, to the Carmel Medical Center. This is the second incident of choking due to eating sufganiyot, ...
More Than A Dozen Hanukkah Celebrations Planned Over the Holiday DUBAI – Thousands are expected to attend Hanukkah events held in the United Arab Emirates, between Sunday, November 28 – December 5. Participants hail from all over the world, including: Bahrain, Canada, Israel, Europe, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South America, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. Many Emiratis – including government officials – will be participating as well.In this video, Bahrain’s Ambassador Houda Nonoo lights the menorah at the Bahrain pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. Last December, it was estimated that 70,000 Israelis visited the United Arab Emirates, and the Jewish community is looking forward to hosting close to that amount of Jewish an...
 Two Gedolei Yisrael have spoken out against a potential government plan to desecrate the Kosel. Harav Chaim Kanievsky and Harav Gershon Edelstein, shlita, have signed a scathing letter denouncing the plan, and have called upon the government to abandon it and protect the sanctity of the Kosel. Although the letter does not mention names, it is clearly directed at Matan Kahana, Minister of Religious Affairs, who according to reports has endorsed a new layout of the Kosel plaza that would be truly devastating. The headline of the letter is “U’Partzu Chomos Migdolai”, and the text translates as follows: “Regarding the terrible rumor that someone from Klal Yisrael has come to destroy and cut off all Kodshei Yisrael, after they have persevered to demolish the wal...
 An oversized public Hanukkah menorah was toppled in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, formerly Dniepropetrovsk. The act of vandalism was captured on security cameras that showed five people knocking it over, reported Ynet. Dnipro’s Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki said the incident was not typical in the country’s fourth-largest city, home to as many as 60,000 Jewish residents. “The incident is being examined, and local law enforcement is working to apprehend those responsible,” said Kaminezki, according to the report. “This is not an ordinary case for Dnipro; it just reminds us that we are still in exile. The city has a large concentration of Jews, thus quite Jewish in nature.” “I hope they get caught, that we know who did this,” he added....
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his wife attended a lighting ceremony for the second Chanukah candle with Nativ course soldiers, this evening (Monday, 29 November 2021). President Isaac Herzog, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi and his wife, Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern and Jewish Agency Acting Chairman Yaakov Hagoel were also in attendance.
On the backdrop of the talks in Vienna that begin today, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has issued the following message:   "Today, Iran will be arriving at negotiations in Vienna with a clear goal: To end sanctions in exchange for almost nothing. Iran won't just keep its nuclear program; from today, they'll be getting paid for it. Iran doesn’t hide its intentions. Just a couple of days ago, the senior command of Iran’s Armed Forces declared, and I quote, "We will not back off from the annihilation of Israel, not even one millimeter." Just this week, the Iranian regime shot its own people on the streets of Isfahan for having dared to protest the lack of water in their country. Yes, they shot their own citizens just for being thirsty. Such a murderous regime ...
Donald Trump has challenged newspaper editors and politicians to a debate on his unfounded claims of widespread election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. In a typically bullish statement, shared via email on Sunday, former President Trump complained "the fake news media" had demeaned what he called "the real results" of the election. Former President Trump said he would relish the opportunity to debate the claims of election fraud and said it would be "a ratings bonanza." In the statement, Trump added: "I am willing to challenge the heads of the various papers or even far-left politicians, who have perpetuated the Real Big Lie, which is voter irregularities and fraud on a massive and determinative scale "This includes members of the highly partisan Unselect Committee of&nbs...
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins offered caution about the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in a Sunday interview, saying it will take weeks to understand whether it can evade COVID-19 vaccines, The Hill reports. Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Collins explained that omicron has more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, which raises the question of how effective the antibodies created by vaccines are against the variant. “If you’ve raised antibodies against [COVID-19] from previously being infected or from being vaccinated, the question is, will those antibodies still stick to this version of the spike protein, or will they evade that protection? We need to find that out, to be honest, though that’s gonna take tw...
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and Israel pledged to work "night and day" to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, just a day before the world powers and Iran met in the UK to discuss a return to the JCPOA nuclear deal, in a joint article for The Daily Telegraph published online on Sunday evening. "We believe that with the right approach, freedom and democracy will prevail over malign forces," wrote Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the article titled "Together we can propel both our nations to safety and prosperity." "We will also work night and day to prevent the Iranian regime from ever becoming a nuclear power," added the two. "The clock is ticking, which heightens the need for close cooperation with our pa...
More articles