Center-left leader Olaf Scholz on Wednesday became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Scholz’s government takes office with high hopes of modernizing Germany and combating climate change but faces the immediate challenge of handling the country’s toughest phase yet of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers voted 395-303 with six abstentions to elect Scholz — a comfortable majority, though short of the 416 seats his three-party coalition holds in the 736-seat lower house of parliament. Merkel, who is no longer a member of parliament, looked on from the spectators’ gallery as parliament voted. Lawmak...
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and MKs from the coalition voted against Likud MK Eli Cohen's bill which would expel the families of terrorists from Israel. The bill failed to pass, with 57 MKs voting against it compared to 45 voting in favor. Religious Zionism party chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich pointed out Bennett's past support for similar bills and accused: "It was Bennett before he sold his soul to supporters of terrorism in the Islamic Movement for political survival and has now dropped - in collaboration with the Joint List - the law for the deportation of terrorists' families." MK Moshe Arbel (Shas) called the prime minister a "terrorist supporter" after he voted against the law that the Yamina faction had previously supported. Opposition members shouted at Bennett ...
As the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads in the United States and in Maryland, federal and state officials are encouraging vaccination against the virus that causes COVID-19, including getting booster shots. Three residents in the Baltimore metropolitan area were the state's first confirmed cases of the omicron variant, the governor confirmed Dec. 3. The omicron variant spreads more easily than the original virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, the CDC is still studying the variant, which has circulated in more than 50 countries and was first confirmed in the United States on Dec. 1. "The single most important thing you can do to maintain your immunity against this virus and its variants is to get ...
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 5, 2021  - The Baltimore City Health Department will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Weinberg Park Heights JCC on Thursday, December 9th from 12:00-4:30pm, in the Early Childhood Center wing. All three vaccine options will be available, Pfizer (ages 5+), as well as Moderna and J&J/Janssen (both for ages 18+), including boosters, through LifeBridge Health staff. Walk-ins are welcome or you can also pre-register at COVAX.BaltimoreCity.Gov. Stop in for a short time to get this important health care matter taken care of…bring your friends and family and support them in making the decision to get vaccinated now. To “sweeten” the decision, people getting 1st or 2nd doses can choose from either a $10 FREE Kosh...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 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...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 8,  2021 - It is with regret that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petira of Debbie Ness, a"h, mother of  Tova NessAiver. The levaya will take place in Israel. Details forthcoming
Turkish president indicates closer ties possible after 'more sensitive' policies toward Palestinians Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday raised the prospects of improved relations with Israel as "beneficial" for regional peace and stability, but only after the Jewish state adopts "more sensitive" policies toward Palestinians. The Turkish leader made the remarks to reporters during an official visit to Qatar, Turkish media reported on Wednesday. “But at this point, Israel needs to be more sensitive concerning its Palestinian policy. It needs to be sensitive about Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque,” Erdogan said.  “As soon as we detect the sensitivities, we will do our best and take steps (for better ties)." Erdogan is a vocal critic of Israel...
Agudath Israel of America has joined other faith-based groups in continuing to communicate concerns over the Universal Pre-K and Child Care provisions of the proposed Build Back Better Act. The BBB legislation is a top priority for the Biden Administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress hopes to pass the legislation before the end of the session.  In a letter to Senate HELP Committee Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), over 20 national organizations representing various religious denominations, school groups, and charities serving millions of Americans, make a compelling case that, under the current House-passed provisions, religious providers would effectively be cut out of the new UPK and Child Care programs, despite assurances regarding their in...
The Baltimore County Board of Education approved a one-time $1,000 retention and recruitment bonus for all district employees. The proposal needs state approval after which employees could receive the one-time bonus in January. "As we work to make BCPS a premier school system, it is important that we show our staff how much we appreciate them and their commitment to Baltimore County," Superintendent Darryl Williams said in a statement. "It is our hope that the steps we are taking today as a system will help us provide greater support and recognition for our employees and build a stronger Team BCPS." The total cost of this one-time bonus for all BCPS employees is approximately $21 million. BCPS said it will seek state approval to use Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER...
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 8, 2021 - Market Maven welcomed the Bais Yaakov of Baltimore 4 & 5 year olds for a Brachos tour of the store.  The girls got to see first hand the different Kosher food options the store carries and review what they learned about the different Brachos and the difference between Meat, Dairy and Parve.  It was a pleasure being a part of this learning experience.
Israel's employment rate reached 62.1 percent in November while the average monthly wage sits at $3,710 Israel’s employment rate registered a sharp jump in the first half of November, reportedly back to the rate prior to the Covid pandemic. However, the average monthly salary of employees dipped slightly in recent months. Average monthly wages for Israelis fell to $3,710 in recent months, compared to $3,743 in July and $3,752 in August, The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said Thursday. Still, the unemployment rate in the first half of November was down to 6.7 percent compared to 7.3 percent in the second half of October.  The employment rate registered a jump to 62.1 percent - almost 4.1 million people employed - which was roughly the rate in January and February...
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that their coronavirus vaccine appears to provide strong protection against the omicron variant when a booster is received in addition to its initial two doses. The companies said preliminary studies show three doses of the vaccine neutralize the omicron variant. “Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the Omicron strain, it’s clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine,” Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, said. “Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of C...
The husband of the Israeli woman who was stabbed in the back by a teenage terrorist in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem Wednesday spoke out this afternoon, revealing that the teenage girl who tried to murder his wife is a neighbor of his family. Dvir Cohen, a resident of the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood (also known as Sheikh Jarrah) in eastern Jerusalem, said he and his family had suffered ‘daily harassment’ from the family of the terrorist who attacked his wife Wednesday morning. “She was our neighbor and she knows us. Of course they weren’t the kind of neighbors you could borrow eggs or milk from. We suffered daily harassment from them.” Dvir’s wife was initially listed as seriously wounded in Wednesday morning’s stabbing attack, which too...
Indian Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, India's top military commander, has been killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force announced Wednesday. His wife and 11 others were also killed in the crash. "With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident," the Air Force stated. Rawat was traveling from the Sulur IAF Station to the Defense Services Staff College in Wellington when the Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in a forest shortly after noon. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the tragedy by saying: "I am deeply anguished by the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in which we have lost Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Arme...
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 8, 2021 - In the buildup to our parsha Yosef has sent his brothers on a whirlwind, framing as spies and criminals,and exhorting them to bring down Binyamin. But what does he seek to accomplish by doing so? This rollercoaster drama somehow serves to reunite the Jewish family and rehabilitate the lost brotherly love. The solution will become apparent from an elegantpattern throughout the Yosef story which points to his grand masterplan. Click here to listen
Rishon LeZion - Early Tuesday morning, just after 1:00 a.m., Avraham Yudkowsky, a United Hatzalah volunteer who lives in Givat Ze’ev, was in the middle of a personal trip in Rishon Lezion when he received an alert to a medical emergency occurring a few blocks away from his location. A passerby saw something suspicious and called emergency services to come and check it out.  As Avraham was on his on his way in his car with blinkers flashing, he received a second alert, this time to a cardiac arrest that took place just a few hundred meters from his location on Sedot Street. Avraham quickly turned around on the mostly empty street and passed by an ambulance that had been waiting at the street corner. The ambulance, seeing that Avraham had his lights flashing, called his own dis...
Have no fear of descending to Egypt...I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also surely bring you up; and Yosef shall place his hands on your eyes.  Bereishit 46:4 Despite G-d clearly telling him that he needn’t fear Egypt, Yaakov feared and feared greatly.  Despite knowing that he would be reunited with Yosef, the son he had missed so terribly for so long, his ben z’kunim, he trembled.   Why?  Why was he afraid? The Zohar tells us that when he was asked why he was fearful of going to Egypt, Yaakov said, “I am afraid that my family will succumb there; that the Shechinah will no longer dwell among us; that I will not be buried with my ancestors, and that I will not see the redemption of my children.”  Abarbanel adds that while Ya...
One person was seriously wounded in a terrorist stabbing attack in eastern Jerusalem Wednesday morning. The attack occurred near Shimon Hatzaddik's Tomb in the Shimon Hatzaddik (Sheikh Jarrah) neighborhood of the capital, when a 26-year-old woman was stabbed by a female terrorist who then fled the scene. United Hatzalah and MDA emergency first respondents were dispatched to the scene, treating the victim before evacuating her to Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center for further treatment. Police units were deployed to the area to search for the terrorist responsible for the attack. The terrorist, a fifteen-year-old, was later discovered hiding at a school near the scene of the stabbing. United Hatzalah paramedic Yehiel Stern said the victim was attacked while walking her children ...
The Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee convened on Tuesday to discuss legislation on autonomous vehicles, with the first phase enabling the operation of 400 autonomous taxis. Officials from the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety presented the bill for regulating, supervising and developing autonomous vehicles in Israel, making Israel one of a few countries around the world to be regulating this issue. Committee Chair Member of Knesset Michael Biton noted that Israel “is leading in research and development” on autonomous vehicles. This is a historic day, creating a new reality in Israel, which will enable 400 autonomous cars to drive on Israel’s roads.”
Meta Platforms Inc.’s photo-sharing app Instagram is encouraging users to take a break as the company battles accusations that too much time spent on its social networks hurts the mental well-being of teenagers. Instagram will let people opt to see pop-up messages when they have spent a lot of time looking at a particular topic, suggesting they explore other subjects. Users also can decide to be nudged to take a break after they have spent 10, 20 or 30 consecutive minutes on the app, Instagram said Tuesday in a blog post. The platform will then remind users about alternative activities to social media such as going for a walk or taking a series of deep breaths, Instagram head of well-being and safety Vaishnavi J said in an interview. “When you’ve been spending a long pe...
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