Yeshiva World News

A little after 1:00AM last night, a car driving to Lakewood with two Frum women inside – were lucky to see the Yad Hashem in front of their eyes.

They were driving in the pouring rain on the Garden State Parkway (South-Bound) near MM104, when their car spun off the road, down an embankment (approximately 25 feet), and into the trees. Besides for the extensive damage on their car, Bichasdei Hashem both women were uninjured!

As someone who had seen the car told Yeshivaworld: “just looking at the damage from the car it’s amazing that no one was injured. In addition, three Frum cars driving on the Parkway pulled over to offer assistance – without even knowing who was involved in the accident.”

What a Nes & what a Kiddush Hashem!

US Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice: “Today Secretary Paulson and I are announcing several new steps to increase the costs to Iran of its irresponsible behavior. Many of the Iranian regimes’ most destabilizing policies are carried out by two of its agencies: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the IRGC, and the Quds Force, an arm of the IRGC. Because of the Revolutionary Guard’s support for proliferation and because of the Quds Force support for terrorism, acting under U.S. law and consistent with our international obligations, the United States today is designating both of these groups. We are similarly designating three Iranian state-owned banks: Bank Melli and Mellat, for their involvement in proliferation activities, and Bank Saderat as a terrorist financier. We are also designating several additional Iranian individuals and organizations.

What this means is that no U.S. citizen or private organization will be allowed to engage in financial transactions with these persons and entities. In addition, any assets that these designees have under U.S. jurisdiction will be immediately frozen. These actions will help to protect the international financial system from the illicit activities of the Iranian Government and they will provide a powerful deterrent to every international bank and company that thinks of doing business with the Iranian Government.

I want to repeat, the United States and our partners are fully committed to a diplomatic solution with Iran. If the Iranian Government fulfills its international obligation to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, I will join my British, French, Russian, Chinese, and German colleagues and I will meet with my Iranian counterpart anytime, anywhere. We will be open to the discussion of any issue. But if Iran’s rulers choose to continue down a path of confrontation, the United States will act with the international community to resist these threats of the Iranian regime.”

(Source: US State Department)

Hendrikus (Hein) and Martha Snapper, Righteous Among the Nations from the Netherlands, were posthumously honored at Yad Vashem today. The ceremony took place in the presence of Holocaust survivors Truus de Hartog, of the Netherlands and Salomon de Hartog of Israel, siblings rescued by the Snappers, and five children of the rescuers: Jerry, Jan, Johan, Hans and Frank, of California and Kentucky in the United States.

The recognition is given to non-Jews who rescued Jews from the Nazis YM”S during the Holocaust.

About Hendrikus (Hein) and Martha Snapper:

Hein and Martha Snapper, lived with their six young children in Naaldwijk, a town in the western part of the Netherlands. Hein was in charge of the local labor exchange and Martha was a homemaker. Hein, in his position at the local labor exchange, was aware of the persecution of the Jews from an early stage. In the summer of 1942, Hein became active in a local underground group and he was put in contact with a Jewish family, Rosa and Levy (Leen) de Hartog, and their five children. The de Hartogs had received a deportation notice and they were desperately searching for a hiding place. The Snappers took in Rosa de Hartog and presented her as their housekeeper, meanwhile arranging hiding places for Leen and the children: Truus, Annie, Esther, Jacques and Salomon, in other locations. On various occasions Leen, Truus and Annie were even able to come surreptitiously to the Snapper home to spend some time with Rosa.

At risk to their own lives, the Snappers courageously sheltered Rosa, even during a period in 1944 when a number of German soldiers were billeted in the Snapper home. Rosa stayed on during this time, despite the grave danger to the Snappers and their children.

In May 1943, a massive recruitment began of Dutch men between the ages of 18 and 45 for forced labor in Germany. Taking advantage of his position at the labor exchange, Hein altered personal data in the municipal registry, providing false information and creating forged documents.

The Snappers protected Rosa throughout the war, and she remained undetected. The entire de Hartog family survived the war, and was reunited afterwards.

After the war, Hein Snapper received special recognition from Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for his activities in the resistance. In December 2006, Yad Vashem recognized the Snappers as Righteous Among the Nations. Hein and Martha Snapper have since passed away, as have Leen and Rosa de Hartog and three of their children.

(Source: Yad Vashem)

Geoff Kingburg doesn’t know if he can return to his job substitute teaching after what’s happened. Kingburg says he’s been the target of anti-Semitic remarks twice from students at Boca Ciega High School.

Kingburg, an Orthodox Jew who wears a yarmulke every day, says students have made hateful remarks to him in passing before. But things escalated Wednesday afternoon when a paper showed up in his classroom. The paper contained swastikas and the words ‘Jews will die’ followed by today’s date.

Kingburg and his wife Tina are now scared for their lives. “We don’t know what this was,” Tina Kingburg said.  “Was it targeted at him?  Is it targeted at as many Jews as they can find at that school?  Or is it bigger?”

Kingburg reported both incidents to the principal at Boca Ciega.  School district officials say they are investigating the situation and taking this very seriously. 

NOTE:

Boca Ciega High School
924 58th Street South
Gulfport, FL 33707
Phone: (727) 893-2780
FAX: (727) 893-1382

(Source: ABC)

Palestinian militants are using Google Earth to help plan their attacks on the Israeli military and other targets. Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a group aligned with the Fatah political party, say they use the popular Internet mapping tool to help determine their targets for rocket strikes.

“We obtain the details from Google Earth and check them against our maps of the city centre and sensitive areas,” Khaled Jaabari, the group’s commander in Gaza who is known as Abu Walid, said.

Abu Walid showed the media an aerial image of the Israeli town of Sderot on his computer to demonstrate how his group searches for targets.

(Source: Guardian UK)