Yeshiva World News

The Jewish community in Victoria, B.C., was stunned to learn that vandals had spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on the slides and climbing apparatus in Clawthorpe Park last week.

Police estimated the vandals struck between May 10 and May 11, spraying swastikas and misspelled epithets that were speedily removed the next day by Victoria city work crews.

Det. Rhys Wickes of the Victoria Police Department asked for assistance from the public in identifying the culprits and said this kind of hate-filled vandalism is taken very seriously.

“It’s just unacceptable and represents a blow to values important in Victoria,” he said.

The children of Rabbi Meir Kaplan, who heads Chabad of Vancouver Island, are frequent visitors to Clawthorpe Park, particularly on Shabbat mornings.

On his blog, Rabbi Kaplan said each structure in the playground was covered with graffiti. “ ‘No Jews’ it said on the ladder, and ‘Warsaw getto’ on the children’s crawling space. Nazi swastikas were all over the slides. It was very uncomfortable and extremely saddening to see.”

Rabbi Kaplan added that he was confident this graffiti in no way characterizes public opinion of the Jewish community on Vancouver Island.

“I know that this doesn’t represent Victoria,” he wrote. “We know that the general community here is friendly and tolerant. To those people who may be bothered by the stronger Jewish presence in Victoria, we have some news for them: what they have seen is just the beginning. Jewish life will flourish on the island, more people will be returning from synagogue on Shabbat afternoon… and more Jewish children who are proud of their identity will be playing in the parks.”

Rabbi Kaplan said he met with Victoria Police Chief Jamie Graham on May 17 and was assured that the Victoria police were taking the case very seriously.

“Graham said they are putting their best people on the job, and that they were confident they would find those responsible,” Kaplan said.

Asked if there were many members of Victoria’s Jewish community who used the park regularly, he said it was primarily his family. “The reality is that we use the park regularly on Shabbat morning when we return from shul. It seems to be that this was directed against us.”

This is not the first time vandals have struck the Jewish community. Just three weeks ago, the wall facing the parking lot at the Victoria Jewish Community Centre was sprayed with graffiti stating “Zionists are Nazis.”

A painter primed and painted the wall, refusing to take any money for his work, and police said they would patrol the area more often. A spokesperson for the JCC said police recognized the graffiti and identified its artist as an agitator who did not target the Jewish community exclusively.
Tim Humphreys, community development officer for Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island, said this was the second time in two years the JCC has been spray-painted with anti-Semitic slogans.

“There have been a couple of incidents of anti-Semitism up-island in the past few years, and we’ve called on the Canadian Jewish Congress to go and do educational sessions in the schools,” he said.

“Usually once they do that, the results are very positive, because the incidents are related to a basic lack of knowledge by students.”

(Source: Canadian Jewish News)

Jerusalem City Hall and the Ministry of Transportation announced on Thursday that beginning next Sunday; the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City will be closed to all vehicular traffic between 9:00am-6:00pm. Exceptions will be made for residents with parking stickers affixed to their vehicle, authorized deliveries, and drivers with valid handicapped permits.

The closure is part of the new city plan to reduce congestion in certain areas, and despite objections from the frum community, the decision was made to close the Old City down to private vehicles, a reality that will make reaching the Kosel increasingly difficult for many.

A company that feels it is entitled to delivery permit may telephone the city at *2180, the special phone number established to address such requests, to ascertain if a permit will be forthcoming. City officials report the recent ‘park and ride’ experiment has been a success, clearing the way for the implementation of this decision.

Drivers will be compelled to park at the designated lot, at a reduced price, and will then take the 38 line into the Old City. Special bus tickets will be available for this as well. As a result of the new arrangement, the bus will run at an increasingly frequent schedule.

Since traffic flow is generally not congested between 6:00pm and 9:00am, the Old City will remain open to motorists during those hours.

The 1,2, and 3 lines will continue operating as they do today, increasing their frequency during peak hours. Bus officials add the Jerusalem 75 minute ride pass, permitting one to ride as many buses as one wishes in a 75 minute period, will be applicable to Old City lines too.

The daily HaMevaser reports the decision is contrary to the position of the chareidi community and a kol korei of rabbonim who express opposition to the planned change. Rabbi Chaim Miller, a prominent Jerusalem askan questions how officials arrive at such a decision without engaging in a dialogue with community representatives.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

The Israeli defense establishment will implement the Supreme Court’s decision to open Route 443 to Palestinian vehicles today, Friday May 28th, 2010 at 08:00 in the morning.

The IDF Central Command is preparing for the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling. As stated by the ruling, the route will be open for Palestinian traffic from the Maccabim junction to the Ofir Camp junction. An infrastructural and operational response will be given simultaneously to the opening of the route, offering protection to all those traveling on the route and minimizing, as much as possible, the existing threats.

As part of the preparations to secure the safety of those traveling on Route 443, vehicles that have undergone security inspection can enter and exit Route 443 from the areas of Beit Sira and Beit-Ur Al Fauqa, west of Ramallah. In addition, vehicles will be able to exit the road in the areas of Khirbeth Al-Misbah and A-Tira, also located west of Ramallah.

Additionally, a security crossing will be installed near the Ofir Camp junction, which will prevent suspects without authorization to enter Israel, Jerusalem and Givat Ze’ev, and will also ensure the safety of those traveling on the route.

It should be emphasized that security activity takes place regularly and on a daily basis both in the area of Route 443 and throughout the Judea and Samaria region in general.

The IDF will continue to maintain the safety of the citizens of Israel, while taking into account the Palestinian quality of life as well as honoring Israeli law and Supreme Court decisions.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / IDF Spokesman)

Drink up! The water’s safe, officials say.

There are no harmful levels of pharmaceuticals in New York City drinking water, according to a report released today by the NY Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP tested NYC’s upstate source waters throughout 2009 for 78 different compounds, including antibiotics, hormones, and prescription medicines.

Sixteen of these, described as pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP), were detected at least once in the four rounds of tests, and eight were detected in three or more tests — but only in infinitesimal levels.

Of these, caffeine was found to be the second-highest and Nicotine tied for third. The compound with the highest concentration was Butalbital, which is often found in sedatives and headache medicines.

All of the compounds’ levels were found to be approximately 1000 times lower than the government-regulated minimum.

“To get one dose of caffeine, or the amount contained in an 8-ounce cup of coffee, a person would have to drink 238,572,000 glasses of water,” the report said.

None of the 16 detected PPCP compounds were found at a concentration that would present a potential public health concern, according to the DEP press release.

The DEP “is committed to testing [pharmaceutical levels] for another year,” said DEP spokesman Farrell Sklerov, “and then, as necessary, moving forward to see if we need to keep testing.”

Concerns about pharmaceuticals in NYC drinking water were first raised in 2008. There is no federal regulation of pharmaceutical levels in water.  However, New York has a blanket regulation on any compound to a certain specified extent, Sklerov explained.  As such, the city was not required to perform this test.

 ”It’s always been known that there may exist some pharmaceuticals in the water,” explained Sklerov, “but the ability to test for it has taken a number of steps forward in the past few years.  We’re talking about detecting parts per trillion, which is an extremely minute quantity.”

Sklerov confirmed that the pharmaceutical levels are “not accumulative,” meaning that the DEP expects no significant rise in the foreseeable future.

NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley promised: “Our drinking water continues to be the cleanest, healthiest option for quenching New York City’s thirst,” according to the press release.

The tests were conducted in 2009 at three different upstate watersheds: Croton, Delaware and Catskill.  According to the report, 9 million New Yorkers rely daily on these sources for drinking water.

According to the DEP, pharmaceuticals get into water in a variety of ways: ingested ones may pass through the human waste system, and externally applied ones are washed through shower and bath water. Until recently, out-of-date medicines were sometimes flushed down toilets at hospitals, the DEP reports.

(Source: NBC New York)

MKs Moshe Gafne and Uri Maklev on Thursday visited the Jaffa archeological site, the subject of stormy protests accusing Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) officials of chilul kevarim.

Protests continued on Thursday, accompanied by anger as IAA officials first signaled to chareidim that work would be halted, but it was soon learned that the statement was far from the truth.

Maklev and Gafne were met by police as they arrived, who did not permit them to enter. After a sharp exchange of words, they were permitted into the site, insisting their status as MKs permit them to pass police barricades. At one point, Gafne wanted to get down into the area on a ladder, and archeologists threatened if he does, they will drop a boulder on him. The archeologists were distanced from the area after Gafne turned to police.

The protests were stormy, and rabbonim were the subject of police brutality. At about 2:00pm, IAA official Shuka Dorfman announced work would halt, an announcement that came as a surprise and proved short lived as work resumed about an hour later.

The organizers of the protests vow to “fill the jails” if necessary, but they are unwilling to turn a blind eye to the chilul kevarim that is taking place. As many point out, in the case of Barzilai Hospital it was argued that the matter was one of pikuach nefesh, and that the bones were of non-Jews. Here, in Jaffa, the bones are not of non-Jews and there is no pikuach nefesh, only the need for real estate developers to turn a profit.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

7:00PM EST: Boro Park Hatzolah is currently on the scene of a child struck by a bus at 20th Avenue and 53rd Street. Arriving units are requesting Paramedics to expedite their response as the child in unconscious and has serious injuries R”L.

NYPD Emergency Services are arriving on the scene due to reports that the child is trapped under the vehicle.

UPDATE 7:15PM EST: The child is on board an ambulance, and NYPD is setting up an escort to assist Hatzolah in transporting the child to Lutheran Trauma Center.

The exact condition of the aided is unknown to YWN at this time.

Further details will be posted as they are available to us.

(YWN BBRY Group 3)

The Israeli Arab community is calling it a political witch hunt after the gag order has been lifted and a serious criminal indictment has been filed against Amir Makhoul, 52, a father of five, who allegedly worked with Hizbullah agents, facing charges of espionage and treason – cooperating with the enemy in a time of war.

Makhoul, who is known as a major political activist told reporters that he has done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing to compromise state security, admitting to being an ardent activist on behalf of the Israeli Arab community. He faces the more serious charges of the two suspects in custody.

Makhoul’s family is accusing the Shin Bet of “planting information in the computers”, insisting Amir is not a spy and would never work against the state. Nevertheless, the legal process is moving ahead against him as an indictment was handed down on Thursday in the Haifa District Court. Also indicted was Omar Sayid, 50, a resident of Kafr Kana and a known activist for the Balad political party. He was arrested about two weeks ago, and he heads an Israeli Arab NGO, ‘Ittijah’, the Union of Arab Community Based Associations, as well as being the brother of a former MK.

Based on Shin Bet findings, Makhoul was in contact with Hizbullah agents no less than ten times, passing information using a computer with an encryption system installed on his computer by a Hizbullah operative when they met in Denmark. The state alleges that he passed information including the location of two Shin Bet facilities and one Mossad facility, the security arrangements at those facilities, along with information pertaining to Rafael, a firm that works with the Defense Ministry on projects that include weapons systems.

The comprehensive investigation further alleges that he failed in efforts to provide information pertaining to the movements of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and their convoys.

He also allegedly provided Hizbullah with information during the Second Lebanon War regarding rocket impact locations in Haifa to assist terrorists in maximizing their strikes.

Family members report international human rights organizations have already contacted them, seeking ways to assist.

The state is asking that the suspect is held without bail. Justice Ron Shapira agreed that he will remain in custody at least until the next hearing, set for a month from now.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

Tnuva, Israel’s largest dairy cooperative, which produces a sizable mehadrin line, insists the allegations are baseless but Yad L’Achim’s Rabbi Sholom Dov Lifshitz insists his organization’s information has been confirmed.

This story begins in Kibbutz Herdoff in the Lower Galil, a community located in the Jezreel Valley Region. The community, which was founded about 30 years ago boasts a profitable organic industry, but Yad L’Achim explains things are not as innocent as they appear, reporting the community follows Anthroposophy, a spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, which R’ Lifshitz explains is avoda zara (idol worship) by every Torah definition of the word. So what’s the connection to the largest dairy, mehadrin consumers and Israel’s dairy industry?

According to the weekly Sha’ah Tovah Magazine, Tnuva operates a production line in the community, producing its ‘gevina shel pa’am’ (old fashion cheese) line which bears a Tnuva mehadrin kashrut.

Rabbi Lifshitz explains that consumers buying the products, including frum mehadrin-seeking shoppers, are directly funding avoda zara and in this case, community efforts to increase their numbers, outreach programs targeting Jewish children. He explains the community has an educational system inculcating children with its philosophy, and is quite active in promoting its agenda.

The report further adds that the word “kosher” does not appear on these products for a simple reason, such a claim would by state law compel a kashrut supervision by the local rabbinate as well. This would demand listing the place of origin and other facts that Tnuva does not wish to advertise. Therefore, the products only bear a ‘vaad mehadrin Tnuva’ claim, omitting the word “kosher”. Yad L’Achim insists this is to circumvent the need to tell consumers the mehadrin products originate in the idol worshipping kibbutz.

There is a code used for these products, which appears in the form of English letters, making it even less intelligible to many shoppers to whom English is foreign, or even the English speakers, who remain clueless as to the code.

Tnuva rejects Yad L’Achim’s allegations, insisting that the production line is not rented from the community, but owned outright by Tnuva and therefore, there is no connection to the community and its lifestyle. Furthermore, anything pertaining to kashrut is in line with the regulations of the Vaad Mehadrin and Rav Whitman, Tnuva’s rav, the firm’s officials explain.

The company does not deny that the place of manufacture of the product line does not appear on the finished product, but for an entirely different reason. They explain Kibbutz Herdoff is known for its organic products and putting the community’s name on non-organic products would have an adverse impact on its image. Products exhibit the “Vaad Mehadrin Tnuva” which is an appointed body by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, thereby satisfying the law and the word “kosher” is superfluous since it says “Vaad Mehadrin” which must obviously be kosher too.

Rav Lifshitz is adamant, insisting Yad L’Achim gathered the facts and it can prove the case. He further adds that Yad L’Achim approached the Eida Chareidit, which was approached by the kibbutz to give a hechsher on its organic products. Lifshitz admits that halachically they are okay by-and-large, however, after explaining the situation the Eida complied with the Yad L’Achim request and rejected the kibbutz as a potential client, realizing by doing so, the religious community would be supporting a community that supports and promotes idol worship.

(Yechiel Spira – Jerusalem Kosher News)