Yeshiva World News

An appeals court in Paris upheld fraud convictions involving two central organizations connected to the Scientology Church in France.

The Celebrity Center was fined 400,000 euro and the Spiritual Association of the Church of Scientology (ASES), an affiliated bookstore, was fined 200,000 euro for their role in the fraud.

In addition, five senior Scientology officials, including Alain Rosenberg, the president, were convicted of fraud and deception and given heavy fines as well as suspended prison sentences. Rosenberg was fined 30,000 euro and given a two-year suspended sentence.

The Church of Scientology was convicted of fraud in a lower court in 2009. The case followed complaints filed by two former church members, who said they had been cheated out of money by the organization. One of them said she had given 21,000 euro to the organization. After leaving the group, she asked to be reimbursed, but the Church of Scientology refused, she told the court.

This isn’t the first time fraud charges were brought against the cult. Scientology, founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, immediately drew harsh criticism. The main charge is that it makes exaggerated demands of money from its members and uses a variety of means to exercise undue influence over them.

Scientology, which is known as “the wealthiest cult in the world,” received the status of a religion in the United States and in several European countries. However, in the late 1990s, state commissions of inquiry in France and Belgium determined that it is a cult. (A Belgian prosecutor, Jean-Claude Van Espen, who studied the church’s activities for 10 years, went so far as to ask that it be classified a criminal organization.)

Government reports in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Israel have similarly determined that Scientology is a cult.

The French appeals court confirmed that Scientology is a fraud. It accepted the testimonies of former cult members who described how they had been cheated of huge sums of money.

It also heard testimony from representatives of the National Union of Associations Defending Family and Individual Victims of Sects, who described the devastating effects of membership in the Scientology cult: debts, financial ruin, broken families, and a general feeling of being enslaved. The situation is a direct result of the “cult tactics” that Scientology employs on vulnerable people, representatives said.

French jurists noted that the ruling is a precedent in that it convicts the church itself of fraud, not just its leaders. Observers are now waiting to see whether the ruling will lead to a ban of the cult and an end to its activities.

Yad L’Achim, which has led the battle against cults in Israel, applauded the ruling. In recent years, Yad L’Achim conducted a campaign that helped close two of the cult’s centers in Jerusalem and has brought its sole school in Israel, located in Yehud-Monsoon, to be on the verge of closing.

Despite these successes, Yad L’Achim officials stress that the cult is very active in Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities. According to Yad L’Achim’s information, thousands of Israelis participate regularly in cult activities.

“We will continue to act to heighten awareness of the danger, to awaken people to the cult’s fraud and deception, and to hope that the court ruling in France will put brakes on the cult worldwide,” an official said this week.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Elected officials, religious, and community leaders rallied on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Sunday against the New York City Police Department’s “Stop and Frisk” policy, days after the Manhattan Borough Board approved a resolution asking for reform.

NYPD statistics show police made nearly 700,000 stop-and-frisks last year, a 14-percent increase from the year before.

Protesters said the policy unfairly targets black and Latino men.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne released a statement on Sunday that says, “Stops save lives. Over the past 10 years, there were 5,430 murders in New York City, compared to 11,058 in the decade before Mayor Bloomberg took office. That’s a remarkable achievement — 5,628 lives saved — attributable to proactive policing strategies that included stops.”

(Source: NY1)

MK Yitzchak Herzog of the Labor Party, a former Minister of Welfare, spoke with Chadrei Chareidim. He opened the interview by proudly sharing his family heritage; speaking of his grandfather Rabbi Yitzchak Halevy Herzog zt”l, explaining that this image continues to play a major role in his life — directing him in his life of public service. Herzog highlights his decision to leave the most prestigious law firm in Israel to commit to public service, and he remains committed to this goal.

Speaking of the recent political tensions, he commented that he does not advocate parties that decide to feed off of hate, such as Yisrael Beitenu, “which began with hate for Arabs and now, more recently against chareidim, both by taunting them and using hate.”

Herzog feels one must know how to address Am Yisrael and understand there are many viewpoints. “Of course there are problems with the chareidi tzibur, and I know this community very well, and as minister of welfare I addressed this close up. I believe dialogue is critical.

The former minister spoke of the issue of men and academic education, pointing out Rabbi Herzog did not fear going out into the world, not fearing to earn three university degrees and writing a doctoral thesis on marine biology in 12 languages. He spoke of the doctoral work which focused on techeiles and argamon.

Herzog, a member of the Tal Committee, feels the law served as a “bridge, “evolutionary and not revolutionary towards bringing the chareidim into the mainstream and better integration, as we see with Nachal Chareidim and Shachar soldiers”.

“This process is irreversible and it will continue. First of all, we forget that the Tal Law faced strong chareidi opposition and Rav Karelitz, the former Bnei Brak mayor and Rabbi Asher Tannenbaum of the Vaad Yeshivos were on the committee and literally faced threats as a result of their position.

“We must remember, Justice Tal who headed the committee lost a son in a war. He is a bereaved father who endured the most painful Holocaust. For me, my bottom line, as it was in the committee is that I believe everyone must serve in the IDF. It is important for me that everyone is aware of my opinion…

“Nevertheless, there is the optimal and there is reality, and we must address this most complicated situation, which includes significant poverty and many seeking a way out, those who do not learn but are locked in the system…

“We saw during the intifada how the chareidim were there, responding to the emergencies and addressing the worst of situations. We see how the women have been trained and joined the workforce, and I believe it will continue…

“In the 1950s however it was different, despite the deal with Ben-Gurion. My father was a student in the Chevron Yeshiva but nevertheless, like others, was there to defend Yerushalayim when the time came…

“As the numbers of the chareidim increase”, quoting a letter from David Ben-Gurion, “the moral dilemma of one falling in battle while others sit in a beis medrash. This can never be solved by compelling one’s hand’ he explained, blaming the government for Tal Law’s failure, citing there was no funding to push or encourage chareidim to join the workforce.

“I feel the revamped law must have significantly more funding, projects like Nachal Chareidi  and Shachar, additional resources, and of course, permitting the serious learners to continue learning. The process of integrating chareidim into mainstream society and national service with the realization there must always be a core group that continues learning.

“We must understand this infuriates the dati leumi and hesder students, the non religious who serve and their sons are wounded and killed. They do not understand. It is not simple”.

Herzog has no doubt that some of the recent issues; the lack of honor for women as the public perceives this, the ‘hadarat nashim’ is the result of an increased chareidi presence in the workplace. “If we strive to integrate chareidim into the mainstream, then we must accommodate this lifestyle as well. I am calling for dialogue. The Tal Law has played itself out and we must build a new formula that is acceptable to all, by mans of dialogue”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Moshe Gafne told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee on Monday, 4 Adar 5772 that outgoing High Court of Justice President Dorit Beinish declared the Tal Law illegal “in her election campaign and during prime time”.

What the veteran legislator was saying is that Beinish’s timing was anything but coincidental, timed to have the maximum impact in the hope of using the court ruling to jumpstart her entry into the political arena.

Following Beinish’s decision last week, Gafne was among the first to respond, the court’s ruling changes nothing and the avreichim learning torah will continue doing just that.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

If one were to ask Zaka volunteer Avigdor Stern what one does for a segula for a long life, he will simply show the photo of him lying down in an open gave. On Sunday, 3 Adar 5772, after the body of a Jew interred in a mixed Jewish/Christian (Link to article “Jewish Body Exhumed from Nazareth Non-Jewish Cemetery) cemetery in Eretz Yisrael was exhumed for kvura in a Jewish cemetery; Stern took advantage of the moment and laid down in the open kever. The photo made its way around Facebook and when he was asked just what prompted him to do this; he explained it is a segula for long life.

Stern told Chadrei Chareidim “It is known that if one is ‘niftar while still alive he is promised arichas yomim’. He explained that he heard a rav say that laying down in a kever is a segula towards achieving this longevity.

He added that during his work with Zaka he has seen many painful and disturbing scenes, adding for him, “Death does not scare me”.

“I hope that just like I got up and walked out of the kever in a matter of second, so it will be — that all the departed with merit getting up with Techiyas HaMeisim”.

Click on image to ENLARGE

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The following is a message from the OU:

As part of its Safe Homes, Safe Schools, Safe Shuls initiative, the Orthodox Union Department of Community Engagement has issued a “Purim Safety Alert: Let’s be Safe on Purim” advisory. “In past years, our community unfortunately has heard of countless stories of teenagers and young adults involved in car accidents on Purim due to drunk driving. It is time for parents and teens to be proactive and make certain that safety is the overriding concern throughout Purim,” the alert declares. “Bodily harm through intoxication is not a mitzvah on Purim, and driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal, leads to impaired judgment, and chas ve’shalom, a possible catastrophe.”

In addition, NCSY, the Orthodox Union’s international youth program, once again this year has emphasized that teens should not consume alcoholic beverages; all NCSY Purim events (as are all NCSY programs) are alcohol free.

The OU Safety Alert includes a report on a study of “Alcohol and Children” conducted by the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, which surveyed some 4,000 sixth-to-eighth graders in the Chicago area. The study, which appears in the journal Preventive Medicine, makes it clear that drinking at such a young age opens the door to a host of alcohol-related problems as students grow older, including the increased use of alcohol. More information is available on www.jointogether.org.

The Safety Alert provides signs and symptoms of teen drinking problems. They include: “Changes in moods or attitudes, unusual temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits and changes in hobbies or other interests.” Also, parents should look for signs of depression, withdrawal, careless grooming, and hostility. “Ask yourself, is your child doing well in school, getting along with friends, taking part in sports or other activities?”

Going beyond Purim, the Alert provides a “Watch List for Parents,” composed of seven items including quick changes in moods, and negative changes in school work, missing school or declining grades.

In a statement, Rabbi Steven Burg, International Director of NCSY, and Frank Buchweitz, Director of OU Community Services, declared: “We live in a society awash in alcohol. Any football game – right up to the Super Bowl – will have one beer commercial after another. No matter what values are taught in the home, in the yeshiva, and in the shul, our Jewish youth come into contact with other, less desirable, values as well. Just as at Simchat Torah, the OU sends out a message to our teens that Jewish holidays can be celebrated with joy and spirit without indulging in spirits.

“Purim presents a particular problem because driving is permitted. So we emphasize, to the teens and their parents alike, that a freilicha Purim can turn to a tragic Purim in an instant thanks to alcohol. There are plenty of ways to have holiday fun without putting oneself – and others – at risk.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Rabbi attorney Dov Halbertal agreed to speak with Israel Radio on Monday morning, 4 Adar 5772 regarding the recent High Court of Justice decision which declared the Tal Law illegal.

The Tal Law, which was passed about a decade ago, permits avreichim to sit and learn without fear of being drafted into the IDF. In accordance with the court’s decision, this situation will come to an abrupt end on August 1, 2012, at which time the Defense Ministry will be compelled to send draft notices to eligible citizens.

Following is a synopsis of the calm and respectful interview conducted by Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet station.

Rav Halbertal: Not Bibi or Beinish and all the Bibis and Beinishim will succeed in enlisting a single chareidi against his will. If this is not understood, there is nowhere to go from here. This is a matter of fact and the court and or the government will change this reality. The gedolei hador of this generation have decided that the public will not serve in the IDF or national service of one form or another. This is the situation and it is not open to discussion.

Israel Radio: So you are saying that there is discrimination, that the blood of some is more important than others – that an entire sector is unwilling to pull its weight. Can you understand why so many people feel the chareidim are simply avoiding their responsibility as citizens?

Rav Halbertal: Permit me to explain. Those who are sending a different picture, indicating that avreichim are going to serve are simply lying to the public. Four military divisions can surround Har Nof and not a single person will be inducted as a result. Whoever does not realize and accept this is simply deceiving himself and lying to the public.

After the decision of the High Court declaring Tal illegal there were politicians who proudly announce the problem of a double standard, the discrimination if you will has been solved. In essence, nothing has changed and no one is entering the IDF as a result.

The issue is how one analyzes the situation. There are those who believe the nation stands on the merit of those who place themselves in life-threatening danger, and I am not here to minimize this in any way, but there are those who know the nation exists on the merit of the Torah study. This is the opinion of gedolei hador and no government body is going to change this reality.

Israel Radio: But what about the religious High Court justices who agreed with the decision declaring the Tal Law illegal? They stated one may serve without compromising one’s religious lifestyle.

Rav Halbertal: Do you think [High Court Justice Elyakim] Rubinstein or the other two High Court justices are going to teach Rav Elyashiv about Moshe Rabbeinu? I don’t say this cynically. They may be outstanding justices but they are not talmidei chachamim and their opinion does not have a bearing on the actions of the chareidi community.

Israel Radio There are those who say if the Rambam was alive today he would understand our position easier than yours.

Rav Halbertal: If the Rambam was alive he would say adhere to the words of the gedolei hador, and the situation today is not similar to 1,000 years ago, or even 20 years ago. The gedolei hador guide us and we adhere to their words. The gedolei hador do not sit in the High Court, but in our community and they alone will make decisions for the chareidi tzibur.

Israel Radio: In essence, I understand that nothing we do will change this reality. To me, it sounds like a form of rebellion if you understand me? Where do we go from here? Perhaps we cannot live together?

Rav Halbertal: You are correct but the issue is who is rebelling, you or us. This is the crux of the issue. Perhaps there is no solution but what is for certain is that the reality is no one is serving in the army as a result of the court’s decision and if they do not understand this, they are lying to you and your children. I am sorrowed over this, but Bibi for example is deceiving the public. Nothing is going to change.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

According to a Kikar Shabbat report, a Jerusalem municipality inspector on Friday, pulled out a knife and threatened to stab an avreich. The incident occurred in the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood of the capital.

Yaakov Machlouf parked his car as he and his nine-year-old son were shopping for Shabbos. When he returned to his vehicle he was a municipal inspector issuing him a summons. When he asked why he was receiving a summons the response was a verbal attack which escalated to a verbal conflict, culminating with the inspector brandishing a knife and threatening to stab Yaakov.

He told Kikar Shabbat the inspector stated “I don’t want to see you! Get out of here!”

“When I asked him why he was addressing me in this fashion and to ‘explain yourself’ he told me to get out of his face. When I asked what he problem was he responded ‘you chareidim are all the same’”.

Yaakov has no doubt as to the identity of the man, who was wearing his uniform, explaining “he is looking for my family. I filed a complaint with police”.

The young avreich explains the trauma of the situation and how it impacted his son who is now afraid to leave their home. He is calling on chareidi askanim and community elected officials to address the case and remove the threat from his life. Jerusalem police officials confirm that a complaint was filed and the matter was under investigation.

Kikar reports that despite numerous attempts to obtain a response from Jerusalem City Hall, no response was forthcoming.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Millions of dollars in White House money has helped pay for NYPD programs that put entire American Muslim neighborhoods under surveillance.

The money is part of a little-known grant intended to help law enforcement fight drug crimes. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush and Obama administrations have provided $135 million to the New York and New Jersey region through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, known as HIDTA.

Some of that money — it’s unclear exactly how much because the program has little oversight — has paid for the cars that plainclothes NYPD officers used to conduct surveillance on Muslim neighborhoods. It also paid for computers that store even innocuous information about Muslim college students, mosque sermons and social events.

When NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly was filled in on these efforts, his briefings were prepared on HIDTA computers.

The AP confirmed the use of White House money through secret police documents and interviews with current and former city and federal officials. The AP also obtained electronic documents with digital signatures indicating they were created and saved on HIDTA computers. The HIDTA grant program is overseen by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The disclosure that the White House is at least partially paying for the NYPD’s wholesale surveillance of places where Muslims eat, shop, work and pray complicates efforts by the Obama administration to stay out of the fray over New York’s controversial counterterrorism programs. The administration has championed outreach to American Muslims and has said law enforcement should not put entire communities under suspicion.

The Obama administration, however, has pointedly refused to endorse or repudiate the NYPD programs it helps pay for. The White House last week declined to comment on its grant payments.

READ MORE: NBC NEW YORK

In a fiery lecture to thousands of followers of the Nation of Islam on Sunday in Chicago, Minister Louis warned that racial hatred could lead to attempts to assassinate President Barack Obama.

Farrakhan spent much of his oration decrying what he cast as Satan’s influence over racist forces in politics and society before asking a pointed rhetorical question: “Do you think they’re wicked enough to be plotting our brother’s assassination as we speak?”

Farrakhan delivered his speech to an enthusiastic crowd of adherents packed loosely into the United Center for the Nation of Islam’s annual observance of Saviours’ Day, which celebrates the birth of the faith’s founder, W. Fard Muhammad. This year’s events marked the 82nd year of the religion’s existence in North America.

With his finger jabbing at the air above him and his voice frequently raising to an indignant shout, Farrakhan, 78, delivered his message to a crowd of men in dark suits with bow ties and women in shimmering white gowns and scarves.

He spoke for more than three hours on a broad array of topics, excoriating U.S. foreign policy, suggesting that the9/11attacks were a government-planned pretext for war in the Middle East, lamenting recent extreme weather and attacking mothers for serving their children food from McDonald’s. He also returned repeatedly to a topic that has attracted intense controversy in the past: the influence of Jews in politics and media.

Farrakhan drew a distinction between noble Jews and followers of “the synagogue of Satan,” and he pointed to a recent incident in which the publisher of a Jewish magazine suggested Israeli security forces could help preserve Israel by killing Obama. He attacked Israeli policies, while also directing criticism at perceived Jewish influence in the U.S.

“Jewish people were not the origin of Hollywood, but they took it over,” he said, blaming the entertainment industry for degrading the country’s morality.

While Farrakhan called out conservatives for questioning Obama’s citizenship and even criticizing the figure of first lady Michelle Obama, he also attacked the president for his support of efforts to remove Middle Eastern leaders and warned him against any potential military action in Iran. The crowd roared as he called on them to be “conscientious objectors” to any strike against Iran.

He again condemned the killing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Farrakhan was friends with the slain dictator, and the Nation of Islam’s headquarters was purchased 40 years ago with a $3 million loan from Gadhafi.

Farrakhan also suggested that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces, instead of being detained for questioning, because the government might not have been able to prove all its accusations against him.

On domestic policy, Farrakhan said the national debt has reached unsustainable levels, and he challenged Obama’s assertion in his recent State of the Union speech that the country is not in decline.

“America is on her deathbed. The vital signs of America are not good,” he said.

READ MORE: CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Yet another Israeli driver was targeted by Arab carjackers, this time near Anatot; on the road between Pisgat Ze’ev and Mishur Adumim. The latest attack occurred on Sunday, 3 Adar 5772.

An Arab motorist intentionally hit a car driven by a Jewish female. When she got out of the vehicle to assess the damage a second male got into her car and drove off. She told police that among the valuables in the vehicle was her pistol and ammunition along with other unspecified valuables.

There has been an alarming increase in carjackings in Yehuda and Shomron over recent months. Recently there were several, one near Kedumim on February 17th, another in the same area on February 14th, and two in November 2011. This is a partial listing.

Gershon Mesika, who heads the Shomron Regional Council, has turned to IDF and police commanders calling for additional action to prevent such incidents.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Former Mossad Intelligence Agency Director Ephraim Halevy last week addressed a chareidi audience, addressing a number of matters of interest.

Regarding reports of existential threats facing Israel today, he feels “they cannot destroy Israel. We have an array of offensive and defensive weapons at our disposal”. He added that this includes responding to any and all kinds of attacks.

“If the Iranians attack us I think they can bring serious damage upon us, even very serious damage, but I do not envy them regarding what the response will be. I do not think it is wise to tell one’s enemy that you have an ability to wipe me out. This tells him that I say you can do it, wipe me out. I am giving him information, which in this case is incorrect, but it is contrary to our interests. In addition, you encourage your enemy to work towards achieving this goal”.

Halevy explained the war against Iran has been going on clandestinely for over 20 years in various areas of the world. “Interestingly, in most cases, both sides did not want publicity”. Today however things have changed. “They went to the United Nations with a long list, claiming we eliminated scientists and the like”.

When asked if Israel is behind a number of recent ‘incidents in Iran’, Halevy stated “I do not know if we are behind it, but I can say I am pleased these operations are successful”.

“There are many things that are not publicized,” making reference to the tens of fatalities in the explosion against the Israeli mission in Argentina.

Halevy states that today, the Iranian economy is at an unprecedented low, and their currency is collapsing and Tehran does not have sufficient dollars to cover its existence. “There is a limit as to what they can do despite their threats”. He points out that can negatively impact the world economy by closing the Straits of Hormuz but the main victim will be the Chinese and it is unlikely they will do this to such a country, a major supper of the current regime.

“We are not immune to an attack. Don’t get me wrong. I said we have the capability to endure and respond, but it will be war. I did not say we are immune”.

“There are chareidim in the Mossad, men and women. I personally addressed a number of problems for chareidim. One such example, not a simple one, was addressing a chareidi agent in Southeast Asia, a person engaged in gathering information as we refer to him in our profession… He had to be stationed in a certain area but there was no mikve there. The easiest thing was to simply move him to an area where there was a mikve. He really wanted to remain there. I will not share the solution with you – but I will say the solution was extremely creative. There are many problems regarding Shabbos. You have to meet someone and this can only be done on a Friday night. He arrives on a flight Friday night and leaves on motzei Shabbos and cannot meet any other time. The question arises what is done? Do you work on Shabbos or not?”

“I will give you an apikores response. There were issues that I brought to the IDF chief rabbi but I preferred to minimize the number of questions that I brought to him. In many cases I decided to make these decisions myself along with the intelligence gathering officer”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A body was exhumed in a Jewish/Christian cemetery in Kibbutz Revadim, prompting the question as to why Zaka personnel were digging up a corpse.

The story behind the event is as follows. A number of months ago, a Kiryat Yam resident of northern Israel committed suicide. The body was sent to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for a post mortem, after which the body was placed in refrigeration. Months passed and the body was not claimed. Police ordered the remains buried. The body was interred in the Jewish/Christian cemetery, where Jews and non-Jews are interred side-by-side. This is the general practice in such a case officials explain.

What is unclear is why the family of the deceased never turned to police for assistance in tracking down their missing loved one even though months passed.

The forensic institute recently received handsome funding earmarked for identifying nameless bodies, and it was through that effort that a DNA sample led to the identity of the body interred in Revadim. The family was contacted immediately. The family was pained to learn of the chain of the events, and that ultimately, the kvura was in a mixed beis hachaim. The family turned to Zaka’s legal expert, Michael Guttwin, who worked for two weeks to secure the necessary documentation to permit moving the body.

The question seeking to ascertain if it was permitted to exhume the body for reburial in a Jewish beis hachaim was posed to Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shlomo Amar Shlita, who gave the go ahead.

The actual exhuming of the body and reburial took place on Sunday, 3 Adar 5772. The family expressed shock over the realization their loved one was buried without their knowledge and in a mixed cemetery no less.

Zaka’s rav, Rabbi Yaakov Rosa took charge and he made certain the procedure was handled in accordance to Halacha. A tahara was performed and the volunteers involved asked mechila from the niftar.

Chadrei Chareidim reports that the Zaka volunteers worked for hours exhume the body, digging by hand, adding it was a “bizarre sight” for them to see a Jew buried alongside non-Jews.

At 1:00pm, family and close friends gathered for the levaya and Rav Rosa explained that in such a case, the family holds aveilus for one day.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Notorious whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has published five million emails from a geopolitical analysis company that Reuters likened to a “shadow CIA.”

The emails, stolen in late December from the U.S.-based company, could reveal private information on Stratfor readers and subscribers, the details of sensitive sources, and even throw light on the intelligence-gathering community, Reuters reported.

According to a WikiLeaks statement accompanying the posting of the documents, they reveal the inner workings of the intelligence publisher, which works with companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and various government agencies.

“The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods,” the website reads. It cites a Dec. 6, 2011, email from CEO George Friedman to Stratfor analyst Reva Bhalla, on how to exploit an Israeli intelligence informant providing information on the medical condition of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

The company released a statement early Monday morning on its Facebook page describing the release of the emails as “deplorable.”

“This is a deplorable, unfortunate — and illegal — breach of privacy,” the company said. “Some of the emails may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic. We will not validate either. Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimized twice by submitting to questioning about them.”

WikiLeaks did not say how it had acquired access to the vast haul of internal and external correspondence of the Austin, Texas company, Reuters said. However, hackers linked to the activist collective that calls itself Anonymous said in January that they had stolen the emails and planned to publish the data — so the public would know the “truth” about Stratfor operations.

Anonymous claimed at the time that the data it had stolen was not encrypted, a fact security analysts said would be a major embarrassment for a company related to the security industries.

The company stressed that this release did not represent a fresh hack of its servers.

“Stratfor’s data systems, which we have worked hard to rebuild since the December hack, remain secure and protected,” the company said.

READ MORE: FOX NEWS

An NYPD officer was spared serious injury when his gun belt deflected a suspect’s bullet during a running shootout Monday morning, police said.

Police officer Thomas Richards and his partner Thomas Dunne were patrolling an area of Manhattan just before 2 a.m. when they saw the suspect, identified as Luis Martinez, standing in front of a building on Columbia Street.

As the officers stepped out of their NYPD van to confront Martinez, the suspect muttered something unintelligible, turned toward Richards and fired his 9mm several times, police said.

One of the rounds struck the spare ammunition magazine on Richard’s gun belt near his left abdomen, bending the magazine.

Richards returned fire and a foot pursuit ensued as the 25-year-old suspect fled on Columbia Street down Rivington Street, towards Baruch Drive.

After several blocks, Martinez stopped, turned, and again fired at Richards and Dunne, police said. Both officers returned fire.

Martinez continued to flee, turning at one point and firing in the officers’ direction for a third time. The officers again returned fire.

The suspect was struck in the upper right leg during the shootout and ran, wounded, into a building on Baruch Drive. Following Martinez’s blood trail, officers tracked him to Apartment 6C, where he lives, police say.

Martinez was taken into custody at his home without further incident. His 9mm handgun was recovered from the trash compacter of his building.

Both Richards and Dunne were examined and released from Beth Israel Hospital. They are part of an NYPD crime suppression unit.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met with both officers Monday morning and said they were in good spirits.

“It was a very close call for Officer Richards,” Kelly said. “The magazine may have well saved his life.”

Martinez is listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital. Pending charges against him are unclear at this time. It wasn’t known if he had an attorney.

Monday’s shooting marks the fourth time in two months a suspect has fired at a police officer. One officer, Peter Figowski, was shot in the head and killed.

Another, Kevin Brennan, narrowly escaped with his life after sustaining a gunshot wound to the base of his neck. And Detective Kevin Herlihy was wounded in the arm while chasing a career criminal into the subway.

(Source: NBC New York)

The Jerusalem medical community is carefully monitoring a possible outbreak of aggressive bacteria that appears to have infected three Ramot females, residents of the chareidi Ramot Polin area of the capital.

The three have been diagnosed with an extremely worrisome strain of the streptococcus bacteria, an infection that may result in permanent hearing loss and neurological deficits. The infection may also lead to death chas v’sholom.

Dr. Chen Zamir, the Health Ministry’s district physician over recent days has gone out with a team of nurses and vaccinated some 200 residents of the Ramot Polin complex. The vaccine was given to family members, children in the same schools and high risk residents, usually those with underlying chronic illnesses.

At present, it appears the bacterial infection is isolated to that neighborhood. Health officials report that according to US statistics, the mortality rate for this infection is 10%.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Following the High Court of Justice decision declaring the Tal Law illegal, an emergency gathering was held on Sunday night, in the home of HaGaon HaRav Aaron Leib Shteinman Shlita at 5 Chazon Ish Street in Bnei Brak.

Chareidi MKs were present as well as Meir Porush, and Shas leader Minister Eli Yishai. In addition, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Efrati and HaGaon HaRav Shimon Badani were also there as well as HaGaon HaRav Tzvi Katz, rosh yeshiva of Chazon Nachum in Bnei Brak.

While it was uncertain if he would attend, Deputy Minister of Health Rav Yaakov Litzman was there, and he called for achdus, explaining the key to this is total cooperation between Yahadut HaTorah and Shas. It was decided to adopt this approach, and the two parties plan to present a unified front against any and all attempts to draft avreichim against their will.

Reports from person who attended the event stated the gadol hador had harsh words for Israel’s secular High Court of Justice. “Without Torah study we have no zchus to exist. Torah is the pillar of the Jewish People’s life” Rav Shteinman is quoted as saying.

Everyone who attended spoke briefly, and according to media reports, Rav Shteinman spoke of the “most important event since Har Sinai”, seemingly highlighting the urgency of the issue at hand, an effort by the nation’s court to eliminate draft deferments and compel over 60,000 avreichim to enter the IDF.

Prior to adjourning, it was stated that there would not be a compromise and those sitting in beis medrash learning Torah would continue to do so.

MK Rav Moshe Gafne emerged from the gathering saying there is no fear of a cessation of Torah learning, stating confidently Torah study would continue.

Kikar Shabbat reports that in an effort to evade the media, Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai entered the rav’s home via a window. It is also pointed out that MK Rav Yisrael Eichler received a bracha from the Belzer Rebbe Shlita ahead of the meeting.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)