Yeshiva World News

A senior delegation of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP) met  with Ambassador Andrew Standley, the Head of the European Union in Israel to present the Torah view on the issue of giving up land to the Arabs.

The rabbis made it clear that the majority of rabbis in Israel and abroad are of the opinion that is absolutely forbidden to give up an inch of land to the Arabs based on the clear Halacha in the Jewish Code of Law Chapter 329 that the sanctity of life overrides all other considerations and giving up land has proven more than once that it leads to violence, bloodshed and Instability.

“As rabbis we are committed to peace and promote peace but a true  and lasting peace not one that will blow up in our faces before the ink often agreement has a chance to dry,” they told the ambassador.

Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, the rabbi of Central Tel Aviv and Chairman of the RCP that although Jews are obligated to observe the Torah precepts  even if we don’t understand their meaning  but in the case of the above ruling that it is forbidden to give up land currently under Israeli control is understood by everyone. Even a young child understands that it leads terrorism, bloodshed and missiles.

Rabbi Avrohom Shmuel Lewin, director-general of the RCP asked the ambassador how long the EU will continue in this exercise in futility of supporting a “territory for peace” formula which has proven over and over again that it is really “territory for terror.” “The EU is urging Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders. We did that in Gaza and what did we get? 10,000 missiles. Do you want that to happen in Judea and Gaza too? Rabbi Lewin asked.

Rabbi Moshe Havlin, Chief Rabbi Kiryat Gat and Sderot related how his own personal life and the lives of his family members, children and grandchildren have been disrupted and they are in constant fear of being attacked by missiles from Gaza.

Rabbi Shlomo Rosenfeld, the Rabbi of Shadmot Mehula in the Jordan Valley emphasized that precisely the EU that represents the European countries where the Holocaust took place must  feel the responsibility for a secure Israel. “What is happening today in Israel is an extension of the Holocaust. The Jewish people are again being made a scapegoat for the lack of world peace while the Palestinian terrorists and murderers are depicted as innocent peace seekers.  “I want to state in no uncertain terms that the EU’s one sided support of the Palestinian demands is an extension of the Holocaust,” he said.

Rabbi Abraham Schreiber, the rabbi of the former Kfar Darom in Gush Katif related that before the disengagement from Gaza local Gaza residents and the Jewish neighbors lived in peace and harmony. The vegetables and crops grown in Gush Katif were the best in the country and the Arabs learned how grow them too. We still get calls today from many former Arab neighbors complaining that situation has become much worse for the Arabs themselves as a result of the disengagement. “They are pleading with us to come back,” he said.

Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, rosh yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav in Yerushalayim disclosed that the night that terrorists attacked the yeshiva several years ago killing eight students, he received an anonymous call from a caller who told him “we attacked you because you believe in the Bible that says that Israel belongs to the Jews.” Our Bible is not only a history of the past but a blueprint for the future,” Rabbi Shapira told Mr. Standley.

Ambassador Standley listened attentively to the rabbis and thanked them for coming to present the Torah view. He said that it is hard to argue with the rabbis since they live in Israel and feel the heat on a daily basis while he is only here for a few years and then will move on to another country. However, the ambassador said that he understands that the Jewish people are bound by the Torah which is eternal but he and the EU are bound by international law which has not yet accepted laws of the Torah. He added that he is always open and ready to listen to diverse views and will bring the RCP’s message to those that determine policy at the EU.

Rabbi Gerlitzky wished the ambassador much success and that HKBH should give the EU the strength and power to stop their policy of demanding of Israel to withdraw rather it should oppose any Israeli withdrawal and support Israel’s inalienable right to live and build in every part of the Holy Land. “This is the only formula that will bring true and lasting peace to the region as delineated in the Torah “I will provide peace in the Land.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The Efrat Development Company during recent weeks has purchased solar panels to be installed on the roofs of residents of homes in Yehuda and Shomron to permit them to benefit from the abundance of sunlight towards generating electricity.

The company’s director, Edmond Chassin turned to a number of banks for loans to fund the project. One bank refused to even give a bid, the Bank of Jerusalem, unwilling to operate over the Green Line. The bank simply refused to provide any information Chassin reports.

Chassin is calling upon appropriate government regulatory agencies to take appropriate action against the bank for its discriminatory policy.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Watching faceless online passerby troll bloggers or mock fellow scribblers can be a drag, but what if legislators’ answer to online ne’er-do-wells was to ban anonymous comments from websites entirely? That’s what the state of New York is planning to do in identical bills — S.6779 and A.8688 – proposed by the New York State Assembly that would “amend the civil rights law” in order to “[protect] a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting.”

The bill would require a web administrator to “upon request remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate.” By “web site,” the bill means just what it seems to: Any New York-based website, including “social networks, blogs forums, message boards or any other discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages.”

READ MORE: TIME

Police and politicians continue to promise to protect Jews visiting Har HaZeisim, boasting new surveillance cameras and a police presence, but the celebration may be premature.

On Wednesday, during a levaya, Arabs began pelting members of a chevra kadisha with rocks. B’chasdei Hashem no one was injured but there was damage to at least one vehicle.

The incident occurred at about 11:00am, near the end of a levaya. They chevra felt “threatened” and as a result, expedited completing what had to be done and they fled.

It appears that the new police station is not a magic solution since the area is question is quite large and in reality, the Arabs are simply bold and brazen today, well-aware they can do as they please for in reality, they have taken control of the area.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The following was published in the N.Y. Post on May 24, 2012, by Andrea Peyser, Columnist:

“There exists in this city a group of unparalleled perverts that’s wrapped in Teflon — more resistent (sic) to charges of sexual exploitation than John Travolta.

I’m not talking about Hollywood nimrods or Catholic priests, but a sect not generally associated with serious crime — ultra-Orthodox Jews.”

Questions: Which other ethnic/religious group has ever been described like this in a major American news publication? Will the NY Post apologize? Will the owners of the NY Post, Rupert Murdoch controlled News Corp., take any action against Ms. Peyser and her editors? Where is the protest and demands from ADL and its like? Is it open season on attacking “ultra-Orthodox Jews”?

(Dov Gordon – YWN)

A three-month review by the state Attorney General into the New York Police Department’s controversial secret surveillance operation that targeted Muslims in New Jersey has found no wrongdoing by the NYPD.

The review and its findings, which have yet to be made public, concluded there was no evidence to show the NYPD’s activities in the state violated any New Jersey civil or criminal laws, according to officials in the attorney general’s office who participated in the review.

The New York Police have already been briefed on the findings, those officials said.

Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa is scheduled to meet this afternoon in Trenton with New Jersey Muslim leaders, where he is expected to provide details of the state’s inquiry.

At the same time, the state is set to announce an agreement with the NYPD that officials said will “strengthen the lines of communication” between New Jersey law enforcement officials and the city. That agreement calls for regular meetings with the NYPD, on at least a monthly basis, to exchange information concerning counter-terrorism intelligence and operations.

The attorney general is also planning to establish an outreach committee with the Muslim community.

READ MORE: NJ STAR LEDGER

Israel’s left-wing secular libertarians have found a new cause, taking a break from their usual chareidi bashing to save the underprivileged Eritreans and Sudanese illegals that have overrun southern Tel Aviv and part of Eilat. The illegal aliens are responsible for the alarming increase in violent attacks and burglaries in those areas. The Israeli left is leading the battle to protect them from deportation after the Justice Ministry has announced there is nothing preventing the state from ousting them since they entered the country illegally.

One need only visit the area of the old Tel Aviv central bus station and one can immediately understand what has occurred. The area is crime ridden and few travel there unless there is an absolute necessity due to the harsh reality and the dangers that lurk.

After the recent violent assaults against women, the matter of the 60,000 or more illegals has earned a prominent spot in the national media and lawmakers are compelled to act and act immediately as the public outcry becomes increasingly audible.

The cabinet has already signaled approval for the mass deportation of illegal Eritrean nationals and this decision now enjoys the support of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. The liberals feel that “The Jews know firsthand what it feels like to be targeted by discrimination and we mustn’t do the same to others”, demanding the government find a housing and employment solution for them, insisting they are only involved in crime due to their desperate financial state. They do not seem to have an explanation to explain the violent assaults against women however, which they prefer to ignore.

The Minister of Public Security is meeting with senior staff and advisors today, Thursday, 3 Sivan 5772 to evaluate the situation and to discuss the possibility of placing a company of border policemen in southern Tel Aviv in an attempt to return a semblance of law and order to the area.

MK (Likud) Danny Danon is spearheading the “Deportation Now” effort to get rid of the violent illegals without further delay. “We are at war with an enemy nation, the illegals, who have taken over southern Tel Aviv and we must deport them before it is too late. The Sudanese to Sudan and the remainder to their African nations and/or Eastern Europe”, stated Danon.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai is calling upon the government to decide, to either deport them or make arrangements to permit them to live as they should. He told Israel Radio that either provide them with the ability to earn a living, or make arrangements or oust them but the current situation is absurd. “On the one hand they cannot work legally and this simply leads to a population of criminals that must steal to earn food to eat”.

Some experts explain that the illegals literally walk to Israel, paying smugglers thousands of dollars since they know there is work to be found in Israel. Therefore, they feel they must learn there is no work, no quality of life, just deportation.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A former SoHo bodega worker now being questioned in connection with the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz told cops he lured the boy into his clutches with candy — then stabbed and strangled him to death, police sources said Thursday.

Pedro Hernandez claims he then stuffed the 6-year-old boy’s body in a bag, then placed that in a box and took it to a hiding place, the sources said.

Hernandez, 67, said when he returned two days later to collect the box — it was gone, the sources said.

If Hernandez’s horrifying admissions are proved true, they would solve a heartbreaking mystery that has bedeviled investigators — and tortured his parents — for 33 years.

Some sleuths buy Hernandez’s story, sources said. Others fear this could be yet another frustrating false lead, in part because Hernandez never explained why he killed the boy.

Word that Hernandez was being grilled came a day before the 33rd anniversary of Etan’s disappearance — a day detectives often get deluged with hoaxes related to the case.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who was returning to New York from London after a meeting on safeguarding the Summer Olympics, confirmed cops had a possible suspect.

“An individual now in custody has made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz 33 years ago,” Kelly said in a statement. “We expect to provide further details later today.”

Hernandez was picked up in Camden, N.J., on Wednesday, a source told the Daily News. He had been questioned when Etan first vanished and denied any involvement.

Investigators decided to look at Hernandez again after one of his relatives went to cops with suspicions about him in the Etan case.

READ MORE: NY DAILY NEWS

The Port Authority will soon stop accepting toll tickets nearly 61 years after first issuing them to speed the ride.

Toll Scrip and Universal tickets will no longer be good at the agency’s bridges and tunnels beginning July 1. The Port Authority will refund tickets at their original sales value.

The Port Authority first issued the tickets in 1951 to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. Buyers received a 10 percent discount and the tickets were “good until used.”

Steve Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority, said they’re not sure how many tickets are actually out in the public.

“We really have no idea how many are out there given the fact that we really haven’t sold them since 1997 which is 15 years ago,” he said. “But obviously there could be some that still exists out there.”

The agency stopped selling them after it started using E-ZPass.

For more information or for instructions on obtaining a refund, click here.

(Source: 1010WINS)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) fired back on Thursday at critics who have compared him to Nazis and communists for introducing a bill aimed at punishing people who renounce their citizenship to avoid taxes.

The bill, the Ex-Patriot Act, is a direct response to Eduardo Saverin, the co-founder of Facebook, who renounced his U.S. citizenship before the company went public.

“I know a thing or two about what Nazis did. Some of my relatives were killed by them,” Schumer, who is Jewish, said in a speech on the Senate floor. “And saying that a person who made their fortune specifically because of the positive elements in American society in turn has a responsibility to do right by America is not even on the same planet as comparing what the Nazis did to the Jews.”
Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist told The Hill last week that Schumer’s bill reminds him of regimes that drove people out of the country, only to confiscate their wealth at the door.

“I think Schumer can probably find the legislation to do this. It existed in Germany in the 1930s and Rhodesia in the ’70s and in South Africa as well,” Norquist said. “He probably just plagiarized it and translated it from the original German.”

Other conservatives, writing in the Wall Street Journal, National Review and Forbes have also criticized Schumer for trying to punish people who leave the country.

“When I introduced our legislation I was sure it would garner wide and deep support,” Schumer said, adding that he was “appalled” and “amazed” by the reaction from conservatives.

Schumer noted that conservatives have called his bill “un-American.”

“Silly me, I thought renouncing one’s citizenship was un-American,” he said.

Under the Ex-Patriot Act, which was also introduced by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), if the IRS determines a person renounced their citizenship for primarily tax reasons, all of the person’s U.S. assets will be taxed at 30 percent, double the usual rate of 15 percent.

The person will also be barred from ever entering the United States again.

Saverin, who was born in Brazil and met Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University, denies that he is giving up his citizenship to avoid taxes.

He currently lives in Singapore, which has no capitol gains taxes.

(Source: The Hill)

Following the stormy Wednesday night Tel Aviv demonstration against illegal aliens from African countries in which arrests were made, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin on Thursday condemned the use of inappropriate language and behavior.

Police arrested 12 demonstrators as people began pelting illegals with rocks. Rivlin warned that we must be careful and politicians mustn’t inflame the atmosphere, instructing MKs to act responsibility and to refrain from fanning the flames of anger against the illegal immigrant population and to refrain from “using unacceptable language like that which was used against the Jews by our enemies”.

Police on Thursday released the people who were arrested at the protest.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The director of Shamir Salads, Amiram Guy announced that in response to the South African boycott of products manufactured in Yehuda and Shomron, he has decided that his company will be cutting all ties with that country.

Shamir is one of the companies targeted since it is located in Shomron, in the Barkan Industrial Park near Ariel. Guy however is not making apologies, calling on other companies to join him in boycotting S. Africa in response. He explains that while he does not sell to South Africa, he does import, including avocados, and this is now a thing of the past – stating the boycott can work both ways. He explains he used to import a ton of avocados from S. Africa monthly but he is moving his business to Ecuador or Mexico.

He admits that his move is a token one in the big picture, but he is hopeful that his move will serve as an impetus for others to follow, to give the S. Africans a taste of their own medicine. He also calls on Israelis to boycott S. Africa by removing it as a tourist option.

Guy himself is one of the owners of Shamir and another company in Shomron and while he resides in Ramat HaSharon, he explains he feels warmth for the area and its residents.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A Muslim woman has accused a New Jersey shopping mall security guard of trying to force her to remove her head-covering garment.

“He came into my face and made a hand gesture like he was going to lift my veil off,’ ” Wakeelah Salaam, 30, told The Post of her ordeal at the Bridgewater Commons Mall last Saturday.

“I felt like he was going to do something. I didn’t feel safe in the mall.”

The US-born Salaam said the confrontation happened about 10 minutes after she entered the mall with her two young sons.

She was wearing a Muslim veil known as a niqab, which covered her entire head and face except for her eyes.

“I was passing the Apple store when he got in my face. He said, ‘This is a private place. You can’t wear that in here,’ ” Salaam said.

Salaam said that after she was approached by the guard, she called her sister who told her to seek out a supervisor.

But another guard told her no supervisor was available and she was “overreacting” and “out of line.”

Then, the first guard accosted her again, she said. “He told me, ‘I don’t know who you are, and I need you to take that off.’ ”

Salaam said she felt like a “victim” and was embarrassed in front of her boys, ages 5 and 12.

She dialed 911 and left after meeting with police.

“They humiliated me, the way they made me feel. I went home and cried for over an hour,” she said.

Salaam said she was particularly shocked because she has been wearing her niqab in public for years without a problem, including court appointments.

And, she’s even worn it to Bridgewater Commons before.

“I would never go back to that mall. I know [the guard] doesn’t live under a rock, so [he] knows what a Muslim woman wears,” she said.

The mall later issued an apology and said the guard had been sent to diversity training.

“We respect her right to dress according to her religious beliefs and she is welcome in our mall anytime,” a mall official said.

(Source: NY Post)

What more can one ask other than having prominent gedolei torah shlita participating in the cornerstone ceremony of the new Bnei Brak Mikva. The new mikva is going to be constructed on Shikun Gimmel, on B’eri Street.

Among the gedolim who participated are: HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner Shlita, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Yehuda Leib Landau Shlita, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz Shlita.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A friend of the chosson collapsed on Wednesday night, at Wolf Hall during a chasnah in Yerushalayim. His condition on Thursday is described as “life threatening”.

MDA and Ichud Hatzalah were summoned as the chasnah came to an abrupt halt after the male collapsed. He was transported to a local hospital in very serious condition.

Ichud EMT Aaron Baak, who was among the first on the scene explained there was pandemonium. He evaluated the patient, realizing he was in cardiac arrest and began CPR.  They were successful in restoring a spontaneous pulse Baruch Hashem. Guests added that while the first responders of Ichud Hatzalah arrived immediately, the ambulance response was delayed, some saying as much as 20 minutes. They add that while they realize when one is waiting time seems like an eternity, but in this case the response was indeed delayed.

The tzibur is asked to be mispallel for Mordechai Shlomo ben Esther.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

As the second anniversary of the Mavi Marmara,  Turkish officials remain tenacious in their quest to bring former Israel military commanders to trial, seeking 10 live sentences for each of them.

According to a front page report in the Turkish Sabah, “Israeli commanders will be arrested upon entering Turkey” as Turkish Prosecutor Ekinci has prepared an indictment seeking life sentences for four former IDF commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on the Mavi Marmara Gaza-bound ship.

Prosecutor Mehmet Akif Ekinci has prepared a 144-page criminal indictment against former IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi, former Israel Navy Commander Eliezer Merom, former Chief of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin and former IAF Intelligence Chief Avishai Levy.

The indictment lists ten Turks as being ‘killed’ in the raid, even though Oğuz Süleyman Söylemez remains in a persistent vegetative state. Fourteen heavily wounded and 61 lightly wounded Turkish nationals were also included in the indictment as ‘complainant-victims’. In addition, 189 wounded and 490 passengers from the United States, Spain, Italy and Israel were also added to the indictment under the ‘complainant-victim’ status. The indictment was completed just days prior to the May 31st anniversary of the tragic raid.

Prosecutor Ekinci has limited the list of suspects to the Israeli military members responsible for planning the attack, namely Ashkenazi and for staging the operation.

According to the information obtained, the first section of the indictment details the events that transpired. The second section evaluates the violent attack from an international legal standpoint. In this section, the principles listed in the Israeli prepared Turkel report on the Mavi Marmara raid are refuted one by one in light of international legal standards.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)