Yeshiva World News

In light of the new draft law and a growing number of Knesset bills attacking Halacha and the chareidi way of life, Rabbanan Gedolei Yisrael Shlita are calling on the tzibur to take part in Yom Kippur Koton ahead of Rosh Chodesh Sivan, this Thursday, 29 Iyar 5774.

Rabbonim point out that the current government has been pushing ahead many laws that chas v’sholom will compromise the future of Yiddishkheit in Eretz Yisrael as well as cutting funding for avreichim and their families.

Rabbonim call on the tzibur to take part in Yom Kippur Koton in one’s shul and beis medrash around Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Rumbling down the runway at New York’s JFK airport, American Airlines pilot Bill Elder points the nose of the Boeing 787 skyward and takes off for Denver.

Elder roars over the Atlantic, then banks sharply to the left, back over Queens and then Manhattan. But he is flying too low and triggers a ground-proximity warning as the Empire State Building appears off to the left.

Not to worry. The scene is unfolding in a flight simulator at American’s training center in Texas. Elder, American’s fleet training manager, is demonstrating the warning systems that mimic those in an airliner.

American will take delivery of its first 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner, in November. Passenger flights begin flights early next year. In the next few months, dozens of American pilots will sit in the same simulator and learn the nuances of the controls before they can fly the real plane.

The 787 could be American’s most important new plane since the Boeing 777 in 1999. With its improved fuel efficiency and long range, the 787 could boost the airline’s profit by making many international routes more economical.

The plane has a turbulent record. Production was delayed two years, and the entire worldwide fleet of 50 was grounded last year after batteries overheated in two planes. Regulators allowed the jets to fly again after Boeing crafted a fix that included encasing the batteries in steel boxes to contain any fires.

The Dreamliner was the first big passenger jet to use lithium-ion batteries to power key systems. Last week, U.S. safety officials said that the Federal Aviation Administration relied too much on Boeing for technical expertise and might not have adequately tested the batteries for hazards due to short-circuiting. Experts believe that lithium-ion batteries can short-circuit without warning, the investigators said.

American Airlines Group Inc. declined to make an executive available for comment. In a statement to The Associated Press, the airline said it was “in constant dialogue with Boeing and we look forward to adding the 787 to our fleet.” American’s former CEO and current chairman, Tom Horton, similarly stood by Boeing last year.

American will become just the second U.S. airline, after United, to fly the 787. Worldwide, about 140 are flying today, and Boeing says it has orders for nearly 900 more.

American has ordered 42 Dreamliners but hasn’t yet said which routes they will fly. Spokesman Casey Norton said the plane will be tested on domestic routes before going into international service — the same strategy used by United Airlines.

Richard Aboulafia, a prominent aviation consultant, said the Dreamliner will be crucial for American as it competes with United and Delta to attract premium passengers on international routes. He suggests that American will fly it to Asia, the Middle East and secondary cities in Europe.

“It is absolutely the plane you want to fly point-to-point internationally,” he said, “and it’s at its best at longer ranges” where the fuel efficiency pays off most.

United executives say the plane burns 20 percent less fuel than similar jets and scores highest in the airline’s surveys of passengers. United plans to use the 787 on new flights this year between San Francisco and Chengdu, a Chinese city that has never had nonstop service from the U.S., and between Los Angeles and Melbourne.

The 787 “has allowed us to add more spokes to our network and do it economically,” said United’s vice president of network operations, Brian Znotins. The airline has 65 more on order, including new larger versions.

American won’t say how much it will pay for the planes. The base model lists for $211.8 million on Boeing’s website, but airlines routinely get deep discounts.

Even the simulator wasn’t cheap. American wouldn’t comment, but a spokeswoman for the manufacturer, Canada’s CAE, said that a 787 simulator would be at the “upper end” of a range between $11 million and $20 million.

Depending on their experience, American pilots will spend anywhere from 10 days to nearly a month in the simulator before graduating to practice flights with the real plane. Then come passenger trips, when they will be accompanied by an instructor called a check airman.

Jim Dees, American’s training program chief for the 787 — he and Elder are the only American pilots who have flown a Dreamliner — said the simulator allows pilots to practice during emergencies and bad weather that wouldn’t be safe in a real plane. They can pick from nearly two dozen airports for takeoffs and landings, including over-water approaches at San Francisco or mountainous terrain around Salt Lake City.

Letting a reporter take the first officer’s seat, the pilots had him pull the nose up, push it down and roll from side to show how the 20,000-pound device with six gigantic legs simulates the rocking of a plane in flight. They even let him “land” in Denver.

“The feel on the controls,” Elder said, “is just as if you were on an airplane.”

(AP)

[VIDEOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The deadline has passed and the list of candidates who will compete in the upcoming presidential race is closed. Competing in the race are Reuven Rivlin, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Meir Sheetrit, Dalia Dorner, Dalia Itzik and Prof. Dan Shectman.

The candidates on Tuesday morning, 27 Iyar submitted their candidacy to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein. Their election campaigns are underway. Election Day is set for 12 Sivan. The president is elected for a seven year term by members of Knesset.

In all likelihood none of the candidates will emerge the victor in the first round of voting and a second runoff round will take place in which the two candidates that had the most votes in the first round will face off against one another.

Some of the candidates submit their forms to the Knesset speaker

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

MK (Bayit Yehudi) Yoni Chetboun wishes to make Jerusalem Day a national holiday. Backing his call are MKs Moti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi), Nissim Ze’ev (Shas), and Moshe Feiglin (Likud).

Chetboun explains the liberation of the Jewish capital is a historic event and it should be regarded as such. He feels that today only a small segment of the population regards the day as something special and by declaring a nationally recognized day it would enjoy the status of Independence and Memorial Days and by making it a national holiday it would be on the same status of Independence Day.

“Yerushalayim is the hope of generations and the object of our longing of thousands of years of tefilos. This important amendment is designed to restore Yerushalayim to the entire nation; Yerushalayim belongs to all of us. There is a consensus that crosses the camps in Knesset and the Israeli public not to divide Yerushalayim”.

“It is my hope that next year all of Israel will celebrate the reunification of Yerushalayim and it is my hope the ministerial committee will approve the initiative”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A construction worker in Lakewood lost his life this morning, after a bulldozer overturned, authorities tell YWN.

At approximately 9:45 am Officers and EMS were dispatched to 688 Cross Street after receiving a call that man was stuck under some construction equipment.

Upon arrival, Officers Ralph Hatt and Dennis Scannell observed a man, later identified as 67-year-old Angel Martinez of Lakewood, lying on his back with a bulldozer on top of him. Unfortunately, life saving measures were unable to be employed.

Further investigation revealed, that Mr. Martinez was attempting to load the bulldozer on to a flatbed trailer at the time of the accident. It is not clear how the equipment toppled over and off the trailer at this time.

Although there isn’t anything to indicate foul play, investigators from the Lakewood Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and OSHA are still investigating.

(YWN Desk – NYC / Photo via TLS)

In a shiur given in his beis medrash, Rav Amnon Yitzchak Shlita was critical of the Chief Rabbis of Israel for meeting with Pope Francis during his visit in Yerushalayim.

Rav Amnon stated that “those who go to meet with the pope today and shake his hand, with the Avi Avos HaTuma, for this they were elected… what merit, this is and idol, to shake the hand of the idol”.

“Was HKBH happy today seeing the Chief Rabbis of the State of Israel shaking the hand of the idol” he added, drawing an analogy to Korach, stating HKBH was humiliated.

Rav Amnon continued in an angry tone, making mention of Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Yitzhak Yosef Shlita without using the title rav, questioning if wearing the glima (robe) is reason to compel one to shake the hand of the pope. “Now because of the glima you have to go or be fired. What is this disgrace – you represent religion in the State of Israel. Why do you become a rav, to be machshir the sheretz.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

In effort to continue to hold insurance companies accountable in the aftermath of Sandy, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) has called on all top insurance carriers to provide an update on their disaster response measures taken and contingency plans for residents to prepare for potential future storms.

“Worse than the destructive path of Sandy was the complicated insurance process that followed,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “Our families’ recovery should not be delayed because companies are overwhelmed and confused by their own policies and regulations. Many insurance carriers agreed to streamline their service and create more transparency after Sandy and now it’s time to hear the changes they made.”

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder sent a letter inviting all the major insurance carriers to discuss their policy improvements at a public forum and educate residents on their own insurance coverage in the event of another disaster. When Sandy hit in 2012, thousands of Queens families and businesses were destroyed and held in limbo for months by the same insurance companies that were supposed to be helping them rebuild. We must ensure these companies have put in place the necessary changes to prepare themselves and their customers for future disasters, Goldfeder noted.

“After a storm the last thing a homeowner needs is to struggle with their insurance carrier, this should be the easy part of recovery, I am curious to see how much change they are willing to implement,” said Jonathan Gaska, district manager of Community Board 14.

In June 2013, Assemblyman Goldfeder and his colleagues passed a comprehensive Sandy insurance legislative package to reform the insurance process and hold insurance companies to a higher standard of accountability. Included in the package was the homeowner’s bill of rights which would educate consumers about property and casualty insurance coverage, provide them with easy-to-understand policies and require the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to establish a Consumer’s Guide on Insuring Against Catastrophic Loss.
“We can’t prevent another disaster, but we can help ensure that our families and businesses are protected from any unfair insurance practices,” concluded Goldfeder. “This is one step that will help educate our community and continue to hold insurance companies accountable. I strongly urge all insurance carriers to attend my public forum and immediately provide an update on how they intend to help customers in the event of another disaster.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)

A computer hacker who helped the government disrupt hundreds of cyberattacks on Congress, NASA and other sensitive targets and cripple the hacktivist crew known as Anonymous will be freed from prison after being sentenced Tuesday to time served.

Prosecutors had detailed Hector Xavier Monsegur’s cooperation in court papers while asking a judge to reward him with leniency. He had spent seven months behind bars.

Working around the clock with FBI agents at his side, Monsegur “provided, in real time, information about then-ongoing computer hacks and vulnerabilities in significant computer systems,” prosecutors wrote. The FBI estimates he helped detect at least 300 separate hacks, preventing millions of dollars in losses.

He was arrested and pleaded guilty in 2011.

Monsegur first began hacking in a Manhattan apartment in the early 2000s, according to court papers. His aim then was to steal credit card information, then sell it or use it to pay his own bills.

In a 2011 interview with an online magazine, Monsegur said he decided to join forces with Anonymous because he was upset over the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Starting in early 2011 and using the alias Sabu, Monsegur led an Anonymous splinter group called Lulz Security, or LulzSec, which hacked the computer systems of Fox television, Nintendo, PayPal and other businesses, stole private information and bragged about its exploits online.

The group was loosely affiliated with Jeremy Hammond, the FBI’s most wanted cybercriminal, whose stated objective was to cause mayhem with the attacks, prosecutors said.

When FBI agents showed up at Monsegur’s home in the summer of 2011, he immediately agreed to cooperate, giving the FBI a tutorial on the inner workings and participants of LulzSec and Anonymous, prosecutors said.

Under their direction, he “convinced LulzSec members to provide him digital evidence of the hacking activities” and “asked seemingly innocuous questions that … could be used to pinpoint their exact locations and identities,” court papers said.

(AP)

Egged officials have been notified by the Ministry of Transportation to stop the long-standing arrangement permitting riders on motzei Shabbos to travel from the Kosel without paying the fare. This permitted shomer Shabbos riders to get home to Jerusalem neighborhoods without having to make arrangements before Shabbos. The riders were expected to pay an extra fare during the week to compensate for the motzei Shabbos ride. This permits riders living in frum areas like Geula and Har Nof to return home by bus.

According to Egged, most riders did not make payment during the week and they simply got a free ride on motzei Shabbos. Acting on Egged’s evaluation of the frum motzei Shabbos riders, the ministry has given the order to cancel the arrangement immediately.

This means the many mispallalim arriving at the Kosel for mincha and maariv on Shabbos will have to find a way to get money to make their way home.

Kosel rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz expressed surprise upon hearing of the decision, adding it is most ironic that it comes on the week Am Yisrael observes Yom Yerushalayim.

MK (Yahadut Hatorah) R’ Uri Maklev turned to Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to reverse the decision.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant against four senior IDF commanders serving at the time of the Marvi Mamara incident.

The Istanbul court issued the warrants against former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Naval Commander Rear Admiral Eliezer Merom, Chief of Intelligence Amos Yadlin and Air Intelligence Chief Avishai Levi.

If any of the four lands in Turkey or in any nation that has an extradition treaty with Turkey may be arrested.

Terrorists affiliated with the HNN organization were on board the Marvi Marmara and planned to break the Israeli marine blockade on Gaza. Members of the Shayetet naval commando unit boarded the vessel and refrained from using weapons, believing the members of the flotilla were peaceful civilians. The commandos were attacked and beaten, some sustaining serious injuries until realizing they were dealing with terrorists. Turkey severed relations with Israel over the deaths of a number of its citizens, demanding an Israeli apology.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)