Yeshiva World News

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for The Five Towns Jewish Times

It is a point of fact that we in the Chareidi community do not readily like to admit.  There are times in history when complete D’oraisah Mitzvos are entirely ignored.  Here are three examples:

• In America in the 1940′s the overwhelming majority of Orthodox Jewish women who lived here did not cover their hair.
• In the late 1980′s the overwhelming majority of Yeshivish orthodox Jews were not strictly observant of the prohibition of eating bugs in vegetables.
• And in Me’ah She’arim last week at about twelve in the afternoon, a large percentage of onlookers did not strictly observe four very important Torah mitzvos.

This third example is most egregious.

The newspaper reports  about the incident are horrifying:  “Following an in-home visit with one of his IDF soldiers, the platoon commander was surrounded by a group of dozens of ultra-Orthodox individuals who began threatening him and pelting him and his car with eggs, stones, bags of water and soiled diapers. His car sustained significant damage.

The officer also said that several female residents threatened to kill him if he did not leave immediately.

The commander’s mother, a resident of the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba near Hebron, claimed her son barely made it out of the neighborhood alive.  She said, that her son told her,“they had murder in their eyes..” Nobody in the crowd tried to protect him… He escaped by the skin of his teeth.”

Let’s take it as a given that those who are attacking a fellow Jew are beyond the pale and are in violation of attempting to violate one of the aseres hadibros of lo sirtzach – do not murder.”  Nonetheless, they must be reigned in and  they must be reigned in now.  We in the Chareidi community must stand up and not merely condemn this clear violation of Torah and humanity, but we must demand that we find the individuals involved in this travesty and fulfill the dictum of uviarta hara mikirbecha – removing the evil from our midst.  It is not acceptable to allow such an attack to go unpunished.

But furthermore, just like all other aspects of Torah we must educate ourselves  about some very basic Torah Mitzvos.

Lo Saamod Al Dam Rayacha

There is a negative Mitzvah of not standing idly by your brother’s blood as well.  This is mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (CM 426:1) and in the Rambam.  We have to explain situations where this might come up and give specific examples as well.  We must do so in order to ensure that we do not stand idly by our brother’s blood.

Lo Suchal l’hisalaym

There is yet another negative commandment associated with the positive commandment of Hashavas Aveida, and that is the verse in Dvarim (22:3), “You cannot shut your eyes to it.”  This verse comes directly after the Mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah.  The Netziv (HeEmek Sheailah) refers to this Mitzvah as well.  We must teach this Mitzvah too in order to make sure that we are always ready to uphold it.

V’Chai Achicha Imach

The Sheiltos (Sheilta #37), based upon the Gemorah in Bava Metziah 62a,  understands these words to indicate an obligation to save others with you.  The Netziv in his He’Emek She’ailah understands it as a full-fledged obligation according to all opinions. He writes that he must exert every effort to save his friend’s life – until it becomes Pikuach Nefesh for himself.

V’Ahavta l’Rayacha Kamocha

The Ramban, Toras haAdam Shaar HaSakana (p42-43) understands the verse of “And love thy neighbor as yourself” as a directive to save him from danger as well.  Although he discusses the issue of medical danger, it is clear that this is an example, and it would apply to danger from physical enemies as well. Even without the Ramban, however, it is clear that defending and protecting someone from danger is a fulfillment of this Mitzvah.

MODELLING

One might think that these Mitzvos are simple matters and do not need to be modelled or explained, but they do.  The evidence here points to the great need.  To say nothing of the massive Chilul Shaim Shamayim that has transpired here.

What we need here are two things:

The first is an unequivocal statement condemning this time of violence by the respected leaders of the Chareidi communities.  Everyone has the right to express their halachic and political opinion as to what can undermine Klal Yisroel and what represents an existential threat to Torah and to Klal Yisroel.  However, when that rhetoric causes some to exceed the boundaries of halacha and engage in what constitutes possible Shfichas Damim there is a responsibility to speak out.  Specifically, and with the greatest of Kavod,  the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel, the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, the Toldos Aharon Rebbe, the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe, the Dushinsky Rebbe, and the Gavad Eidah and HaCharedis HaRav Weiss have all spoken out against Chareidim entering the IDF.  But when the meshugayim begin interpreting this as a green light for shfichas damim there is a halachic obligation to speak out against this too.   It should not just be relegated to the litvisha Gedolim of Klal Yisroel and to their papers to condemn it.  They must do so themselves.

What we also need here some organization  that will create literature that concentrates on these Mitzvos and upon educating the youth of the Chareidi communities including Meah She’arim with practical applications of these Mitzvos with both religious and irreligious people who differ from the way we may look.  The Mosdos and the Rebbeim should be paid to implement these program, and there should be oversight to ensure that they are being taught.

These Mitzvos must be observed just as the Mitzvos of proper hair covering, and staying away from bugs must be observed.  No one has the right to flaunt halacha and these are clear-cut halachic issues.

The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

Originally published at http://5tjt.com/severe-violations-of-torah/

Israeli media reports that the attack against a long-range missile storage facility in Syria was the work of rebel forces, not the Israel Air Force as the Arab media is reporting.

This latest attack took place during the predawn hours on Monday, 8 Iyar 5775. According to the Arab media reports, the facility was used to store scud missiles, adding 30 Syrian soldiers were killed.

Some view the recent attacks in Syria as an Israeli response to the recent Russian decision to lift the embargo on the sale of the S-300 anti-aircraft system to Iran. Israeli officials including the prime minister and defense minister told the media that Israel would not tolerate the delivery of the advanced system to Syria or Hizbullah. PM Netanyahu phoned Russian President Putin in the hope of reversing his decision, albeit without success.

Israel has already begun preparing for the new advanced system, including simulator training on the F-35 fighter jet.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The Obama administration moved on two fronts Monday to advance its nuclear diplomacy with Iran, with talks between top U.S. and Iranian diplomats and an aggressive effort to sell the emerging deal to skeptical American lawmakers and constituencies.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were to meet Monday in New York for the first time since world powers and Iran sealed a framework agreement on April 2 that would limit Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon. They now have little more than two months to meet their own deadline of June 30 for a comprehensive accord.

In Washington, lead U.S. negotiator Wendy Sherman told a conference of reform Jews that diplomatic collapse would leave Iran perilously close to nuclear weapons capacity. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said a final agreement would in some ways be tougher than what the U.S. has outlined thus far.

All the activity was taking place before Senate debate begins Tuesday over empowering Congress to review and possibly reject any nuclear pact. Republican presidential candidates are lining up to oppose any deal with a government the U.S. considers the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and to show their support for Israel.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wants to require Iran’s leaders to publicly accept Israel’s right to exist, a nearly impossible mandate. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas hopes to put the onus on advocates to win congressional approval of a deal, and not on opponents to gather enough votes for rejection.

Kerry and Zarif are reconvening after their marathon negotiations in Switzerland with several questions outstanding. Particularly problematic for President Barack Obama and his team are how quickly sanctions would be eased for Tehran in exchange for nuclear concessions, and how to snap economic restrictions back into place quickly if Iran is caught cheating.

At a breakfast meeting with journalists, Moniz, a former MIT physics department head, provided some new detail on the combination of technical limits that the U.S. says would keep Iran at least a year away from assembling enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon for at least a decade.

Hours after the framework was announced, the U.S. said Iran would be permitted to keep 6,104 centrifuges installed. Of these, a little more than 1,000 could be kept at Iran’s deeply buried facility at Fordo that may be impervious to U.S. or Israeli air attack. None of those would be permitted to enrich uranium, material that can be used in a nuclear warhead.

Moniz said no advanced centrifuges can be installed or developed at that site for 15 years. And in a new twist, he said only one-third of the 1,000 centrifuges there can actually “spin” over that period. The rest will be “just sitting there,” he said.

The details are significant because they provide another piece of how American officials calculate that they’d have enough time to detect any Iranian push toward a bomb and respond. Tehran says its program is solely designed for energy, medical and research purposes, but Washington and many other governments distrust Iran’s motives.

Nowhere does skepticism seem higher than on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are wrestling with how tough to make legislation on Iran that has gained the tacit approval of Obama.

Proponents of the bill are trying to discourage any changes to the legislation. They recognize that politically driven amendments could undermine Democratic support and sink the carefully crafted measure.

“Anybody who monkeys with this bill is going to run into a buzz saw,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a possible White House candidate, warned ahead of this week’s debate.

Sherman, the State Department’s undersecretary for political affairs, said that if talks fail to produce a final deal, Iran would be two to three months from being able to produce enough material for a weapon.

Speaking to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, she said the president would reconsider support for the bill if it is distorted by amendments. “There will be a lot of pretty awful amendments, quite frankly, and we’ll see where we end up,” Sherman said.

The bill was approved 19-0 by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It has 62 co-sponsors from both parties.

The legislation would block Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers weigh in. And it would stipulate that if senators disapprove the deal, Obama would lose authority to waive certain economic penalties — an event that would certainly prompt a presidential veto.

Among proposed additions to the bill are demands that Iran release any U.S. citizens it is holding and refrain from any cooperation with nuclear-armed North Korea. Another insists that any agreement be treated as an international treaty, requiring two-thirds ratification by the Senate.

Another set of amendments would block any sanctions relief for Iran until it meets goals the U.S. set years ago as negotiating stances and has long since abandoned.

(AP)

The Baltimore Police Department has received information that a number of Baltimore area gangs have joined forces to “take out” officers.

According to a press release from the Baltimore Police department, members of the Black Guerilla Family, Bloods and Crips have partnered to harm law enforcement officials.

Police are taking this as a credible threat.
“Law enforcement agencies should take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of their officers,” the statement says.

A skirmish in a yeshiva on Ben Azai Street in Bet Shemesh on Monday 8 Iyar resulted in stabbing, as a chareidi student sustained moderate injuries to his upper body and an avreich who tried breaking up the fight was wounded lightly.

According to reports, a former student was arguing with a former student. The former student stabbed and wounded the student as well as the avreich who tried to break it up.

Ichud Hatzalah responded and the victims were transported by Magen David Adom to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. Police are investigating.

The former student fled the scene. Police are aware of his identity.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

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[VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

A plane returning from Nepal carrying rescuers and the rescued arrived in Israel’s Nevatim Air Base. The Israelis were among the many stranded in the earthquake-stricken area that reports the death toll continues to climb, surpassing 3,000, with thousands injured and an unknown of people missing.

Nachshon Squadron Commander Lt.-Colonel “Ron” explains the flight was over 24 hours. They had seven physicians on board who are assisting in Nepal. They brought back 11 Israelis including 3 preemies born in recent days.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Relief worker Brad Kerner of Save the Children says basic necessities are the immediate need in Nepal after Saturday’s devastating earthquake, which killed more than 4,000 people. He also says waterborne and infectious diseases are a risk because people are living outdoors in crowded, camp-like situations.

Kerner says, “A lot of people are sleeping outside, so they are all homeless in a way. The longer people stay out of homes, and live in camps” clean water practices will fall short.

Save the Children was getting in medical teams. Kerner said: “We are making sure there is shelter, food and water available. We’re handing out baby kits with blankets, soap, and other necessities for newborns, who are the most vulnerable in such situations.”

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8:45 p.m. (1500 GMT, 11 a.m.)

Help was pouring into Nepal from across the world, as countries big and small sent in medical and rescue teams to provide disaster relief.

A Nepal army spokesman says rescue workers and medical teams from at least a dozen countries were in Nepal helping local police and army rescuers.

Maj. Gen. Binod Basnyat said the teams were in different places in Kathmandu and surrounding areas. India has sent the biggest team with six helicopters and seven trucks. Seven Indian search and rescue teams and another seven medical teams were at work Monday in the worst-hit areas. They had rescued 10 people and recovered 40 bodies from the rubble of fallen buildings in different parts of Kathmandu.

China has sent a medical team and a team of experts to move through structures destroyed in the quake and help with search and rescue operations. Chinese doctors have set up a field hospital at the mountain resort town of Dhulikhel, 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Kathmandu.

Even Nepal’s tiny Himalayan neighbor, Bhutan, has sent a medical team to help the survivors of the quake.

Medical and rescue teams from Russia, Japan, France, Switzerland and Singapore were expected to arrive in Kathmandu over the next couple of days, the army said.

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8:30 p.m. (1445 GMT, 10:45 a.m.)

The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in South Asia has surpassed 4,000 people.

Nepal police say on their Facebook page late Monday evening that 3,904 deaths had been counted in Nepal and 7,180 people were injured.

In addition, an avalanche caused by the earthquake Saturday killed 18 people at Mount Everest’s base camp, 61 people were killed in neighboring India, and China reported 25 people died in Tibet.

The toll is expected to rise as assessments are made in vulnerable mountain villages that have been inaccessible since the quake.

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8 p.m. (1415 GMT, 10:15 a.m.)

Traffic jams happen all the time on the narrow, two-lane road heading north from Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu into the Gorkha district. Small landslides and impatient drivers regularly combine to stop transportation, sometimes for hours.

When it happens, drivers mingle, owners of little stalls sell potato chips and drinks, and everyone waits. And waits.

Two days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the situation was critical, and the road was, like so much else in Nepal, a scene of chaos. Hundreds of heavy trucks, buses and cars stood still. Those waiting included rescue workers and trucks bringing food and supplies for the injured and homeless in Gorkha, the epicenter of Saturday’s quake.

“This traffic jam, it is nothing new,” said Uma Shankar Prasad, a 32-year-old Indian construction worker heading back home because he was terrified that more earthquakes could happen. “Traffic jams happen all the time. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

The jam, though, made room for no one.

As darkness fell Monday evening, the traffic showed no sign of moving.

___

7:30 p.m. (1345 GMT, 9:45 a.m.)

An engineer who works on earthquake risks says the 7.8-magnitude temblor that struck on Saturday may not be the Big One for Nepal.

GeoHazards International’s Hari Kumar says: “We were expecting an 8-magnitude to happen along the Himalayas, this is not it.”

Kumar is the Southeast Asia regional coordinator for the non-profit group that works on assessing and managing quake risks worldwide.

Immense seismic pressure is still building up along the Nepal-India border, and he says, “The stress which was developing west of this earthquake has not been released.”

Nepal’s worst recorded earthquake was an 8.0-magnitude temblor in 1934 that all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

Kumar said he hoped Nepal would be able to look beyond the horror and see a chance to rebuild properly. “For Kathmandu, this is their moment of change. I know it is a tragic time, many of their buildings are (fallen) down, but I think this is their time to turn it around.”

___

7:15 p.m. (1330 GMT, 9:30 a.m.)

World Vision aid worker Matt Darvas reached Nepal’s Gorkha district, the epicenter of Saturday’s powerful quake, early Monday afternoon. He said almost no aid had reached there ahead of him.

He told the AP by telephone: “It does not seem aid is reaching here very quickly.”

Landslides and other destruction delayed attempts to reach the district earlier, but Gorkha is feared to have extensive damage.

Darvas says most of the newer concrete buildings were intact after the quake but remote mountainside villages were reportedly devastated.

He says, “Further north from here the reports are very disturbing.” He says up to 75 percent of the buildings in Singla may have collapsed and the village, a two-days walk away, has been out of contact since Saturday night.

Local officials lost contact with military and police who set out for Singla, and Darvas says helicopters have had to turn back because of clouds.

He says a few SUVs with foreign tourists bringing basic aid supplies had begun to reach Gorkha by early evening.

___

6:15 p.m. (1230 GMT, 8:30 a.m.)

Chaos has reigned at Kathmandu’s small airport since the earthquake, with the onslaught of relief flights causing major backups on the tarmac.

Sitanshu Kar, India’s defense ministry spokesman, tweeted that four Indian air force aircraft carrying communication gear, aid supplies and rescue personnel were forced to return to New Delhi on Monday because of airport congestion.

India was planning to resend the two C-17 Globemasters, one C-130 Hercules and one Ilyushin IL-76 back to Nepal later Monday night, when the situation was expected to have eased.

Nepal’s government says the needs of its people are acute, with 3,700 dead and the toll expected to rise. Also, more than 6,300 people are injured, and tens of thousands lost homes.

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5:45 p.m. (1200 GMT, 8 a.m.)

All mountaineering on the Chinese side of Mount Everest was cancelled after Saturday’s earthquake.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency says more than 400 climbers from 20-plus countries were on the northern side of the world’s highest mountain and were reported safe after they descended to lower elevations.

Xinhua quoted an official with the Tibetan bureau of sports as saying that an avalanche at 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) and the possibility of further aftershocks was considered to have made climbing too dangerous. There was no word on when the ban would be lifted.

The Chinese side of Everest is less popular with climbers, in part because a special permit is required to enter Tibet. But it is an alternative to the heavily trafficked Nepalese side, and it is growing popular especially with Chinese climbers.

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4:45 p.m. (1100 GMT, 7 a.m.)

Doctors Without Borders is sending eight teams to provide medical aid and other relief in Nepal after Saturday’s earthquake.

The group says four of the teams were trying to crossing the border from India’s Bihar state, a team from New Delhi is heading to Kathmandu and a team from Japan is heading to the Kathmandu Valley.

A team of eight staff with surgical skills left Brussels and will set up a surgery unit as well as run mobile clinics. And a team from Amsterdam is departing Monday with medical, water and sanitation relief.

The government says more than 6,300 people were injured in the quake and Nepal is short of medical staff, medicine and rescue helicopters to transport the injured.

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3.45 p.m. (1000 GMT, 6 a.m.)

Lila Mani Poudyal, the government’s chief secretary and the rescue coordinator, appealed for more help from the international community, saying Nepal was short of everything from paramedics to electricity.

“We are appealing for tents, dry goods, blankets, mattresses, and 80 different medicines … that we desperately need now,” he told reporters. “We don’t have the helicopters that we need or the expertise to rescue the people trapped.”

Once people are pulled from the wreckage, he noted, even more help is needed, especially orthopedic doctors, nerve specialists, anesthetists, surgeons and paramedics. “We are appealing to foreign government to send these specialized and smart teams.”

The recovery situation was also being slowed because many workers — water tanker drivers, electricity company employees, laborers to clear debris — have “all gone to their families and (are) staying with them, refusing to work.”

__

3.30 p.m. (0945 GMT, 5:45 a.m.)

The French foreign minister says two French citizens have been confirmed dead.

Laurent Fabius said in a statement broadcast on French TV BFM that the two victims were killed in a landslide triggered by the quake.

Fabius said authorities have located 1,400 French people in Nepal and are still trying to contact 676 others. Ten French citizens are known to have been injured.

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2.30 p.m. (0845 GMT, 4:45 a.m.)

A respected consultancy says the long-term cost of reconstruction after Saturday’s earthquake could be more than $5 billion, or about 20 percent of Nepal’s GDP.

Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist for the Colorado-based consultancy services IHS, says Nepal has extremely limited capacity to finance relief efforts and reconstruction from its own resources.

“The total long-term cost of reconstruction in Nepal using appropriate building standards for regions vulnerable to severe earthquakes could exceed $5 billion, which is around 20 percent of Nepal’s GDP,” he says.

Nepal’s annual per capita GDP is only $1,000, and the average family lives in poverty.

“Massive international disaster relief and rescue efforts will be needed urgently, as well as large-scale international financial and technical assistance for long-term reconstruction of the economy,” says Biswas.

(AP)

A lawyer for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev urged a jury Monday to spare the young man’s life, portraying him as “a good kid” who was led astray by his belligerent older brother.

David Bruck delivered the defense’s opening statement in the penalty phase of Tsarnaev’s trial, saying there is no punishment Tsarnaev can get that would be equal to the suffering of the victims.

“There is no evening the scales,” Bruck said. “There is no point in trying to hurt him as he hurt because it can’t be done.”

Tsarnaev, 21, was convicted of 30 federal charges in the twin bombings that killed three spectators and wounded more than 260 other people near the marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013. He was also convicted of killing an MIT police officer during the Tsarnaev brothers’ getaway attempt.

This stage will determine whether he is executed or spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Bruck focused heavily on Tsarnaev’s now-dead brother, Tamerlan, saying he led the plot and provided the “fuel” to drive the plan. At one point, Bruck referred to Dzhokhar as “Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s younger brother.”

Bruck contrasted Tamerlan with Dzhokhar, saying Tamerlan was loud and aggressive, got into fights, failed at everything he did and never held a steady job, while Dzhokhar was a good student in high school, was loved by his teachers there, had many friends and never got in a fight.

“He was a good kid,” the lawyer said. But he said Tsarnaev started going downhill in college.

Tsarnaev was a 19-year-old college student at the time of the bombing. His brother, 26, was killed days after the attack during the getaway attempt.

The prosecution made its case in the penalty phase last week, calling victims and family members to the stand to recall in heartbreaking detail the blood, the screams and the terror of the attack and the pain and grief it continues to inflict.

Prosecutors portrayed Tsarnaev as an unrepentant killer who gave finger to the security camera in his jail cell three months after his arrest.

(AP)

Bayit Yehudi party leader Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to get back to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday, 8 Iyar, regarding ongoing coalition negotiations. Bennett has demanded the Ministry of Education portfolio, but the prime minister has not responded. PM Netanyahu has stated he will be keeping the ministry in Likud hands but it is clear to him at present that refusing Bennett’s demand may bring an irreparable end to talks with the Bayit Yehudi, and the party may take its 8 seats into the opposition.

Tensions between Bayit Yehudi and Likud are more than a bit stained as the former feels the latter has all but ignored the party in coalition talks. Bennett and his colleagues have stated repeatedly that while Bayit Yehudi was told it would be a major coalition partner, it has been left out of the talks until other parties received what they were seeking.

For the prime minister, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Ze’ev Elkin and Gila Gamliel are all vying for control of the ministry and handing it over to Bennett will create serious in-house problems.

Likud’s Minister of Communications Gilad Erdan, who landed the top slot in the party primaries, is also disenchanted with the prime minister. Erdan still hopes to wage a battle to become foreign minister, Channel 10 News reports, but the prime minister wishes to hold that slot for Avigdor Lieberman in the hope of bringing Yisrael Beitenu and its 6 seats into the coalition.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

“Danny Cole and Mendy Losh have been located and are unharmed. Our families are in contact with them and we are working towards bringing them home safely.

We thank the many people and organizations who have worked tirelessly on behalf of Danny and Mendy during this difficult time. We wish them continued blessing and success in their selfless efforts to help the countless other people in need of aid.

We pray for the victims of this disaster and for all the families affected by the devastation.”

Zalman Schreiber on behalf of the Cole and Losh families.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Once again the Yad Hashem was evident when terrorists hurled a firebomb at a passenger bus on motzei Shabbos, on Highway 443 (Jerusalem-Modi’in Highway) near the Dror gas station at about 21:00. The bus continued for about 200 meters until the driver realized it was on fire. The bus was destroyed in the fire. B’chasdei Hashem there were no passengers on board.

The highway was closed until the flames were under control. Police incident investigators were called to the scene and the determination was made that the fire was caused by a firebomb, a terror attack.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The Israelife Foundation is coordinating a Joint Disaster Response Team comprising of emergency medical personnel from United Hatzalah, Search & Rescue specialist from F.I.R.S.T. and recovery teams from Zaka.

The joint team, which left Israel on Sunday, 7 Iyar, includes a wide range of experts in their field with disaster response experience in Japan, Haiti and the Philippines. The multi-disciplinary teams will work together in squads with each member carrying out the tasks that they are uniquely qualified to perform and supporting the efforts of other team members as operational conditions require. A primary focus will be setting up local aid stations in outlying regions as well as extricating and evacuating victims to the stations.

Eli Pollack, Chairman of the Israelife Foundation stated “Israelife functions as an umbrella organization for all voluntary emergency response entities in Israel. It is our duty and privilege to harness the combined skills of F.I.R.S.T., Zaka and United (Ichud) Hatzalah for the benefit of Israelis in Nepal and for the people of Nepal during their time of need.”

Eli Beer, President of United Hatzalah said “United Hatzalah paramedics with experience in catastrophes of this magnitude will establish and staff medical aid stations to deal with the expected mass of crush injuries, fractures, lacerations and infectious complications of these injuries.”

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, Zaka Chairman said “Volunteers from our international division have experience in previous disasters like the earthquake in Haiti. We are in fact talking about a complex operation but our volunteers have experience in extrication under difficult field conditions. The collaboration with the search & rescue specialists from F.I.R.S.T., the medical personnel of Ichud Hatzalah and the body retrieval experts from Zaka is what makes this mission so unique.”

Gabi Barshishat from F.I.R.S.T. commented “Our task will be to reach the villages outside Kathmandu and the surrounding regions to assist the local population in reaching the aid stations and to provide whatever additional assistance is needed.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

It now appears that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is not certain to sign on both chareidi parties as negotiators appear locked regarding Shas, which has changed its wish list a number of times. At first it was believed Shas would be among the first parties to sign on to the new coalition, but party leader Aryeh Deri seems unwilling to accept the fact he cannot have the entire Interior Ministry portfolio as the District Planning Board component was promised to the Kulanu party. The prime minster remains hopeful to sign with Yahadut Hatorah in the coming days.

Shas has also raised its Zero VAT (Value Added Tax) bill, calling for the elimination of the vat tax on basic items. Shas stated it will not enter a coalition until this is guaranteed as per its election campaign promises. There are reports quoting officials in the treasury that Israel must charge VAT as it does in line with OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) agreements. Shas states this is not so, insisting the VAT on basic items can be eliminated. Shas adds such a move would assist the 2 million Israelis living under the poverty line.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Of the 25 House Republicans who voted in January against keeping Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, as speaker, most have seen a drop in contributions from political committees representing business and other interests, compared with two years ago.

Here are figures from reports filed with the Federal Election Commission by the 24 Boehner opponents who are expected to run for re-election next year. The numbers show the amounts each of the 24 raised from political committees in the first three months of 2015, compared with the same period in 2013.

Most of the money comes from political action committees, which contribute money to candidates from business, labor or ideological groups. The figures exclude funds from political party committees.

For lawmakers who didn’t file reports for early 2013, the earliest available report in the two-year 2014 election cycle is used:

___

Republicans who raised less from political committees this year than in 2013:

Justin Amash of Michigan: 2015 $0; 2013 $6,050.

Jeff Duncan of South Carolina: 2015 $17,500; 2013 $30,000.

Scott Garrett of New Jersey: 2015 $61,840; 2013 $81,500.

Louie Gohmert of Texas: 2015 $1,500; 2013 $5,500.

Tim Huelskamp of Kansas: 2015 $17,200; 2013 $34,500.

Walter Jones of North Carolina: 2015 $16,500; 2013 $50,000.

Steve King of Iowa: 2015 $9,000; 2013 $14,877.

Thomas Massie of Kentucky: 2015 $1,000; 2013 $46,228.

Mark Meadows of North Carolina: 2015 $21,977; 2013 $22,337.

Rich Nugent of Florida: 2015 $2,975; 2013 $15,500.

Gary Palmer of Alabama: 2015 $3,848; 2013 $12,000.

Scott Rigell of Virginia: 2015 $36,500; 2013 $41,518.

Randy Weber of Texas: 2015 $3,500; 2013 $13,749.

Daniel Webster of Florida: 2015 $3,000; 2013 $37,750.

Ted Yoho of Florida: 2015 $12,000; 2013 $41,478.

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Republicans who raised more from political committees this year than in 2013:

Brian Babin of Texas: 2015 $51,000; 2013 $0.

Rod Blum of Iowa: 2015 $70,499; 2013 $0.

Dave Brat of Virginia: 2015 $24,150; 2013 $0.

Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma: 2015 $34,000; 2013 $0.

Curt Clawson of Florida: 2015 $5,000; 2013 $0.

Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee: 2015 $27,500; 2013 $11,781.

Paul Gosar of Arizona: 2015 $24,500; 2013 $18,750.

Bill Posey of Florida: 2015 $27,000; 2013 $16,000.

Marlin Stutzman of Indiana: 2015 $62,625; 2013 $4

(AP)