Orthodox Union Applauds Re-Introduction of Bill Providing FEMA Aid to Disaster Damaged Houses of Worship
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU) expressed its appreciation to U.S. Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY) for reintroducing the bipartisan Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act (H.R. 3066) that would ensure that houses of worship devastated by recent and future disasters are eligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Under federal law and current FEMA regulations, various types of ...
Ex-NY Congressman Grimm Faces Sentencing In Tax Case
Former Congressman Michael Grimm is due in court for sentencing on a tax evasion conviction.
The Staten Island Republican pleaded guilty late last year to aiding in the filing of a false tax return.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have asked a judge to give Grimm at least 2 years behind bars at the sentencing on Friday morning. His lawyers are seeking probation.
The 45-year-old Grimm won re-election in November, but resigned after his guilty plea.
(AP)
GOP Sees Iran Nuclear Deal As Chance To Gain Jewish Voters
Republicans are trying to seize on President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and strained ties with Israel's leader to cultivate Jewish voters, reasoning that a small shift in the margins could help them in battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Democrats dismiss the effort as demagoguery from the right, saying that most Jewish voters will remain loyal to the left. The front-runner for their party's presidential nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham ...
Halachic Estate Planning
In today’s society, the monetary laws of the Torah have unfortunately been largely disregarded even within the Orthodox community, mostly due to a lack of education and understanding of those laws. There is one area of monetary law which affects everyone – the laws of yerushah (inheritance). According to the Torah’s laws of inheritance, a man’s sons1 are his sole heirs, each inheriting an equal share, except that when the oldest child is a son, the first born son would inherit a ...
Jerusalem Councilman Turns to State Officials Amid Alleged Corruption
Jerusalem Councilman Elad Malka on Wednesday, 28 Tammuz, turned to the Office of the State Comptroller Yosef Shapira along with Civil Service Commissioner Moshe Dayan requesting they launch an investigation into the city’s religious council, which he alleges is corrupt. According to Councilman Malka, “Even if there is no criminal activities, the council is not run in a healthy fashion”.
Earlier in the week a complaint was filed against the head of the Jerusalem Religious Council, ...
Dozens of MEPs Support EJA's Appeal to Establish an EU Special Envoy to Monitor And Combat Anti-Semitism
The European Jewish Association formally lodged an appeal with the European Commission Wednesday 28 Tammuz to establish an EU Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism, as part of its ongoing campaign to call on Europe to take a leading role in tackling the problem amid rising anti-Semitism in Europe.
Having secured the support of a number of cross-party members of the European Parliament, united in their desire to see a more cohesive approach to tackling anti-Semitism across the ...
State Comptroller Probing Police Chief Danino's Extravagant Retirement Party
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira on Thursday 29 Tammuz instructed Acting Police Chief Bentzi Sau to turn over documents pertaining to the extravagant retirement party thrown for former Israel Police Chief Yochanan Danino.
The event was held in the Beit Shemesh Police College, reportedly costing over NIS 410,000. Among the VIPs in attendance were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.
Walla News confirms its photographer assigned to cover the event was ousted, not ...
Israeli Arabs Accuse Border Policemen of Entering and Disrespecting a Mosque
Resident of the village of Zilfa in the Nachal I’ron (Wadi Ara) area of northern Israel are angry. They accuse border police of entering an area mosque without permission during the night. The incident occurred last week.
According to the report, a resident of the village, which is north of Nachal I’ron, saw suspicious persons in the area of the Alfarouk Mosque, after midnight. The village is responsible for the mosque, MyNet reports, adding when they checked the security cameras they ...
Jerusalem Chareidi Councilman Push for Improved Public Transportation Hub on Herzl Blvd
Due to the efforts of Jerusalem City Councilman Yisrael Kellerman and Shlomo Rosenstein, the public transportation hub at the intersection of Herzl Blvd. and Bayit Vegan has been improved and expanded. The renovations will permit the number 16 line to stop at the public transportation hub as well.
Residents of Ze’ev Chaklei Street turned to the councilman, requesting to arrange for the 16 line to stop at that location. This was not possible before the improvements were made for doing so ...
Talks Ongoing to Gain the Release of Avraham Mengistu Being Held In Gaza
According to a Walla News report quoting PA (Palestinian Authority) officials, behind the scenes talks between Israel and Hamas for the release of Ashkelon resident Avraham Mengistu and an unnamed Israeli Bedouin, both in Gaza, are continuing.
While the report does not provide information regarding the Bedouin citizen, Avraham is reported to be alive and well in Gaza. Other reports are contradictory, indicating that while Mengistu, who has a history of mental illness, was taken into Hamas ...
Chief Rabbinate Beis Din Employee in Custody on Suspicion of Manipulating Divorce Files
Two Jerusalem residents are in custody, including one employee of the city’s Chief Rabbinate beis din. The beis din employee is suspected of taking bribes to manipulate divorce cases.
An undercover investigation has been ongoing during recent months, during which evidence was gathered to support the allegations against the two.
The beis din employee is a man in his 30s and he accepted bribes to manipulate cases involving divorce, custody matters, visitation arrangements, beis din orders ...
British Man Charged With Hacking US Networks Arrested
A British man accused of hacking into U.S. government computer networks and stealing sensitive and confidential information was arrested in England on Wednesday, and U.S. prosecutors said they will attempt to have him brought to New Jersey.
Lauri Love, of Stradishall, England, has been charged with hacking into agencies including the U.S. Army, NASA, the Federal Reserve and the Environmental Protection Agency. Prosecutors say he stole names, Social Security numbers and credit card ...
Shas Plans to Move Forward with its Kashrus Bill
After three delays, Shas leader Aryeh Deri hopes to push the party’s kashrus bill forward as it is on the schedule for the Ministerial Law Committee for Sunday, 3 Menachem Av. Due to objections from MK (Kulanu) Rachel Azaria and her party colleagues Shas placed the bill on hold towards rewording it. Shas hopes the amended bill will enjoy the support of Kulanu and permitting it to pass committee.
The Shas bill is necessitated by the fact Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein is supporting ...
Democrats Decry Undercover Probe of HealthCare.gov
Senior Democrats pushed back Thursday against an undercover government probe of President Barack Obama's health care law, saying it didn't uncover any real fraud.
Investigators for the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office signed up 11 bogus beneficiaries for 2014 coverage then got HealthCare.gov to continue benefits this year for all but one.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said these were "fictitious cases" and the GAO investigators themselves admit the findings can't be translated to ...
U. of Haifa: Does Salt Cause Thirst? Not Necessarily Research Shows
According to new research conducted at the University of Haifa, eating salty foods does not necessarily increase a sense of thirst. “Based on the notion that the consumption of salt increases thirst, the concern has arisen that it also leads to an increased consumption of sugary drinks. However, our study found little support for the assumption that salt invariably increases drinking,” said Prof. Micah Leshem of the Department of Psychology, who conducted the research.
Conventional ...
Galei Tzahal Chareidi Affairs Correspondent Ousted from Knesset Room by Shas
Every week, a short time before the Shas faction in Knesset meets they have a mincha minyan in the faction room. Usually, Shas ministers and MKs attend along with other MKs, parliamentary aides, Knesset employees and members of the press attend. It is an open minyan.
When Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) chareidi affairs correspondent Michael Shemesh entered the room, he was met with an angry greeting from Barak Seri, Minister Aryeh Deri’s spokesman, who instructed him to leave the ...
Christie Offering Proposals To Alter Criminal Justice System
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is calling for changes in the criminal justice system, seeking in part to give nonviolent drug offenders a better shot at rebuilding their lives and to improve frayed relations between communities and police.
In the wake of protests across the country sparked by the deaths of young black men by police, Christie plans to point to Camden, New Jersey, as a national model for rebuilding trust between law enforcement and residents while driving down violent ...
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