Police stand outside a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(VIN News) — Investigative journalist Laura Loomer has revealed that Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa, the terrorist who perpetrated Monday’s deadly attack in a Boulder, Colorado supermarket, was actually inspired by ISIS and targeted the supermarket, King Soopers, because it is kosher friendly. The supermarket keeps lots of kosher foods and is known as a place where Jews will be present to purchase such foods.
Despite this, none of the mainstream media outlets have emphasized this fact, even though King Soopers advertises itself on its website as “Your One-Stop Shop For Kosher Groceries.” Moreover this week marks the advent of the Passover festival and Jews around the world are crowding kosher stores shopping for groceries and supplies.
Al-Issa, a Syrian immigrant during the Obama years, pledged allegiance to ISIS before carrying out the attack. Previously he had expressed hatred for former President Donald Trump and his “anti-Islamic” immigration policies. However, the timing of the attack demonstrates that it was no mere venting of Islamic fury but was meant to target Jews preparing for Passover. On a number of occasions, Al-Issa also expressed his anti-Jewish sentiments.
Al-Issa allegedly had failed attempts at terror attacks previously. He had planned to target a Trump rally which took place prior to coronavirus in February 2020 at Colorado Springs but then decided to wait for the next rally in Denver scheduled for March of that year. However that rally was eventually cancelled due to COVID-19.
Al-Issa also had a previous criminal record, having been arrested in 2017 for third degree assault after he beat another student in his high school unconscious and continued punching him afterwards. Last week, just 6 days before the attack, he purchased a Ruger AR-556 pistol, which is designed to operate like a rifle. Issa also owned an A15 assault rifle which was found on him after the shooting.
The shooting also came 10 days after a judge blocked a ban on assault rifles passed by the city of Boulder in 2018. That ordinance and another banning large-capacity magazines came after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.
Loomer demonstrated that Islamic radicalism presents a threat to all Americans, adding that “It won’t be until American schools start properly teaching the truth about Islam and it won’t be until we have full blown immigration moratorium that attacks like the one that just happened in Boulder, Colorado end.” Her Telegram page also stated that “A source tells me the shooter carried out the attack in the name of ISIS. Biden administration has already given orders to keep it under wraps to avoid conversation in the media about Islamic terrorism and reversal of Trump’s travel ban, which the terrorist was opposed to.”
With Pesach (Holiday of Passover) literally just around the corner, should we be concerned that the story of Exodus may very well be the next victim of “cancel culture”. The story of Exodus tells of the Jewish nation’s departure from Egypt, the revelations at Mount Sinai, and their wanderings in the desert wilderness for 40 years prior to entering the Land of Israel. The central message of Exodus was that the Jewish nation was delivered from slavery to freedom by God, and therefore became the “Chosen People” by the covenant given to the Jewish nation at Mount Sinai.
Early Christians saw the Exodus as a typological prefiguration of resurrection and salvation. The story has also resonated with other non-Jewish groups, such as the early American settlers fleeing persecution in Europe, and African Americans striving for freedom and civil rights. However, this message of liberation from slavery to redemption may very well be nothing more than a hollow manifestation of wishful thinking and a remnant of what was once accepted as progressive thinking.
Today’s progressive movers and shakers, such as Black Lives Matters and their supporters among America’s intelligentsia, academia, and media celebrities, have rendered this interpretation of Exodus no longer valid. With the proliferation of fake news alongside the unparalleled political polarization that has swept America, its makes it nearly impossible to establish an agreed-upon set of historical facts from which to draw conclusions, let alone accept the story of Exodus as a beacon of hope and freedom from slavery.
Current progressive thinking has a wholly different approach and asserts that not only are Jews to be seen as privileged whites, but that being Jewish can be invoked and used to benefit Jews as a way of intensifying someone’s status as being white. This being the case, their argument goes further and claims that essentially Jews have no right to be identified as oppressed and thus cannot claim sympathy for being slaves under Egyptian bondage. Inferred in this interpretation is that Jews should not be viewed in the same way as other minorities who have been freed from slavery. In other words, the Jewish nation’s past persecution has been canceled by their present day status as white privileged.
Many liberal Progressive Jewish leaders and Jewish organizations have been unable to remain on the sidelines and have eagerly jumped on the bandwagon to strengthen this cancel culture mentality. They absurdly claim that we must realize that oppression today is as real as it was in Biblical times. They go one step further and state that we have to consider the possibility that we, as white American-born Jews, are the Egyptians of today and must repent for the sin of our status as white privileged. Progressive Jewish thinking takes it one step further and blames Jews for moving their Jewish institutions to the suburbs as Jews gravitated out of urban areas. They blame Jews for not investing in their former urban neighborhoods and in non-Jewish residents that have remained residing there. They claim that Jews have been warmly welcomed and integrated into their new communities in no small part because of their white skin and have been lulled into complacency enjoying their “insider white” status. The massacre at the “Tree of Life” Synagogue and the thousands of anti-Semitic attacks on Jews everywhere in American, whether in cities or in the suburbs, doesn’t even make a dent in these cancel culture sympathizers and only strengthens the belief that American Jews are no different than White supremacists and can no longer be viewed in the same way as other minorities.
The most insidious aspect about cancel culture is that you don’t even have to support it or actively participate in cancel culture for it to endanger the well-being of American Jews. Due to the impact of social media and mainstream media that do nothing to counter the cancel culture mentality overtaking America, events are driven and amplified by small numbers on social media that shame and intimidate much larger groups into silence and apathy.
This modern day form of ostracism and the current state of cancel culture can be correctly compared to the “Blacklist” period of the McCarthy period in the 1950’s that swept America. Cancel Culture can also be associated as a modern manifestation of the Nazi book burnings campaign conducted by the German Student Union (the Deutsche Studentenschaft) who ceremonially burned books in large bonfires in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The first books burned were those of Jewish authors and ideologues such as Karl Marx. The book burning and blacklisting of the past, and the cancel culture of today are two sides of the same coin. Unfounded claims, or guilt by association are sufficient to put American Jews in danger and the escalating acts of anti-Semitic attacks on Jews attest to this phenomenon.
What cancel culture fails to address in its wider impact is that it is inherently selective in cancelling any manifestation of thinking right-of-center exclusively. The most obvious example has to be with extremism being defined as “white supremacist” beliefs. Nothing about anarchism, nothing about any group that might be found on the left. Advocates of cancel culture refuse to consider antifa as an extreme organization. Even simpler, why is it extremist to attack a Capitol police officer (by white supremists), but not extremist to attack a Portland police officer (by black supremists)?
Cancel culture is not a response to attempts to silence legitimate protests rejecting the racial status quo in America, nor is cancel culture an authentic attempt to right historical wrongs and push for meaningful change. Cancel culture has become an effective societal mechanism to silence dissent, intimidate those who think differently or oppose the progressive side of the political map, and change historical memory such as the story of Exodus.
It was Prime Minister Winston Churchill who stated that “Some people’s idea of [free speech] is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.” Wherever we look, whatever we hear, wherever we tune in; it’s everywhere; cancel culture represents the progressive vanguard dedicated to erasing the origin, the spirit, and the magnificence of Western society.
‘The time has arrived to cancel the cancel culture. Only by shining a light on those individuals and organizations at the forefront of cancel culture and holding them accountable for historical homicide that they commit again and again, only then can we regain the upper hand in fighting those that are a modern manifestation of McCarthyism and the burning of books.
Liberal Howard Dean hasn’t made many headlines since the infamous screaming video of 2004, but his latest comments on COVID stats are gaining some traction online.
The former Democrat chair is going after the rockstar governor of Florida with 100% fact-free commentary.
Dean tweeted “there is plenty of evidence that the Governor and his henchmen cooked the books in multiple ways. The Florida statistics on covid are completely worthless.”
This accusation is, no shock, completely unfounded.
There is absolutely no evidence that DeSantis or “his henchman” covered up coronavirus statistics in any way. In fact, the only evidence of cooked books in the whole state were suspect reports of HIGHER infection rates, not lower, as we reported here back in July.
Does this make Howard Dean a conspiracy theorist? Or is that just a term we’re only applying to Republicans these days?
(INN) The Yamina party held a meeting in Ra’anana Wednesday afternoon to discuss the results of yesterday’s election and the party’s next steps going forward.
Party chairman Naftali Bennett summed up the campaign and informed the faction members that “Yamina will wait for the final results and will act responsibly to lead the State of Israel to stability and functionality.”
The counting of votes continues, with neither side currently demonstrating a strong-enough showing to form a coalition.
According to the current count, the right-wing bloc under Prime Minister Netanyahu has only 59 seats, two less than the 61 needed to form a coalition. This is even with the participation of the Yamina party.
Political sources have told Arutz Sheva that Netanyahu is looking into the possibility of entering into negotiations with the United Arab List (Ra’am), which is led by MK Mansour Abbas, to secure their support for the formation of a new Netanyahu-led government. According to the sources, Netanyahu would seek to form a minority government which would rely on the votes of the UAL from outside the coalition.
Another possibility being examined by Netanyahu is exerting pressure on right-wing MKs from the anti-Netanyahu bloc in the New Hope and Blue and White parties to join the coalition to form a majority government of 61 MKs.
New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar is expected to hold fast to his campaign promise to refuse to join a Netanyahu-led government, but the Likud hopes that it can make tempting offers to compel New Hope members Zeev Elkin and Yifat Shasha Biton to leave the opposition. In addition, the Likud is looking to make an offer to MK Pnina Tamano-Shata from Blue and White.
Just two days ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu was interviewed by the Knesset channel and pledged not to cooperate with Mansour Abbas and the UAL party: “I pledge you now that I will not form a government with the support of Mansour Abbas,” Netanyahu said.
With 88% of the vote counted, the Likud currently stands at 30 seats. Yesh Atid has 17 seats, Shas nine seats, Blue and White eight seats, United Torah Judaism seven seats, Yamina seven seats, Labor seven seats, Yisrael Beytenu seven seats, Religious Zionism six seats, the Joint Arab List six seats, New Hope six seats, Meretz five seats, and the United Arab List five seats.
On Monday, a food deliveryman in Rome stabbed a colleague during a confrontation that erupted over an anti-Semitic rant in front of McDonald’s.
The assailant, who works for the Delivroo service, launched into a tirade about Jews as he waited for an order at the fast food giant’s Piazza dei Re di Roma square location, JTA reported.
The victim, an employee of competitor Just Eat who was also waiting to pick up an order for delivery, objected to the assailant’s anti-Semitic rant.
In response, the Deliveroo deliveryman pulled a knife and stabbed the Just Eat employee, Italian news website Faro di Roma reported.
The victim sustained lacerations to his face and arm, but was not in critical condition.
It was unclear from reports in the Italian media whether the victim was Jewish.
Both men were described as “middle-aged” by Faro di Roma.
Immediately following the attack, the assailant fled on his motorcycle.
Rome law enforcement are reportedly searching for the suspect.
The items on the Seder plate are placed in a very specific order. Starting from the bottom, and going clockwise, the order is: Chazeret (lettuce), Karpas (vegetable), Beitzah (roasted egg), Zero’ah (roasted bone), Charoset (nuts and dates). And in the center is Marror (bitter herbs).
A Pesach Greeting
From Phyllis Chesler
Year after year, we are always surprised/not at all surprised to find ourselves back in Egypt, slaves again. Why can’t we leave Egypt? Remember, we are the people who cried out to return, even after all of God’s plagues and the mighty and miraculous parting of the Sea. We are the people who longed to return to Egypt. We missed the foods, the smells, that which was known, as opposed to the wandering unknown. Finally, despite everything, 41 days without our liberator was too much for us to bear and we organized an orgy, worshipped an idol, a golden god, an Egyptian-like calf.
Are we being punished—or being given another chance to return to Egypt and this time, to get it right, really give up Egypt—obeying, serving, other human beings, as opposed to serving God? Have we forgotten that we are meant to proceed ever onward, always “east of Eden,” even as we journey west to the Promised Land?
As we make our way through the centuries, as we once did through the desert, do we trust in God to see us through? Do we create a mishkan, a place where God can come to dwell among us? Can we do so alone, or even in a tight place, as narrow as a birth canal, as punishing as a prison cell?
One of my most meaningful and amazing seders took place in a house of bondage, in a woman’s prison. The Jewish prisoners genuinely felt free-er behind bars than they’d been before: addicted, battered, trafficked into sex slavery. It reminded me once again that a Jew can celebrate our chagim anywhere: in the gulag, in a camp, even when we are alone.
This past plague year has kept so many of us isolated. We are without a First or Second Temple—and the Third Temple has not yet been built—except in our synagogues, homes, and hearts, where we must constantly improvise even as we strive to keep “the eternal stone boundaries erected by our ancestors.” (Chapter 22, Mishlei, Pasuk 28, courtesy of Rabbi Ben Skydell, of Orach Chayim). Last week he taught us that this goes beyond the actual borders of stone erected by our forebears. Rashi understood it to mean that we must not turn away from the customs of our ancestors—which also includes charity to the poor.
And so: We are commanded to re-tell The Story at a seder table, no matter what.
Last year we had a zoom seder. Was it halachic? That’s a kasha. On the one hand, we are supposed to be with family and friends, and with “all those who may need to join us.” On the other hand, unvaccinated, with a dangerous plague roaring through our cities, we could not do so in person. Some of us left our laptops on but still would not click on the zoom link. Others of us didn’t give this a second thought. We clicked and were joined together at least digitally, in two dimensions.
In general, especially this past year, many women have prayed at home, alone. We have invited God into our lives and dwellings by braiding elaborate challah breads for the Sabbath—and sharing photographs of them with others. We’ve lit candles and gathered flowers to grace the snowy white Sabbath tablecloth—and shared photographs of them on social media. But mainly, as for myself and for all those in my classes, we’ve studied Torah. This has kept us together, structured our time, focused our attention on that which is meaningful, even as chaos and danger surrounded us.
Always, God is with us when we study.
Chag Pesach Sameach to my family, friends, colleagues, but especially to my Torah chevre and to our rabbi.
The pandemic has devastated New York City’s subway system. North America’s largest public transit agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is now experiencing its worst financial crisis ever. Last Spring, at the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic, when everything except the essentials were shuttered, public transportation was open but ridership was down to an all-time low of 7 percent. As reported by the NY Times, today, more than a year later, subway ridership is still at only one third of its regular levels.
The MTA, which operates the subway, buses and two commuter rail lines, is still afloat only thanks to billions of dollars in aid from the federal government. President Joe Biden took it a step further, recently adding another $6 billion in aid for the agency.
As per the Times, however, it will take more than money to save the MTA in the long run. What they need now are riders. Close to 40 percent of the agency’s operating revenue stems from fares collected, a higher percentage than most other major transit systems in the country. Despite the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination, and despite efforts to open more businesses, there seems to be a creeping revelation that ridership may never completely return to pre-pandemic levels.
Before the pandemic hit, some eight million people in New York, or roughly 50 percent of the city’s population, rode public transit every weekday. Though public health experts have said that riding trains and buses do not a pose a heightened risk for exposure to COVID-19, some former subway and bus commuters are still opting to commute via cars or bikes, even post-pandemic.
The agency may need to reshape its business and reduce service to mirror new patterns in commuting. For riders who remain loyal, this could mean longer waits and higher fares, as well as less service on suburban-bound trains. The agency has already cut back service on the Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road, where ridership has plateaued at roughly a quarter of pre-pandemic levels, as many people continue to work from home. The option of working remotely may even become a viable option moving forward, even as the pandemic abates, as some firms shift workplace rubrics. “Commuter culture is going to change,” said Kathryn Wylde, President of the Partnership for New York City, an influential business group. “People are looking for more flexibility and more options, which improves their quality of life. That’s definitely a legacy of the pandemic.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their ballots at a polling station as Israelis vote in a general election, in Jerusalem , Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Israelis began voting on Tuesday in the country’s fourth parliamentary election in two years — a highly charged referendum on the leadership of Netanyahu. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP)
By: Fern Sidman
As Israel’s fourth election in two years comes to close on Tuesday evening, exit polls have projected that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party are holding a lead in the hotly contested race. This essentially translates into Netanyahu being given the opportunity to form a coalition and retain his authority for an unprecedented sixth term. Israel’s governmental system is predicated on a parliamentary model, and the Israeli populace does not vote for an individual, so to speak, but for a party instead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters celebrate after first exit poll results for the Israeli elections at his party’s headquarters in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Netanyahu’s Likud party has been ruling the government since 2009, when he was re-elected to the leadership role of prime minister. He also served a three year stint as prime minister from 1996-1999. He is currently the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history.
According to a New York Times report of Tuesday, three exit polls conducted by Israeli broadcasting networks indicated that Likud won from 31-33 seats, while the wider right wing bloc of smaller parties won anywhere from 53 to 54 seats. A 61 seat majority is necessary to form a coalition and for a party to rule legitimately.
Israel National News reported on Tuesday evening that as the polls closed on election day Channel 12 News released an exit poll showing the Likud winning 31 seats, becoming the largest party in the Knesset by a wide margin.
The poll found Yesh Atid trailing far behind with 18 seats. Shas and the Joint Arab List winning nine each, Yamina winning eight seats, Yisrael Beytenu, Blue and White, Religious Zionism, and Labor winning seven seats each, and United Torah Judaism, New Hope, and Meretz winning six seats each, according to the INN report.
Israeli politician Naftali Bennett, leader of the right wing ‘New Right’ party, and his wife Gilat vote in the city of Raanana, Israel, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
An AP report indicated that Naftali Bennett, leader of the small nationalist Yamina party, could be left as the potential kingmaker, though that was not certain at the time of this writing. The election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership style, and the initial results showed that the country remains with intractable divisions, along with an array of small sectarian parties dominating the parliament. If the exit poll is accurate, Netanyahu will be able to form a coalition of 61 MKs if Yamina joins him, as was reported by INN.
The Channel 13 News exit poll shows that the Likud wins 32 seats. Yesh Atid wins only 16. The Joint List, Yisrael Beytenu, Shas and Blue and White, which becomes the surprise of the election, win eight seats each. Yamina gets only seven seats. Religious Zionism, United Torah Judaism, Meretz and Labor also receive seven seats. New Hope wins just five seats.
Kan 11’s exit poll showed the Likud winning 31 seats with Yesh Atid placing second with 18 seats. Shas received nine seats and the Joint Arab List eight seats. Yamina won seven seats, as did United Torah Judaism, Blue and White, Labor, Religious Zionism, and Yisrael Beytenu. New Hope won six seats, as did Meretz. The Ra’am party did not pass the electoral threshold.
All three polls show Netanyahu as able to form a coalition of at least 61 Knesset seats if Yamina joins his coalition, according to the INN report.
If Bennett should decide to align himself and his party with Likud and join the coalition, that could mean that Netanyahu would be in an excellent position to assemble one of the most right-wing governments in Israeli history, as was reported by the New York Times. The ruling coalition would consist of the ultra-Orthodox parties and the nationalist parties.
Bennett previously served under Netanyahu as defense minister, and his second-in-command, Ayelet Shaked, was justice minister. Bennett will likely demand Netanyahu accede to his desire for policy changes, including tackling Israel’s Supreme Court, which the Right sees as overreaching, as well as top portfolios like defense, foreign affairs and justice, according to a report on the World Israel News web site.
COVID-19 patient Rahamim Havura votes for Israel’s parliamentary election inside an intensive care ward for coronavirus patients at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, March. 23, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in less than two years. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Final results of the election are not expected until the end of the week and will most probably coincide with the upcoming Passover holiday which is nationally observed in Israel.
Netanyahu campaigned on his stellar record of handling the coronavirus pandemic by instituting strict lockdowns and keeping the infection rate from skyrocketing out of control. Experts agree that the death rate from the Covid virus in Israel could have been significantly higher had it not been for Netanyahu’s plan to stop the virus from spreading. Israel’s highly successful vaccine rollout has been lauded by the entire world for its efficacy and this too has benefited Netanyahu at the polls.
Despite the fact that Netanyahu was the only prime minister in the 70 plus year history of the modern state of Israel to run for re-election while undergoing a trial that charged him with corruption, bribery and fraud, he still managed to curry favor with diverse segments of Israeli society. He has categorically denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday night, Netanyahu expressed his thanks to voters on Twitter for handing “an enormous victory to the right wing and Likud under my leadership.” Netanyahu continued by saying: “It is clear that the overwhelming majority of the citizens of Israel are right wingers and they want a strong and stable right-wing government that will safeguard the economy of Israel, the security of Israel and the land of Israel. This is what we will do. Love you!”
World Israel News reported that Ari Shavit, a Channel 20 journalist, said, “These results show that the people of Israel voted more than anything else against the demonstrators at Balfour,” referring to anti-Netanyahu protests that have taken place near the Prime Minister’s Jerusalem residence for nearly a year.
With a clear majority of right-wing representatives and little differences in terms of overall policy, it would seem that the parties are well placed to join forces and finally settle in to stable governance following two years of back-to-back elections and one highly dysfunctional unity government, according to the WIN report.
An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man votes for Israel’s parliamentary election at a polling station in Bnei Brak, Israel, Tuesday, March. 23, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in less than two years. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Former Jerusalem mayor and Likud MK Nir Barkat spoke to Arutz Sheva on Tuesday evening following the publication of the exit polls in the elections to the 24th Knesset.
“There are two clear understandings from the results of these elections. The first is that there’s only one candidate for Prime Minister and that is Binyamin Netanyahu with over 30 seats. Naftali Bennett with 6 seats cannot be Prime Minister, neither can Gideon Sa’ar,” he said.
“Therefore,” continued Barkat, “another observation is that there are over 60 seats that are right of center, so the natural and right thing to do is for all the members of the right of center to come to Netanyahu and swiftly move on to form a right of center government that will focus on the real challenges of the country.”
INN reported that he noted that Bennett, Sa’ar and Liberman are on the right of center but “unfortunately have not joined the government, and the only alternative to forming a right-wing government is a fifth election, and I think that the public does not want that. The public has voted, accept what the public has said and help us to create a government that will exploit the huge potential of Israel.”
Tuesday evening’s results do not include some 600,000 absentee ballots, which could account for as many as 15 mandates. While those votes will likely reflect overall trends, they have the potential to be a game-changer, as was reported by WIN.
WIN also reported that two hours before the polls closed, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) reported that 4 million out of the 6.6 eligible voters had cast their ballots at 13,685 polling stations around the country. Three thousand additional polling stations were set up to cope with the coronavirus crisis and allow the 15,000 Israelis currently infected with the virus and 85,000 in mandatory quarantine to be able to vote.
At 10:00 p.m. the doors on the polling stations were locked and tens of thousands of election officials began the task of unsealing the ballot boxes and hand-counting the votes, as was reported by World Israel News. As each poll completes the count, the results will be reported to the Central Elections Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem and the numbers will be added to the running tally on the CEC website.
WIN reported that special polling stations had been set up across the country for the eligible voters among the 15,000 Israelis currently infected with the virus and 85,000 others who are in mandatory quarantine after being exposed to somebody who was infected.
The Central Elections Committee (CEC) was operating hundreds of special polling stations including 38 located in hospital coronavirus wards, five coronavirus quarantine hotels and 547 old age homes along with scores of parking lots at sports stadiums and university campuses, as was reported by WIN.
There were even rolling polling stations set up on public transportation buses that have had the seats removed, and four polling booths at Ben Gurion Airport for the several thousand Israelis expected to return to the country from abroad on election day, according to the WIN report.
Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid leaves after he voted for Israel’s parliamentary election at a polling station in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, March. 23, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in less than two years. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Prior to the 2021 Israeli elections, a report on the Calcalist website indicated that hackers had exposed online personal details of 6.5 million Israeli voters.
The most sensitive details, which appear to be the residential addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth of the registered voters, are apparently from a leak that took place a year ago, according to the Calcalist report. One file, however, which includes people’s full names and their assigned voting stations, looks to be updated to reflect the current voting round.
Calcalist reported that the data was exposed after hackers made threats last week against Elector Software Ltd., the operators of the voter-prompting Elector App, which is used by the ruling Likud party and several others.
WIN reported that as Israelis headed to the polls on Tuesday, security forces at the Knesset were scrupulously monitoring the situation for any signs of violent activity, including possible attempts by protesters to enter the building in a manner similar to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in Washington, DC.
Channel 13 reported Monday that the Knesset Guard and other security agencies were preparing for several Election Day scenarios such as a mass attempt to storm the Knesset during or after the election.
A special operations room has been established at the location to enable the police and Shin Bet security agency to monitor events.
The security agencies remained on high alert throughout the day and into the night, according to the WIN report..
On Monday night Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left a note at the Western Wall in Jerusalem praying for victory in the elections and expressing gratitude for his wife’s recent recovery from appendicitis.
WIN reported that Netanyahu’s wife Sara was released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital on Sunday, following an emergency appendectomy surgery which required her to be hospitalized for seven days.
“Thank you to the Creator of the World for helping us come out of the coronavirus in peace, and for the speedy recovery of my beloved wife, Sara,” Netanyahu wrote in his note. “I pray for victory in the Israeli elections for the good of Israel, and for the economy of Israel. I am committing to continue serving all Israeli citizens,” the note concluded.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu and his wife voted in Jerusalem, where they reside. On his way out of the hall, Netanyahu said, “hoping these are the last elections,” as they are the fourth in less than two years.
WIN reported that other important personages also headed to the polls early, including President Reuven Rivlin.
“With all the difficulties of the current situation, elections to the Knesset are the pinnacle of our democracy. Four elections in two years erode public trust in the democratic process, but only you can influence. There is no other way,” he said.
Although largely a figurehead role, the president plays an important part in Israeli elections, choosing which candidate to entrust with forming a government.
(AP, NYT, World Israel News, Israel National News)
Dr. Scott Gottlieb said it is still not clear if the COVID-19 variant is the driving factor for the upticks currently being seen in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Photo Credit: AP
By Hellen Zaboulani
New York’s own variant of the COVID-19 virus may be a threat to residents who think themselves immune.
The former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said on Sunday that the variant known as B.1.526, could infect New Yorkers who were vaccinated or who were already infected and have antibodies. Dr. Scott Gottlieb said it is still not clear if the COVID-19 variant is the driving factor for the upticks currently being seen in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. “What we don’t understand with 1.526 is whether or not people are being reinfected with it and whether or not people who might have been vaccinated are now getting infected with it,” Gottlieb said on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’. The former Trump administration official added that the New York variant contains a mutation which “in certain cases” can reinfect people who have previously been infected. “The question is whether [B.1.526] is responsible for some of the increases that we’re seeing in New York right now and whether this is the beginning of a new outbreak inside the city,” Gottlieb added.
As reported by the NY Post, over half of New York City’s new coronavirus cases have been from COVID-19 variants including B.1.526, city health officials said earlier in March. Gottlieb said that while experts don’t have sufficient data to draw any conclusions yet, the reinfections are “probably more prevalent than what we’re detecting.” He said the CDC should work with NY officials to detect potential coronavirus reinfections tied to B.1.526. “They need to be aggressively marketing to doctors, asking doctors to come forward and report cases when they’re seeing situations where people were previously infected with COVID may be getting reinfected,” he said. “We don’t know that’s happening, but anecdotally, some doctors are reporting that now, and that could potentially explain why you’re seeing an upsurge in cases.”
Gottlieb conceded that the federal government’s efforts to vaccinate residents should help as a “backstop” against another wave of COVID-19 cases, but he cautioned that NY reopening efforts could at the same time lead to an “uptick” in cases.
“We’ve sort of taken our foot off the brake a little too early. March was always going to be a difficult month. People want to lean forward, but we really should have waited ’til April,” Gottlieb said. “The fact that we’ve done that now probably means that we’re probably going to plateau, maybe we’ll see an uptick in certain parts of the country.”
On Sunday night, protesters gathered at the Monsey home of “Get Refuser” Dovid Wasserman and on Monday night, protesters gathered at the Gravesend home of Joey Mochon who has refused to give his estranged wife Roselyn a get for 17 years
Edited By: TJVNews.com
On Sunday night, crowds of demonstrators gathered outside the home of a man who has refused to give his wife a get (bill of Jewish Divorce) in Monsey. Dozens of vocal protestors gathered outside the home of Dovid Wasserman at 4 Hilltop Lane in Monsey to demand that the recalcitrant husband give his estranged wife Nechama a get after keeping her chained for nearly seven years.
According to the report on the VIN web site, “Nechama Wasserman has made it remarkably easy for Dovid to give her a Get. As soon as they were separated, she arranged a very generous custody deal, which saw Dovid get 40% of custody. Besides for that, she is not requesting any child support or alimony. The only thing she has asked for is the right to move on with her life. Yet for 7 years, Dovid has refused to allow her that right. He also refused to ever come to Beis Din. Multiple Siruvim have been issued to this effect.”
The report also indicated that to this day, “Dovid interacts with his children all the time. Nechama also has not ever received a dime of child support, nor is she asking for that now. All she is asking for is the right to move on from a dead marriage, something that Dovid continues to deny her.”
The report continued by saying, “What is perhaps even more disturbing in some ways, is that Dovid’s family has allegedly actively supported him these entire 7 years, without showing any evidence of trying to compel him to unchain his wife. In fact, VINnews was told that they went as far as to ask Nechama to pull out of the court process.”
On Sunday night, VIN reported that Dovid’s mother, Rivka Wasserman is complicit in Dovid’s Get refusal, as she is harboring Dovid rent free and allowing him to be supported by a family trust fund. This is directly enabling Dovid to continue to keep Nechama trapped without a care in the world.”
The report indicated that the Wasserman siblings have not only not responded to requests from the Beis Din and various rabbonim to enter into a peaceable dialogue with them on how this situation can be resolved, but Shmuel Wasserman (Dovid’s brother) has released a statement that unfortunately contained many untruths about the situation and about Nechama herself. These things are verifiably false, and VINnews has taken the time to pursue the evidence.
Anonymous sources have told the Jewish Voice that thus far, very positive results have been achieved in obtaining Gets for chained women because people have joined forces in unity and have organized daily demonstrations outside of the homes of those men who refuse to give their wives a get. In addition, the community’s use of social media platforms has been yet another decisive tool in achieving results as the messages are going out far and wide and on a continual basis.
On Monday night, dozens of protesters gathered in front of the home of yet another Get Refuser. At approximately 8:30 pm, the demonstrators arrived at 1551 West 8th Street in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn where they organized a peaceful but vocal protest against Joey Mochon who resides there.
According to reliable sources, Mochon has not granted his estranged wife Roselyn a get for 17 years. In this #freeroselyn display for support for this woman’s plight, the demonstrators chanted and called upon Mochon to immediately grant Roselyn the get so that she can enter the upcoming holiday of Pesach as a truly liberated person; without the shackles that precent her from moving on with her life. They promised to come back repeatedly for future protests if Mochon remained dug into this position.
In addition to the many demonstrators of all ages who came out in support of obtaining a get for Roselyn, also present was New York City Council candidate Heshy Tischler. Tischler told reporters that he had personally intervened in several cases in which he persuaded recalcitrant husbands to grant their estranged wives a get and that he would be active in seeking more gets for women who have been chained for years.
The 2021 New York City mayoral election which will likely be determined by the Democratic Primary election on June 22, 2021, is in full swing.
With Mayor Bill de Blasio leaving his post due to term limits, the upcoming mayor will have his hands full hopefully leading the recovery post-pandemic, tackling racial inequity, improving education and health care, and getting the city’s finances back on track.
The race is crowded with over a dozen candidates. The most well-known of whom are City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Mr. Adams is in second place in the limited public polling available, and Mr. Stringer is third. As reported by the NY Times, the front runner in the race for now is also a Democrat, Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who attracts attention for his willingness to cast aside political correctness and speak candidly. Yang is also the most criticized of the candidates, probably for the same reason. “Andrew Yang is going to keep talking to New Yorkers about his plans to get the city safely reopen and people back to work as fast as we can,” said Chris Coffey, Mr. Yang’s co-campaign manager, referring to the criticism coming their way. “We’ll leave the tired, 1990s negative campaigning to others.”
Other Democratic candidates include Raymond J. McGuire, a former Citi executive; Maya Wiley, a SVP of social justice and professor of urban policy at the New School; Shaun Donovan, a former cabinet member for the Obama administration; Kathryn Garcia, Former Commissioner of the NYC Sanitation Department; Carlos Menchaca, City Council member for Brooklyn’s 38th District; Dianne Morales, CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods; and Barbara Kavovit, CEO of Evergreen Construction NYC. Also running as Democrats are Isaac Wright, Art Chang, Cleopatra Fitzgerald, Quanda Francis, Aaron Foldenauer, and the rapper Paperboy Prince. Republican candidates, which are barely getting any attention, include Fernando Mateo, the President of the NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers and spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America, and Sara Tirschwell, the Chief financial officer at Foundation House.
Among other topics, the winning candidate will have the task of steering the city’s direction in regards to drugs and the possibility of decriminalizing them. The two candidates who support legalization of psilocybin mushrooms are Mr. Yang and Ms. Morales.
As far as money goes, there are a lot of funds being raised in the race. Mr. Adams has the most money, over $7.5 million on hand, and Ms. Morales has the most individual donations in New York City, having received over 9,000 contributions.
The hotel doors belonged to rooms where many celebrities had stayed over the years, including artists like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol. Photo Credit: Pinterest
By: Benyamin Davidsons
Three years ago, 52 doors from the iconic Chelsea Hotel were sold at auction for a total price of roughly $575,000. When the hotel on 23rd Street, which opened in 1884, was sold and renovated in 2011, those doors somehow ended up in the trash. It was a homeless man, who had once lived in the hotel, who had the wits to rescue them and with a bit of help, put them up for auction at Guernsey’s auction house in New York in 2018. He even donated a portion of the profits to City Harvest, a New York food charity.
The hotel doors belonged to rooms where many celebrities had stayed over the years, including artists like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol. Where are those prized doors now? As reported by the Wall Street Journal, 27 of the iconic doors now belong to Bobby Sager, a 67-year-old former partner and president of Gordon Brothers investment firm who is now a philanthropist and photographer. He won 19 of the doors at the auction, including the three top gavel prices: Dylan’s Room 225 for $100,000; Joplin’s Room 424 for $85,000; and Warhol’s Room 105 for $52,500. Following the auction, he bought 13 more of the doors. In all, his doors cost him $403,000.
The doors are now on display, along with other original collectibles, in his 10,000-square-foot luxury Boston apartment. He bought 13 units in a high rise building and created a unique home spanning three floors. Some of the cherished doors are suspended from a ceiling on the middle floor of his home, door 603 is being used for access to his own bedroom. Other amazing memorabilia in his home include a bathroom from a 747 airplane, and a working submarine hatch that takes him to the floor below.
The other doors are scattered all around the world. Laura Aswad, 55, a producer at The Shed, a cultural center in Hudson Yards, purchased door No. 620 belonging to Jerry Garcia. As per he WSJ, she paid $5,000 over the phone at the auction, and gifted it to her husband Joseph Belluck, an attorney and huge fan, as a birthday present. James Siewert, 54, and Alysa Wakin, 52, were searching for two matching closet doors for their renovated home. They won two doors of the right size at the auction for $1,300, and $1,000. “More than one person has asked if we’re going to repaint them,” said Ms. Wakin. “I want to say, ‘Are you insane?’ We paid extra for the dings and cracks and imperfections!”
The pandemic changed many things irreversibly. For many well-heeled New Yorkers, one thing they realized is they just need more living space. Photo Credit: Pinterest
By: Hellen Zaboulani
The pandemic changed many things irreversibly. For many well-heeled New Yorkers, one thing they realized is they just need more living space.
As per a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, real-estate agents across New York City have described a surge of wealthy buyers looking to upgrade the size of their apartments in recent months. Many are working for home due to the pandemic, spending more time at home rather than leisure, and can’t stand being cooped up in small apartments. Some are also being propelled by the low interest rates. Others are eager to find deals in the city, where many have been fleeing since COVID-19 first hit over a year ago. Home offices and negotiable prices seem to be the keys to locking in new buyers.
Since November, New York’s residential real estate market has been picking up, thanks primarily to news of the vaccine rollout. In fact, in February 2021, over 140 contracts priced at or above $4 million were signed by Manhattan buyers, a strong pickup compared to most of 2020, and even an increase of more than 30 contracts over the number signed in February 2020, before the pandemic hit. An Olshan real estate Report showed there were 40 contracts signed at $4 million and above in the one week ended Feb. 28. That was the first time the weekly total reached 40 since August 2016.
Further, as per a report by Douglas Elliman, the median price for a Manhattan condominium hit $1.05 million in the fourth quarter, a 5 percent increase over the previous year. “Now that there’s a vaccine and a lot more certainly around the politics in our country, everyone is feeling a lot better about New York,” said Joel Breitkopf, a principal at real-estate development company Alchemy Properties.
As per the WSJ, similarly, in Brooklyn buyers are also looking to upsize before the market rebounds. In one instance, attorney Kathrin Rauschnabel and her husband, Markus, grabbed a property which was out of their budget before the pandemic, but fell in price to meet their budget. The townhouse near the Brooklyn Botanical Gardenwhich which they purchased for $1.26 million this month, had previously been listed for $1.7 million, as per their agent, Veena Prakash of R New York.. “If all of a sudden we live at work, I want to live at a workplace that’s a little bigger,” Mrs. Rauschnabel said.
New York City is moving forward with a guide to re-opening, even as some experts are cautioning about variants to the COVID-19 virus.
By: Ilana Siyance
New York City is moving forward with a guide to re-opening, even as some experts are cautioning about variants to the COVID-19 virus.
As per the NY Times, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced: indoor dining can be expanded to 35 percent capacity, an end to the 11 p.m. curfew movie theaters and the like, allowing a limited number of attendees at professional sporting events, and a fresh start for yoga classes and other indoor fitness activities. “Covid’s coming down, vaccine rates are going up,” Gov. Cuomo had said on Thursday at a news conference. “Start to look to the future aggressively, and let’s get back to life and living and get that economy running, because it is safe.”
The accelerated vaccine rollout has served to lower rates of new Coronavirus cases, and following the post-holiday spike, the daily rate has now plateaued in both NYS and NYC. New York City’s seven-day average of cases has dropped to below 2,700, compared to 4,043 in the last week of February. Death rates and hospitalization rates are also pointing downwards. Still, the presence of COVID-19 variants may pose an increased risk for an uptick in the short-term. While there is not yet sufficient evidence, the variants may pose a threat to those who have been vaccinated and those who have already been infected. “Our health care team has said very clearly this is not what they would have done,” Mayor Bill de Blasio commented on Thursday, regarding the reopening of fitness centers. “The state just doesn’t care.”
A spokesman for the governor, Jack Sterne , shot back saying the state had not linked any coronavirus outbreaks to gyms since they reopened last year elsewhere in the state, or fitness studios which were allowed to operate outside of the city and in neighboring states for months now—provided that gym-goers wear masks and follow other safety measures. He also boasted NY’s increasing number of vaccinations—in which over two million city residents having received at least one dose, as of last week. “As the governor has said, we see reopening as a series of valves, and if the reality on the ground changes, we will take swift action to tighten up restrictions,” said Sterne.
As per the NY Times, the main unknown factors worrying experts, and posing a risk to the progress, are the two COVID-19 variants— B.1.1.7, which was first found in Britain and is highly transmissible; and B.1.526, which was first detected in NYC and seems more resistant to existing vaccines.
Take Maxine, a 5-year-old corgi, living it up in a duplex in Bed-Stuy. Photo Credit: YouTube
By: Serach Nissim
New York’s most famed pooches, who draw lucrative sponsorship deals for their owners, give fresh implication to the word fur-niture. These dogs are a far cry from most of the estimated 600,000 dogs living in New York City.
As per a recent article in the NY Post, these star pooches have claimed possession over their humans’ apartments, owning the beds, couches, closets and dressers for their impressive canine costumes and regalia.
Take Maxine, a 5-year-old corgi, living it up in a duplex in Bed-Stuy. With a whopping 750,000 followers on Instagram account @madmax_fluffyroad, Maxine rules their home and her humans- Bryan Reisberg, 32, and Alex Garyn, 31, creative director and director of planning for a wellness brand. The couple spends their down time pampering the poodle, managing the insta account, recording the pouch on video, selling Maxine-related merchandise to loyal fans, and working on a kid’s book about Maxine. “I’m pretty sure Maxine knows she’s famous,” Reisberg said. “I choose to believe that’s where her attitude comes from. She’s a diva.”
Another rising star is Charlie, the 8-year-old bichon poodle, and his roommate, Sawyer, a 5-year-old goldendoodle. They share 136,000 followers on the Instagram account @puppynamedcharlie, which has led them to pooch perks galore. They live in an apartment on the Upper East Side with their human, 32-year-old Paige Chernick. The mutts enjoy their La-Z-Boy-brand dog couch and beds and have their portraits hanging up on the walls of the apartment. They take up most of the apartments’ closet space with their many jackets, sweaters and accessories including their own namesake bathrobes.
Another celebrity pooch is Sprout, a 5-year-old Brussels griffon, boasting 177,000 fans subscribed to his account @brussels.sprout. He lives in a luxury pad in Chelsea, with Sigrid Neilson, a 39-year-old lawyer and proud dog lover. Their apartment is “a homage to his love of napping,” says Neilson, who notes that they have four pooch beds and a crate, plush blankets and a teepee for him to doze comfortably. This of course, didn’t stop Sprout from demanded his human’s bed and couch as his own too.
Yet another celebrity, Tinkerbelle, a 9-year-old Papatese, lives in Midtown with her human, Sam Carrell. The four-legged boss lady has 469,000 Instagram followers via @tinkerbellethedog, which is also a registered trademark. The pooch, along with her little sister Belle, enjoys a bed in every room, two sets of doggie stairs, a pink couch in the living room, a private bathroom potty pad, and her own armoire bursting with posh clothes and accessories.
Wall Street billionaire, Leon Black has stepped down as chief executive of Apollo Global Management, months ahead of schedule. Photo Credit: File Photo
By Ellen Cans
Wall Street billionaire, Leon Black has stepped down as chief executive of Apollo Global Management, months ahead of schedule. Black, who was scrutinized as being a client of shunned financier Jeffery Epstein, had announced in January that he would be leaving the company by July 1. As reported by Crain’s NY, on Monday, he announced that he was exiting the post immediately and that he would also be giving up his chairmanship, which he was originally supposed to be keeping.
As per Crain’s, Black is being succeeded by Apollo co-founder Marc Rowan, who will now serve as CEO. Jay Clayton was named non-executive chairman. Apollo also added two more independent directors to its board, Richard Emerson and Kerry Murphy Healey, for a total of 15 members.
Black, 69, spent more than 30 years building the private equity firm with his partners and turning it into one of the most profitable and powerful names in American finance. In his most recent departure announcement, he referred to unspecified health issues for himself and his wife leading to his exit. Now is “the ideal moment to step back and focus on my family, my wife, Debra’s, and my health issues, and my many other interests,” Black said Monday. “I intend to remain Apollo’s largest shareholder and strongest supporter.” He also said in the statement, “Marc has seamlessly transitioned into the CEO role, and I am confident Apollo will soar to new heights under his leadership.”
Black and Apollo have been embroiled in controversy for extensive links and payments made to Epstein, who died in jail facing charges of sex trafficking. Though Black has not been accused of any wrongdoing, the ties brought on scrutiny from clients and shareholders. Black has continuously held that the company dealt with Epstein, but that he had paid Epstein to provide professional services for his family partnership, “involving estate planning, tax, structuring of art entities and philanthropic advice.” Apollo had hired a law firm to independently investigate the matter last year. It showed that Black had paid Epstein around $158 million from 2012 through 2017 for financing services, which saved Black at least $1.3 billion in taxes.
Black has also been getting pressure to step down as Chairman of the Museum of Modern Art. Black has said in the past that he “deeply regrets” his business ties with Epstein.
