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Now That Psychiatric Care Has Gone Online, Many Patients Want It to Stay There

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During the pandemic, telehealth has been responsible for saving small mental health practices while also continuing to help patients, said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation for the American Psychological Association.

By: Cara Murez

Only a year ago, Michigan Medicine psychiatrists were trying to recruit patients to give telepsychiatry a try, with very little success.

The psychiatrists worked with people by video only 26 times in six months, while 30,000 visits happened in person. But that changed quickly when the coronavirus pandemic forced closures in the area in late March.

Now, not only have patients seeking help with mental health issues been working through their emotions and experiences by video and phone for months — many would like to keep those options, a new study shows.

“Telepsychiatry is an interesting tool for various reasons in terms of providing early access to care, connecting patients in rural areas or who live far away from clinics to be able to get good evidence-based care,” said study author Dr. Jennifer Severe, a psychiatrist who helped launch a test of telehealth initiatives at the University of Michigan’s outpatient psychiatry clinic.

“Even patients who are closer, based on life burden and expectation, they might not be able to keep up with their appointments, so telehealth actually offers a way to remain connected with care, regardless of how busy people’s lives might be,” Severe said.

For the study, published recently in the journal JMIR Formative Research, researchers surveyed 244 patients or parents of minor patients in summer 2020. The patients had mental health appointments in the first weeks of the pandemic shutdown.

Most of the survey participants had their own or their child’s first pandemic-time appointment through a video call. A minority of patients, 13.5%, started telepsychiatry with phone visits. That group was more likely to be older than 45.

Nearly all of the study participants who had a telepsychiatry visit said it went as well as expected or better.

About half (46.7%) said they were likely to continue with telepsychiatry even after in-person visits were available again. Those who had appointments by phone instead of video were much less likely to want to continue remote mental health care in the future.

“The excitement is there, but we need to make sure that we have a way to keep up with the demand,” Severe said.

This data could help inform the decisions of health insurers and government agencies who will make decisions about whether and how to pay mental health care providers for future virtual care, Severe said.

To improve access, while the survey was ongoing, senior study author Dr. Mary Carol Blazek led development of a program called Geriatric Education for Telehealth Access, or GET Access, to help older patients.

The study didn’t cover the issue of no-shows and appointment cancellations, but those have been reduced substantially, according to Michigan Medicine.

Phone and video visits within established patient-mental health provider relationships are equally effective, Severe said.

However, for first visits, the therapists typically try to avoid using the phone because it can reduce communication cues and limits observing facial expressions, interaction and movement, which can help evaluate mental health status. Sometimes physical exams can be required to assess a patient’s balance and mobility, as well as check for medication side effects.

“Sometimes communication might be difficult. Sometimes you might need to do a physical exam. There might be a lack of important physical exam approaches and communication techniques that might be missing,” Severe said. “So, that’s one reason I will say telehealth might not be for everyone.”

Severe hopes to see more of a blended approach after the pandemic, where a patient may do a face-to-face visit, followed by a couple of telehealth visits, and then return for another face-to-face visit.

During the pandemic, telehealth has been responsible for saving small mental health practices while also continuing to help patients, said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation for the American Psychological Association.

“The evidence is pretty strong. People are having mental health difficulties, much more so than in the past and, thankfully, they are seeking out treatment,” Wright added. “I think telehealth makes it possible for them to do so safely.”

For some people, it may be harder to connect in a virtual environment. For others, it may make it easier because they don’t have to get time off work, figure out child care or travel to the office.

Issues to consider are ensuring that patients understand the online platform, have adequate internet accessibility and have adequate privacy in their homes to have a mental health appointment. Backup safety plans also need to be considered, Wright said.

“What happens if somebody is in a crisis? When they’re in your office [you] have a system in place, but when they’re not, maybe [you’re] not even sure where they’re located exactly, that can make it challenging,” Wright said. “So, ensuring that you’ve got those sorts of backups in place is important.”

                        (www.consumer.healthday.com)

City & State Names NYC Health + Hospitals & MetroPlus CEOs to “2021 Health Power 100” List

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President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD is ranked fourth for his leadership overseeing the largest public health system during the pandemic, treating New York City’s most vulnerable patients, and in leading the city’s contact tracing efforts. Photo Credit: nychealth+hospitals.com

President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD ranked 4th;

Edited by: TJVNews.com

President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD and President and CEO of MetroPlus Health Plan Talya Schwartz, MD have been named on City & State’s “2021 Health Power 100” list. This year, the publication is recognizing leaders’ contribution amidst the pandemic and their commitment to helping New Yorkers find a path forward. Dr. Katz is ranked fourth for his leadership overseeing the largest public health system during the pandemic, treating New York City’s most vulnerable patients, and in leading the city’s contact tracing efforts.

CEO of MetroPlus Health Plan Talya Schwartz, MD is ranked 26th and recognized for leading MetroPlus Health’s expansion to more than 560,000 members and rapidly initiating outreach and support efforts to serve the plan’s membership during the pandemic, which has played a key role in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s effort to deliver health care to all New Yorkers

Schwartz is ranked 26th and recognized for leading MetroPlus Health’s expansion to more than 560,000 members and rapidly initiating outreach and support efforts to serve the plan’s membership during the pandemic, which has played a key role in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s effort to deliver health care to all New Yorkers. City & State’s “2021 Health Power 100” program honors individuals in healthcare who are deemed by their peers and the outlet’s senior editors to be the most influential individuals in the industry, in terms of leadership and impact.

“I consider it an honor to be recognized among City & State’s “2021 Health Power 100” list that includes so many incredible health advocates like my colleague Dr. Talya Schwartz, but the honor is shared with NYC Health + Hospitals’ doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and staff on the front lines serving New Yorkers daily amidst this unprecedented health crisis,” said President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD. “I am proud to lead a health system of heroes who provides lifesaving and compassionate care to New Yorkers.”

“It is a great honor to be recognized by City & State for my work to ensure access to medical care during the pandemic,” said President and CEO of MetroPlus Health Plan Talya Schwartz, MD. “To be recognized along such exceptionally accomplished health advocates – including my colleague Dr. Katz – only adds to my gratitude for being named to this list.”

Dr. Katz was appointed President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals in January 2018. During this time, Dr. Katz has focused on advancing the transformation of the public health care system with numerous new initiatives to expand access to primary care services, reduce administrative costs, invest in more front-line clinical staff, and build financial stability. In September 2020, NYC Care, a healthcare access program for New Yorkers who are not eligible for or cannot afford health insurance, went live city-wide four months ahead of schedule under Dr. Katz’s stewardship.

Dr. Katz’s initial transformation strategy helped set the groundwork for the public health system to combat the challenges of the unprecedented global health crisis, COVID-19. Under his stewardship, the system was able to more than triple its ICU capacity, stand-up a COVID-19-dedicated hotline to help mitigate dangerous overcrowding in the system’s emergency departments, transition nearly all existing appointments to telemedicine, and establish the city’s Test & Trace Corps. The public health system is now also providing critical support to facilitate the City’s roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines to those who are eligible.

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Talya Schwartz was appointed to MetroPlus Health Plan in May 2019. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Schwartz worked quickly to initiate outreach and support efforts to serve the plan’s membership. Dr. Schwartz joined MetroPlus from the private sector. She has been a founding member of a behavioral health technology startup company and prior to that served in various leadership roles in regional and national health plans.

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Schwartz served as the Chief Medical Officer at MetroPlus, leading the Medical Management division. Under her leadership MetroPlus ranked among the top plans in the State for quality. She has led technology solutions that enhance access to health care and pertinent health information for its more than 560,000 members. She transformed the care management program into a holistic, field-based program that now also addresses social determinants of health with special focus on housing for its homeless population.

 

Heart Disease & COVID-19: Focusing on Exercise, Mental Health, & Nutrition for High-Risk Groups

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According to the American Heart Association, about one in three people with COVID-19 has cardiovascular disease, making it the most common underlying health condition. Photo Credit: YouTube

Edited by: TJVNews.com

February is American Heart Month and cardiologists from the Mount Sinai Health System are sharing tips on heart disease prevention to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and COVID-19.

According to the American Heart Association, about one in three people with COVID-19 has cardiovascular disease, making it the most common underlying health condition. COVID-19 patients with underlying conditions are six times more likely to be hospitalized and 12 times more likely to die than patients without any chronic health problems. Nearly half of adults in the United States—more than 121 million people—have some type of cardiovascular disease. It is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States; nearly 650,000 die from it every year. Yet heart disease is preventable 80 percent of the time.

Mount Sinai cardiologists say many patients are exercising less during the pandemic. Some are afraid of going outside and potentially exposing themselves to people who may have COVID-19. As a result, a subset of patients have run out of medication, putting them at risk of cardiac complications. Nutrition has become an issue as well: some cardiologists say 25 percent of their patients have gained up to 20 pounds because they’re not eating a healthy diet. A decline in mental health is also a contributing factor for worse eating habits and being less active.

“It is critical to stay physically fit and in your best personal health to combat heart disease, COVID-19 infection and the post-COVID effects. We tell our patients that participating in home-exercise programs, taking a short walk, dancing, stretching, and even house cleaning will get them moving and make a difference. Keeping a good mental outlook is also key and it’s important for people to find ways to ensure that this happens by staying active, meditating, or simply doing things that make them happy,” says Icilma Fergus, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Disparities at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “During this pandemic some patients have expressed they’re dealing with stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. We discuss techniques to improve their mental and emotional wellness, which carries over to their cardiovascular health.”

 

COVID-19’s Impact on the Heart and Recovery

COVID-19 can cause an inflammatory response in the body, along with clotting that can impact the heart and how it functions. Mount Sinai researchers discovered that some hospitalized COVID-19 patients have structural damage after cardiac injury that can be associated with deadly conditions including heart attack, pulmonary embolism, heart failure, and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.

Non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients can also experience complications including heart rhythm disorders, hypertension, myocarditis, and chest pain that feels similar to a heart attack. Cardiologists say it’s important for COVID-19 survivors—even without cardiac symptoms—to have a heart exam two to three weeks after recovery, as there could be residual effects that may go undetected and lead to future health problems.

“For anyone who developed heart issues post-COVID-19, exercise should be delayed two to three weeks after resolution of symptoms including chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Remember to ‘go slow’ as recovery from this illness is not a sprint; it is a marathon,” explains Maryann McLaughlin, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai Heart. “Anyone who has been diagnosed with myocarditis needs to be under a physician’s direction when deciding to exercise, and competitive athletes may need three months to recover from the illness before returning to full routine.”

Recovered COVID-19 patients with a history of heart attack, coronary artery disease, or cardiac stents, should get a monitored stress test before getting back to a full workout. Anyone who had chest pain while sick with COVID-19 should talk to their doctor about evaluation with an echocardiogram or other cardiac imaging.

The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

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People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being.

You already know that exercise is good for your body. But did you know it can also boost your mood, improve your sleep, and help you deal with depression, anxiety, stress, and more?

Edited by: TJVNews.com

What are the mental health benefits of exercise?

Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Sure, exercise can improve your physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life. But that’s not what motivates most people to stay active.

People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a real difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve your energy and outlook, and get more out of life.

Exercise and depression

Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects, of course. As one example, a recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing.

Exercise is a powerful depression fighter for several reasons. Most importantly, it promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Finally, exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

Exercise and anxiety

Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.

Try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.

Exercise and stress

Ever noticed how your body feels when you’re under stress? Your muscles may be tense, especially in your face, neck, and shoulders, leaving you with back or neck pain, or painful headaches. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps. You may also experience problems such as insomnia, heartburn, stomachache, diarrhea, or frequent urination. The worry and discomfort of all these physical symptoms can in turn lead to even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your mind and body.

Exercising is an effective way to break this cycle. As well as releasing endorphins in the brain, physical activity helps to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.

Exercise and ADHD

Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention. In this way, exercise works in much the same way as ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.

            (Helpguide.org)

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Erdan warns UN of Iran threats

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Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan addressed the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, warning member states that it was time for “an institution charged with safeguarding peace and security to begin addressing the gravest danger in the Middle East: the regime in Tehran.”

“Tomorrow, here at the U.N. and around the world, we will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and mourn the unfathomable murder of 6 million Jews. 76 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, there is another genocidal regime epitomizing the very words and actions of the Nazis,” he told the council.

“Iran does not try to hide its intention of destroying the world’s only Jewish state. Spreading anti-Semitism, denying the Holocaust and even proposing legislation calling for Israel’s destruction by the year 2041. How is it possible that the Iranian Parliament proposing to annihilate a member state is not at the top of this council’s agenda?” he said.

Additionally, Erdan warned against a return to the Iran nuclear deal and called on the Security Council to take action against Iran’s violations, pointing out that lessons have been learned since the deal with signed in 2015.

“What we all know today about Iran is not what the international community knew when it signed the nuclear deal with Iran. Now we know, contrary to the signatories’ premise, Iran did not use the removal of sanctions to improve the lives of its citizens but doubled down instead on its malign activities,” he said.

“Rather than using the dividends of the nuclear agreement to build schools and hospitals, it built an arsenal of missiles. Rather than using its resources to fight COVID-19, it wasted them on funding terrorist proxies and undermining peace and security. Iran deceived the world when it signed the agreement and it continues to deceive the world today,” said Erdan.

Erdan, who is also serving in a dual role as ambassador to the United States, thanked the newly inaugurated Biden administration for its stated commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities and stated that Israel will continue to work with America to achieve that goal.

On the Palestinian issue, Erdan also referred to the request of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to convene an international peace conference, stating that if he was “truly serious about peace, he would stop inciting violence. He would not be bending over backward to find new ways to continue his pay for slay policy, including by trying to establish a new bank to transfer funds to terrorists. He would come to the negotiating table without making outrageous demands and not call for another pointless international conference.”

Erdan also referred to the Palestinian lies about Israel’s distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, calling them a “blood libel,” and that those who use this rhetoric are driven by political or anti-Semitic considerations.

Tuesday’s session came at the directive of Tunisia, which is serving as president of the U.N. Security Council for January. It included ministerial-level representation, with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Secretary-General of the Arab League and the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Ireland and others delivering statements.

Biden Admin Assures “Two-State Solution” For Israeli-Palestinian Conflict at UN

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U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, left, talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Israel's new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in Palestinian-claimed east Jerusalem overshadowed Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the West Bank on Wednesday. Biden was to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in part to ease their doubts about the latest U.S. peace efforts. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Edited by: TJVNews.com

President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday it was restoring relations with the Palestinians and renewing aid to Palestinian refugees which represents a reversal of the Trump administration’s cutoff. It is also a key element of its new support for a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, as was reported by the AP.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills made the announcement of Biden’s approach to a high-level virtual Security Council meeting, saying the new U.S. administration believes this “remains the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a democratic and Jewish state while upholding the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for a state of their own and to live with dignity and security.”

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills said that “President Biden has been clear that he intends to restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development programs and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and to take steps to reopen diplomatic relations that were closed by the last U.S. administration.” Photo Credit: usun.usmission.gov

President Donald Trump’s administration provided unprecedented support to Israel, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, slashing financial assistance for the Palestinians and reversing course on Israeli settlements on land erroneously claimed by the Palestinians.

Israel captured east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria in the 1967 war. The international community considers both areas to be occupied territory, and the Palestinians seek them as parts of a future independent state. Israel has built a far-flung network of settlements that house nearly 700,000 Jewish settlers in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem since their capture in June of 1967.

AP reported that the peace plan unveiled by Trump a year ago envisions a Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the Judea and Samaria to Israel, siding with Israel on key contentious issues including borders and the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements. It was vehemently rejected by the Palestinians.

Mills made clear the Biden administration’s more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Under the new administration, the policy of the United States will be to support a mutually agreed two-state solution, one in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state,” he said.

AP reported that Mills said peace can’t be imposed on either side and stressed that progress and an ultimate solution require the participation and agreement of Israelis and Palestinians.

“In order to advance these objectives, the Biden administration will restore credible U.S. engagement with Palestinians as well as Israelis,” he said.

“This will involve renewing U.S. relations with the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian people,” Mills said.

“President Biden has been clear that he intends to restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development programs and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and to take steps to reopen diplomatic relations that were closed by the last U.S. administration,” Mills said, according to the AP report.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, left, talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Israel’s new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in Palestinian-claimed east Jerusalem overshadowed Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the West Bank on Wednesday. Biden was to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in part to ease their doubts about the latest U.S. peace efforts. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Trump cut off funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency known as UNRWA, which was established to purportedly aid the 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s establishment in 1948. It provides education, health care, food and other assistance to some 5.5 million refugees and their descendants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The U.S. was UNRWA’s major donor and the loss of funds has created a financial crisis for the agency.

AP reported that the Trump administration closed the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington in September 2018, effectively shutting down the Palestinians’ diplomatic mission to the United States.

Mills said the United States hopes to start working to slowly build confidence on both sides to create an environment to reach a two-state solution.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills said that “President Biden has been clear that he intends to restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development programs and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and to take steps to reopen diplomatic relations that were closed by the last U.S. administration.” Photo Credit: usun.usmission.gov

To pursue this goal, Mills said, “the United States will urge Israel’s government and the Palestinians to avoid unilateral steps that make a two-state solution more difficult, such as annexation of territory, settlement activity, demolitions, incitement to violence, and providing compensation for individuals in prison for acts of terrorism.”

Israel has accused the Palestinians of inciting violence and has vehemently objected to the Palestinian Authority paying families of those imprisoned for attacking or killing Israelis, as was reported by the AP.

Mills stressed that “the U.S. will maintain its steadfast support for Israel” — opposing one-sided resolutions and other actions in international bodies that unfairly single out Israel and promoting Israel’s standing and participation at the U.N. and other international organizations.

AP reported that the Biden administration welcomes the recent normalization of relations between Israel and a number of Arab nations and will urge other countries to establish ties, Mills said.

“Yet, we recognize that Arab-Israeli normalization is not a substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace,” he said.

Mills stressed that the fraught state of Israeli-Palestinian politics, and the fact that trust between the two sides “is at a nadir,” don’t relieve U.N. member nations “of the responsibility of trying to preserve the viability of a two-state solution.”

AP reported that before Mills spoke, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki sharply criticized the Trump administration for using “the United States’ might and influence to support Israel’s unlawful efforts to entrench its occupation and control” and reiterated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ hopes “for the resumption of relations and positive engagement.”

“Now is the time to heal and repair the damage left by the previous U.S. administration,” he said. “We look forward to the reversal of the unlawful and hostile measures undertaken by the Trump administration and to working together for peace.”

Malki called for revival of the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., U.N., European Union and Russia — and reiterated Abbas’ call for an international peace conference “that can signal a turning point in this conflict.” He also expressed hope that “the U.S. will play an important role in multilateral efforts for peace in the Middle East.”

The Trump administration closed the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington in September 2018, effectively shutting down the Palestinians’ diplomatic mission to the United States. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is convinced that the Quartet, working closely with both sides and Arab states, “can play a very, very effective role.”

In support of Abbas’ call for an international conference, Lavrov proposed holding a ministerial meeting this spring or summer with the Quartet and Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as well as Saudi Arabia to analyze the current situation and assist “in launching a dialogue” between Israeli’s and Palestinians.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said “Palestinians suffered from unprecedented pressure from the former U.S. administration” and said the organization’s 22 members look forward to Biden correcting Trump’s actions and working with international and regional parties to relaunch “a serious peace process.”

AP reported that Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the council that instead of focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it should focus on Iran, which “does not try to hide its intention of destroying the world’s only Jewish state.”

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he suggested that the council discuss what he called “the real obstacles to peace: Palestinian incitement and culture of hate,” according to the AP report.

Israel remains willing to make peace “when there is a willing partner,” Erdan said, accusing Abbas of inciting violence, and saying he should come to the negotiating table “without making outrageous demands and not call for another pointless international conference … (which) is just a distraction.”

Israel National News reported on Tuesday that IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi warned the Biden Administration not to return to the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal in an address to the Institute for National Security Studies (NSS) Tuesday.

“I would like to clarify my position regarding the JCPOA”, he said, according to the INN report. “Even if an improved agreement is reached, it will be a bad agreement at the operational and strategic level. Therefore, such an agreement must not be enable”

“If the 2015 nuclear deal had been implemented, Iran eventually would have been able to construct a bomb, because the agreement did not include restrictions and oversight to prevent it. Anything similar to the current agreement or even an improved agreement would be unacceptable and should not be allowed,” he said, as was reported by INN.

“Iran is not only a threat to Israel, it is a threat to the entire world. If the Iran deal of 2015 had materialized, ultimately Iran could have obtained a bomb. The Iran of today is not the Iran of 2015 when the JCPOA was signed,” Kochavi added, according to the INN report.

INN reported that Kochavi also addressed the threats facing Israel from the north and the south. “In the next war, we will alert populations in Lebanon and in Gaza the moment tensions begin that they must leave areas in which rockets and missiles are being stored,” he said,

“The enemy chose to entrench itself and its weapons, including missiles and rockets, in urban areas. They deliberately ignore international law; the clearest proof of this is that they intend to fire all these missiles toward Afula, Metula and Gush Dan. They have dispersed and decentralized all their networks, so it is imperative to adapt both the State of Israel, the IDF, and the international community to this reality.

“The changing nature of the battlefield requires changes of us as well. We must expose the capabilities of our enemies more effectively, and this is the essence of our multi-year plan,” he said,

INN reported that he called on Hamas to return the Israeli soldiers and civilians currently being held in Gaza. “To the inhabitants of Gaza, I say that your quality of life can be vastly improved – but not until our missing soldiers are returned to us.”

He warned Israel’s citizens that should a war break out, many missiles and rockets would fall on Israel’s population centers, as was reported by INN. “This is an opportunity and an obligation for me to remind the citizens of the State of Israel as clearly as possible that on D-Day, during a war, many missiles and rockets will explode here and it won’t be easy.”

“In the face of these threats, we will respond with an extremely significant counterattack that will include targeting rockets, missiles and weapons, whether in open areas, or adjacent to and inside buildings,” Kochavi declared, as was reported by INN.

In a related development, AP reported that on Tuesday the Senate confirmed Antony Blinken as America’s top diplomat, tasked with carrying out President Biden’s commitment to reverse the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine that allegedly weakened international alliances.

Senators voted 78-22 to approve Blinken, a longtime Biden confidant, as the nation’s 71st secretary of state, succeeding Mike Pompeo. The position is the most senior Cabinet position, with the secretary fourth in the line of presidential succession.

Blinken, 58, served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration. He has pledged to be a leading force in the administration’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Donald Trump questioned longtime alliances. He is expected to start work on Wednesday after being sworn in, according to State Department officials.

Despite promising renewed American leadership and an emphasis on shoring up strained ties with allies in Europe and Asia, Blinken told lawmakers that he agreed with many of Trump’s foreign policy initiatives. He backed the so-called Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, and a tough stance on China over human rights and its assertiveness in the South China Sea, as was reported the AP.

He did, however, signal that the Biden administration is interested in bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew in 2018.

Trump’s secretaries of state nominees met with significant opposition from Democrats. Trump’s first nominee for the job, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, was approved by a 56 to 43 vote and served only 13 months before Trump fired him in tweet. His successor, Pompeo, was confirmed in a 57-42 vote.

Opposition to Blinken centered on Iran policy and concerns among conservatives that he will abandon Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, as was reported by the AP.

Blinken inherits a deeply demoralized and depleted career workforce at the State Department. Neither Tillerson nor Pompeo offered strong resistance to the Trump administration’s attempts to gut the agency, which were thwarted only by congressional intervention. (AP & INN)

Bklyn Nets Coach Amar’e Stouemire Won’t Work on Shabbat After Conversion in Israel

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Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire has a new job! The one-time all star for the Phoenix Suns is currently serving as an assistant player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets and is on former teammate Steve Nash’s staff. In addition to Phoenix, Stoudemire played for the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks.

As Stoudemire gets into the groove with his new position, he also knows that he won’t be compelled to work seven days a week. As has been previously reported, Stoudemire strictly observes the Jewish Sabbath and has undergone a formal Orthodox conversion to Judaism.

According to a report on the Sports Rabbi web site, Stoudemire recently completed his conversion in Israel. He completed his conversion in August of 2020, taking on the Biblical name Jehoshaphat.

Last season, Stoudemire won an MVP award with the Maccabi Tel Aviv team as well as winning the Israeli League championship.

According to the Sports Rabbi site, when asked how he stays grounded and humble despite being a celebrity, the former Six Time NBA All-Star answered that “The Torah helps help and knowing that we are all created by God.” Many people wanted to know if Stoudemire was married and if he was looking for a “Shidduch” a match, he said that he was no longer married and that he is ready, hopes to find one and needs to create a Shidduch resume.

On Monday, Marc Stein of the New York Times, who had written about Stoudemire and his new position on the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets as well as his request to take off for the Sabbath on a weekly basis, Stein tweeted that:

Following up on my recent story on Amar’e Stoudemire joining the Nets’ coaching staff as a player development assistant:@NYTSports has confirmed that the Nets are granting Shabbat off to Stoudemire every week — Friday sundown through Saturday sundown — at Stoudemire’s request https://t.co/Nht93Lv8sU

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 25, 2021

According to a JTA report, Stoudemire detailed his Jewish journey in a late December talk with the UJA-Federation of New York.

In addition to working for the Brooklyn Nets, Stoudemire also regularly attends Torah classes and takes classes at the University of Miami, according to the Sports Rabbi site. Moreover, Stoudemire’s collection of wines (stoudemirewines.com) are kosher.

 

 

 

Regeneron says antibody cocktail effective in preventing COVID-19

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(INN) Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc announced Tuesday that its antibody cocktail was effective in preventing infection from the novel coronavirus, Reuters reported.

According to the interim study, the treatment caused a 100% reduction in the rate of infections in which symptoms were displayed and a 50% reduction in the overall rate of infection. The findings were based on the experience of 400 participants in the study who had a household member with the coronavirus.

The two-antibody cocktail, called REGEN-COV, received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration in November for use in the treatment of coronavirus patients in mild to moderate condition. Regeneron stated that it would seek to expand the EUA in light of the encouraging findings.

According to the organization, REGEN-COV can provide recipients with immediate passive immunity to the coronavirus, as opposed to the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines which take two doses and an additional two weeks to provide full immunity.

“These data using REGEN-COV as a passive vaccine suggest that it may both reduce transmission of the virus as well as reduce viral and disease burden in those who still get infected,” said George Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron.

The full results of the trial are expected in early Spring

In a Paranoid Nation, “Treason” Is Everywhere

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FBI agents across the nation are tracking down and arresting Trump supporters who walked into the US Capitol during the January 6 protest that turned into a brawl. Scores of protestors have already been charged with unlawful entry—“knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.” The media is treating this as a heinous and self-evident offense, but my own experience at Washington protests makes me wary of treating transgressions as treason.

I roamed downtown Washington on the day before the inauguration. The city was a ghost town, and most of the stores were either boarded up or out of business. More than a dozen subway stops were barricaded shut to prevent any guys wearing furry hats with horns from suddenly appearing from underground to strike terror into the hearts of the media.

Practically the only folks on the streets were National Guard troops touting automatic weapons (mostly without ammo magazines). There were snipers on rooftops and helicopters occasionally buzzing overhead—all part of what DC mayor Muriel Bowser hailed as the “peaceful transition of power in our country.” If it had been even more “peaceful,” drones would have been blowing up manhole covers. Deploying twenty thousand troops in the nation’s capital was noncontroversial for the nation’s media, because the soldiers were supposedly protecting America against right-wing extremists.

At Farragut Square, I entered the “green zone”—the official term for the area the military locked down and the same term the US military used earlier in Baghdad. I ambled over to the edge of Lafayette Park next to the White House, scene of clashes between demonstrators and police last June and a Trump photo op that went awry. I have witnessed many rowdy protests at this park over the decades, but it was walled off with thick wire fencing. I could see the forms of soldiers on the other side of the barrier but not much else. No chance of getting even a glimpse of the White House.

I chatted with a Secret Service policeman guarding the entrance to the park. When I said I was heading toward the Mall, he replied: “You can’t go through here but if you go down to the next block—Seventeenth Street—you can walk to Constitution Avenue from there.”

I thanked the dude and made tracks. But after walking a block or two on Seventeenth, further progress was barred by a tangle of high barriers.

I saw a solitary soldier standing guard to make sure that no pickpockets carted off one of the four thousand–pound concrete jersey barriers blocking the road. He told me that if I went one block over, to Eighteenth Street, that was clear all the way to the Mall.

At Constitution Avenue, I saw that the Mall was completely barricaded. On the other side of the high fences, I saw troops patrolling with their rifles at the ready in case anyone tried to kidnap the geese in the Reflecting Pool.

In the distance, I could see the Washington Monument, but that was as close as I could get—that landmark was protected by row after row of barricades, from the edge of Constitution Avenue onward. To justify writing off my subway fare as a business expense, I took a bevy of bad photos, including a few with a large yellow Police Line Do Not Cross sign juxtaposed with the base of the monument.

Heading back up Eighteenth Street, I ran into another military roadblock—a half dozen soldiers staked out by a closed subway station. I told them I was looking to get to Dupont Circle. A young soldier with a heavy Southern accent replied, “You can’t go this away. The road is closed at the end of this block.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m just following orders. You can go over to the next block—Seventeenth Street—and go up on that road.”

I tipped my hat to the dude and ambled along. There was no rhyme or reason to the street closures—just a long series of arbitrary edicts.

A pack of Metropolitan Police bicyclists suddenly came up the street. There was a slight incline in the road, so the cops were struggling like Tour de France riders crossing the highest peak in the French Alps.

As I watched their arduous ascent, I flashed back to fifteen years earlier when I had roamed the same street on my road bike while hundreds of thousands of marchers protested the Bush administration’s Iraq War. That event was well organized, with plenty of activist lawyers stationed along the route with cameras to document if the police used any brutality on the peaceful demonstrators. I had walked my bike with the marchers as they passed the Treasury building on the east side of the White House, where I snapped my all-time favorite photo of a glassy-eyed cop.

After hoofing for a mile with the protestors, I hopped on my bike, zipped down the street between Lafayette Park and the White House and then swung down Seventeenth Street on the west side of the White House. That road was almost empty except for two cops standing in the middle twenty-five yards ahead of me. As I got closer to them, a fat cop suddenly raised his four-foot wooden pole over his head and began moving directly into my path.

I was puzzled until I heard the other cop mumbling about how I wasn’t allowed on that street. His partner was getting ready to bust his stick over my head.

I revved up my speed, veered to the right, and laughed at the flatfoot over my shoulder. The street closing was not marked, but cops were still entitled to assail any violators—as long as there was no one around to film the beating. Actually, if that cop had smashed me with that pole, I might have been arrested on ginned-up charges such as assaulting a policeman. In the same way that cops routinely justify shooting motorists by claiming the driver was trying to run them down, so the pole dude might have claimed I was trying to run him over.

This struck me as a microcosm of what American society is becoming—more and more government agents waiting to whack anyone who violates a secret, unannounced rule.

I rode around the area to the west of the White House and, hearing some speakers in the distance, swung down another street toward the Ellipse in front of the White House. As I reached the intersection with Seventeenth Street, a gnarly police commander with a burning cigar butt clenched between his teeth screamed at me: “How did you get here!?!”

“I rode down the street,” I replied.

“You’re not allowed to come down on this street!”

“I didn’t see any signs or anything prohibiting it,” I said.

“I had two policemen at the entrance of the street,” he raged. “How did you sneak by them?”

I said I hadn’t seen anyone.

The cop boss was tottering on the edge of arresting me. Another policeman, dressed in civvies, suggested to this cigar chomper that he just let me go through the opening of the metal sawhorses.

Not a chance. The boss cop insisted that I reverse course and ride back down that street. I did so and, at the end of that block, I saw four DC police officers lounging in the shade, talking and laughing among themselves. Regardless of his subordinates’ negligence, the police commander took great satisfaction in reversing one bicyclist’s path. Maybe he even reported it as an “antiterrorism success” to superiors that day.

What the hell, I avoided getting thumped that day. But the flashback made me think of the plight of the hundreds of protestors who entered the Capitol on January 6 and now are facing legal ruin or long prison sentences.

In the past few weeks, the media and Democratic politicians have caterwauled that the clash at the Capitol was an attempted coup, putsch, or “insurrection” (the preferred label in the House of Representatives’s impeachment of Trump). A small number of participants assaulted police and did serious property damage. But most of the protestors entered the Capitol through open doors and wreaked no havoc once they had crossed the threshold. Videos show Capitol policemen doing nothing to impede legions of protestors who often stayed inside the designated rope lines for visitors. As American Conservative founder Pat Buchanan noted, “Had it been [A]ntifa or BLM that carried out the invasion, not one statue would have been left standing in Statuary Hall.” Many of the participants said they didn’t realize they were prohibited from entering the Capitol, and the vast majority left peacefully after a brief visit.

Most Americans support vigorous prosecution of protestors who physically assaulted police at the Capitol. But partly because of the thundering chorus that all participants were guilty of treason, and partly because of Democrats’ and media allies’ howling about the Capitol being “holy” and a “temple,” peaceful protestors also face legal ruin and possibly long jail sentences. The Washington Post reported, “Authorities say they could ultimately arrest hundreds, building some of their cases with the social media posts and live streams of alleged participants who triumphantly broadcast images of the mob.”

Federal prosecutors may pile “seditious conspiracy” charges atop the “unlawful entry” offense, threatening protestors with twenty-year prison sentences. Overcharging is routinely done by the feds to browbeat guilty pleas from people who cannot afford thousands of dollars in legal fees to prove their innocence. But the Justice Department may be realizing that many of its cases against the roughly eight hundred protestors who entered the Capitol could explode in the government’s face. Most of the 135 people charged thus far have no criminal records, and many are former military. The Washington Post noted on Saturday that

some federal officials have argued internally that those people who are known only to have committed unlawful entry—and were not engaged in violent, threatening or destructive behavior—should not be charged….Other agents and prosecutors have pushed back against that suggestion, arguing that it is important to send a forceful message that the kind of political violence and mayhem on display Jan. 6 needs to be punished to the full extent of the law.

One federal law enforcement official commented, “If an old man says all he did was walk in and no one tried to stop him, and he walked out and no one tried to stop him, and that’s all we know about what he did, that’s a case we may not win.” If the cases are all tried in Washington, then that would mean that the DC federal court would have to handle almost three times as many criminal cases as its total caseload for 2020. The Post noted that top officials are keenly aware that “the credibility of the Justice Department and the FBI are at stake in such decisions” on prosecuting protestors. It will take only a few cases against protestors to be squashed by jury nonguilty verdicts to severely damage the histrionic sedition storyline of the January 6 clash.

Americans who hanker to legally impale peaceful Capitol protestors should pause to recognize that far more turf in this nation may soon be permanently off limits to private citizens. DC Mayor Bowser warned that after the inauguration, “We are going to go back to a new normal. I think our entire country is going to have to deal with…a very real and present threat to our nation.” Some members of Congress favor turning Capitol Hill into the equivalent of a supermax prison, permanently surrounding the area with a high fence with razor wire. House speaker Nancy Pelosi says every day on Capitol Hill should be a “national security event.” Will that mean TSA-style checkpoints with far more pointless prodding of anyone who deigns to step onto federal grounds? The George W. Bush administration was notorious for decreeing vast “restricted zones” around the president when he traveled around the nation. Anyone who protested or even held up a critical sign in those areas could face arrest and federal prosecution. That type of repression could be revived by Biden, who was notorious for his dreadful record on civil liberties when he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In a free society, peaceful citizens deserve the legal benefit of the doubt. In an age where government agents have endlessly intruded onto people’s land and into their emails, citizens should not be scourged for transgressing unknown or unmarked federal boundaries. There are enough real criminals in this nation that federal prosecutors don’t need to seek publicity by destroying people who may have unknowingly illicitly violated politicians’ sacred turf.

A Jew in Post-War Europe Tells of Jewish Revenge

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By: Marion DS Dreyfus  

 

It was sometime in the 1990s, at a conference, when I met a film director with whom I became friendly, especially when he told me he had been a fighter in the Warsaw Ghetto.

In his vigorous 70s, Moshe Mizrahi detailed for me some of the experiences he had undergone fighting the nazis during the all-out valiant battle in the Ghetto uprising.

Mizrahi  later invited me to his home in the ‘five towns.’ Where he introduced me to his maid, a woman with a discernible Polish or Hungarian accent. She had been, she revealed without any sign of reluctance or regret, a qualified doctor  in Europe, during the war. The director, whose name took some effort to recall, told me his conscientious housekeeper preferred working as a domestic in the United States to working in post-war Europe as a physician, with all the privations, widespread poverty, and rancor. Plus low wages, absence of benefits, shortages.

Walking me around his home, Mizrahi remarked in an aside that she made more money, and had more comfort, as a domestic in the US than as a physician in  post-WWII Europe.

Among other recollections, the director told me that after the war, he, and others who had survived the life and death fight against the nazi juggernaut, roamed at will through towns and outlying areas of war-torn former nazi strongholds. He told me in undramatized terms that he had entered homes at will, taking whatever he saw that he wanted, with quiescent and obviously terrified inhabitants not muttering a peep when he came through, he plainly furious on whatever revenge he could wrest from the burghers.

They all, he said, plaintively claimed “We had nothing to do with it! We had nothing to do with killing the Jews. We were just living here, quietly, when the nazis did whatever they did.” They willingly gave whatever was taken by the still-breathing Jews who came into their homes.

Director Moshe elaborated without inflection: “If they had protested, we would have knifed and killed them without remorse.” The people in Germany, Poland, Austria who were subject to these lost, homeless but resilient vestiges of the millions who had been rounded up, enslaved in camps, incinerated, tortured and experimented upon for the length of WWII were all too aware that the roving Jews had whatever weapons they could scrounge from dead soldiers and others, and the director repeated that he would have killed any resisters without regret.

Because, at this point, Mizrahi knew I wrote film reviews, he screened for me his film, “War and Love” (1985), one that featured a young Kyra Sedgwick, whom I identified to him as a definite “future star.” I was struck by the honesty and sophistication of her performance, which seemed to me to be above the others in the cast.  Of course, it turned out my assessment of her acting prowess was on-the-spot correct. She has appeared in dozens of films since, and featured as Brenda Lee Johnson in the long-run TV series, “The Closer.” (2005-2012)

I lost contact with the Director Mizrahi but have never forgotten his powerful recollections of how the fearsome anti-Jewish haters were swiftly reduced to timid acquiescents in the face of their undeniable, blatant guilt.

In the moment, they were splattered with the blood of innocent Jews, Roma, other “undesirables” though later, this guilt was moderated by the gall of cowardly denial characterizing the professions of so many war criminals.

 

Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 “My Lost Childhood”

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

 

This heartwrenching testimony of Renee Kochman (Renia Baaf) expresses the sense of the utter despair she and many thousands of survivors felt after liberation. During the war, all of their energies were focused on the daily struggle to survive. Now that they had finally been liberated by the Allied Forces and their enemies destroyed, those who had lived through the Holocaust were faced with having to piece together their lives.

 

Child survivors were especially affected by this newfound reality. Many of them, entrusted during the Shoah to non-Jews for safekeeping from the Nazi onslaught, were left with no one to redeem them. While DP camps helped restore a sense of community and a feeling of agency for many adult survivors, children required a special set of needs and care – in the medical, psychological and educational spheres. In the months following liberation, social welfare organizations began establishing special children’s homes throughout much of Europe to meet these demands.

 

In advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, has uploaded a new online exhibition, entitled “My Lost Childhood,” telling the stories of seven of these homes established across Europe in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust. Through the voices of survivor testimony as well as artifacts, photographs and documents from Yad Vashem’s unrivalled collections, this moving exhibition brings to life the terrifying ordeals of the children brought to the homes, and how they were gently assisted – often by survivors themselves – to re-enter normative society.

 

“This exhibition sheds light on what Jewish children had to endure in order to survive and then rebuild their lives,” states Dana Porath, Director of the Digital Department in Yad Vashem’s Communications Division. “But above all, it tells the story of the resilience of these children and how, despite their unspeakable traumas, the vast majority became fully contributing members to the countries in which they later settled.”

 

“Today, as the world continues to battle expressions of hatred, antisemitism and xenophobia, the significance and meaning of the Holocaust is particularly relevant,” remarks Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev. “It is Yad Vashem’s ongoing mission to make sure that the stories and voices of the Holocaust victims and survivors are maintained and preserved for generations to come.”

 

In addition to the online exhibition Yad Vashem will once again launch the Wall, which is now available in six languages. Each participant who joins the event will be randomly linked to one of the individuals recorded in Yad Vashem’s Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names, which today includes more than 4,800,000 names. Their names will then appear together on the IRemember Wall. Participants can also choose additional Holocaust victims from the Names Database to commemorate on the Wall. Those who join are encouraged to share the stories on their social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

“I should like someone to remember that there once lived a person named David Berger,”

David wrote in his last letter, which he sent from Vilna in 1941. Today, 80 years after the 19-year-old was murdered during the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is fulfilling the last wishes of David and many other Holocaust victims through its IRemember Wall project. This unique online commemorative initiative allows the public to identify with the names and stories of some of the six million Jewish men, women and children whose lives were brutally cut short by the Nazi Germans and their collaborators during the Holocaust.

Yad Vashem will be partnering again this year with Facebook International to promote the project on social media. As last year, Facebook will use its platform and resources in order to encourage global awareness and outreach of this meaningful initiative.

“By partnering together with Facebook, we are able to reach a wider international audience, which is crucial to keeping the memory of the Jewish victims alive and the meanings of the Holocaust relevant in today’s complex reality. Last year, over 85,000 victims were commemorated by people from some 175 countries around the world in their own languages – making each participant an ‘ambassador of memory,’ responsible for promulgating the voices of those who were murdered.”.Iris Rosenberg, Director of Yad Vashem’s Communications Division

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg stated: “I am so grateful for all that Yad Vashem does to honor the victims of the Holocaust – including this incredible IRemember Wall project. Facebook is honored to be a part of this project, helping to tell the story of the millions of women, men, and children murdered by the Nazis. They deserve to be remembered so this never happens again.”

Many members of the public who participated in last year’s IRemember Wall were grateful for the opportunity to bring personal meaning to International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Thank you for giving me a place to acknowledge the individual and not the just statistics,” commented Catherine F.  Liana L. wrote, “This is a great initiative and I am grateful for being able to learn about three victims and reflect about their lives… they will never be forgotten.”

 

Federal Judge Blocks Joe Biden’s Halt to Deportations for Illegal Aliens

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AP

JOHN BINDER

A federal district judge has blocked President Joe Biden’s halt to deportations for illegal aliens after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the administration.

Hours after taking office on January 20, Biden signed an executive order that halts deportations of most illegal aliens for at least 100 days. The order came as illegal immigration has spiked in recent months and a migrant caravan heads to the United States-Mexico border in the hopes of taking advantage of the Biden administration’s lax enforcement policies.

Last week, Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, asking a federal judge to block the order noting the negative impact it would have on the state of Texas and its social services.

Following a hearing, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton blocked the order for 14 days:

Defendants and all their respective officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and other persons who are in active concert or participation with them are hereby ENJOINED and RESTRAINED from enforcing and implementing the policies described in the January 20 Memorandum in Section C entitled “Immediate 100- Day Pause on Removals.” [Emphasis added]
This TRO is granted on a nationwide basis and prohibits enforcement and implementation of the policies described in the January 20 Memorandum in Section C entitled “Immediate 100-Day Pause on Removals” in every place Defendants have jurisdiction to enforce and implement the January 20 Memorandum. [Emphasis added]

Tipton noted Paxton’s lawsuit had “presented evidence it would suffer injuries for various reasons if an injunction is not entered.”

“First, Texas demonstrates that it pays millions of dollars annually to provide social services and uncompensated healthcare expenses and other state-provided benefits to illegal aliens such as the Emergency Medicaid program, the Family Violence Program, and the Texas Children’s Health Insurance Program,” Tipton wrote.

“Additionally, Texas has presented evidence that it would incur increased educational costs … Texas anticipates suffering financial harm from which it cannot recover by suing the federal government,” Tipton continued.

Tipton’s halt Biden’s order can be extended for an additional 14 days. Eventually, Paxton will have to seek a preliminary injunction.

“The Court’s decision to stop the Biden administration from casting aside congressionally enacted immigration laws is a much-needed remedy for DHS’s unlawful action,” Paxton said in a statement. “A near-complete suspension of deportations would only serve to endanger Texans and undermine federal law.”

Deportations for illegal aliens is a huge cost savings for American taxpayers, research has found. The taxpayer cost of the roughly 11 million to 22 million illegal aliens living across the U.S. totals nearly $750 billion over the course of a lifetime while each deportation costs just $10,900. This indicates that taxpayers would save about $622 billion over a lifetime if every illegal alien was deported.

Paxton’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The case number is 6:21-cv-00003.

Biden Names Anti-Israel Activist, Maher Bitar to Senior Intel Role

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AP

DEBORAH BRAND

President Joe Biden has appointed former anti-Israel activist Maher Bitar, who was also heavily involved in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, to the role of senior director for intelligence programs at the National Security Council.

“I am thrilled to see him in his new post, though we will certainly miss him on the committee,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told Politico. “I can’t think of anyone more suited to the role than Maher.”

As Schiff’s top legal adviser, Bitar, who is Palestinian-American, helped steward the impeachment process against Trump.

 

Maher also served in the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama, as director for Israeli and Palestinian affairs.

Bitar is also one of the executive board members of Students for Justice in Palestine, a radical anti-Israel campus group.

Writing at FrontPageMag, journalist Daniel Greenfield noted that Bitar will now be in charge of “the most classified information” between the White House and the intelligence community.

Greenfield wrote:

The job of Senior Director for Intelligence at the National Security Council is supposed to go to an intelligence professional. How did an anti-Israel activist go from helping host a conference for an organization whose speakers have supported Islamic terrorism to a top intelligence job?

Greenfield went on to note that Bitar had run a session describing how to best demonize Israel; facilitated a Palestinian Student Society summit addressed by Joseph Massad, who had called Israel a “Jewish supremacist state” and praised terrorism; appeared to dance in a keffiyah in front of a banner reading, “Divest from Israel Apartheid;” and argued that “Israel’s rejection of their right to return remains the main obstacle to finding a durable solution.”

The so-called Palestinian “right of return” is one of the core issues at the heart of the conflict and one to which Israel will never agree. It calls for Palestinian refugees from 1948’s War of Independence — and their millions of descendants — to return to their ancestral homes in Israel proper, a move that would spell the end of the Jewish state by demographic means.

Breitbart

GOP Stands with Rand Paul Against Donald Trump Impeachment Trial

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SEAN MORAN

Forty-five senators voted on Tuesday with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), raising constitutional concerns over the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Forty-five senators voted with Paul’s motion to raise the question of whether it is constitutional to impeach Trump after he left office. This means that likely five Republicans voted with Democrats on the question of whether it is constitutional to impeach a former president.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Pat Toomey (R-PA) voted with Democrats, believing that the impeachment is constitutional.

This vote likely serves as a proxy vote on the final vote of whether to convict Trump on the question if he incited an insurrection during the January 6 riots.

Paul wrote on Tuesday that 45 senators agreed that this trial is a “sham:”

“The Senate just voted on my constitutional point of order. 45 Senators agreed that this sham of a “trial” is unconstitutional. That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process. This “trial” is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Paul wrote.

Paul contended on the Senate floor that the trial against Trump is merely partisan. The Kentucky conservative noted that Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will not preside over the trial. Instead, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), the Senate Pro Tempore, will preside over the trial.

He said before his procedural motion:

This impeachment is nothing more than a partisan exercise designed to further divide the country.

Democrats claim to want to unify the country, but impeaching a former president, a private citizen, is the antithesis of unity.

Democrats brazenly appointing a pro-impeachment Democrat [Senate President Pro Tem Patrick Leahy] to preside over the trial is not fair or impartial, and hardly encourages any kind of unity in our country.

No, “unity” is the opposite of this travesty we are about to witness.

If we are about to try to impeach a president, where is the Chief Justice? If the accused is no longer president, where is the constitutional power to impeach him? Private citizens don’t get impeached. Impeachment is for removal from office. And the accused here has already left office.

Hyper-partisan Democrats are about to drag our great country down into the gutter of rancor and vitriol the likes of which has never been seen in our nation’s history. Instead of doing the nation’s work, with their new majorities in the House, the Senate, and the executive branch, Democrats are wasting the nation’s time on a partisan vendetta against a man no longer in office.

“A sham, this is a travesty. A dark blot on the history of our country. I urge my colleagues to reconsider this kangaroo court and move forward to debate the great issues of our day,” he added.

Breitbart

Rand Paul Highlights Democrat ‘Incitement’ in Speech Against Impeachment Trial

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AP

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) delivered a strident address on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday afternoon in which he cited examples of Democrats encouraging violence and aggressive behavior against Trump supporters and Republicans, Breitbart reported

Paul highlighted the Democrats’ hypocrisy as he spoke against the impending impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon, though substantive proceedings will be delayed until February 8.

Paul’s remarks Highlighted

***

This impeachment is nothing more than a partisan exercise designed to further divide the country.

Democrats claim to want to unify the country, but impeaching a former president, a private citizen, is the antithesis of unity.

Democrats brazenly appointing a pro-impeachment Democrat [Senate President Pro Tem Patrick Leahy] to preside over the trial is not fair or impartial, and hardly encourages any kind of unity in our country.

No, “unity” is the opposite of this travesty we are about to witness.

If we are about to try to impeach a president, where is the Chief Justice? If the accused is no longer president, where is the constitutional power to impeach him? Private citizens don’t get impeached. Impeachment is for removal from office. And the accused here has already left office.

Hyper-partisan Democrats are about to drag our great country down into the gutter of rancor and vitriol the likes of which has never been seen in our nation’s history. Instead of doing the nation’s work, with their new majorities in the House, the Senate, and the executive branch, Democrats are wasting the nation’s time on a partisan vendetta against a man no longer in office.

It’s almost as if they have no ability to exist except in opposition to Donald Trump. Without him as their bogeyman, they might to legislate, and to actually convince Americans that their policies are the right ones.

Democrats are about to do something no self-respecting Senator has stooped to: Democrats are insisting the election is actually not over, and so they insist on regurgitating the bitterness of the election.

This sham of impeachment will ostensibly ask whether the president incited the reprehensible behavior and violence of January 6 when he said, “I know everyone here will soon march to the Capitol to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

“Peacefully and patriotically.” Hardly words of violence.

[Interjection: Not at all.]

But what of Democrat words? What of Democrat incitement to violence?

No Democrat will honestly ask whether [Senator] Bernie Sanders incited the shooter that nearly killed Steve Scalise and volunteer coach. The shooter nearly pulled off a massacre — I was there — because he fervently believed the false and inflammatory rhetoric spewed by Bernie and other Democrats, such as, “The Republican health care plan for the uninsured is that you die.”

” No Democrat will ask whether [Representative] Maxine Waters incited violence when she told her supporters, and I quote, that “If you see a member of the Trump administration at a restaurant, at a department store, at a gas station, or any place, you create a crowd, and you push back on them.” Is that not incitement?

My wife and I were pushed and surrounded and screamed at by this same type of mob that Maxine likes to inspire. It’s terrifying to have a swarm of people threatening to kill you, cursing at you and literally holding you hostage until police come to your rescue. That night we were assaulted by the crowd, I wasn’t sure if we would survive even with the police protection. But no Democrat suggested impeaching Maxine for her violent rhetoric.

The entire blistering speech is below:

Journalist & Social Media Influencer Andy Ngo Flees The Country Over Antifa Death Threats

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Ngo, after ANTIFA assaulted him in 2019

(TJVNEWS) Andy Ngo, the Portland-based journalist,- a regular presence documenting violent Antifa activity in the Pacific Northwest (and having been assaulted for his coverage) – has fled to the United Kingdom.

“My hometown of Portland, Oregon is the epicenter of American Antifa,” Ngo told Sky News Australia in a Saturday interview. Ngo noted that US politicians who rightly condemned the January 6 riots at the Capitol were “at best silent last year when my city was literally under siege.”

Ngo described the increasingly violent death threats he’s received, telling Sky “For a number of months now, there’s just been increasing threats of violence against me, promises by Antifa extremists to kill me.”

“It’s pained me a lot, temporarily having to leave the country and home that settled my parents who came there as political refugees,” he added.

Ngo, editor-at-large of The Post Millennial, was beaten and robbed by Antifa terrorists in July, 2019, after which his assailants – apparently not the “Unity” brand of Democrats – soaked him in liquids which police believed to be quick-drying cement. He was hospitalized following the incident, Zero Hedge pointed out.

Andy Ngo recently wrote a book called Unmasked, which is due out on February 2nd.  Radical ANTIFA members have harassed a Portland bookstore for weeks on end after the small business announced that they will not sell the book on its shelves but offer it online.