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Barneys Iconic Brand is Back In NYC After 11-Month Absence

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On Friday, the store opened under the name Barneys at Saks, inside the Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Photo Credit: AP

By Benyamin Davidsons

Barneys New York, the iconic retailer, is back after an 11-month absence. The bankrupt trend-setter had plans for a revival, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The luxury department store brand, founded in 1923 in New York City, is now back in its hometown. It opened on Friday under the name Barneys at Saks, inside Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The location is just a few blocks north of Barneys’ old flagship store on Madison , and is roughly a fifth of the size of the store which was closed in early 2020 following its second bankruptcy.

As reported by Crain’s NY, the Barney’s at Saks store spans 54,000 square feet, and was initially due to open last September, but the Coronavirus pandemic delayed the plans. The retailer boasts that it will be refreshing merchandise constantly and offering feature selections by established as well as emerging designers. On opening day, the store had customized mini-shops featuring labels such as Fear of God, Reese Cooper and A-Cold-Wall. It is also offering VIP shopping suites, style advisers and after-hours appointments for customers.

The opening is exciting news for luxury shopping enthusiasts as well as the fallen retailer. Barneys had succumbed to the gloomy decline of the Brick and Mortar retailers, liquidating its merchandise last February. The 97-year-old luxury brand was purchased last year by fashion licensing company Authentic Brands Group and financial firm B. Riley for $271.4 million.

Authentic Brands Group, which holds a massive portfolio of more than 50 brands, licensed Barneys to Saks in North America. Saks, which has been owned since 2013 by the oldest commercial corporation in North America, the Hudson’s Bay Company, also has exclusive rights to the Barneys NY name online. The SaksFifthAvenue.com website has its own distinct webpages selling designer brands under the Barneys name.

The retailer has plans to open its first standalone ‘Barneys at Saks’ store in Greenwich, Connecticut, on January 25, as per Crain’s. That 14,000-square-foot store will offer women’s and men’s apparel and shoes. There are also plans to revive Fred’s, the Barneys restaurant, this year, but details have not yet been divulged.

Authentic Brands also has plans to expand Barneys internationally, and is working on an initiative to sell in China and Korea over the next two years. It already has six Barneys stores and five outlets in Japan through a licensing agreement with Seven & i Holdings.

Historic “Halloween House” in NY Burned Down; Satanists Warn “Hell to Pay”

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Satanists warned that whoever was responsible for burning down the historic “Halloween House” has “Hell to pay”. Photo Credit: Courtesy: City of Poughkeepsie Historic District & Landmarks Preservation Commission

By Ellen Cans

Satanists warned that whoever was responsible for burning down the historic “Halloween House” has “Hell to pay”.

As reported by the NY Post, on January 14, the Church of Satan, also known locally as the Halloween House was burned down. Located in Poughkeepsie in upstate New York, the house which was built in 1900, served as an Addams Family-style hub for local adherents of the Satan religion.

Authorities say the house was set ablaze by an unidentified arsonist, as per the Poughkeepsie Journal. “Now there’s going to be hell to pay,” said a member of the Church, who identified himself as Isis Vermouth. “Whoever did this is going to be hexed by all of us.” The Satanist said other local members of their religion were jolted over the atrocity and that “everyone in the neighborhood is worried.”

Police say they have surveillance footage of a person walking up to the house at 27 South Clinton St. with two gas cans, pouring liquid on the front porch and setting it on fire, at about 5 a.m. on Thursday. Two people were inside the home at the time, but they were able to escape uninjured. The religious site, also known as the House of Netherworld, had been decorated with devil sculptures and other paraphernalia, which exemplified the beliefs of its longtime former owner, Joe “Netherworld” Mendillo, a Church of Satan devotee, who died last year. Located in what is known as the ‘Witch District’ of the city, the house burned for more than 90-minutes, despite the Poughkeepsie Fire Department’s efforts to battle the blaze.

Peter H. Gilmore, high priest of the Church of Satan, said the house would probably not be restored, due to the extent of damage it endured. “Sadly there are some ‘people of faith’ who are intolerant, and typically ignorant, of other belief systems,” said Gilmore. “I am convinced that Joe’s legacy will live on,” Gilmore added, “even though the home he so carefully cultivated has been destroyed through the hateful act of some deeply disturbed individual, regardless of motivation.”

The religion of the House of Satan was founded in 1966 as an atheist philosophy, which does not actually worship the devil. The House’s nickname pays tribute to the fact that it bore Halloween-style decorations all year round. “It was extraordinarily different,” said City Councilman Chris Petsas, describing the house as “It wasn’t your normal home.”

Immuno-Compromised in NY Still Not Eligible to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

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New York has yet to allow its immunocompromised residents to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

By Hellen Zaboulani

New York has yet to allow its immunocompromised residents to receive the Covid-19 vaccination. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced that they would be added to the list of eligible recipients. It seems, however, that this change was never implemented amid the state’s frenzied vaccine rollout.

“I just feel it’s almost like saying anyone with comorbidities, you are allowed to be dispensed, you are not important,” said Swati Bhise, 61, who described her frustration and feeling of neglect to the Post on Monday. Bhise, an educator and filmmaker who lives in Midtown East, says her life is at stake if she should catch the Coronavirus. “I am living in fear, I don’t go out,” Swati said in the phone interview. Three years ago, she suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome, which damaged her lungs and left her intubated in an ICU. She is still unable to walk more than a few blocks without needing supplemental oxygen. She also has type-2 diabetes. Catching COVID-19 “would be a certain death sentence for her,” Bhise’s son Aditya Bhise said. “Don’t pretend we don’t exist. We do exist,” Bhise pleads.

As reported by the NY Post, last Tuesday, at the same time as Gov. Cuomo announced that ages 65 and over would be eligible for the immunization, he had also said that the immunocompromised would be made eligible, in line with federal guidance. Since the announcement, nothing changed, however. It seems the state is already overwhelmed with the number of people currently eligible. Cuomo is saying that they are awaiting specific guidelines from federal authorities, to define and prioritize the “immunocompromised” populace, in order to proceed.

Other states, however, including New Jersey and Florida, have already started permitting those with qualifying conditions to receive the immunization, not waiting for the Feds to weigh in further. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a regularly updated list of medical conditions that put people at a higher-risk for COVID-19. The list includes patients of cancer, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, just to name a few. As of last week, NJ is permitting anyone who has a condition listed on the CDC’s website to have equal access to the vaccination.

NY has been widely criticized for its slow rollout of the immunization. On Monday, Cuomo continued to shift the blame onto the federal government, saying we are already experiences a severe shortage of doses doled out by the feds. He says the feds expanded eligibility without increasing the supply of vaccines. “Now you have 7 million New Yorkers chasing 300,000 [vaccines],” Cuomo said.

Biden Sends Reassuring Messages to Palestinian Authority Ahead of Entry Into WH

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A Palestinian source reports that the messages that were passed from Biden’s staff to the Palestinians through a Palestinian billionaire living in Washington in recent months were initiated by a US diplomat of Lebanese descent, Hady Amr. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS on 9 March, 2016

By: Baruch Yedid

The renewed relationship between the Palestinian Authority and the Biden administration is not waiting for the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Tuesday at the White House. While Palestinian Authority (PA) officials express concern that the beginning of Joe Biden’s tenure will not lead to significant changes in the Middle East in general and the Palestinian issue in particular, due to the burden of internal problems imposed on the new administration and the urgency of a new nuclear agreement with Iran, an unofficial coordination system is already in place between the PA and the Biden government that has already led to significant developments in the Palestinian arena and even pushed Abu Mazen to run in the elections.

A Palestinian source reports that the messages that were passed from Biden’s staff to the Palestinians through a Palestinian billionaire living in Washington in recent months were initiated by a US diplomat of Lebanese descent, Hady Amr.

Amr, who is married to a Palestinian woman, was a member of Martin Indyk’s staff, held a number of positions in Barack Obama’s administration, and is considered to have promoted the idea of ​​alliances with Islamic elements in the Arab world.

Indyk, it will be recalled, decided to resign after criticizing Israel and construction in the territories, and was accused by Israeli officials of “hypocrisy.”

The Palestinian source says that Amr is responsible for the messages conveyed to Abu Mazen that the renewal of the Palestinian leadership’s legitimacy through the elections will greatly facilitate the creation of a positive relationship with the new US administration.

“Amr is also responsible for the fact that Abu Mazen has recently embarked on a series of structural reforms and measures that will prove that he is also fighting corruption at the top of the Palestinian Authority,” the Palestinian source said.

With the expected re-approach, the Biden government is considering the reopening of the consulate in eastern Jerusalem and is also considering setting up a special office for Palestinian affairs at the US State Department headquarters. One of the candidates for this position is Amr, an expert on international relations and Islamic world affairs, a researcher at the Brookings Institution and former director of the Center for American Studies in Doha, Qatar.

Sources in Ramallah who met with the Americans estimate that Amr has a good chance of being appointed a member of the coordination team for the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but only for his appointment as a special envoy on behalf of the White House.

Already a few months ago, the Palestinians renewed their contacts with the US Embassy under David Friedman, who was boycotted by Abu Mazen. The renewed ties are now the responsibility of the Palestinian Affairs Unit, headed by George Noll.

The relations between the US and the PA were severed following the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem and the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. With the closure of the consulate in the east of the city, it was converted into a small unit operating from the American embassy building, but since the election results in the US became clear, the connection between American officials operating at the American consulate in Jerusalem and the Palestinian leadership has renewed. Embassy staff also visited Hebron and Ramallah, and recently Noll met with senior PA and Fatah officials.

Several talks have dealt with election issues in the Palestinian Authority, in which the Americans are showing great interest. At one of the meetings, Jibril Rajoub promised to work to ensure that Abu Mazen will be elected for another term as Palestinian president, without any of the Palestinian factions or Fatah officials running against him.

These officials at the US Embassy are also in contact with Fatah activists from the camp of Muhammad Dahlan, an opponent of Abu Mazen. A source who is in contact with Rajoub says that he is working to present himself to the US as the best-man in the reconciliation agreement with Hamas and as the one who brought about the election, in accordance with the messages from the United States.

In the messages conveyed from the US to the PA, it was required to act to eradicate corruption in the PA and to decentralize Abu Mazen’s powers, and it is now in the midst of a process of staff shuffle in civilian institutions and appointments to the security services.

Among the recent notable appointments in the Palestinian Authority is the dismissal of Ahmad Baraq, who headed the Anti-Corruption Authority to whom several cases have been linked.

Appointments were also made in the legal system. Judge Iman Nasser a-Din became the head of the Supreme Judicial Council in place of Issa Abu Sharar. This is the first time a woman is appointed to the position.

Various sources indicate that the PA has even agreed to cease joining a series of international conventions, since its joining a series of agreements and conventions has so far provoked opposition and anger in Israel.

Recently, the Palestinian Authority has also decided to make structural changes in dozens of government agencies, abolishing some of them and merging other authorities to avoid duplication. Changes are also being made in a number of economic institutions, insurance institutions, funds and corporations.

A series of recent appointments made by Biden also indicates, in the opinion of Palestinian sources, a favorable policy towards the Palestinian issue. After announcing the appointment of Reema Dodin, of Palestinian descent, to his staff, the President of the US is now appointing California-born Dana Shubat as a Legislative Affairs Strategic Coordination Lead, making her the second Arab-American among Biden’s new team at the White House.

Shubat is a graduate of the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado and is of Jordanian of Palestinian descent.

(TPS)

Russia to Israel: Stop Bombing Iran Targets in Syria, We’ll Take Care of It

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (r) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow, Dec. 30, 2019. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia’s foreign minister said his country doesn’t want Syria used “as a platform for the Iranian-Israeli strife.”

By: Paul Shindman

Russia called on Israel Monday to let it know about threats to its security from Syria and allow Russia to defuse the situation instead of using Syria as a battlefield, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had previously told Israel that they are willing to intervene on Israel’s behalf rather than have Israel strike at Iranian military targets in Syria.

“If Israel is really forced to respond to threats to Israeli security coming from the Syrian territory, we have told our Israeli colleagues many times: If you see such threats, please give us the information,” Lavrov said. Russia has a strong military presence in Syria helping to prop up Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

“So, our dear Israeli colleagues, if you have facts that your state is facing threats from the Syrian territory, report the facts urgently and we will take every measure to neutralize the threat,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia doesn’t want Syrian territory to be used as a base for attacks on Israel or “as a platform for the Iranian-Israeli strife.”

For the past several years, Israel has warned both Syria and Iran that it would not tolerate any Iranian military presence in Syria that threatens the Jewish State.

Iranian political and military leaders have repeatedly stated that their goal is the “total annihilation” of Israel. Iran has been heavily arming Hezbollah in Lebanon through Syria and has sent forces to Syria to join Iranian-backed militias fighting for Assad.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has previously warned that any Israeli action in Syria “can’t pass without a reaction.”

“The Zionist entity will regret its actions. We will respond sooner or later with the resistance in Syria and Lebanon,” Velayati said in December of 2019.

Over the past several years, Israel has struck at Iranian military targets in Syria on many occasions, but does not comment on most of the attacks that foreign sources attribute to the IDF. The most recent attack last week attributed to Israel targeted weapons storage sites in Syria said to belong to Iran or its proxy militias.

The Turkish think tank Jusoor For Studies, which specializes in Middle East and Syrian issues, claimed in an article on its website that Syrian and Israeli officials met last month at the Russian air force base in Hmeimim, Syria, to discuss several issues, including Israel’s demand for Iran to pull out its militias from Syria.

            (World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Worst Day Ever of Covid-19 Infections in Israel with 10K Cases

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Medical staff move patients to the new coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek hospital, Jan. 7, 2021. (Flash90/Olivier Fitoussi)

By: Aryeh Savir

Israel experienced on Monday the worst day of new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases since the outbreak in the country with the Health Ministry documenting 10,021 new cases.

The Ministry of Health updated Tuesday morning that of the 100,693 tests done on Monday, a very high and climbing 10.1% returned positive.

A high number of 1,114 patients hospitalized with Corona are in serious condition, 277 of them are on life support.

Over 2,185,100 Israelis have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, some 24.5% of the population.

Some 186,000 people were vaccinated on Sunday, 72,000 received the first dose, and 114,000 the second dose.

4,049 Israelis have died of the virus.

Israel has also seen an alarming increase in the number of pregnant women who contracted the virus and are in serious condition. At least nine pregnant women are currently hospitalized in critical condition in hospitals across the country.

Following the large number of cases, the Israeli Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology sent its opinion to the Ministry of Health in which it called for pregnant women to be vaccinated.

“There is no scientific basis or facts to suggest infertility as a result of the vaccine. The Coronavirus can be harmful during pregnancy, causing more serious illness and premature birth – so it is important to get vaccinated to prevent the virus,” the opinion said.

Some health officials have offered that the increase in cases in pregnant women is the result of one of the mutations.

The government is slated to convene Tuesday to discuss the extension of the third countrywide lockdown beyond the initial two weeks.

The Ministry of Health is expected to ask for an extension of another two weeks, explaining that there is still no decrease in the number of hospitalized patients.

Several ministers are expected to oppose such a long extension and are said to agree to another nine days, until the end of January.

In a related development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated on Monday in a video conference of leaders hosted by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on the global combat against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis were also in attendance.

This was the sixth such conference that Netanyahu attended.

Netanyahu noted that the seven countries that took part in the conference “have populations of five to 12 million. Why don’t we seriously talk about forming a conglomeration for research? We all have research and scientific capabilities. We all have technological capabilities. We have to develop this capacity. We cannot be at the mercy of market forces.”

  (TPS)

Unique Initiative to Increase Solidarity Launched in Memory of Israeli Terror Victim

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Bat-Galim Shaer and her husband Ofir have launched an initiative to bring Jews around the world in a unique way in memory of their son Gil-ad, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2014 by Hamas terrorists together with two other Israeli youths. Photo by Esty Dziubov/TPS on 8 July, 2019

By: Aryeh Savir

Bat-Galim Shaer and her husband Ofir have launched an initiative to bring Jews around the world in a unique way in memory of their son Gil-ad, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2014 by Hamas terrorists together with two other Israeli youths.

Sonshine, founded by the Shaers to “increase joy and light and solidarity between Israel and the Diaspora,” has launched a new initiative: “Happy Birthday 2 You” – a website that aims to strengthen the connections between Jews living in Israel and the Diaspora through a shared Hebrew birthday.

The initiative utilizes a multilingual website that enables any Jew aged 16 and over at any place in the world to register and be connected to another Jew who shares a common birth date.

The site invites the “birthday buddies” to contact each other and wish each other a happy birthday. This encourages a deeper relationship that may lead to a meeting more meaningful connection.

Bat-Galim said of the new initiative that “the Covid crisis of the past year intensified the distance between us, and highlighted the importance of the sense of togetherness that Jews should feel throughout the world.”

“The closeness, connection, and care that my family experienced, which characterizes times of trouble and pain, must be ‘replicated’ and applied not only to happy days but incorporated into our daily routine,” she explained.

On January 3rd – or on the 19th of Tevet, on the Hebrew calendar, the Sonshine organization launched the “Happy Birthday 2 You” initiative, the date on which Gil-ad would have celebrated his 23rd birthday.

After his kidnapping and murder, which shocked Israel and the entire Jewish world, his parents looked for ways in which to celebrate his birthday, since he always loved celebrating the birthdays of his friends and family. “Happy Birthday 2 You” is one such initiative.

In June 2014, Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gil-ad Shaer, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, were kidnapped and shortly after murdered by a Hamas cell.

Israel’s combined security forces searched for the three boys for 18 days. On June 30, their bodies were found in a shallow grave in the Hebron area. In September, Israeli Special Forces tracked down and killed the terrorists.

The 18 days of searching for the boys were characterized by rare manifestations of unity and support from all segments of Israeli society and from Jews from all over the world. The concern and support that the Shaer family received from all corners of the Jewish world were a powerful testimony to the mutual responsibility and global connection felt by Jews throughout the world.

“I will never forget the American who knocked on our door on a Thursday afternoon during the search for the boys,” recalls Bat-Galim. “He said: ‘I am here on behalf of my community and we are with you and praying for Gil-ad’s return.’”

The force of the feeling that remained with them led the Shaers to found the Sonshine organization in memory of Gil-ad.

             (TPS)

Benny Gantz Manages to Anger EU, Pro-Settlement Movement at Same Time

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Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at Jerusalem City Hall, November 10, 2020. (Flash90/Yonatan Sindel)

Defense Minister Gantz approves new settlement construction but also permits Palestinian building in Area C.

By: Paul Shindman

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday authorized Palestinian construction in areas controlled by Israel as well as building in Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, earning condemnation from the European Union and a pro-Israel organization.

The Planning and Building Subcommittee of the Civil Administration that manages land in Judea and Samaria approved construction plans that included an apparent agreement between Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the premier would not intervene in the decision to allow the Palestinian construction in Area C that is under total Israeli control, Globes reported.

The approval included a total of 792 housing units in eight settlements, as well as several Palestinian towns and villages in the Jerusalem area. One of the settlements is Tal Menashe, where the late Esther Horgan was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist last month, while two others are Jewish outposts that are not yet registered as settlements, but have already expanded or established permanent housing without previous permits.

Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Gantz’s Blue and White have been arguing over whether to legalize 46 settlements that were set up without government permission, with proceedings apparently frozen due to the Knesset dissolving last month and the country going to new elections.

The decision to approve the settlement housing brought an angry condemnation from the European Union, which issued a statement claiming the move was “contrary to international law and further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution.”

“At this critical juncture for peace in the Middle East, these moves are also counterproductive in light of the positive developments of normalization agreements between Israel and a number of Arab States,” the EU statement said.

“We call upon the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions on settlements and show leadership to rebuild trust and confidence between the parties, which is necessary for an eventual resumption of meaningful Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.”

Gantz’s approval of Palestinian construction elicited a strong rebuke from Regavim, a pro-Israel organization that monitors illegal Palestinian construction. Regavim slammed Gantz “for ‘whitewashing’ of illegal Palestinian construction in Area C,” saying the decision was made without cabinet approval.

“Gantz ignored Israeli interests as outlined by the government,” Regavim tweeted. “Essentially, he has facilitated the methodical, organized, PA-orchestrated takeover of parts of Israel’s ancestral homeland – parts that are under Israeli jurisdiction, according to international law.”

The approvals came as settlement representatives continued a hunger strike in front of the the Knesset in Jerusalem demanding the government approve their communities so they can be formally connected to utilities.

In the ongoing battle for facts on the ground, both Israelis and Palestinians have bypassed the convoluted approval process for construction, albeit for different reasons. Frustrated with delays or construction freezes often imposed for diplomatic reasons, some settlements have simply launched construction without approval.

The Palestinians as a policy generally refuse to cooperate with the Israeli authorities who by previous agreement are responsible for construction in Area C that comprises roughly 60% of Judea and Samaria that is under total Israeli control. Area A comprises 20% and is under total Palestinian control, while the two sides share security responsibilities for Area B.

The committee approved Palestinian construction that did not receive prior approval for security and other reasons. According to Regavim, the Palestinian construction includes hundreds of unlicensed buildings in the village of Hizma north of Jerusalem, and the villages of Wallaja and Beit Jala on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

City Stunned as Synagogues Vandalized, Torah Scrolls Flung to Floor

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Vandalized Torah scroll in a Petah Tikvah synagogue, Jan. 18, 2021. (Petah Tikvah City Spokesperson)

Thieves steal charity money and religious objects, trash Torah scrolls in Petah Tikvah synagogue break-in.

By Paul Shindman

At two synagogues in Petah Tikvah that were broken into, thieves robbed boxes of charity money, threw the Torah scrolls on the floor and stole the valuable religious decorations, the Srugim news website reported Monday.

Police opened an investigation into the thefts at the Ahavat Daniel and Chen Hatzafon synagogues, where the perpetrators broke into the ark containing the Torah scrolls and threw them on the floor, but they stole the silver ornaments that traditionally adorn the scrolls.

“The burglars were not satisfied with taking the money but also looted Torah scrolls,” Petah Tikvah Mayor Rami Greenberg said in a statement. “An incident like this cannot be tolerated, which is why city security officials and the police will do everything possible to bring the vandals to justice.”

Yisrael Friedman, chairman of the local branch of the United Torah Judaism political party, said that the images of the desecration of the synagogues hurt everyone with a Jewish heart and that the fact that there were several synagogues indicated that it was a calculated and planned act.

Although Torah scrolls are expensive, costing approximately 85,000 shekels ($26,000) and up, their large size and greater difficulty to resell may have prompted the thieves to leave them behind.

Dropping a Torah scroll on the floor is considered a tragedy and traditionally the person responsible, and sometimes all of those who were present at the time of the incident, are obligated to fast during daylight hours for 40 days. However, in modern times the fasting is reduced and supplemented or replaced by giving to charity.

A member of one of the synagogues filmed the damage with his smartphone, sobbing as he described the vandalism and showing a Torah scroll on the floor.

“Sick minds broke into the synagogue and desecrated the holy house,” the man said. “How are people able to do such a thing?”

With Israel under a national coronavirus lockdown, indoor prayer and group Torah study has been banned and most synagogues have been complying with health regulations – meaning the building had been empty of people.

“It’s not enough that God has given us the coronavirus,” he cried. “To desecrate like this. To break things like this. To destroy like this,” he said as he showed the broken door to the synagogue office and cupboards that had been broken into.

             (World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Bahrainis & Emiratis to Participate in Intl. Holocaust Day Events

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Photo by Ehud Amiton/TPS on 18 January, 2021

By: Aryeh Savir

About five months after the unveiling of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, a first of its kind event will be held to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day next week, and for the first time, the Holocaust will be commemorated in the Arab world.

The event, which will be held via Zoom, will be attended by some 30 bloggers and social network influencers from the UAE and Bahrain who will meet with an Arabic-speaking Holocaust survivor.

Her lecture will be followed by a joint discourse in Arabic on the subject of Holocaust remembrance and its treatment in the Arab world.

In general, the Arab world is notorious for its Holocaust denial.

The event is the initiative of the Zikaron BaSalon project in collaboration with the “Together – Vouch for Each Other” and the “Israelis” organizations.

Zikaron BaSalon, which translates as “memories in the living room”, is a social initiative that began in 2001 and which provides a meaningful way to mark Yom HaShoah, Israel’s national Holocaust Remembrance Day, with family and friends in homes or other informal settings. The event includes testimonies given by Holocaust survivors or other sources, and discussions on the historic calamity, its meaning and ramifications.

The project, established by Adi Altshuler, has expanded and is held every year in thousands of salons in Israel and around the world, and now, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it will also be held in Arab countries for the first time.

Yoseph Haddad, CEO of “Together – Vouch for Each Other,” said that “after working to make the issue of Holocaust remembrance accessible to Arab society in Israel, we are very excited to work for it throughout the Arab world, against the background of the historic peace with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.”

The first-ever Zikaron BaSalon Holocaust remembrance event for Arabs, in Arabic, was held in 2019.

“All of us from around the world, from all religions and backgrounds, need to learn about the Holocaust, remember and connect to its human messages, and swear never again!” he added.

“Together – Vouch for Each Other,” which was founded in 2018 by a group of young Israeli Arabs – Christians, Muslims, Bedouin and Druze, who felt determined to bring about change in the Israeli-Arab sector and adopt a positive direction vis-à-vis Israeli society and the country.

Omri Be’eri, one of the leaders of the Zikaron BaSalon project, said that he was “excited to see how year after year more and more countries are taking part, and this year for the first time we have also been joined from the UAE and Bahrain. We are waiting for the expectation that in the coming years there will be more Arab countries that will take part.”

International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2021 will be marked on Wednesday, January 27.

On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, was liberated.

(TPS)

US Recognizes City of David as ‘Testament to America’s Judeo-Christian Heritage’

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Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS on 16 October, 2018

By: TPS

The US Embassy in Jerusalem, together with the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, have recognized the City of David in Jerusalem’s Old City as “a testament to America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and founding principles.”

“The archeological discoveries at the City of David bring Biblical Jerusalem back to life and reaffirm the prophetic messages of freedom, justice and peace that inspired America’s founders,” the embassy stated Monday.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and Chairman of the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad Paul Packer, recently attended a special ceremony dedicating a plaque to honor the City of David in recognition of “the seminal role it plays in connecting its visitors to the origins of the values that helped shape America.”

Friedman was the first sitting US Ambassador to tour the City of David and since then has visited with numerous senior US officials.

Together with other American dignitaries, he was proud to participate on June 30, 2019 at the City of David’s inauguration of the Pilgrimage Road, the path Jewish pilgrims ascended from the Pool of Shiloah up to the Second Temple more than 2,000 years ago.

In dedicating the plaque, Friedman said that “in modern America, we are inspired by many monuments that remind us of the history of our Republic. I’ve often wondered, what monuments inspired our Founding Fathers. When the drafters of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that our Creator had endowed each and every American with certain unalienable rights, what monuments inspired them? I suggest that those monuments are located right here, in the ancient City of Jerusalem.”

“We have given this plaque to the City of David Foundation with the hope that it will prompt all who read it to think of the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded and how those values were inspired by ancient Jerusalem and its inhabitants,” he said.

Chairman Packer added that “with the unveiling of this plaque and the recognition of the City of David for its contribution to America’s heritage, we are fulfilling another, larger purpose: to unify Americans around our foundational principles and values.”

“The City of David serves as a living testament to those enduring values, and it is our duty to ensure it remains for generations to come,” he declared.

The plaque states that the City of David “brings Biblical Jerusalem to life at the very place where the kings and prophets of the Bible walked,” noting that it is the site where “internationally acclaimed archeological discoveries” have been unearthed, including the Pool of Shiloah, the Pilgrimage Road, the Gihon Spring and Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

“As the prophet Isaiah said, ‘Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ The spiritual bedrock of our values as a nation comes from Jerusalem. It is upon these ideals that the American Republic was founded, and the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel was formed. The City of David serves as a proud reminder of the glorious heritage of the United States of America,” the plaque reads.

  (TPS)

Arab Family Invades Biblical-Era Archeological Site & Turns it into Home

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Photo by Andrew McIntire/TPS on 17 July, 2015

By: Aryeh Savir

An Arab family has invaded an archeological site in northern Samaria and has turned it into its residence, the Regavim movement reported, demanding that the IDF’s Civil Administration act immediately to remove the squatters.

The archeological site, situated near the town of Hermesh in northern Samaria, is a declared archeological site called Hirbat Parsin, which preserves the biblical name Parash, descendants of the tribe of Menashe, and the Talmudic name Kfar Parshai.

The site contains the remains of a large settlement that existed almost continuously from the Iron Age to the Ottoman period.

Among the remains are mikvahs, ritual baths, which were hewn in the days of the Second Temple and were used until the Byzantine period, burial caves, an oil press, underground systems, and impressive structures from the Ottoman period.

This important site has recently joined a series of archeological sites suffering from damage and destruction. Parash has never been excavated by archaeologists but it has been thoroughly and aggressively excavated by local Arab looters and grave-robbers.

About two and a half months ago, an Arab invaded the site and moved into one of the buildings with his family, while carrying out construction work on the site, and damaging ancient finds.

The Regavim movement, which fights illegal land grabs by Arabs, appealed to the Civil Administration to remove the intruder and stop the illegal work at the site. The Administration told Regavim that it had dispatched personnel to the site and served the invader a cease-and-desist order to “stop the destruction of antiquities.”

The invaders remained in the area and continued to damage the antiquities at the site, and Regavim again appealed for immediate enforcement. Administrative inspectors arrived at the scene and confiscated some of the construction equipment and trees planted in the area, but did not evacuate the intruder and his family.

“It is not enough to post an order on the wall and walk away. Someone needs to ensure that the order is actually enforced,” said Eitan Melet, coordinator of Judea and Samaria in the Regavim movement.

“We welcome the initial enforcement steps that have been taken at the site, but there’s a long way to go on the road to restoring the rule of law and re-establishing deterrence. The squatters must be removed from the compound immediately, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law in order to convey a message to other criminals,” he added.

The phenomenon of antiquity destruction in Judea and Samaria is pervasive and affects all sites that are not under permanent preservation, and a survey of the sites in Judea and Samaria shows that a staggering 95% of the archeological sites have been robbed, vandalized or disturbed.

(TPS)

Minister of Education Bans Groups that Degrade IDF, Israel from Schools

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Photo by Esty Dziubov/TPS on 28 January, 2019

By: TPS

Education Minister Yoav Gallant issued an order on Sunday banning organizations that degrade IDF soldiers or the state of Israel from lecturing or conducting activities in schools.

The move came in response to a planned lecture by B’Tselem CEO Hagai El-Ad at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa on Monday.

Last week, the controversial NGO launched a campaign accusing Israel of being an apartheid state.

In a letter sent to the director-general of the Education Ministry, Gallant, a former IDF general, ordered to block the entry of groups that “contradict the goals of the education system, including calling Israel false disparaging names, opposing Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, discouraging meaningful service in the IDF, or acting to harm or degrade IDF soldiers during or after their service.”

As an example, the letter said that “an organization that calls the state of Israel an ‘apartheid state’ will not be permitted to enter an educational institution in Israel.”

In 2018, the Knesset passed a law that authorized the Education Minister to bar groups that “act against the goals of education and against the IDF” from entering schools.

The law was widely seen as a means to bar the controversial far-Left NGO “Breaking the Silence” from entering schools.

Matan Peleg, CEO of the Zionist watchdog group Im Tirtzu that pushed the 2018 law and led the opposition to El-Ad’s lecture, welcomed the Education Minister’s decision.

“This is a correct and much-needed decision,” said Peleg. “It is unclear why the school planned to host a radical group like B’Tselem that makes a living by slandering Israel and promoting international pressure against it.”

“This disgraceful organization has no place in the education system. This is a victory for common sense.”

Responding to the controversy, the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa stated that “for many years we’ve exposed our students to a broad variety of opinions from across Israel’s political spectrum. We respect the students’ right to express their opinion and are proud of their involvement in issues at the heart of Israeli society. We hold respectful dialogues and intend to continue this tradition.”

  (TPS)

Pentagon Shifts Israel from European Command to CENTCOM Responsibility

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U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs and Israeli Air Force F-35I Adirs fly in formation during exercise Enduring Lightning III over Israel, on Oct. 12, 2020. USAF photo by Senior Airman Duncan C. Bevan.

By: Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon has changed the combatant command responsible for operations involving Israel from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command, following White House-brokered accords between the country and multiple Persian Gulf states.

The update to the Unified Command Plan comes as the Trump administration finishes its final week in office. President Donald J. Trump’s White House has touted the Abraham Accords—normalizing relations between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates—as a major shift toward improved relations in the Middle East.

“The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East,” the Pentagon said. “Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and this will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our U.S. Central Command partners while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies.”

The Pentagon did not say how the move will affect operations and planning, noting it is part of a biennial review of its command plan based on assessments of “all boundaries and relationships against the operational environment.”

The U.S. Air Force and Israeli Air Force regularly train together, including in the October 2020 exercise Enduring Lightning III—the third time the two nations have trained together with F-35s.

Changing the piece of the military that collaborates with Israel won praise from some defense watchers.

“I think moving Israel to CENTCOM makes sense from a U.S. policy perspective in that many Israeli issues are tied to the other countries in CENTCOM’s [area of responsibility],” retired Army Maj. Gen. Mike Jones, who served as CENTCOM chief of staff in 2011, told Military Times. It’s similar to DOD’s decision to add India to the combatant command overseeing Pacific operations, for example, he said.

In a statement, the Jewish Institute for the National Security of America said moving Israel to CENTCOM sends a “strong deterrent message of unity and continued U.S. commitment to regional leadership.”

“More concretely, it could smooth the way for the Pentagon to utilize Israel for more regional operations, most directly by updating the prepositioned U.S. stockpile there,” JINSA said.

             (www.Airforcemag.com)

This article originally appeared on the www.AirForceMag.com web site

Yair Lapid Signals Willingness to Build Government with Arab Party

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Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Saturday he is willing to have Israel’s Arab party, the Joint List, sit in a government in order to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ousted from power. . Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid (Flash90/Tomer Neuberg)

Yair Lapid copying Netanyahu’s outreach to Israeli Arabs goes one step further and says he’d accept Arab parties in his government.

By: Paul Shindman

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Saturday he is willing to have Israel’s Arab party, the Joint List, sit in a government in order to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ousted from power.

“I am the one who led the move that said, ‘There is no problem to form a government with the support of the Joint List,’” Lapid, leader of the center-left Yesh Atid party, told Channel 12 news.

Asked if he was prepared to lead a government where Arab parties were members, Lapid replied, “Yes, of course.”

“I hope we will reach the situation where we [Yesh Atid] have good relations with the Joint [List],” Lapid said.

“I said publicly that we have to form a government with the support of the Joint List already in the third round [of elections in 2020],” Lapid said.

Lapid had called after the March, 2020 election for the Blue and White to form a unity government with the support of the Joint List that would have forced Netanyahu into the opposition. “It is a pity that we did not form one,” he said.

Blue and White received pushback from members of its own party and other opposition politicians to forming a government together with the Joint List at the time, ruling out a possible coalition deal.

The Joint List is the third-largest faction in the Knesset with 15 seats. It is made up of four Arab parties: Balad, Hadash, Ta’al, and the United Arab List, or Ra’am. A closer look at the parties’ platforms makes it clear why Blue and White ran into obstacles when it flirted with the idea of a Joint List coalition.

Balad opposes the idea of a Jewish State, advocating a “state of all its citizens.” Hadash is made up of the Israel communist party and other leftist groups. Ta’al’s leader Ahmed Tibi has referred to Israel as a racist country and accused the IDF of war crimes, and the United Arab List is the southern branch of the Islamic Movement.

In January 2009, Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted by a large majority to ban Ta’al, Ra’am, and Balad from running for elections, citing their support for terrorist groups and their call for an end to Jewish majority rule in Israel. The decision to ban them was overruled by the Supreme Court.

Lapid also said during the Channel 12 interview that he’s ready to work with Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu confidante who broke off recently from Likud to form a new party.

“I work well with Gideon [Saar],” Lapid said.

“I have made two major political moves with Gideon in recent years… so we know how to work together,” Lapid said, mentioning their support for the election of Reuven Rivlin as Israel’s president and their no-confidence vote last month to bring down the government and force the fourth elections in Israel in the past two years.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Israel Facing Another Week of Countrywide COVID-19 Lockdown

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There is a high chance that the Ministry of Health will recommend to the government to extend the countrywide Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown beyond the initial two weeks. Photo by Eitan Elhadez-Barak/TPS on 10 July, 2020

By: Aryeh Savir

There is a high chance that the Ministry of Health will recommend to the government to extend the countrywide Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown beyond the initial two weeks, Israel’s Corona Czar Professor Nachman Ash stated Sunday, as the infection rate in the country remained high.

“In recent days we have seen a great burden on the health system. There are about 1,200 critically ill patients, 85% occupancy in the various corona wards, hospitals are lessening elective procedures. The geriatric system is in very high occupancy. There is difficulty in evacuating verified patients from nursing homes. We are working to release patients who have recovered more effectively. The load is expected to continue for several more days until we see a decline in morbidity, “Ash said.

The Ministry of Health updated Sunday morning that it documented 8,398 new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases over the past day.

Of the 101,722 tests done over the weekend, a very high 8.5% returned positive.

A record of 1,184 patients hospitalized with Corona are in serious condition, 274 of them are on life support.

“We cautiously hope that the trend from the weekend, of the slowdown, will continue. The R is also going down, we have not yet gone bellow from 1, but the direction is encouraging,” he noted.

Israel is now in a situation where a week has passed since the first Israelis received the second Pfizer-developed COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 2,046,730 Israelis have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, some 23% of the population.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting on Sunday that the country will increase its vaccination rate to about 200,000 a day and “thus we will continue during the week in order to allow for the gradual opening, with the green passport, of parts of the economy, and of life, until we open them completely.”

However, the government needs to “assess the morbidity situation and determine whether an additional restricted period is needed, and will do so on Tuesday or Wednesday,” he said.

3,959 Israelis have died of the virus.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com