Despite their terrible safety record, Jay’s Bus company scored a $2.4 million contract with Lakewood Public Schools (Shutterstock)
Since 2015 a NJ school Bus company has been involved with 78 accidents, according to NJ.com News.
Jay’s Bus Service — a Lakewood-based company that operates in two counties, is the bus company with a record that has double the average crash rate of all bus companies that operate in the state.
A 2018 Wayne University professor’s study of three major school bus companies in different states found 2% to 3% of those companies’ vehicles were in crashes over a two-year period. Jay’s has a crash rate roughly five times that over two years, according to federal transportation data, Advance Publications NJ News researched.
In addition to their astonishingly high rate of accidents, Several Jay’s drivers have been charged with serious violations, including one who was caught driving drunk with a bus full of children and another who was charged with Driving while high on oxycontin.
In 2015 app.com reported that school bus driver, Angel Colon, working for Jay’s Bus Service driving a busload of 20 kids, smelled of alcohol when he spoke with a police officer during a road rage investigation. Colon, whose breath reeked of booze, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of children.
In 2017, another school bus driver was arrested when he was high on Oxycodone and the school bus, he was driving rear-ended a parked car, according to APP.com. Mark Waldhelm, a school bus driver with Jay’s Bus Service, was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and careless driving, APP explained. Luckily this drug addict was driving an empty bus when he rear ended someone’s car.
NJ.com uncovered that Jay’s Bus Service has one of the worst inspection records among large bus companies in New Jersey. Mechanics say the buses are full of old, broken parts and NJ Inspection records revealed the company has been cited several dozen times for leaks and bald tires. NJ.com reports that Jay’s transports thousands of kids from 20 different public schools. School districts contracted over 6 million in business with this bus company.
Lakewood public schools trying to curb spending contracted $2.4 million With Jay’s Bus Service in February, APP reported. Citing potential savings of more than $7 million over the course of three years, the Lakewood Board of Education has hired private companies to get its almost 6000 students to school.
Both parties, the school districts and the founders of Jay’s have declined any comment on this very serious issue. Local NJ media should be commended for reporting on this. Locally among parents, the bus company has developed a horrible reputation and one can speculate they can have an influence.
A blurred image of a Trump t-shirt worn by a student in a High School yearbook, started the controversy. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
A NJ teacher from Wall Township School District said her principal and superintendent should be fired after she was ordered to censor a Trump T-shirt a student was wearing in the 2017 yearbook and was later blamed for the controversy itself, NJ Advance media reported.
Censorship of the Trump shirt generated national headlines in June 2017 and fueled conservative outrage, especially in Wall, where Trump carried a large majority of the vote. The school district admitted the photo was censored but quickly shifted the blame to Susan Parsons, a media teacher who was the yearbook advisor.
“If you have any teacher that lied, withheld evidence, conspired to hide the truth… they wouldn’t have a job,” Parsons said. “How is it that this isn’t applied to administration as well, she said in a recent interview with NJ media. A tenured teacher, she continues working at Wall Township High School making $92,000 but says students and colleagues have never treated her the same, NJ.com explained. She was suspended after the incident and forced to resign from being the yearbook adviser as the result of the scandal which she alleges was not her idea.
Superintendent Cheryl Dyer at the time claimed the school administration had nothing to do with the censorship in the yearbook at the time.
Parsons, who voted for Trump is now harassed by hard core Trump loyalists who still believe she was the decision maker in this controversy.
Parsons’ lawsuit against Dyer and the Wall Township Board of Education is seeking damages for a pay increase that was withheld, emotional harm and other damages. In addition, she’s asking for a policy that prohibits employees from doing interviews without the superintendent’s permission to be eliminated, NJ.com reported.
School board attorney Adam Weiss said the district won’t engage in a public debate over the yearbook controversy and will defend itself in court, in a recent statement.
Since Trump has become president many Democrats and hard leftists have done far worse than censoring a Trump for president T-shirt in a yearbook. There have been literally thousands of attacks on Trump supporters in America and even in other nations.
Some of the more recent attacks include an 81-year-old man being attacked at a supermarket in NJ. In the UK anyone who shows support for the US president is being pelted in the face by radial leftists with milkshakes. A man was assaulted at a Trump support event in Los Angeles, a Jewish student in Arizona claims she was forced into hiding after admitting she voted for Trump and an elderly man in UK was pushed to the ground violently over his Trump support. There are literally thousands of these incidents. Let’s not forget the Jussie Smollett incident where the TV actor blamed men in “MAGA” hats for a fictional assault.
“From censoring his name to literally attacking people who support Trump, the tensions are high, and the radical left will continue to become more unhinged as we get closer to elections”, political analyst Jared Evan told The Jewish Voice.
“May He cause His countenance to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee”
“May HaShem lift His Face unto thee and grant thee peace” (Deut. 6: 23-26)
G-d conferred upon our patriarch Abraham the privilege of bestowing blessing “And you shall be a blessing…” (Genesis 12:2). That honor was passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob. In this week`s parsha, HaShem instructs Moshe to bequeath this privilege to Aaron and all his descendants–the Kohanim, in perpetuity. To this very day, the Kohanim bless us during the services on our Holy Days. In the land of Israel however, the Kohanim bless the congregation every day. The cantor chants this blessing every morning during the repetition of the Amidah, and we recite it in our daily prayers as well.
On the eve of every Sabbath, in the glow of the candlelight, it is this blessing that every parent imparts to his child. How fortunate we are that we are able to bless our children with the very words that were given to us by G-d Himself through His Torah. Moreover, when we pronounce the Priestly Blessing, we connect to the millions of souls who preceded us, as well as to our Heavenly Father Himself.
The blessing is composed of three parts. The first contains three words in memory of the patriarchs; the second, five words, anchoring us to the Five Books of Moses; The third, seven words, reminding us of the seven heavens, and asking G-d to shower us with His bounty.
Prior to imparting the blessing, the Kohanim themselves have to recite a blessing, the last word of which is “love,” teaching us that a pre-condition to imparting a blessing is that one`s heart be overflowing with love. We, the Jewish People, are called “Mamlechet Kohanim–a Priestly Kingdom”, and each and every one of us should always strive to convey blessings to one another, especially now, in these difficult times when so many people are hurting.
Meaning of the Blessings: The first blessing is for health and sustenance, but we need G-d`s blessing that we not abuse that gift, so we conclude the blessing with “Yishmorecha” — May G-d protect you. The second blessing is that G-d illuminate our minds with the holy teachings of His Torah and allow us to find favor in everyone`s eyes so that we might share His teachings. The third blessing is that G-d look upon us with compassion, forgive our sins, and grant us peace. The word “peace” is the very last word in the blessing, teaching us that without peace, everything is worthless and pointless. It is precisely for this reason that the daily Amidah and the kaddish prayer end with a blessing for peace. If there is any one generation that can appreciate the critical importance of peace, it is ours. May G-d grant us peace speedily in our own day.
“KNOW THYSELF”
In this week`s parsha it is written: “And they shall confess their sin that they committed” (Numbers, 5:7). The question is obvious–one can only confess a sin that one has committed, so why the redundancy of language (“that they committed”)?
The Torah is here to teach us that the mistakes that we make in life, the sins that we commit, are not born in a vacuum. They stem from deep roots, so if we are to confess, it is not just verbal platitudes that are required, but genuine soul searching. The parsha teaches us that if we really want to elevate ourselves, if we really want to change and become better, more spiritual individuals, as painful as it may be, we have to go through this process honestly, without rationalizations. We must ask ourselves. What led me to stray from this path? How is it that I have become so lost? Once we come to grips with that and discover the answer, it will become possible for us to uproot that negativity from our hearts and embark upon a new course. That’s what tshuva repentance is all about.
This parsha reminds every individual that they have a unique mission in life. The portion opens with the words. Count the children of Gershon also. The word also jars. What does it mean? The children of Gershon had the responsibility of carrying the curtains and other heavy items of the Tabernacle. At first glance, one might think that to be charged with such a menial task is to be labeled a schlepper, a porter. Therefore, the Torah tells us, count them also, reminding us that the children of Gershon were as important as those who had the responsibility of carrying the Holy Ark. It’s not what we do but how we do it that counts. It`s the love and dedication that we invest in a task that makes the difference. This is a vital lesson for us to absorb. Instead of envying what others are doing, instead of looking upon ourselves as schleppers, we should realize that if we fulfill our responsibilities with sincerity, we will be uplifted and achieve our unique mission in life. G-d judges us by our efforts, by our faith, by our commitment, as it is written, according to the effort is the reward.
This lesson is reinforced at the end of the parsha where the offerings of the princes of the tribes are recounted. Each prince brought the exact same gift, but instead of stating just that, the Torah repeats it twelve times, once again teaching us that it is not only what we give, but the manner in which we give it that is significant, so while each tribe offered the same gift, their kavanah–thoughts and emotions were different. Thus, we all recite the same prayers, but each of us has our own special way of expressing them, and that is what renders us unique. We never need to compete. We never need to strive to be someone else. We need only strive to fulfill our own potential, to realize our own mission, and that is how we will find favor in the sight of G-d.
If there is a lesson to be gained from this perspective of our parsha, it is this: Religious behavior calls for a great deal of uniformity, but also insists that each individual draw from his or her own wellspring of inspiration. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
One of the interesting paradoxes of human life is our tendency to copy one another and to try to “fit in” with friends and acquaintances, while simultaneously trying to be distinct from others, and to be our “own person.”
The pressures of conformity are very strong in all human societies. People who are different are often treated as outcasts. And each of us determines our behavior with an eye toward others’ opinions. We want to be part of the group, part of the crowd.
The pressures that human groups—large and small—exert upon each of us result not only in conformity, but in uniformity. Groups demand that all members act in accordance with their norms and its standards. Behavior which breaks the mold of uniformity is seen as threatening, even bizarre.
And yet, we all feel the need to assert our uniqueness, our own precious individuality.
One of my personal favorite cartoons shows a crowd of penguins, looking identical, all black and white. In the center of the horde is one penguin with a barely noticeable red bow tie. The cartoon’s caption has that penguin saying, “I got to be me.”
Obviously, conformity is necessary for a society to function efficiently, and to maintain its equilibrium. Individual self-expression is also necessary, to introduce new coping methods into the social process.
There are dangers to both tendencies, that which demands uniformity, and that which allows for the individual’s urge for autonomy and self-assertion.
Countless times in history, we have witnessed terrible dangers intrinsic to crowd behavior. We have seen the negative effects of cults, which encourage blind conformity to group norms. We have seen entire nations unquestioningly following cruel calls for the genocide of targeted populations.
We have seen the urge to be different result in equally harmful and dangerous behavior. Individuals who just want to be noticed will resort to serial murders of innocents, or to venting their rage by spraying a school campus with bullets. Self-expression carried to the extreme.
Apparently, there are good sides and bad sides to both social conformity and individualistic behavior. The secret lies in the balance between the two.
In the Torah portion, Parshat Naso, even the casual reader will be troubled by the repetitive description of the offerings of the twelve tribal princes. Each of them contributes an absolutely identical set of celebratory gifts to the tabernacle. The uniformity of the twelve sets of gifts is absolute. It seems as if each of the twelve princes strove to totally conform to the others, and none dared defy the standards of the rest of the group. An example of conformity, if there ever was one.
The congregants in the synagogue who hear the Torah reader repetitively chant the monotonous lists of contributions often feel bored and ask, “Why the repetition, and why the uniformity?”
Here, the rabbis of the Midrash help us out. They take a different, deeper, and more perceptive view. Motivated by the same discomfort as today’s Torah listener, they exclaim, “Their gifts are all identical, but each has his own unique intention.”
Although the gifts all shared common explicit language, the thoughts and emotions behind each gift differed from prince to prince. Each lent a different kavanah, a distinct unspoken meaning, to his gifts. And that meaning was based upon the unique nature of each prince and the tribe he represented. The gifts were all the same; the underlying intentions were as different as one can imagine. The lyrics were identical; the melody, different.
The rabbis speculate at some length as to the nature of these implicit intentions. They wonder as to how the prince of the tribe of Reuben might have expressed his tribe’s uniqueness in contradistinction to the prince of the tribe of Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and so forth.
All human societies contain the tension between the pressure to conform and the inner urge to be distinctive. Religious societies contain that tension all the more. Judaism, for example, requires conformity to an elaborate set of behavioral guidelines. The casual observer of a group of Jews at prayer, or at the Passover Seder table, or circling the bimah with their palm fronds during the holiday of Succoth, will see a group of people who seem to be obsessively imitating each other.
But the observer who is familiar with the inner lives of those who comprise that group of Jews will realize that each person’s prayer is different and reflective of his or her unique experience. Everyone around the Seder table is responding to different religious memories, and each of those who are circling the bimah is doing so with a very distinctive and unique set of religious emotions.
If there is a lesson to be gained from this perspective of our parsha, it is this: Religious behavior calls for a great deal of uniformity, but also insists that each individual draw from his or her own wellspring of inspiration.
We all must be the same, yet we all must be different. This paradox is true of all human societies. It is especially true of the society of Jews.
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is the Executive Vice President, Emeritus of the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Weinreb’s newly released Person in the Parasha: Discovering the Human Element In the Weekly Torah Portion, co-published by OU Press and Maggid Books, contains a compilation of Rabbi Weinreb’s weekly Person in the Parsha column. For more information about his book, go to https://www.ou.org/oupress/product/the-person-in-the-parasha/. For other articles and essays by Rabbi Weinreb, go to http://www.ou.org/torah/parsha-series/rabbi-weinreb-on-parsha.
Beit Hadassah – From Historic Hospital to Symbol of Rebirth. Photo Credit: http://en.hebron.org.il
Just days after Yom Yerushalaim (Jerusalem Liberation Day) and Yom Hevron (Hebron Liberation Day), a ceremony marking the fourth year since the passing of Rabbi Moshe Levinger, and the 40th anniversary of the entry and resettlement of Beit Hadassah, inside Hebron proper, was held last Wednesday evening at Beit HaShalom, between Kiryat Arba and Hebron.
Rabbi Levinger addressing a youth group in the 1960s
Speakers included, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hebron, Rav Dov Lior, Rosh HaYeshiva of the Kiryat Arba Hesder yeshiva, Yeshivat Nir, Rav Eliezer Waldman, and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzippi Hotovely.
Hundreds attended, included Rabbanit Miriam Levinger, and Daniella Weiss, former activist of Gush Emunim in the 1970’s, former mayor of Kedumim in Samaria, and currently the Secretary General of the Nachala Settlement Movement. So too, former mayor of Kiryat Arba, Malachi Levinger (Rav Levinger’s son), and current mayor, Eliyahu Liebman, were there. His father, Rabbi Menachem Liebman, was among the founders of Kiryat Arba.
For those who don’t know, Rabbi Levinger (student of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook), was the founding father of the Jewish resettlement of Hebron after the 1967 Six Day War, and a leader of the Gush Emunim settlement movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
Speakers included, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hebron, Rav Dov Lior. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
In the spring of 1968, he put an advertisement in an Israeli newspaper, for a Passover Seder in Hebron, at an Arab owned hotel that he had rented out. Refusing to leave after Passover, he and his group negotiated with the IDF and the government, first moving to the Military Headquarters building (the Memshal), and eventually getting the Israeli government to agree to develop an empty hilltop, what became Kiryat Arba, where about 7,500 Jews live today.
Eleven years later, in the spring of 1979, his wife Miriam, along with several other women and children, entered the till then, abandoned Hadassah Hospital building. It had been unused since the infamous 1929 massacre on the Jewish community of Hebron, by Hebron’s Arabs. After which, the British authorities expelled the surviving Jews from Hebron “for their own good.”
Miriam Levinger and Sara Nachshon preparing a meal in the communal kitchen of the Jewish settlers in Hebron. Credit: Moshe Milner, Government Press Office, August 10, 1968
After a protracted struggle with the Israeli government to get the women out, the government agreed to the development of Jewish resettlement within the city of Hebron itself. Which has led to nearly a thousand Jews living in Hebron today.
Wikipedia inaccurately states in its entry for ‘Rabbi Moshe Levinger,’ “In April 1979, Levinger’s wife, Miriam, and Sarah Nachshon [wife of painter Baruch], led a march to the center of Al-Shuhada Street in Hebron, and occupied the Al-Dabboia building, which had been a police station used during the Ottoman era.”
Yet, in its entry for ‘Beit Hadassah,’ Wikipedia states accurately, “Originally named Hesed L’Avraham clinic, Beit Hadassah was constructed in 1893 with donations of Jewish Baghdadi families and was the only modern medical facility in Hebron. In 1909, it was renamed after Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America which took responsibility for the medical staff and provided free medical care to all [both Jews and Arabs].”
The building was always Jewish, not as “Palestinian” apologist Wikipedia states.
Rav Lior referred to Caleb, and his “different spirit,” the spirit of Hebron. He reminded the audience of how Caleb spoke up against the other spies, and said, “let’s go up and conquer it, for we surely can” (Numbers 13:30).
Rosh HaYeshiva of the Kiryat Arba Hesder yeshiva, Yeshivat Nir, Rav Eliezer Waldman. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Rav Lior also spoke about the spiritual Gevurah (strength) of the women in camping out in Beit Hadassah under difficult conditions, and compared them to the daughters of Zelophehad in the Torah, who fought for their rights in the land. Seeing that Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) was going to be divided by tribe, and there was no son from their father, they demanded from Moshe, that they should inherit their father’s portion. Moshe not knowing what to do, asked God, who answered that they are right and should have a portion in the land (Numbers 27:1-11).
One story Rav Waldman told, was about former president George H.W. Bush, who spoke about his New World Order. Bush, Rav Waldman said, thought he could take parts of the Land of Israel away from us, through his “peace process” ideas and New World Order in the Middle East. But Bush forgot, who already had made a “New World Order,” the God of Israel, through His redemptive process of bringing the Jewish people back to Eretz Yisrael, and in particular, after 1967, returning the Jewish nation to Judea and Samaria.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzippi Hotovely, praised Miriam Levinger, Sarah Nachshon, and the other righteous women, for setting an example to her generation of women, fighting for the Jewish people’s right to Eretz Yisrael today. She said she hoped that this government of Israel (after the elections) would apply Sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, and that all future governments of Israel would put to rest, the idea of dividing the land, and giving away part of it to others.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzippi Hotovely, praised Miriam Levinger, Sarah Nachshon, and the other righteous women, for setting an example to her generation of women, fighting for the Jewish people’s right to Eretz Yisrael today. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
There were also tours of the Beit HaShalom building, and a model apartment to see. The building is in its final stages of renovation, seventeen apartments are still available for purchase in it.
It was an emotional night, reminding us all, what resettling the land means, as the ceremony came to a close, “V’Shavu Banim L’Gvulam,” (and Your children will return to their borders – Jeremiah 31:17), played in the background.
Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master’s Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
Plans are being launched to build the House of Fates Holocaust Museum and Educational Center, to open in Budapest, Hungary. Photo Credit: Zsolt Demecs
Professional delegation members and political delegates of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) were presented Tuesday, June 4th, in Mondorf, Luxembourg with the outlines of the new concept of the House of Fates Holocaust Museum and Educational Center, planned to open in Budapest. The presentation was delivered by Rabbi Shlomo Koves, chief rabbi of the EMIH Jewish Community, and chief executive of the project, Mr. Yitzhak Mais, the chief curator of the new Steering Committee and State Secretary Mr. Szabolcs Takacs, chief delegate of the Hungarian state to IHRA.
Plans are being launched to build the House of Fates Holocaust Museum and Educational Center, to open in Budapest, Hungary. Photo Credit: Zsolt Demecs
The close to two-hour presentation included an elaboration of the creation process, an outline of the main historical guidelines, goals and themes of the future museum, all sections of the new vision document formatted by the new steering committee, and greenlighted by the Hungarian Government a few weeks ago. IHRA delegates have learnt of the composition of the new Steering Committee, with internationally acknowledged experts, including, between others, Mrs. Esther Farbstein, a historian, author and the Chair of Holocaust Studies at Jerusalem College for Women; David Marwell, an American historian and former director of New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, as well as of the other committees and advisories that are and will be active in the creation process.
The presentation was well received by the delegates, and though many have emphasized that it is not the capacity or responsibility of IHRA to open the new museum, or to approve a Museum content, the plenary of IHRA has accepted the invitation of the Hungarian Delegation, and has voted on mandating the IHRA chair to appoint a representative group of IHRA experts, reflecting IHRA’s areas of expertise to provide suggestions and comments to the international advisory boards of the House of Fates Museum.
Ambassador Georges Santer, IHRA Chair, said:
“IHRA expects that the voices of all concerned Jewish communities in Hungary will be heard and that their input will be taken seriously.
We welcomed the clear assurance by Rabbi Shlomo Köves (Chabad EMIH Jewish Federation in Hungary) and the Minister of State, that a highly controversial historian who had been involved in the drafting of an earlier concept had played no role in developing the new vision for the House of Fates and that this person would not be involved in the initiative moving forward.
Hungary, as one of our 33 Member Countries, has committed itself to upholding the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny or distort it. We look forward to supporting Hungary in its efforts to present a nuanced and self-critical history of the Holocaust in Hungary.”
The appeal of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to the claim that companies affiliated with the Amuta were duly acquired from them in the Old City of Jerusalem was denied
Three properties of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Old City of Jerusalem were duly sold to foreign companies that operated for Ateret Cohanim. Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit ruled on Monday (June 10, 1919). He rejected appeals against the ruling handed down two years ago in the Jerusalem District Court (Judge Gila Kanfi-Steinitz), who accepted the foreign companies’ request to declare that they owned the properties and rejected the Patriarch’s claims against their sale.
The properties are: The four-story Petra Hotel (formerly the Amdurski Hotel) near the Jaffa Gate, which was leased for 99 years at $500,000; The nearby Imperial Hotel, with two floors and shops, was leased for $1.25 million; And Beit Muzameya in the Bab Huta neighborhood, for which $55,000 was paid. The sales were carried out in 2004 and their exposure at the beginning of 2005 created a storm on the Palestinian street and led to the dismissal of Patriarch Irianus Scopoulitis.
The patriarchy focused on the allegation that these were corrupt transactions, which stemmed from a bribe paid by the sellers to Nicholas Papadimas, who was in charge of its financial affairs. According to Ateret Cohanim, Matti Dan, he promised Papadimas a million dollars for the promotion, and said that the sales were intended to help the then-deposed patriarch, Ariane, accept the government’s approval for his appointment to the patriarch. Is particularly low and indicates their lack of kosherness.
Kanfi-Steinitz rejected all these claims. She said that since these were allegations of criminal acts, the Patriarchate had a particularly heavy burden to prove them, and she did not stand up to them. It is true that Papadimas was caught in various acts of corruption in Israel and abroad, but some of the Patriarch’s claims to him were only rumored and not proven.
The claim regarding the connection between the sales and the recognition of Iran was also rejected. Kanfi-Steinitz noted that this recognition was given at the beginning of 2004 – a year before the transactions – and that no involvement of Ateret Cohanim’s staff in the government’s decision was proven. One wonders what the reasons for the sale of the assets were, especially when he knew that this would alienate his rivals, but he was not surprised.
The question of the consideration for the assets was discussed in a contradictory opinion of the two sides. The Patriarchate claimed that their real value at that time was NIS 17 million, while the purchasers claimed that it was less than NIS 3 million. Kanfei-Steinitz said that the Patriarchate’s opinion revealed difficulties and failures, and this is sufficient not to prove its claim regarding the amount of the consideration.
Both sides appealed to the Supreme Court: the Patriarchate for approval of the transactions, and the foreign companies for not having received their request to instruct the Patriarchate to provide them with documents and accounts regarding payment of the proceeds of the assets. Amit briefly rejects the appeal of the companies, reminding him that the person who won the trial court can not appeal, and notes that in any case, the Supreme Court is not the proper court for filing an account.
With regard to the appeal of the patriarchate, Amit states that despite her attempt to cover him with a legal-principled cover, he is referring to the facts of the district, in which the Supreme Court will not intervene. The Supreme Court fully adopts the decision of Kanfei Steinitz, and Amit notes that he is adding a few comments just so that the parties will not claim that things have disappeared from the eyes of the Supreme Court. Among other things, Amit says that the Patriarchate sold the assets (despite their sensitivity) because of its difficult financial situation and because of an internal struggle between the Greek and Arab streams.
Amit notes that his opinion is not comfortable with the fact that Dan was not brought to testify by the companies, even to contradict the claim that he gave a bribe to the patriarch at the time. But the same puzzlement can also be directed at the patriarchy – both with Dan and with the Europeans. “I am prepared to assume that not all the hidden things have been revealed before our eyes and against the eyes of the lower court, and that there are still shadows and black holes in the processes that they have brought,” he says.
For signing the agreements. But with astonishment and with the raising of an unbearable eyebrow in order to lift the burden of proof that is high on the patriarchate. ”
Amit adds: “Of all the claims raised by the Patriarchate against the transactions, the claim of financial bribery to Papadimas was not raised in real time, but in the later stages of the trial, in the form of an occupied claim, while neglecting most of the other claims raised in the defense statement. The contacts with Papadimas during 2010, it is difficult to match the delay of about four years in raising the claim, which was first raised in the affidavits of the Patriarchate.
Amit also notes that the Patriarchate filed a complaint with the police against Papadimas for withdrawing checks without authorization for tens of thousands of shekels – but not for the sale of the assets. It also knew how to act decisively to cancel the sale of its properties in the Rehavia neighborhood, and even led to the conviction of those involved – and the current affair is even more puzzling. He also rejects the claim regarding the connection between the sale and the appointment of Irianus to the Patriarch, whom he calls “the depth of the sale as the depth of recognition,” saying that it is not factual proof.
Judges Yael Wilner and Alex Stein agreed with Amit. The Patriarchate was represented by Adv. Yehoshua Kramer, Aviv Barnett, Eliad Cohen and Eliran Babai, and the companies – Advocate Zeev Sherf, Sharon Hel-Gilad, Tomer Wiesel, Shawn Toby, Noya Geva and David Segal.
Driven by demand from private collectors and cultural institutions, Sotheby’s Important Judaica auction totaled $2.7 million in New York. From ceremonial silver to important manuscripts and fine art, below is a look at some of the exceptional items that drove these results.
Edited by: JV Staff
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston acquired two of sale’s top offerings of silver – a Pair of German Parcel-Gilt Silver Torah Finials from Hamburg circa 1688-89 which sold for $500,000 and A Pair of Large English Parcel-Gilt Silver Torah Finials by British Silversmith Edward Aldridge from 1764 sold for $187,500. Both pair of finials stand out for their exceptional rarity and notable provenance, the latter of which were sold to benefit The Central Synagogue, London and were formerly in the famed collection of Philip Salomons – brother of the first Jewish Lord Mayor of London – who was one of the first collectors of antique Judaica in England.
Isidor Kaufmann’s sensitive Portrait of a Rabbi with a Young Pupil achieved $375,000 (estimate $300/500,000). One of the most important Jewish painters, Kaufmann gained wide recognition in Vienna during his lifetime. Renowned for his ravishing detail, this double portrait reflects the deep spirituality of a centuries-old tradition which the artist witnessed during his summer trips to Galicia and Eastern Poland.
After much pre-sale excitement, the collection of nearly 300 postcards from American Jewish hotels and resorts from the 20th century sold for $8,750 (estimate $7/10,000). Assembled over the course of 20+ years by a private collector, the selection provides a panoramic view of Jewish leisure culture in America, depicting the grounds and amenities available at reports frequented by Jews not only the Catskill Mountains, but also in various vacation spots in Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and even North Carolina.
The Amazon founder and CEO has reportedly picked up three condos—including a penthouse that was previously listed for $58 million—at 212 Fifth Avenue, according to the Wall Street Journal.
By Murray Shinnimin
The building is developed by Madison Equities, with Thor Equities as a partner, Curbed New York reported. Located in NoMad, the stunning luxury building is adjacent to Madison Square Park at the much sought after 212 Fifth Avenue address.
The apartments that Bezos is reportedly purchasing include a 10,000-square-foot penthouse that first listed in 2016 for $68.5 million and has subsequently gotten a price bump (to $74 million in 2017) and another price cut (to $62.8 million). The penthouse is a triplex with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and nearly 6,000 square feet of outdoor space, Curbed NY described. The observatory on the third floor of the penthouse opens up into a 950-square-foot terrace that offers up views of the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, and the World Trade Center. Bezos allegedly also bought two other apartments within the building, totaling $28 million.
Luxury sales were down 3.2 percent during the first quarter, while days on market rose 23.5 percent, according to data from appraisal firm Miller Samuel, however even with the slump many records have been set in NYC. Jeff Bezos set a downtown record with his $80 million triplex purchase; the Real Deal pointed out.
“It’s clearly a paradox where you have a softening super-luxury market segment that occasionally churns out all-time records,” Jonathan Miller (Miller Samuel) explained to The Real Deal.
“There was a perfect storm of a flood of capital looking for higher returns after the financial crisis and a lot of wealth creation coming out of Asia that didn’t exist a decade ago,” he said.
In January, hedge funder Ken Griffin closed on the most expensive apartment in the U.S. for $238 million, while uptown, an unknown buyer set a new townhouse record by shelling out $77 million for financier Philip Falcone’s Upper East Side mansion. Other massive deals this year included hedge funder Robert Smith’s $59 million purchase at the Getty, the priciest downtown deal until Bezos closed.
The number of billionaires in Asia dropped 13 percent to 677 in 2018, according to the research firm Wealth-X and was reported by The Real Deal. Meanwhile the number of billionaires in the U.S. grew 3.7 percent to 705, thanks to a strong U.S. dollar, interest-rate hikes and tax reform. The Wealth-X report also found 15 cities were home to 30 percent of the world’s billionaires in 2018 — including New York, with 105, Real Deal pointed out.
The Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs has revealed for the first time the results of an economic campaign against BDS-promoting organizations with ties to terror which led to 30 accounts being shut down over the last two years
Edited by: JV Staff
The Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs (MSA), led by Minister Gilad Erdan, revealed on Monday for the first time the results of an undisclosed economic campaign the ministry and pro-Israel organizations have conducted over the past two years against financial accounts of BDS-promoting organizations. The campaign has already led to the closure of 30 accounts, largely as a result of the ministry revealing direct ties shared between the organizations to terrorist groups or operatives. Ten of the accounts were closed in the United States, twenty in Europe.
Following the release of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs report earlier this year, “Terrorists in Suits“, which revealed the ties shared between terror groups such as Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and organizations promoting anti-Israel boycotts, financial entities around the world have closed accounts associated with organizations listed, significantly curtailing the influx of funds they receive.
Just recently, three accounts belonging to the boycott organization Samidoun were closed. The accounts were closed following the request of The International Legal Forum, which were drawn to the attention of various fundraising platforms (Paypal, Donorbox and PLAID), along with information regarding Samidoun’s close ties to the PFLP. As revealed in the Terrorists in Suits report, the organization’s two representatives in Europe, Mustafa Awad and Muhammad Khatib, are both members of the terrorist group. Awad was recently released from Israeli prison for his involvement in several terrorist organizations, including the PFLP, and for receiving training from the Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah. Samidoun even publicly responded to the closure of its accounts, accusing the Ministry of Strategic Affairs for pursuing its organization and members.
The Ministry of Strategic Affairs notes that the closure of the accounts has disrupted Samidoun’s ability to carry out its activities and has significantly harmed their fundraising efforts. The organization also revealed that the exposure of their connections to terrorist groups constitutes “one of its most significant threats.”
**Other examples of BDS-terror affiliated organizations that had their accounts closed are listed below in the appendix.
Minister Erdan: “Minister Erdan: “For years, boycott promoters have disguised themselves as ‘human rights activists’, managing to raise tens of millions of euros from Western countries and citizens who thought they were contributing to causes supporting justice and equality. Over time though, we have revealed that the supposed ‘human rights’ NGOs are in reality, filled with anti-Semitic operatives with deep ties to terrorist groups fixated on destroying the State of Israel. As a result of our actions, countries and financial institutions are now distancing themselves from these organizations. Our efforts have drastically undermined the boycott campaign, leading to it having much less finances to operate, and barred from receiving financial services.”
APPENDIX
Examples of key organizations whose accounts have been closed:
BDS National Committee (BNC)
On December 21, 2018, the BNC’s, the umbrella organization leading the global BDS campaign from its headquarters in Ramallah, had its crowdfunding account on DonorBox shut down.
The BNC rejects the existence of the State of Israel, acts to classify it as an apartheid state, and aims harm its relations in political, economic, security and cultural aspects. The BNC has a cultural-academic arm, PACBI (the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel), which acts to isolate Israel academically and culturally, and uses violence and intimidation against cultural figures that uphold ties with Israel.
The BDS National Committee is a coalition of 28 Palestinian organizations and associations. Foremost among them is the Palestinian National and Islamic Forces, itself a coalition of 12 Palestinian factions, including the designated terrorist groups PFLP, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Following the revelation of the BNC’s ties to terror by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the NGO Shurat Hadin successfully urged DonorBox to close their account with the platform, thus preventing the organization from raising money from using a significant financial pipeline, for their ties to terrorism. As an example, the BNC Secretariat, Salah Khawaja, served a year in an Israeli prison due to contact with a hostile entity.
Afterwards, the BNC then opened another account on the website “Charityweb”, but this attempt was unsuccessful as the account was closed within a few hours.
Al Haq
In May 2018, the organization’s credit card accounts were closed due to work of a pro-Israel NGO revealing their links to terrorism.
Al-Haq is one of the leaders in promoting boycotts and delegitimization of Israel and a veteran organization active in the Palestinian arena.
Al-Haq has extensive ties with a number of “NGOs” while working towards promoting boycotts. For example, in March 2017 a group of French organizations together with Al-Haq published a report entitled, “The Dangerous Liaisons of French Banks with the Israeli Colonization.” The report includes recommendations for the French Government regarding the relationships between “French financial institutions with the Israeli banking system and the settlements”.
The organization is active in the UN Human Rights Council and is involved in exerting pressure on the council to publish a “blacklist” of companies operating in Judea and Samaria.
The organization is headed by Shawan Jabarin, a former senior member of the PFLP who served a prison sentence of two years for terrorist activity. Jabarin employs former PFLP activists who also served prison sentences.
Interpal
Over the past two years a number of fundraising accounts associated with Interpal, which has been found to have ties with Hamas, have been closed. The organization’s MyDonate crowdfunding account was frozen, as well as a number of its credit card accounts were cancelled.
Interpal was established in 1994 as a British aid fund, which plays a major role in transferring funds for Hamas’s civilian infrastructure and constitutes a significant part of delegitimization activity against Israel in the UK. Interpal is one of the prominent members of the British delegitimization organizations and is active in the BDS campaign.
The organization was outlawed in Israel as an “unlawful association” (1997), and was deemed a terrorist organization in 1998. Interpal was also included in US Executive Order 13224, which ordered the freezing of the assets of five charitable societies that finance Hamas and six senior Hamas leaders (August 2003).
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced last Thursday that a Crown Heights man has been sentenced to 24 years to life in prison for the kidnapping and murder of Williamsburg businessman Menachem Stark during a botched abduction in 2014.
Edited by: JV Staff
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant orchestrated the callous kidnapping that led to the murder of Menachem Stark, a husband, father and beloved member of the Williamsburg community. With today’s substantial prison sentence this defendant has now been brought to justice and held accountable for his role in this senseless loss of life.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Erskin Felix, 40, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced last week by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 24 years to life in prison. The defendant was convicted of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence on April 8, 2019, following a jury trial.
In the aftermath of the Stark kidnapping and murder, newspapers portrayed a vehemently anti-Semitic portrait of the Williamsburg resident. The media purposely attempted to concoct an image of Stark as a callous and ruthless slumlord, when nothing could be further from the truth. People who had professional business dealings with Stark, as well as friends and neighbors described him as an exceptionally generous man and someone who donated significant sums of money to various charities.
The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on January 2, 2014, at approximately 11:30 p.m., during a blizzard, the defendant and his cousin Kendel Felix, 31, ambushed Menachem Stark, 39, on the street as he left his office, located at 331 Rutledge Street in Williamsburg, and abducted him with the intention of holding him for ransom. Erskin Felix worked as a contractor for the victim and his cousin, Kendel Felix, did construction work for him.
After the victim fought unsuccessfully to escape, the defendants forced him into a Dodge minivan, bound his arms and legs with duct tape, taped his mouth and placed a ski mask over his head. Kendel drove away while Erskin restrained Stark in the back of the van by sitting on his chest, according to testimony. Erskin and Kendel picked up defendant Kendall Felix (Erskin’s brother) and they drove to the home of Irvine Henry (another cousin), the evidence showed.
Upon arrival, they discovered that the victim was dead due to Erskin’s actions in trying to subdue him, according to the evidence. The defendants attempted to return to the kidnapping scene to retrieve the victim’s Lexus SUV, but saw police on the scene.
Erskin then directed Kendel and Kendall to drive to Long Island to dispose of the body, the evidence showed. They drove to Nassau County, threw the body in a dumpster and set it on fire.
Approximately 17 hours later, a Nassau County police officer found the partially burned body in a garbage dumpster behind a gas station in Great Neck, Long Island. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxia by compression of the neck and chest.
Kendel Felix was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on May 1, 2019. A jury convicted him of first-degree kidnapping and second-degree murder in September 2016.
Kendall Felix was sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison on March 27, 2019 following his guilty plea to second-degree conspiracy and first-degree hindering prosecution over the objection of the prosecution.
Irvine Henry was sentenced to three months in prison on May 1, 2019 following his guilty plea to attempted tampering with physical evidence. (VIN Staff)
Hundreds of first responders on West 51st Street and 7th Ave.
View of 787 7th Ave from 8th Ave (Jewish Voice)
A helicopter crash landed on the roof of a 54-story building in Midtown Manhattan in the middle of a rainy Monday afternoon, starting a fire and killing the pilot, NBC News reported.
By Henrietta Fishman
The helicopter hard landed. on the roof of 787 Seventh Avenue.
A senior official told NBC NY 4 that the pilot, was identified as Tim McCormack and he had just dropped off a passenger at the East 34th Street heliport, and may have been making his way back to the chopper’s base in Linden, New Jersey, when the crash occurred.
The victim’s body remained inside the mangled wreckage of the chopper, which burst into flames but was quickly extinguished by firefighters, FDNY sources said
The incident happened around 2pm according to local media. Roads in the area were said to be closed with crews in the area as a precautionary measure. Hundreds of first responders were at the scene within seconds to keep the city safe and help with the evacuation of the 7th Ave building and several others.
The 54-floor skyscraper, known as the AXA Equitable Center, is home to Le Bernardin, the acclaimed French seafood restaurant.
Zach Escalante, a computer programmer who works on the third floor told the NY Post “We felt the building move, It felt like something hit or impacted the building,” he said.
Governor Cuomo was on the scene very quickly and said at a briefing “”the helicopter was making a forced landing or emergency landing… and landed on the roof.” He added that there was no indication of terrorism.
The mayor arrived over two hours later as he was busy campaigning for president. Local talk radio show commentators on WNYM 970 AM pointed out that it is not responsible for a mayor of most powerful city in the country to be out and about campaigning for president, when major incidents occur like this one in NYC.
The chopper is an Agusta 109E that was not being handled by air traffic controllers, Zero Hedge reported. The Agusta 109E is a two-engine model that can carry two crew members and as many as seven passengers, according to the online GlobalAir aviation marketplace.
This is not the first time in recent memory a lightweight aircraft crashed in NYC. The most recent significant crash occurred on October 11, 2006, when a Cirrus SR20 general aviation, fixed-wing, single-engine light aircraft crashed into the Belaire Apartment. Both people aboard the aircraft were killed in the accident, New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor.
“This could have a tremendous impact as we head into the season where helicopter rides are popular from the City to the Hamptons, and could have a chilling effect”, Jewish Voice Publisher David Ben Hooren pointed out.
Italian soccer team A.C. Milan comes under fire from Israeli fans after posting map with Israel without Samaria, Judea and Golan.
In a Facebook post ahead of the match for the Polish national team, AC Milan presented a partial map of Israel and caused a commotion.
Israel will host the Polish national team for an important game in the battle for Euro 2020, when one of the biggest threats to the Israeli goal is to be the striker of the AC AC Milan soccer team – Christoph Piatek.
Before the game of the big star, the group of magnificence raised a picture in which you see the map of Israel without the territories of Judea and Samaria and without the Golan Heights, which created a great uproar in responses to the post.
After realizing the mistake a new map was posted with all parts of Israel, but, later both were removed as the sports team ties to distance itself from the political debate.
In TV interview during his visit to the United States son of Israel’s Prime Minister says that President Trump is the greatest friend of Israel and the Jewish people in the history of White House. “He will be remembered forever, like Cyrus the king of Persia 2500 years ago.
Over the past days thousands of acres of gazing land and barley fields have been destroyed by terror motivated arson attacks in Shomron. These attacks are aimed at starving out local Jewish owned flocks of sheep and cows.
Seven arson attacks simultaneously took place on a Friday evening in the hills of Itamar. The fire spread between Gitit in the Jordan Valley and Itamar Hill 777. The fires reached the outskirts of the houses.
The Samaria Region fire brigade and about 150 volunteers set out to help extinguish the fire, among them the residents of Itamar, the high school students in Itamar and the residents of Elon Moreh.
Security forces together with IDF Samaria Brigade and the Security Branch of the Shomron Regional Council conducted a chase after the arsonists to the Palestinian village of Akraba.
The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, turned to the IDF Central Command after a briefing on the activities of the security forces, and asked not to leave until the terrorists were apprehended.
“These fires must stop,” Dagan said, adding: “We expect the security forces to capture the arsonists and to act against them with a hard hand.”
Chen Weiss, a resident of the hills, one of the volunteers who left the area: “We were lucky that the high yeshiva students were near by during the Sabbath and came to help, without them things would have ended otherwise The Arabs came up with a method and apparently learned from the Gaza area. Anyone with a match in the heat and dryness of the time can bring the situation of a Shabbat in which no one is available has made it even more difficult. The damage is estimated at almost a million shekels, this must stop. ”
The residents of the hills opened their doors to help the hilltop farmers, who were badly hit by the last set of fires, and called upon the security forces to stop the terrorists once and for all.
IDF soldiers took control of the foreign trading ship in which a fire was set overnight by unknown elements near a beach in the north of the country. During the event, and in coordination with the ship’s captain, IDF soldiers combed the ship. During the search, the soldiers captured an hidden passenger who was transferred to the Israel Police.
