Israel Vigilant Against BDS Activists Seeking to Disrupt Eurovision

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05/12/2019

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan spoke at a Catholic church in Chicago Thursday night, decrying social media outlets for banning his account, while denying accusations of anti-Semitism and racism.

By: David Rosenberg

Farrakhan was invited to speak at the St. Sabina Church in Chicago by the congregation’s controversial spiritual leader, Michael Pfleger.

Pfleger, who has in the past invited controversial figures in the past, including Al Sharpton and Jeremiah Wright, offered Farrakhan an opportunity to speak out at St. Sabina a week after Facebook and its subsidiary, Instagram, banned the Nation of Islam leader.

During his roughly hour-and-a-half address at St. Sabina, Farrakhan denied having ever used hateful or bigoted rhetoric, despite a long history of racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and black supremacist comments.

“I have not said one word of hate. I do not hate Jewish people. Not one that is with me has ever committed a crime against the Jewish people, black people, white people. As long as you don’t attack us, we won’t bother you.”

“The enemy is so hateful of me. I have never been arrested. No drunken driving. What have I done that you hate me like that?”

Farrakhan again referenced “Satanic Jews”, a phrase he has used for decades, drawing nationwide criticism, but said he did not believe all Jews fell into this category.

“I’m here to separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews.”

Pfleger, who introduced Farrakhan at the event, said he had received a wave of hate mail and angry phone calls over his decision to host Farrakhan, going on to call the Nation of Islam leader a “bold voice against injustice done against black people”.

“This past week, I have been cursed at, received an overwhelming amount of hate calls, emails, hateful Facebook postings. It is interesting to me that those who accuse him of hate have been so hateful this past week. Oh, the hypocrisy.”

The 85-year-old Farrakhan has sparked numerous controversies since the 1980s, drawing criticism for his attacks on Jews, whites, and homosexuals.

In 1984, Farrakhan was unanimously censured by the Senate after he called Judaism a “gutter religion”, while comparing himself to Adolf Hitler.

Over the years, Farrakhan has blamed Jews for the trans-Atlantic slave trade and American slavery, accused American Jews of being part of the “Synagogue of Satan”, compared Jews to termites, warned of the eventual annihilation of whites, claimed that white people were artificially created by a mad scientist and calling them only “potential humans”, accused “the Jews” of helping Adolf Hitler “get the Third Reich on the road”.

“Rabbis and historians have given to us an undeniable record of Jewish anti-Black behavior, starting with the horror of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, plantation slavery, Jim Crow, sharecropping, the labor movement of the North and South, the unions and the misuse of our people that continues to this very moment,” Farrakhan said in 2010.

In 1990, Farrakhan claimed “the Jews got a stranglehold on the Congress”. Six years later, he called American Jews the “wicked deceivers of the American people,” saying Jews have “sucked their blood” and “wrapped your tentacles around the US government.”

Last year, he called the Talmud “filthy, so filthy,” and “ugly”, while deriding Jews as “Satanic people”.

Farrakhan also blamed Jews for homosexuality, and claimed that white people were unnatural and that the white race would be coming to “an end”.

Earlier this year Farrakhan led a chant of “Death to Israel, Death to America” during a visit to Tehran.

In October 2018, Facebook removed a video uploaded by Farrakhan’s account in which he called Jews termites.

“I’m not an anti-Semite. I’m anti-termite,” the Nation of Islam leader said. (INN)

Israeli TV Report: Iran Considering Attack on Saudi Arabian Oil Facilities

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05/12/2019

As tensions continue to escalate between the Trump administration and the rogue regime of Iran, a report has emerged on Israeli TV that Israel has informed the United States that Tehran is considering making Saudi Arabian oil production facilities a target of an attack. The Friday night report on Channel 13 in Israel indicated that the warning of a possible attack emanated from intelligence information that was gathered by the country’s spy agencies and was communicated to Washington, according to an i24 News report.

Edited by: JV Staff

A Times of Israel reported that The Israeli intelligence data was conveyed by an Israeli delegation led by National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat, which met with American intelligence officials at the White House late last month, the TV report said.

The report comes shortly after Reuters reported that the US will deploy new Patriot missiles to the Middle East in light of a growing threat from Iran.

According to the Times of Israel article, the Channel 13 report said the Iranians were “considering various aggressive acts” against American or American-allied targets. Tehran had looked at targeting American bases in the Gulf, but that had been deemed too drastic. The main target they were interested in was “Saudi oil production facilities,” the TV report said. Such a strike would also send world oil prices soaring and enable Iran to get more income from its oil sales, the report added.

“It is still unclear to us what the Iranians are trying to do and how they are planning to do it, but it is clear to us that the Iranian temperature is on the rise as a result of the growing US pressure campaign against them, and they are considering retaliating against US interests in the Gulf,” an official was quoted as saying.

Tensions between US and Iran rose further on Wednesday after Iran threatened to step up its uranium enrichment if the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal did not uphold their part of the agreement from 2015, according to an i24 News report. Washington responded by imposing fresh sanctions on Iran’s steel and coal industry.

TOI reported that Channel 13 also quoted unnamed Arab intelligence sources saying there was a debate raging in the Iranian leadership about striking US and US-allied targets, with some in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pushing for attacks, including against Israeli targets, while others cautioned that it would be “suicidal” to get into serious military conflict with the US.

The Channel 13 report came four days after the same TV channel first reported that the Israeli Mossad had tipped off the White House two weeks ago about an Iranian plan to attack either a US or US-allied target. That earlier report did not specify potential targets for such an ostensible attack.

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Rabbinical Alliance of America Calls For A Daily Moment of Silence to Create a World of Good

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05/12/2019

The Rabbinical Alliance of America — Igud HaRabonim, with a membership of over 950 Orthodox Rabbis across the United States and Canada — calls for a mandatory moment of silence in our nation’s public schools to instill values in our youth.

The recent outrageous acts of violence visited upon the Chabad of Poway in California and the shootings in Charlotte, North Carolina and the STEM School right outside of Denver, Colorado serve as a clarion call for instituting a moment of silence in our public schools throughout these blessed United States of America.

Our youth are being raised on a diet of violent video games and a social media that is replete with indiscriminate sexual perversions that corrupt the healthy and wholesome moral and ethical development of our youth and teenagers.

Many people in America today lack the basic fundamentals and values –that form a moral person’s outlook and conduct throughout their lives. Inaugurating a moment of silence in every public and private school at the beginning of the day will help to focus the attention of the young student on the importance of recognizing that our conduct must reflect the will and desire of the Creator and Master of the Universe.

Each person, irrespective of his or her socio-economic background, faith community or ethnicity, race or creed, is responsible to answer to a Higher Power called G-D. A moment of silence will impress on each child and young adult that there is an “eye that sees and an ear that hears,” irrespective of one’s level of observance.

As such, each person bears an ethical and moral responsibility to conduct themselves accordingly Experience and logic has shown that a humanistic approach to ethics and morals alone cannot educate a generation of well-adjusted citizens.

Without the knowledge and awareness of a Creator, the temptation to act out at will with neither conscience and sense of responsibility contributes to the breakdown of civility and the increase

of carnage and violence. A misplaced sense of entitlement leads misguided and disturbed people to harm others and to act out in a destructive and disruptive manner. A daily moment of silence and reflection has the power and the ability to help form the moral and ethical development of society and the individual.

While recognizing the need for the separation of religion and state, this moment of silence will not condone or promulgate a particular set of religious beliefs but rather set the tone for the day for people of all backgrounds to reflect upon their responsibilities towards themselves and others in a more productive and proper way.

The Rabbinical Alliance of America calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the department of Education, to implement a moment of silence in all of our public schools and institutions of learning to benefit our country and thus help protect our society from the scourge of violence within our schools and houses of worship.

Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht
Presidium Chairman
Rabbinical Alliance of America

Roger Waters in Bizarre Rant – Compares Israelis with Aliens; Pressures Stars to Pull Out of Eurovision

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05/10/2019

In a bizarre and hateful rant, Pink Floyd front man, Roger Waters on Thursday used his social media accounts to do what he has achieved notoriety for and that of course, is to bash Israel.

Edited by: JV Staff

The Jew hating aging rock star is no stranger to the anti-Israel scene as he is one of its progenitors; always in the forefront of pressuring entertainers and performers to boycott Israel. Waters’ solo concerts are replete with Jew hating effects and props such as an inflated pig with the Star of David on it.

A message from Roger: pic.twitter.com/wBJdms9peO

— Roger Waters (@rogerwaters) May 8, 2019

Recently, Waters met with notorious anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour.

This time around on social media Waters expressed his pride in a Swiss petition that demanded Eurovision “pull out of the finals in Tel Aviv,” during which he compared Israelis to aliens, although “it’s giving aliens a bad name,” as was reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Waters told his followers of a conversation he had with BDS founder Omar Barghouti, who told him about the petition, which was signed by 136,000 Swiss people, according to the JPost article.

Rogers compared the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the Eurovision song content that is scheduled to take place in Israel. Waters claims that Eurovision has been taken over by aliens (Read, taken over by the Jews in Israel). He then did some retrospection and felt badly for making the odd comparison as he believes that such a comparison gives aliens a bad name.

He claimed that the body snatchers in the film were tantamount to Jewish critics of Waters’ hideous views on Israel. “The body-snatchers are doing that now, but normally what they’re going is, ‘antisemite!'” Waters said, pointing at the camera.

The JPost report also indicated that Waters referred to the iconic tale known as “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

“‘Mommy, mommy, why is the emperor of Israel parading his ethno-supremacist bullshit around naked?'” Waters said in a mock-childish voice. “Enough with Netanyahu.”

“136,000 of our Swiss brothers and sisters have signed and delivered a petition demanding that the Eurovision pull out of the finals in Tel Aviv. I cannot tell you how much that has lightened my morning,” said Waters, who is obsessed with his anti-Israel tirades.

“I’m going to go and make myself another cup of coffee with love in my heart for all those Swiss people,”

he concluded. “Thank you, thank you.”

Jews are ‘Destroying our People,’ Synagogue Shooter Told Police

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05/10/2019

New York - NYPD Hate Crimes article — Shutterstock

U.S. prosecutors added hate crime charges to the case against the gunman in a synagogue shooting in California last month that claimed the life of a 60-year-old worshiper.

Edited by: JV Staff

Federal officials announced Thursday that they have filed 109 hate crime charges against the man accused of a deadly attack on a Southern California synagogue, saying that after the suspect fled he called a 911 dispatcher to report that he had done it to “defend my nation” against the Jewish people, according to an AP report.

U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer Jr. said he will decide whether to seek the death penalty in the case against John T. Earnest stemming from last month’s shooting at Chabad of Poway, in a suburb north of San Diego. The new charges also include an earlier arson at a nearby mosque, as was reported by the AP.

“We will not allow our community members to be hunted in their houses of worship, where they should feel free and safe to exercise their right to practice their religion,” Brewer said at news conference in San Diego on Thursday to announce the charges.

The AP reported that the federal charges include murder for the killing of 60-year-old Lori Kaye, 60, who was hit twice as she prayed in the foyer. It also includes a charge for the attempted murder of 53 others.

Three people were wounded, including an 8-year-old girl, her uncle and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was leading a service at the Chabad of Poway synagogue on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday. Goldstein lost a finger.

According to a federal affidavit, Earnest legally bought a semi-automatic rifle from a licensed dealer in San Diego a day before the April 27 attack. He walked into the synagogue with the AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle that was fully loaded with a 10-round magazine. He wore a chest rig with five more magazines carrying a total of 50 bullets, according to the AP report.

He emptied his magazine. The shooting stopped as he struggled to reload it. That’s when several members of the congregation, including an off-duty Border Patrol Agent, chased Earnest from the synagogue, as was reported by the AP.

After the gunman fled the scene, he called 911 from his car and told a dispatcher that he had opened fire at a synagogue, thought he killed some people and said he did it because “I’m just trying to defend my nation from the Jewish people…They’re destroying our people,” according to the federal affidavit.

He went on to tell the dispatcher that he did it because “the Jewish people are destroying the white race.”

In a court appearance last month, Earnest pleaded not guilty to state charges of murder and attempted murder. In a separate case, he has pleaded not guilty to burning a mosque in nearby Escondido. (AP)

Trump Says John Kerry ‘Should be Prosecuted’ for Violating Logan Act in Terms of Iran Engagement

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05/10/2019

Former Secretary of State and one-time Democratic party presidential candidate John Kerry became the target of President Trump’s wrath on Thursday when the POTUS accused the former chief diplomat of “breaking the law” by meeting with Iranian officials last year. President Trump even suggested that Kerry be prosecuted under the Logan Act.

Edited by: JV Staff

“You know John Kerry speaks to them a lot, and John Kerry tells them not to call. That’s a violation of the Logan Act, and frankly he should be prosecuted on that,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“But my people don’t want to do anything, only the Democrats do that kind of stuff. If it were the opposite way, they’d prosecute him under the Logan Act,” he said.

According to a FOX News report, Trump appears to be partially referring to a reported meeting between Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the beginning of 2018, part of what the Boston Globe called “an aggressive yet stealthy” mission to put pressure on the Trump administration to keep the Iran nuclear deal.

Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) just a few months later, so the alleged plan was thwarted.

According to the Fox News report, Trump has repeatedly accused Kerry of being in violation of the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating on behalf of the U.S. government without authorization. No one has ever been successfully prosecuted under the law, however.

In September, Kerry acknowledged meeting with Zarif “three or four times” since leaving office, admitting to discussing the scrapped nuclear deal, among other issues.

“What I have done is tried to elicit from him what Iran might be willing to do in order to change the dynamic in the Middle East for the better,” Kerry said on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, according to the Fox News report.

On Thursday, Trump indicated he believes the contact between Kerry and Tehran to be ongoing, accusing Kerry of having “many meetings and many phone calls and he’s telling them what to do — that is a total violation of the Logan Act.”

Kerry’s spokesperson pushed back on Trump’s remarks, calling them “simply wrong, end of story.”

“He’s wrong about the facts, wrong about the law, and sadly he’s been wrong about how to use diplomacy to keep America safe. Secretary Kerry helped negotiate a nuclear agreement that worked to solve an intractable problem,” the spokesman said.

“The world supported it then and supports it still. We’d hope the President would focus on solving foreign policy problems for America instead of attacking his predecessors for theater.”

Trump’s remarks came as the administration imposed sanctions on Tehran’s steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors this week, the latest pressure the administration is putting on Iran’s already fragile economy. (Fox News)

Israel’s President Hosts Traditional Yom Haatzmaut Ceremony for Israel’s 71st Independence Day

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05/10/2019

President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin hosted “All Israel From Jerusalem” and the traditional ceremony honoring 120 outstanding IDF soldiers for the fifth time from the gardens of Beit HaNasi in Jerusalem. Israel’s 71st Independence Day, Thursday 9 May / 4 Iyyar, was attended Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Aviv Kochavi and current and former members of the IDF General Staff.

Edited by: JV Staff

The morning began with a fly-past in honor of the outstanding soldiers, who represent all branches of the IDF. The lead pilot of the fly-pass greeted the president and the soldiers as he flew over Beit HaNasi, saying “Mr President, Chief of Staff, we the pilots of the Israel Air Force greet you on behalf of the Israel Defense Forces with our best wishes for a Yom Haatzmaut Sameach – Happy Independence Day.” The president replied, saluting: “on behalf of the people of Israel I wish you Yom Haatzmaut Sameach – to you, the pilots of the IAF, soldiers of the IDF and their commanders in the air, on land and on the sea. Happy Independence Day, Israel!”
Immediately after the fly-past, the president and chief of staff reviewed and honor guard of the 120 outstanding solders, who were chosen on the recommendation of their commanders to receive the President’s Award for Excellence for their service and outstanding contribution to the IDF and the State of Israel.
Following the honor guard, the “All Israel from Jerusalem” event will be held on the lawns of Beit HaNasi – a festive salute to the spirit of Israel for Independence Day with songs and dancers from all across the country. During the event, a special video filmed with singer Boaz Sharabi and dozens of choirs and singing groups from across the country, kindergartners, gymnastic groups and dancers. Hundreds of people, a human mosaic of Israeli society, sang the song “Halevai / If Only”, composed by Boaz Sharabi with words by Ehud Manor.
The festivities were emceed this year by Rotem Abuhab, and included new and special arrangements of Israeli songs sung by Shimon Buskila, Maya Buskila and the Hebrews of Dimona. Tzipi Shavit surprised the president during his speech. The IDF’s singing groups also appeared, performing a medley of the songs of Yigal Bashan ז”ל as a special tribute.
“Dear citizens of Israel, I am proud to celebrate the State of Israel’s 71st birthday with you today! We have been here for 71 years, doing the unbelievable and overcoming together all the obstacles and building a home, Jewish and democratic, in the land of our ancestors, said the president at the beginning of his remarks.
He also noted that we are celebrating Yom Haatzmaut on the day victory over Nazi Germany is being celebrated: “Last week, we marked Holocaust Heroes’ and Martyrs’ Memorial Day, the victory of the spirit over human evil. Today, we mark together the triumph of good over bad, the liberation of the world from evil, and the right of the Jewish people to live in freedom in its land. Some of the heroes, the veterans who fought on the eastern and western fronts in Europe, 74 years ago, were able to make their home here in Israel in their old age and are with us today. Today, their children and grandchildren serve in the IDF, the strongest and most professional army in the region (and some might say in the world). Thanks to you, dear veterans, the soldiers who fought then, and thanks to the outstanding soldiers who defend us today – we are here, celebrating 71 years of success and growth. We are gathered here today to thank you.”
The president added “I would like to recognize the representatives of the bereaved families and the families of the soldiers missing in action who are honoring us with their presence today. Thanks to you, to the spirit, love of the country and dedication you imparted to your children, we can gather here today and to celebrate the existence of the State of Israel in safety. Even today, as the grief of loss is mixed with the joy of independence, I would like to say to you – we remember. We are committed. Committed to do everything to bring home every soldier, every son and daughter who served the State of Israel and its citizens.”
“I would like to send a message of strength and love to the residents of the south, who just this week dealt heroically with the atrocious attacks on them. I would also like to send our appreciation to the IDF soldiers and security forces who are at this moment doing their utmost to keep Israel secure on all its borders.”
Addressing the outstanding soldiers, the president said, “Rotem, our wonderful emcee, badgered you about the Hebrew language, so I decided to speak a bit differently, which I think is more ‘Israeli’. I can see here that we have ‘tznefim’ (slang for paratroopers) and ‘shironairim’ (artillery), ‘golanchikim’ (Golani) and ‘nachlawim’ (Nachal), ‘mohandesim’ (engineers) and ‘shushuistim’ (intelligence), green (land forces), white (navy), blue (air force) and berets of all colors of the rainbow, from purple to orange.
And so, to all those who at the induction base grabbed their kitbags with fire in their eyes and who got through basic training with close shaves and gleaming boots, to those who never ache to finish their time, never suffer from tiredness, who never tick off a countdown to their release, who never skipped guard duty, and never let staying on base for the weekend get to them, who get up early on Sunday, go out in their dress uniforms and don’t give in to army blues, who never complain that they’ve been badly done by, to those never slack off and who are full of fight because pride in the unit and mutual responsibility are the best way to be together, to those who have shown force of will and dedication (not just with the snacks at the canteen), who lent a hand – and sometimes two – to reach the goal, to protect the country, to get to the top, to be worthy of the President’s Award: you, who are not afraid of challenges, who are ready for the unexpected, who pull harder and stronger than anyone, you are Israel’s hope and spirit that beats within us, that leads us. You are here for us, serving and volunteering, and today it is our turn to give to you just a little something to brighten up your uniforms. On behalf of the citizens of Israel, and personally, I would like to thank you and salute you. Thank you for your spirit, for your commitment. Happy Independence Day to the IDF! Happy Independence Day, Israel! Chag Sameach!”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Aviv Kochavi: “Every day, these soldiers and tens of thousands like them, guard our borders. The State of Israel is a fact, and to keep it safe the IDF works day and night. Excellence is to be found in locked rooms and on dark hilltops. It requires hours and days of hard work and begins with the most basic things – thorough orders, disciplined organization of a position, repeated exercises to improve skills and insistence on carrying out missions to the highest level.

This is personal example at its finest: emulating those who excel! This is leadership, and that is what we have come to appreciate and give thanks for. This morning is about personal excellence, but excellence must be the organizational heartbeat that drives every unit, command and branch. The families who are with us here today are the ground from which you grew, who gave you values and an example of excellence. Reality changes at a dizzying pace, and we must continue to adapt. That is why we have adopted the principle of readiness and adaptability.
We will do all we can to improve readiness, including with exercises, supplies and emergency stocks. And we will do what we can to fit ourselves to the challenges of today’s battlefield, to the challenges of the future and to improve the IDF’s offensive capability. Tens of thousands of soldiers come from the people each year and join the IDF, work for the state and return to the people as better and more committed citizens. I saw them during the recent fighting – as snipers on the borders, in the cockpit, in the battery command post and in the intelligence units. They work around the clock. They do security. I am proud of the soldiers of the IDF and of its officers, and proud of you, outstanding soldiers. Happy Independence Day!”

The event ended with the traditional photo of the 120 outstanding soldiers the president, the prime minister and minister of defence, the chief of staff and the members of the IDF General Staff.

Yahad – United for Israel’s Soldiers will award the 120 outstanding soldiers a grant for studies after they complete their service in the IDF. (GPO)

GOVERNOR CUOMO DIRECTS STATE LANDMARKS TO BE LIT IN BLUE AND WHITE IN RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY

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05/10/2019

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the spire of One World Trade Center and the Kosciuszko Bridge will be lit in blue and white this evening in honor of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.

“I am proud to join the Israeli people in celebrating the 71st anniversary of Israel’s independence and to reaffirm New York’s unwavering alliance with the State of Israel.

“In honor of this milestone and New York’s longstanding support for the people of Israel, I have directed One World Trade Center and the new Kosciuszko Bridge to be lit in the blue and white of the Israeli flag this evening.

“One World Trade Center’s breathtaking spire calls to mind the resilience New York and Israel share. The Kosciuszko Bridge reflects the progress and boldness that characterize the joint New York and Israeli spirit.

“I wish all Israeli people both at home and abroad a happy Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Chag Sameach.”

For the second time this week, a Hasidic man was punched in the head in an entirely unprovoked attack.

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05/09/2019

Jewish Man Punched in the Head in Williamsburgh as Jew Hatred Escalates in NYC

Edited by: JV Staff

The attack occurred at 7:40 p.m., on the corner of Marcy Avenue and Rodney Street. Surveillance video shows a 39-year-old Hasidic man walking down the street when a dark-skinned teen comes up behind him and wordlessly slaps him on the side of his face, before fleeing. The man stumbled and fell against the wall of a building, and his hat and yarmulke were knocked off and before he could turn around, the attacker fled. There were no words exchanged. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating this as a possible bias incident.

It’s shocking but not surprising that such violent hate crimes are being committed against Jews (yesterday in Bklyn) just as antisemitism is being mainstreamed. This attack resembles Nazi Germany where antisemites attacked Jews with glee. We won’t tolerate it! pic.twitter.com/mnHFh8ulnO

— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 8, 2019

A spokesperson for Williamsburg Shomrim (WSPU) told the Yeshiva World News web site that a Hispanic man approached a Hasidic man walking at the intersection of Marcy Avenue and Rodney Street – in the heart of the Hasidic community – and punched him in the back of his head.

As was previously reported on the Yeshiva World News web site, this past Shabbos a Hasidic man was walking on Broadway near Lynch Street, when he was confronted by a group of thugs. Without saying a word, one of the men walked up to the victim and punched him in the face. Another suspect added some anti-semitic slurs at the man including “you (expletive removed) Jew!”

No arrests were made in that incident either.

Anyone with information in regards to either of these incidents is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and WSPU at 718-237-0202. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

US Slaps New Sanctions on Iran as Tehran Suspends Some Parts of Nuclear Deal

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05/09/2019

COVER - US Iranian article - pic 3 — Photo Credit: Shutterstock

President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions Wednesday on Iran, hours after the Iranian president said he was pulling out of parts of the 2015 nuclear deal struck with world powers.

Edited by: JV Staff

Trump said in an executive order there would be new sanctions on Iranian metal exports: steel, aluminum, copper and iron.

U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, its No. 1 moneymaker, have had a devastating effect on its economy. Iran’s metal industry is another major source of income.

“Because of our action, the Iranian regime is struggling to fund its campaign of violent terror, as its economy heads into an unprecedented depression, government revenue dries up and inflation spirals out of control,” Trump said. “We are successfully imposing the most powerful maximum pressure campaign ever witnessed, which today’s action will further strengthen. Tehran can expect further actions unless it fundamentally alters its conduct.”

Tensions between Iran and the United States have grown in the past week. The Pentagon sent aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable bombers to the region, accusing Iran of threatening U.S forces and planning “imminent” attacks.

Earlier Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced he was backing out of parts of the nuclear deal and would take further action in 60 days if European nations did not help Iran deal with the effects of U.S. sanctions.

Rouhani said if there was no sanctions relief within 60 days, Iran would resume uranium enrichment at higher levels.

Rouhani’s announcement came exactly one year after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the entire nuclear agreement between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, plus the European Union. Under the deal, Iran cut its uranium enrichment in exchange for economic benefits from sanctions relief, which it has yet to see.

“If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,” Rouhani said. “We felt the deal needed surgery and that the yearlong sedatives have not delivered any result. This surgery is meant to save the deal, not destroy it.”

For now, Iran will stop selling enriched uranium and heavy water, which it had been doing to reduce its stockpiles.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran’s announcement to suspend compliance was “intentionally ambiguous.”

“We’ll have to wait to see what Iran’s actions actually are,” Pompeo said in London. “They’ve made a number of statements on actions they intend to do in order to get the world to jump. We’ll see what they actually do.”
Brian Hook, a top Pompeo adviser on Iran, accused Iran of “nuclear blackmail.”

France and Germany said Wednesday that they were determined to keep the nuclear agreement alive.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said “nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.”

Trump called nuclear accord a terrible deal, saying it was only temporary, did nothing about Iranian ballistic missiles and did not punish Iran for what he said was the country’s involvement in terrorism and Middle East conflicts. (VOA)

Israel’s 71st Independence Day Starts at Sundown with Much to Celebrate

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05/09/2019

Israel prepares to celebrate Independence Day on Thursday with events around the country.

By: David Isaac

As Israel brings in its 71st birthday with singing, dancing, torch lighting and fireworks, the country has much to celebrate, particularly when viewed from a historical context in which generations of Jews dreamed of returning to the Land of Israel.

The first thing Israel can celebrate is its rising population, which enjoys one of the highest growth rates in the world. The Jewish State just surpassed 9 million people, a statistic recently released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics and widely reported in Israel’s press.

Seventy-four percent of the population, or 6.697 million people, are Jews while 1.890 million are Arabs (20.9%). Another 434,000 are of different religions or no religion (4.8%).

When Israel was established in 1948, the Jewish population stood at only 650,000 and the general population at 800,000. The dramatic population growth is attributed to the large waves of aliyah, or immigration, in the 1950s and 1990s (which saw a major influx from the former Soviet Union) and natural growth rates. Since Israel’s birth, 3.2 million immigrants have arrived to the Jewish State.

As of Israel’s Independence Day last, the population has grown by 177,000 (a 2% increase). During the year, 188,000 babies were born, 31,000 immigrants arrived and 47,000 people passed away.

The U.S. is still home to the world’s largest Jewish population, but only by about a 100,000-wide margin. It’s clear that Israel will soon be able to boast the largest Jewish population on the planet.

Booming economy

Israel’s economic statistics are also none too shabby. “Israel is an international model of innovation,” said Shraga Brosh, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, with the publication of statistics showing the steep rise in the number of Israeli corporations since before the state was established.

In 2017, there were 13,500 corporations registered in Israel employing 378,641 workers. In 1936, there were 1,500 companies employing 28,000 workers.

In 1948, Israel’s industrial exports stood at 18 million. In 2018, exports approached 60 billion.

The most exciting part of Israel’s economy is its high-tech sector. The IVC Research Center, which analyzes data in Israeli high-tech, reports that between 1997-2019, Israeli exits totaled $152.06 billion.

Although somewhat ironically, the biggest exit last year was for a company founded in 1933. Frutarom was acquired by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. for $7.1 billion. It’s a flavor and ingredients maker with 70,000 products that it markets to 30,000 customers worldwide.

Another exit in 2018 that made a media splash was PepsiCo’s purchase of SodaStream for $3.2 billion. The company, which is well-known for its successful do-it-yourself carbonation system, as well as to its popular, and often amusing, marketing campaigns employing celebrities like actress Scarlett Johansson and model Bar Rafaeli, is a source of national pride to Israelis.

While there are some worrying economic signs, such as Israel’s faltering per capita growth and its ballooning budget deficit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be aware of the problem, commenting in April: “The only way to overcome deficits is by cutting the state budget. I did it, I proved this time after time, and at the same time cut taxes.”

Meanwhile, unemployment is low and tourism is breaking records. A record 4.1 million tourists visited Israel in 2018, up 14 percent from 2017, which was itself a record. The numbers continue to go through the roof. In the first three months of 2019, 1.14 million tourists came to Israel, up 14 percent from the same first-quarter period last year.

To the moon and beyond

Israel’s Genesis spacecraft might not have landed on the moon in the fashion desired, hitting it at 500 km/hour, but it was nonetheless deemed a remarkable achievement. Israel would have been only the fourth nation to soft-land a spacecraft on the moon, behind the U.S., Russia, and China.

Despite the setback, the main funder behind the project, Morris Kahn, a philanthropist and businessman, immediately announced a second attempt. “I think we gotta take Israel into space,” Mr. Kahn said.

Israel’s government has doubled own on its commitment, pledging $5.5 million to the development of the next lander.

“If at first you don’t succeed, you try again,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israelis took Genesis’s disappointing finish in the final moments of flight in remarkable stride. Perhaps it’s one more sign of their resilience. The Jewish people waited 1,000s of years to return to their homeland. They have it in them to wait another three years to reach the moon. (World Israel News)

Victims of Anti-Semitic Attacks on US Synagogues at Center of Jewish Agency’s Yom HaZikaron Memorial Service

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05/09/2019

FOR E-MAIL BLAST - YOM HAZIKARON — Marnie Fienberg, the daughter-in-law of Joyce Fienberg, who was murdered in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack, lights a memorial torch together with Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog (Credit: Noam Sharon)

On Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, The Jewish Agency for Israel paid special tribute to the victims of the synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway

Edited by: JV Staff

Tributes to the 12 Jews killed in the synagogue shootings of October 2018 in Pittsburgh and April 2019 in the San Diego-area city of Poway took center stage today during The Jewish Agency for Israel’s memorial service for Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s annual day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks.

The special guests from Pittsburgh at Thursday morning’s ceremony at the Jewish Agency Courtyard in Jerusalem included Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jeff Finkelstein; and Marnie Fienberg, the daughter-in-law of Joyce Fienberg, who was murdered in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Fienberg lit a memorial torch together with Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog, who personally invited her to attend the service.

“On this day, the Jews of the Diaspora unite in grief with all the residents of the State of Israel. And here, too, in Israel, we are united in grief with the Jewish families in the Diaspora, those who lost loved ones in terrorist acts and those whose children chose to wear their olive uniforms and gave their lives, protecting Israel,” said Herzog at the ceremony. “Zionism and our shared fate have been sanctified with their blood. Lone soldiers, Jewish volunteers from all over the world, and new immigrants who sacrificed their lives and fought shoulder to shoulder since the beginning of Israel’s independence. Their beating heart is in each and every one of us, whether a citizen of the state or a Jew in the Diaspora.”

According to The Jewish Agency, more than 200 Jews have been murdered in anti-Semitic incidents and terrorist attacks across the Diaspora since the State of Israel achieved independence in 1948, with the 11 victims of the shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue and the victim of the shooting at Chabad of Poway joining that list this year.

“The anti-Semites don’t care about our labels {Reconstructionist, Chabad, Conservative}, to them we’re all Jews,” said Finkelstein. “And to all of us, the work we do with the Jewish Agency and Federations has to be focused on building Jewish unity, because together we can defeat evil. Am Yisrael Chai.”

The Jewish Agency broadcast Thursday’s memorial service live on Facebook both in Hebrew and English, making it possible for Diaspora Jews to take part in the ceremony from afar. Other dignitaries in attendance included Aryeh Lightstone, Senior Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Avraham Duvdevani, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America Rebecca Caspi, CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA Yossi Tanuri, Director of Legacy and Endowments at Keren Hayesod Dani Viterbo, and Vice Chair of the KKL-JNF Fund Executive Yair Lootsteen.

“During this tragedy, during these awful times, something amazing has happened. At our lowest point, we weren’t alone. There was support, love, and strength from all over the world, not just from our friends, from Jews everywhere…we felt that love, and love is what gets us through every single day,” said Fienberg. “We are inspired by you Israelis – proud Israeli soldiers and citizens. You never back away from a fight and we aren’t going to either. We are stronger together, in Pittsburgh, in the United States, and here in Israel.”

Rare Photo Collection From Israel’s War of Independence Revealed

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05/09/2019

A collection of 26 photographs which were designated to be printed by newspapers during Israel’s War of Independence was revealed this past week. Several of the photos captured scenes that transpired on the Arab side of the war. One particularly fascinating photo depicts Arab forces at the port in Haifa surrendering to the IDF and Palyam (naval corps) soldiers who were waving the Israeli and Navy flags at the port for the very first time. The Israeli fighters are also seen welcoming the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. The collection of photos will be put up for public auction next week in the Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem.

Among other fascinating scenes depicted in this rare photo collection include an Egyptian war plane being downed on a beach in Tel Aviv; a photo of Jordanian King Abdullah I and the Iraqi Regent Abd al-Ilah in Oman dressed in military garb only several weeks before the Arab armies invaded the State of Israel; and an altered photo of propaganda appearing to show a Palmach soldier surrendering to Arab soldiers. In actuality, the “Palmach soldier” was an Arab man dressed in an IDF uniform.

Jerusalem, which was under siege by Jordanian forces at the time, was in dire need of water, food, ammunition and medicine. Armored caravans carrying truckloads of equipment were dispatched to Jerusalem to provide for the residents. Some of the photos show sabotage attempts by Arab fighters including an image of an Arab guerrilla fighter ambushing Jewish caravans 8 km southwest of Jerusalem on Mount Caste and one of an Arab sharpshooter puncturing a water pipe that led to a Jewish community near Jerusalem. Arab women are also seen waiting on line in Jerusalem to receive rations of cooking oil.

Simultaneously in Haifa, the battle raged on for a bloody five months. As a mixed city under the British Mandate Palestine, the port in Haifa was one of the primary locations where Jews and Arabs worked side by side in relative harmony. Before the British ended the mandate, the Palmach had founded its naval corps under the command of Yohai Ben-Nun in an effort to ensure security for the port’s Jewish workers. Palyam’s significant role in protecting the workers was demonstrated on at least several occasions. During one such incident on February 4, 1948, members of the Palyam were urgently summoned to rescue two Jewish tractor drivers who were being chased away from their workplaces on the eastern section of the port by way of verbal threats and even gunshots. The Palyam members arrived at the scene with weapons in hand causing hundreds of Arab laborers to flee and ensuring the safe return of the Jewish workers.

Ben-Nun was subsequently invited to a discussion with several Arab dignitaries who explained that the escalation in hostilities was caused by non-laborers who were attempting to sabotage the peaceful coexistence at the port. The dignitaries also pledged to expel such individuals from the area. The fierce efforts and stance of the Palyam guaranteed the continuity of Jewish labor at the port that prevailed up to and proceeding the liberation of all areas of the city by the Haganah in April of 1948.

Maron Eran, co-owner of Kedem Auction House, which will be putting the photograph collection up for sale in the coming days, remarked: “We were excited with this remarkably rare and valuable collection. We hope it will reach the right owners who will put the photographs on exhibit in one of the many memorials or libraries documenting the history and achievements of the State of Israel in the years leading up to her independence.”

Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in NYC Presents the Largest Exhibition on Auschwitz Featuring More Than 700 Original Objects Never Before Seen in North America

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05/09/2019

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust today opened the most comprehensive Holocaust exhibition about Auschwitz ever exhibited in North America. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is produced in partnership with the international exhibition firm Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland. The groundbreaking exhibition has been curated by an international team of experts led by historian Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt. It runs through January 3, 2020 in New York City.

For the first time, 74 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, a traveling exhibition dedicated to the historical significance of the camp is being presented to a U.S. audience. The exhibition’s May 8 opening marks the anniversary of VE Day or Victory in Europe Day, 1945, when the Allies celebrated Nazi Germany’s surrender of its armed forces and the end of World War II in Europe.

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. arrives in New York City after the exhibition completed a successful run at Madrid’s Arte Canal Exhibition Centre, where it was extended two times, drew more than 600,000 visitors, and was one of the most visited exhibitions in Europe last year. The exhibition explores the dual identity of the camp as a physical location—the largest documented mass murder site in human history—and as a symbol of the borderless manifestation of hatred and human barbarity.

Featuring more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs, mainly from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the New York presentation of the exhibition allows visitors to experience artifacts from more than 20 international museums and institutions on view for the first time in the North America, including hundreds of personal items—such as suitcases, eyeglasses, and shoes—that belonged to survivors and victims of Auschwitz. Other artifacts include: concrete posts that were part of the fence of the Auschwitz camp; part of an original barrack for prisoners from the Auschwitz III-Monowitz camp; a desk and other possessions of the first and the longest-serving Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss; a gas mask used by the SS; Picasso’s Lithograph of Prisoner; and an original German-made Model 2 freight train car used for the deportation of Jews to the ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland.

Museum of Jewish Heritage Board Vice Chairman George Klein visited the exhibition in Spain and recommended to his Board that they bring it to Lower Manhattan. The exhibition features artifacts and materials—never before seen in North America—on loan from more than 20 institutions and private collections around the world. In addition to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, participating institutions include Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim, the Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen in Oranienburg, and the Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide in London.

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. traces the development of Nazi ideology and tells the transformation of Auschwitz from an ordinary Polish town known as Oświęcim to the most significant Nazi site of the Holocaust—at which ca. 1 million Jews, and tens of thousands of others, were murdered. Victims included Polish political prisoners, Sinti and Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and those the Nazis deemed “homosexual,” “disabled,” “criminal,” “inferior,” or adversarial in countless other ways. In addition, the exhibition contains artifacts that depict the world of the perpetrators—SS men who created and operated the largest of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage has incorporated into the exhibition nearly 100 rare artifacts from its collection that relay the experience of survivors and liberators who found refuge in the greater New York area. These artifacts include: Alfred Kantor’s sketchbook and portfolio that contain over 150 original paintings and drawings from Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Schwarzheide; the trumpet that musician Louis Bannet (acclaimed as “the Dutch Louis Armstrong”) credits for saving his life while he was imprisoned in Auschwitz; visas issued by Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania often referred to as “Japan’s Oskar Schindler”; prisoner registration forms and identification cards; personal correspondence; tickets for passage on the St. Louis; and a rescued Torah scroll from the Bornplatz Synagogue in Hamburg.

Also on display from the Museum of Jewish Heritage collection will be Heinrich Himmler’s SS helmet and his annotated copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, as well as an anti-Jewish proclamation issued in 1551 by Ferdinand I that was given to Hermann Göring by German security chief Reinhard Heydrich on the occasion of Göring’s birthday. The proclamation required Jews to identify themselves with a “yellow ring” on their clothes. Heydrich noted that, 400 years later, the Nazis were completing Ferdinand’s work. These artifacts stand as evidence of a chapter of history that must never be forgotten.

“As the title of the exhibit suggests, Auschwitz is not ancient history but living memory, warning us to be vigilant, haunting us with the admonition ‘Never Again.’ It is a prod to look around the world and mark the ongoing atrocities against vulnerable people,” said Bruce C. Ratner, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “While we had all hoped after the Holocaust that the international community would come together to stop genocide, mass murder, and ethnic cleansing, these crimes continue. And there are more refugees today than at any time since the Second World War. So my hope for this exhibit is that it motivates all of us to make the connections between the world of the past and the world of the present, and to take a firm stand against hate, bigotry, ethnic violence, religious intolerance, and nationalist brutality of all kinds.”

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. was conceived of by Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and curated by an international panel of experts, including world-renowned scholars Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt, Dr. Michael Berenbaum, and Paul Salmons, in an unprecedented collaboration with historians and curators at the Research Center at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, led by Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz.

“Auschwitz and the Shoah are not just another single, dramatic event in the linear history of humanity. It is a critical point in the history of Europe, and perhaps the world,” said Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. “While commemorating the victims of Auschwitz we should also feel moral discomfort. Antisemitic, hateful, xenophobic ideologies that in the past led to the human catastrophe of Auschwitz, seem not to be erased from our lives today. They still poison people’s minds and influence our contemporary attitudes. That is why studying the Holocaust shouldn’t be limited to history classes. It must become part of curricula of political and civic education, ethics, media, and religious studies. This exhibition is one of the tools we can use,” he explained.

“Seventy-three years ago, after the world saw the haunting pictures from Auschwitz, no one in their right mind wanted to be associated with Nazis. But today, 73 years and three generations later, people have forgotten, or they never knew,” said Ron Lauder, Founder and Chairman of the The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation Committee and President of the World Jewish Congress. “This exhibit reminds them, in the starkest ways, where anti-Semitism can ultimately lead and the world should never go there again. The title of this exhibit is so appropriate because this was not so long ago, and not so far away.”

“Auschwitz did not start with the gas chambers. Hatred does not happen overnight: it builds up slowly among people. It does so with words and thoughts, with small everyday acts, with prejudices,” said Luis Ferreiro, Director of Musealia and the exhibition project. “When we had the vision to create the exhibition, we conceived its narrative as an opportunity to better understand how such a place could come to exist, and as warning of where hatred can take us to.”

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is presented in the symbolic, hexagonally-shaped building at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. This 18,000-square-foot exhibition introduces artifacts and Holocaust survivor testimony through 20 thematic galleries. At the conclusion of this presentation, the Museum will debut its new permanent core exhibition.

Throughout its presentation of Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., the Museum will host a series of related public, educational, and scholarly programming, featuring world-renowned experts on the Holocaust. The Museum also will expand its work with students in the tri-state area and introduce complementary educational tools for in-class and onsite use.

“All through the exhibition there are stories—stories about individuals and families, stories about communities and organizations, stories about ideologies that teach people to hate, and responses that reveal compassion and love. There are stories of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders, stories with heroes and villains—stories that all merge into an epic story of a continent marked by war and genocide,” said Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt, Chief Curator, who has published several books on the camp—including the award-winning Auschwitz, 1270 to the Present (1996) and The Case for Auschwitz (2002)—and participated as an expert witness in Deborah Lipstadt’s case against Holocaust denier David Irving.

Following the New York presentation, the exhibition is intended to tour other cities around the world. This destinations will be announced by Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in the upcoming months and years.

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is made possible with lead support by Bruce C. Ratner, George and Adele Klein Family Foundation, Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert, and Larry and Klara Silverstein & Family. The exhibition is presented in part with major support by The David Berg Foundation, Patti Askwith Kenner, The Oster Family Foundation, and The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust. The New York premiere is made possible in part by Simon & Stefany Bergson with additional support from The Knapp Family Foundation.

Iran Deal Withdrawal One-Year Anniversary: How Did Left-Wing Jewish Groups Get Their Predictions So Wrong?

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05/09/2019