Aerial view showing Hart Island (lower right) and City Island (left) in 2010. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
A recent feature story by the New York Times’ Corey Kilgannon carried an intriguing headline: ‘Can an Island Off the Bronx With One Million Graves Become a City Park?’
City planners are suggesting that it can.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez says he wants Hart Island to be placed under the jurisdiction of the city Parks Department. At present, it is being run by the city’s Department of Correction, and inmates bury the bodies of people who go unclaimed, unidentified or can’t afford any other burial,” according to the Wall Street Journal. “Someone who wants to visit a loved one buried there should not be guarded by correction officers,” Rodriguez said in an interview.
Hart Island is a relatively little known island in the northeast Bronx, New York City measuring roughly one mile long as one-third of a mile wide. It is the largest public burial ground in the country. For those searching maps for it, it is located at the western end of Long Island Sound. It is part of the Pelham Islands group, which is located to the east of City Island.
Over a million people are, indeed, said to have been interred on Hart Island since 1869, but not so many recently – under 1,500 burials a year now. Those buried there are people who were not claimed by family, the homeless and the indigent. Access to the island is restricted; it can only be reached by ferryboat, family members of those interred must request access in advance, and the New York City government only allows 50 to 70 visitors per month as of 2017.
The Hart Island Project, which was founded in 1994, has assisted families in obtaining copies of public burial records and has advocated for easier access to the island. In 2018, some officials decided to venture to the island and collect human bones. The reason was compelling: reports had surfaced that foul weather and rising tides had unearthed remains, depositing bones on the island’s shoreline. When photos began surfacing, forensic anthropologists from the New York City medical examiner’s office made the trek and gathered and cataloged nearly 200 human bones.
“This is insane. This is crazy that a million people are buried on Hart Island, mostly poor and marginalized individuals and there is one Saturday a month to visit. This is crazy,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told CBS News. “Johnson is among many elected officials who say it’s time management of the island changes hands. He wants it operated by the Department of Parks instead of the Department of Correction.”
A brand-new section of the Sept. 11 memorial at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan was unveiled last week, this one honoring recovery workers who died after searching through the rubble searching for survivors. Photo Credit: https://www.911memorial.org
A brand-new section of the Sept. 11 memorial at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan was unveiled last week, this one honoring recovery workers who died after searching through the rubble searching for survivors.
Called the 9/11 Memorial Glade, it is a grassy clearing on the southwest corner of the 8-acre (3-hectare) plaza includes a path flanked with six huge, sloping stone structures made of granite slabs inlaid with steel recovered from the fallen trade center towers.
The Glade design was developed by the Memorial’s original architects, Michael Arad and Peter Walker, with the thoughtful support of 9/11 Memorial & Museum board member Jon Stewart, 9/11-health advocates and providers, 9/11 family members, first responders and lower Manhattan residents, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The memorial’s design includes a pathway flanked by six large stone monoliths, ranging from 13 to 18 tons, that are inlaid with World Trade Center steel accompanied by an inscription at either end of the pathway.
The Glade’s inscription, according to the group, encapsulates its purpose:
“This Memorial Glade is dedicated
To those whose actions in our time of need
Led to their injury, sickness, and death
Responders and recovery workers
Survivors and community members
Suffering long after September 11, 2001
From exposure to hazards and toxins
That hung heavy in the air
Here and beyond this site known as Ground Zero
And at the Pentagon
And near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.
Here we honor the tens of thousands
From across America and around the world
Who came to help and to heal
Whose selflessness and resolve
Perseverance and courage
Renewed the spirit of a grieving city
Gave hope to the nation
And inspired the world.
The area’s six stone monoliths were installed on Saturday, April 6. This process required a 600-ton crane and an assist crane. Each monolith was lifted over the 30 to 35-foot-tall Swamp White Oak trees on the Memorial plaza and rigged inside the Glade construction site, the group said.
“The monoliths, which were shaped by two craftsmen in Barre, Vt., were driven six hours south on flatbed trucks through the Green Mountains and the rolling hills of New England to be placed on the site. Along the way, they were escorted by a team of eight personnel from the Vermont Division of Fire Safety. As the team assisted the trucks on their way to New York City, local first responders in communities along the way saluted the monoliths on the highway overpasses to recognize the importance and national significance of this project.”
When they arrived in lower Manhattan, the organization says, they met “a scene of workers waiting to guide them safely into their permanent home. As the focal point of the 9/11 Memorial Glade, the monoliths’ rough edges and large size were created to honor the challenges faced by those whom the Glade memorializes.”
WeWork, founded in 2010 and based in New York City, has reportedly signed a lease for a 212,387 square foot space located at 620 Sixth Ave. between West 18th and 19th streets. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
WeWork, which provides shared workspaces for technology startup subculture communities, and services for entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, small businesses and large enterprises, has found new digs.
The company, founded in 2010 and based in New York City, has reportedly signed a lease for a 212,387 square foot space located at 620 Sixth Ave. between West 18th and 19th streets.
The space was formerly occupied by Spotify and Mediaocean offices. According to the New York Post, “The JLL Team of Alexander Chudnoff, James Wenk and Kenneth Siegel, with the support of Kirill Azovtsev and Dan Turkewitz, represented Spotify USA in the disposition to the RXR ownership in part of the third and the entire seventh floor totaling 124,550 square feet. Spotify moved to Four World Trade Center. A Savills team represented Mediaocean in negotiations with RXR to give up its 88,387 square feet on the sixth floor. It is moving to 120 Broadway.”
The space at 620 Avenue of the Americas “marks the eighth lease WeWork announced in Manhattan this month, including 67,858 square feet at 419 Park Avenue South, 52,477 square feet at 550 Seventh Avenue and 110,500 square feet spread across four Midtown buildings,” wrote Commercial Observer. “WeWork also announced on May 9 that it partnered with RXR to manage a 90,000 square foot coworking space at 75 Rockefeller Plaza, where it will split the cost of renovations and share revenue with RXR, Crain’s New York Business reported.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that WeWork Cos. is currently in the midst of discussions with various banks about arranging a $2.75-billion credit line ahead of the planned initial public offering, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
“JPMorgan Chase & Co. is leading the potential financing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Representatives for the bank and WeWork declined to comment,” the Times wrote. “WeWork, which rents office space and desks to workers around the world, said in April it had filed paperwork confidentially with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO. It could be the year’s biggest offering after Uber Technologies Inc., which raised $8.1 billion but has seen shares slide since its May 10 debut.”
Investors are noting that WeWork’s expansion has, indeed, been impressive. Last week, executives announced plans to open a fifth Philadelphia space at 11th and Ludlow streets, in a building appropriately called 1100 Ludlow.
According to Technically Philly, the company “will occupy the seventh and eighth floors of the East Market development project, covering 50,5014 square feet. The space is expected to open in the fall of 2019. The new site — just across the street from The Yard’s first Philly location at 21 S. 11th St. — is the fifth local WeWork space since the global company expanded into Philadelphia in 2016.”
NYS did manage to top the “Worst State” list, for “longest time spent commuting”, in which NYS came in at number 50. Photo Credit: NewGeography.com
There is more gloomy news for New York City and state residents. The United States is now enjoying impressive job growth, with more than 263,000 new jobs in April alone. The nation is also experiencing the lowest unemployment rate since December 1969. This does not, however affect each city and state in the country. Notably, NYS and NYC have yet to reap the bulk of the benefits.
WalletHub has compiled an official ranking of the Best and Worst States for Jobs, based on labor data from the 50 states. The list aims to help job searchers find an ideal work environment, based on 33 key indicators of job-market strength, opportunity and a healthy economy. NYS was ranked as number 20 out of 50. The survey provides isolated ‘job market’ ranking, in which NYS ranked at 8th place, and an overall ranking that combines job market data with “economic environment”, offering insight into how a state handles their labor force.
NYS ranked in 35th place after the ‘economic environment’ was factored in. The winner of best state for the overall rank was Massachusetts, followed by Washington, Colorado, Vermont, and in fifth place New Hampshire. In the ranking for ‘job market’ ranked independently, Massachusetts took first place, followed by Colorado, Vermont, Minnesota, and in fifth place New Hampshire. In the ‘Economic environment’ rank, Washington state was first, followed by New Jersey in second place, Texas, Wyoming, and then North Dakota at fifth.
In the economic environment study, researchers compared several economic factors, more heavily weighting influences that would greatly impact a job seeker’s decision to settle somewhere, such as median annual income, state-income tax burdens and job security; and less weight to variables like job satisfaction and employee benefits.
The most job opportunities were found in New Hampshire, followed by North Dakota, then Iowa, Vermont in fourth place and Hawaii in fifth place. Distinguished for having the highest “Median Annual Income” was Virginia in first place, followed by Utah, Minnesota, New Jersey and Maryland in fifth place.
NYS did manage to top the “Worst State” list, for “longest time spent commuting”, in which NYS came in at number 50. The state was also ranked dead last at number 50 for worse state for having the lowest “median annual income”.
NYC fared even worse. Earlier in the year, WalletHub ranked the “best cities for jobs”. In that list, New York City ranked at 85th place overall, out of 182 cities listed. NYC’s isolated job market rank was also 85th and its socio-economics rank was 86th place. Other cities in NY also fared poorly. Rochester, Yonkers and Buffalo were listed at numbers 146, 149 and 155, respectively.
Real-estate developer Michael D’Alessio will begin serving his sentence of six years in federal prison by Wednesday June 5th. Photo Credit: crainsnewyork.com
Real-estate developer Michael D’Alessio will begin serving his sentence of six years in federal prison by Wednesday June 5th. The ‘friendly’ NYC developer was known by his clients as the portrait of generosity and kindness. He was said to be quick to lend a hand, or a chauffeur to a friend. He frequently hosted guests at his $13 million home in Water Mill, LI. But, alas, that was all before he pleaded guilty to embezzling $58 million from his wealthy clients. “People who commit Ponzi schemes lead you to think they’re your best friend before stabbing you in the back,” said one real-estate professional who was scammed by D’Alessio.
D’Alessio’s clients were shocked. When investing with him, his checks had arrived like clockwork. He successfully renovated apartments and homes in the most well-to-do neighborhoods. D’Alessio paid investors standard annual returns of 15 to 18 percent, but he also went out of his way to personally guarantee the dividends. Now in hindsight, investors say they should have seen his extra efforts as a sign of his fraud.
As reported by the NY Post, in late 2017, D’Alessio emailed his investors telling them that due to escalating development costs and an unstable real-estate market, there would be no payments for some time. By early 2018, 14 individuals and four companies filed civil suits accusing D’Alessio of swindling them. According to court documents, one couple lost $100,000 that was set aside to help a sick relative. Another lost a $500,000 college fund.
In May 2018, the White Plains-based developer filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, foreclosing eight of his properties. On August 30th, he was arrested in his Upper East Side home for wire fraud, where police found a firearm and $44,000 in cash. D’Alessio was charged with funneling roughly $58 million in funds that should have been used for renovations, through a set-up of more than 200 bank accounts. As per prosecutors, D’Alessio was operating a Ponzi scheme in which he used money from new investors to pay off older ones. Between 2015 and 2018, he also reportedly spent the money in the investment funds to afford his own lavish lifestyle and to pay off millions of dollars in losses from casino gambling.
D’Alessio, 53, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for defrauding investors in real estate projects located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the Hamptons, Westchester and elsewhere. His incarceration also includes making false claims and concealing assets in his bankruptcy case. D’Alessio was also ordered to pay restitution of $58,090,047 and was forced to forfeit all the holdings purchased with funds from the scam.
Uber is reportedly heading to the World Trade Center. Published reports are claiming that the ride-share company may soon sign a lease and both move and expand its New York City HQ. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Uber posted a loss of over $1 billion in its first quarter as a public company, well above last year’s reported operating loss of $478 million. The news, though colossal, is in line with expectations. The ride-share giant, founded in 2009, also confirmed Wall Street’s qualms about slowing growth. The company offered investors no inkling of when it may begin to turn a profit, if ever. Though, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reportedly told German newspaper, Handelsblatt, earlier this week, that the company may be profitable within the next year or two.
In spite of all the gloomy news, and confirmation of the company’s bottom line deficit, the stock price for Uber was up 2.5 percent on Thursday in after-hours trading, reaching $40.80, as Khosrowshahi conveyed confidence in an earnings call. Uber’s costs increased 35 percent in the first quarter, due to promotions and discounts that it offered. The San Francisco-based company had its IPO, towards the end of April, at the price of $45 per share. Its shares are currently roughly 12 percent lower despite Khosrowshahi’s efforts to enlighten investors with his vision of Uber as the dominant force in all forms of transportation.
As reported by the NY Post, the company’s Chief Executive asked investors not to grow wary with the stock’s poor performance and its unimpressive public debut, saying the company will become increasingly efficient as it continues its expansion. “It is ultimately just one moment in a much larger journey,” said Khosrowshahi, adding: “Our teams are very, very motivated to prove Uber’s value to our shareholders.”
As far as revenue goes, Uber beat Wall Street expectations of $3.04 billion, posting $3.1 billion in revenue, in a 20 percent leap over last year’s figures. Also, Uber boasted that its global monthly active users rose from 91 million at the end of the last quarter, up to 93 million. Uber’s overall ride-share “bookings”, or total fares paid by riders, were up 34% in the first quarter, reaching $14.65 billion.
In other upbeat results, the company said it is seeing a decline in competition from “the other player,” referring of course to its chief rival Lyft, stating that it has “started to see signs of less aggressive pricing.” Lyft, which had its IPO in March, is currently trading at nearly 30 percent below its IPO price. During extended trading on Thursday, after Uber’s announcement, share prices for Lyft edged upward 2.3 percent, reaching $56.10.
Jaguar Land Rover of Freeport has been bringing high-end SUV's back to the South Shore in a major way. Two years ago, Jaguar Freeport and Land Rover of Freeport became one of the first in the country to feature the new conceptual design created exclusively for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Photo Credit: landroverfreeport.com
Jaguar Land Rover of Freeport has been bringing high-end SUV’s back to the South Shore in a major way. Two years ago, Jaguar Freeport and Land Rover of Freeport became one of the first in the country to feature the new conceptual design created exclusively for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. At over 30,000 square feet, their high end, cutting edge dealership layout features a 15 car showroom, a 22 bay service department with 3 lane service drive up area and will create jobs for at least 50 additional employees. To make your luxury experience complete, they offer clients who lease or have purchased a vehicle from them the convenience of complimentary pick up and delivery for scheduled maintenance as well as an all Jaguar and Land Rover loaner fleet.
At the helm of this grand undertaking is Jack Weidinger, Dealer Principal of Jaguar Freeport, Land Rover Freeport and North Bay Cadillac Buick and GMC. No stranger to the industry, Weidinger remains as excited today about all the prospects that a dealership of this magnitude will bring to the South Shore’s economy as he was in 2016.
“Land Rover has not been on the South Shore since 2009,” says Weidinger. “This development brings the Land Rover brand back to the South Shore with an extremely high-end design and our reputation for business excellence and customer support.”
As a third-generation dealer principal with over 20 years personal experience, Jack knows that he has a lot to live up to with a family heritage of over 80 years in business.
“When we opened our original Jaguar dealership in 1999, there wasn’t a lot of development in our area. Since then, many businesses opened in the surrounding properties and I hope we had something to do with that. Since the addition of the Land Rover brand, we have had the same level of success that we have always enjoyed and this leads to further development in the Freeport area. The Jaguar and Land Rover brands are stronger than ever because consumers really value the combination of style, performance and practicality that Jaguar and Land Rover provides. My team and I are thrilled with the results!”
The site of the new Jaguar Land Rover Freeport dealership is located at 146 Sunrise Highway, Freeport, NY.
About Jaguar and Land Rover of Freeport:
Jaguar Land Rover Freeport is part of the Weidinger Auto Group. The Weidinger Auto Group started with Jaguar in 1938 and grew to what includes today: Land Rover Freeport, Jaguar Freeport, North Bay Cadillac Buick GMC, Vantage Auto Body, the Pre-Owned Center and multiple service locations throughout the North and South Shores of Long Island.
President Donald J. Trump is expanding his trade war. He has threatened to escalate tariffs on imports from Mexico by June 10th, in retaliation for the country’s unrestrained flow of migrants illegally crossing into our borders. In his speech last Thursday, the President vowed to impose tariffs, beginning at 5 percent and increasing monthly, possibly up to 25 percent by October. As reported by the NY Post, the tariffs will continue and escalate until the Trump administration is satisfied that Mexico is doing what it can to prevent the stream of migrants entering the US from the southern border.
Wall Street, and avocado lovers, reacted with fear. The Dow Jones industrial average nosedived 354.84 points, or 1.4 percent, to close at 24,815.04 on Thursday. The blue chips index now has sixth consecutive week of closing in the red. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both closed lower on Thursday, down 1.3 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.
The financial market is still reeling from the impact of trade tariffs imposed on China, last month. The threat of these new tariffs will increase the burden of companies who are already struggling to adjust their supply chains, now that cheap goods from China seem to be a thing of the past.
In the imminent trade war with Mexico, one of the industries most impacted will undoubtedly be the Detroit automakers. Of the cars they sold in the previous year, 2.5 million of them were assembled in Mexico, as per data from Cox Automotive. The stock price for shares of General Motors and Ford fell 4.3 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. Shares of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles dropped 5.8 percent. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement was passed in 1994, Automakers, in search of low-priced labor, moved their productions to Mexico. “Many thought Mexico would be an alternative, but now that looks in jeopardy,” said Cliff Hodge, director of investments for Cornerstone Wealth in North Carolina. “This was completely off the market’s radar and we’re seeing the resulting swift and sharp reaction,” he added.
The President maintains that the tariffs will bring back jobs to the US. “In order not to pay Tariffs, if they start rising, companies will leave Mexico, which has taken 30% of our Auto Industry, and come back home to the USA,” Trump tweeted on Friday.
Mexico too is reeling from the new policy. Roughly 80 percent of all of Mexico’s exports are to the United States, mostly manufactured merchandise including cars and televisions. Jesus Seade, Mexico’s deputy foreign minister for North America, was taken by surprise. He said the easiest response to would be an “eye for an eye”, but he then cautioned that reciprocal actions would lead to a trade war “and that is the last thing that we want.” Seade dejectedly recalled the work he has done for the past 20 months, drafting a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the US. “This is difficult … even more so between two nations trying to seal a wonderful trade deal. The best trade deal in history according to Trump himself and suddenly he throws this in the way,” Seade said.
With a budget exceeding $16 million, we are in a quandary as to why Gilad Erdan has not made any significant headway in diminishing the deleterious impact that the BDS movement has done to Israel’s image. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
As a clearly frustrated and beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel confronts the challenge of waging yet another campaign to solidify his political power in the sovereign State of Israel, he can now utilize this time to reflect on the shortcomings and failures of the last government while beginning to generate ideas for improvement.
After a thorough review, it appears that a reshuffling of sorts of the Netanyahu cabinet is in order.
Let’s begin this critique by addressing the abysmal failure of the government of Israel to launch an effective campaign targeting the pernicious propaganda of the BDS movement. Currently, the person in charge of orchestrating an ostensibly well-researched agenda for confronting the odious Jew haters in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is Likud MK, Gilad Erdan. Mr. Erdan has been charged with the ministerial portfolio of “Public Security, Information and Strategic Affairs.” As minister of information, we can deduce that this position was created for the express purpose of countering the incessant waves of disinformation that is spewed forth by the international BDS movement on a daily basis.
With a budget exceeding $16 million, we are in a quandary as to why Mr. Erdan has not made any significant headway in diminishing the deleterious impact that the BDS movement has done to Israel’s image. We understand that Mr. Erdan is focused on public security issues in terms of maintaining the safety of Jews residing in Judea and Samaria, however, we must take Erdan to task for the feckless modalities that he has initiated to quash the BDS agenda.
To date, the BDS movement has picked up immeasurable steam and have spread their mendacious tentacles to the four corners of the earth. The exceptionally well-funded BDS movement has successfully silenced pro-Israel supporters on every major college and university across the country and throughout the world. Celebrity endorsers and proponents of BDS has seen major victory on the cultural and academic front, thus isolating Israel in important spheres around the globe.
If Mr. Erdan finds himself way too overwhelmed to burnish Israel’s image through a sleek and relatable way of dealing with the BDS movement, then it is our recommendation that a well-qualified replacement candidate be seriously considered.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon did not live up to his job expectations. Photo Credit Shutterstock
On Monday, June 3rd, it was reported in the Times of Israel that Netanyahu is pushing for Erdan to serve as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Nations. Erdan would replace the current Israeli UN ambassador to the US Danny Danon, whose term ends in a few weeks.
The Times of Israel reported that the UN posting is “often seen as a mission impossible job in a hostile environment, where Israel is constantly attacked diplomatically. The job has in the past been held by Netanyahu, who represented Israel at the world body from 1984 to 1988, before being elected to the Knesset that year and becoming prime minister in 1996.”
Speaking about UN Ambassador Danny Danon, while some have heaped praise on his efforts to protect Israel from constant condemnations at the UN and to establish a respect for Israel that none had previously shown in the tendentious climate of the UN, it appears that Danon as well has fallen way short of the mark in terms of what was expected of him. Danon has also been quite negligent in his obligations to reach out to the Jewish media in the New York City and beyond and trying to establish solid connections to effectuate excellent communications between the Israeli mission to the UN and to the media that broadcasts and amplifies his messages.
Danon’s predecessors at this panoply of nations included such historic diplomatic voices as the legendary Abba Eban and such diplomatic luminaries as Ron Prosor. Let’s face facts. Danon is not and never was cut out for this job. His heavily and almost indiscernible English accompanied by his heavy handed manner are distinct liabilities. Thankfully his term is reaching a conclusion.
On to bigger fish to fry.
As history has illustrated more than amply throughout the years, Israel has morphed into one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. Periodically, press releases are issued by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism in which they boast that the percentage of foreign tourists coming to the holy land has increased dramatically and that the tourism scene has virtually exploded with millions flocking to its shores. This all may ring true, however, Israel is nowhere in the vicinity of representing the tourist destination that they have the potential to be.
It is noteworthy to mention that Paris receives 50 million tourists a year while New York City attracts approximately 60 million tourists per annum. And the list goes on. Let’s take Europe for example. With 300 million people, surely there are innumerable ways to interest the vast majority of them to visit the ancient and holy city of Jerusalem as well as taking part in excursions that will introduce them to Israel’s more modern cities.
Predicated on the unfortunate experiences that the Jewish Voice has had in the past, we sadly must conclude that current Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin does little to reach out to his greatest and most powerful allies; namely diaspora Jewish publications. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
We sadly must conclude that current Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin does little to reach out to his greatest and most powerful allies; namely diaspora Jewish publications. In the case of the Jewish Voice, each week we run approximately two full pages dedicated to travel related matters. Predictably, we run articles about Israeli tourism such as guides to the best hotels, restaurants, bars, amusement parks, personalized tours, sporting and cultural events, etc. For both the religious and non-religious tourist, we offer articles that appeal to their specified needs.
We suggest that the prime minister consider his options and perhaps seek others who can and will make record breaking tourism statistics their main concern.
One of the most important functions of the State of Israel is to promote aliya (immigration and absorption of new immigrants) in order to provide not only a safe haven for Jews from their countries of origin where they are persecuted, but to attract Jews the world over to make Israel their home. Since the inception of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency has been assigned with the task of bringing Jews living under oppression back to their ancestral homeland.
In the nascent days of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency may have been in the forefront of facilitating methods to bring Jews to Israel and in creating successful campaigns that would strongly encourage and promote aliya.
Tragically, that is no longer the case. For decades now, the Jewish Agency has been nothing short of moribund in its activity level. Under the leadership of former Soviet Jewish refusenik Natan Sharansky, the Jewish Agency not only did not play a role in extricating Jews from such perilous nations as Ukraine but they too fell way short of what is expected of a privately funded agency that is under the auspices of the government of Israel. Sharansky has since vacated that position.
Now, the former chairman of the Israeli Labor party, Isaac Herzog, is at the helm of the once formidable Jewish Agency. Since he took office in August of 2018, little has changed at the Jewish Agency in terms of Aliyah efforts and even programs to assist Jews in the diaspora who are being targeted because of their faith and their support of Israel. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Now, the former chairman of the Israeli Labor party, Isaac Herzog, is at the helm of the once formidable Jewish Agency. Since he took office in August of 2018, little has changed at the Jewish Agency in terms of Aliyah efforts and even programs to assist Jews in the diaspora who are being targeted because of their faith and their support of Israel.
Saving the day in the Aliyah department is none other than such practical, hands-on organizations as Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Birthright trips for young people. Let’s not forget the incredible contributions of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), who, under the guidance of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, zt’l promoted and funded Aliyah efforts around the globe.
At the end of May, the Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu named former transportation minister Israel Katz as permanent foreign minister, three months after making him the country’s acting top diplomat after a High Court petition challenged the number of ministerial portfolios held by the Israeli leader.
The appointment formalizes the February decision to put Katz in charge of the Foreign Ministry, which Netanyahu had held since the 2015 elections. The decision concerning this appointment came hours before the deadline for Netanyahu to form a new government.
Yes, a reshuffling of the proverbial deck of talent in Israel’s governmental body must become an urgent priority, lest the voters of Israel seek real change in government ethics and effectiveness.
The Palestinian Cabinet gave itself a massive secret pay raise in addition to other illegal financial perks behind the backs of the constituents it supposedly represents.
While unemployment remains high and economic growth slow in the Palestinian-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, the Palestinian Cabinet secretly gave itself a series of lavish payouts and perks, highlighted by a 67% salary hike.
The payments and perks were kept quiet for the past two years, but news of the Cabinet decision leaked this week in a series of documents posted anonymously to social media.
The revelations have rocked Palestinian society, where the cash-strapped government has slashed the salaries of its employees because it refuses to stop doling out hundreds of millions of dollars a year in stipends to imprisoned terrorists and the families of those killed committing such crimes.
Coming during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time of high expenses for struggling families, the report renewed outrage among Palestinians who have long seen their leadership as out of touch and rife with corruption.
“The cabinet members behaved as if the government is their private shop and they can take as much as they want without being held accountable,” said political commentator Ehab Jareri.
According to one leaked document, the monthly salaries for Cabinet ministers spiked from $3,000 to $5,000, while the prime minister’s salary was raised to $6,000.
The raises were kept secret from the public and approved by President Mahmoud Abbas, two senior officials said, overriding a 2004 law that fixed ministers’ salaries. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
The pay raise was made retroactive to 2014, when the Cabinet took office, giving the ministers an extra bonus of tens of thousands of dollars, the officials said.
The benefits did not end there. Ministers who live outside Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, received $10,000 a year to rent a house there, another document showed.
Officials who already owned Ramallah homes also reaped the lucrative bonus. And in an extra boost, the government inflated the exchange rate, giving them a roughly 17% premium when converting the salaries to Israeli shekels. Cabinet members already enjoy government compensation for personal drivers and international travel expenses.
The documents were viewed by The Associated Press and authenticated by the Palestinian officials.
After years in office, Abbas has seen his popularity plummet. People are disillusioned by his failure to deliver an independent state, his loss of the Gaza Strip to the rival Hamas terror group and general economic malaise. Unemployment among Palestinians in Judea and Samaria is near 20%, and a typical salary for those who do work, such as civil servants, is roughly $700 to $1,000 a month.
The leaked documents have sparked widespread outrage on Palestinian social media, with critics branding the government a “farm” or “shop” for top officials. Amid the outrage, the Palestinian Authority has been forced to respond.
Benjamin Netanyahu receives the prayer shawl fallen IDF soldier Zachary Baumel on Jerusalem Day. Photo Credit: Aharon Krohn/Flash90
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was gifted with Zachary Baumel’s prayer shawl during a Jerusalem Day celebration at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva.
Sunday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated at a Jerusalem Day celebration at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
During the celebration, Netanyahu received the prayer shawl of IDF hero Zachary Baumel, which was bestowed upon him by Rosh Yeshiva (dean) Rabbi Yaakov Shapira and Rabbi Aviezer Strauss, the brother of one of the other two fallen soldiers with whom Baumel perished in the 1982 Lebanese War.
Until April, Baumel’s body was not returned to Israel.
Baumel, along with Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, were were last seen alive during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, during which at least 20 Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers were killed and 30 wounded. Baumel, Katz and Feldman were classified as missing in action (MIA).
Netanyahu asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to have his army search for the missing soldiers. Through a secret military operation, Baumel’s remains were brought to Israel in April. Feldman and Katz are still classified as MIA.
One of the items that helped identify Baumel’s body was his prayer shawl (tallit), on which his Hebrew name was embroidered.
Additionally, Baumel’s body was identified by the Institue of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir as well as by the Chief Military Rabbi Brigadier General Eyal Krim.
While presenting the tallit to a clearly moved Netanyahu, the Rosh HaYeshiva said that he hoped that the holy item would guard the prime minister from any evil and performed the priestly blessing.
Mercaz haRav is a national-religious school of biblical studies, founded in 1924 by Israel’s Chief Rabbi at the time, Abraham Isaac Kook. It is now the most prominent religious Zionist yeshiva in the world.
Baumel immigrated to Israel with his parents from Brooklyn, New York in 1970. He combined his combat service with yeshiva study as part of the Hesder military program.
“The State of Israel and the state of the Jewish people will return to be governed as it was governed in the days of King David,” said MK Bezalel Smotrich.
Even as Israel prepares to go to a second general election in 2019 after a crisis caused by a dispute over the connection between religion and state, Union of Right-Wing Parties (URWP) MK Bezalel Smotrich, seeking to become Justice Minister, says he wants to restore “to restore” Torah law.
“That is how it should be in a Jewish state,” he told Kan public radio on Monday.
“The State of Israel and the state of the Jewish people will return to be governed as it was governed in the days of King David and King Solomon by Torah law,” Smotrich said, though adding that “how society lives in 2019” would be taken into account.
Various members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, have been embroiled in a longstanding dispute with the Israeli court system over where the lines are drawn between the powers of the two different branches.
In addition, the Union of Right-Wing Parties ran a campaign before the April 9 election on a platform that included introducing more Torah into Israeli life in addition to a tougher stance towards the Palestinian Authority.
The religion and state dispute which resulted in the passage last week of a law declaring September 17 as the date for another snap election did not involve Smotrich’s faction.
It was a fight between Haredi religious parties and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman over the issue of ensuring a quota of Haredi yeshiva students serving in the military.
Though Liberman has been accused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the issue as a pretext to bring down the prime minister, the ultimate result was Netanyahu’s inability to gain a parliamentary majority to rule.
In November 2018, Liberman quit the previous government, in which he served as defense minister, criticizing Netanyahu for the lack of an aggressive response to terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip. His resignation ultimately led to the April election.
Liberman’s party platform includes a battle against what it views as religious coercion. The comments by Smotrich about instituting Torah law prompted Liberman to lash out at the URWP MK
“This is no longer just a comment of a delusional hilltop youth, but a statement of intent, he wants a [religious law] Halachic state,” said Liberman. “Hilltop youth” is a reference to young activists who set up communities in Judea and Samaria which have not received governmental authorization.
Liberman himself lives in a community in Judea and Samaria, though authorized. His campaign touts a political right-wing though secular platform.
Latest public opinion polls show that Liberman and religious parties would have to join forces after the September election to ensure the formation of a right-wing government.
Arabs rioted on the Temple Mount Sunday morning in reaction to permission being given for Jewish visitors to enter on Jerusalem Day, which happens to fall during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Kan Israel News reported. Photo Credit: Flash90/Yonatan Sindel
After police dispersed the demonstrators, hundreds of Jews ascended the Mount.
Arabs rioted on the Temple Mount Sunday morning in reaction to permission being given for Jewish visitors to enter on Jerusalem Day, which happens to fall during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Kan Israel News reported.
A police spokesperson said that as a result of the disturbances, “the commander of the Jerusalem District Major Gen. Doron Yedid ordered police to enter the Temple Mount and deal with the rioters.”
Young Muslim men threw rocks and other objects. Tear gas was shot at them in response. In one video of the scene, women are heard screaming “Allahu Akhbar” (God is great), apparently at the security forces.
Only after the rioting was quelled, with one arrest reportedly being made, were the Jewish visitors allowed to ascend the Temple Mount, the report said.
Hundreds of Jews had gathered in the early morning hours to come to the Judaism’s holiest site in celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the liberation of the city during the Six Day War.
Jerusalem Day, as it’s known, coincides every so often with the end of the Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan, when the Temple Mount is usually closed to non-Muslims due to the crush of Arab worshipers at the site and the fear by Israeli authorities that the Muslims will turn to violence, as happened today.
Indeed, Israeli police at first had said that they would not allow Jewish visitors to mark the day on the Mount “for reasons of public safety and public order.”
It would have marked the first time since 1988 that Jerusalem Day would not have been celebrated on the Temple Mount. However, Jewish activists appealed to both the Supreme Court and the Likud politicians to allow their ascent.
The Supreme Court rejected the appeal and left it up to the security forces to assess the situation. The police decided to rescind their earlier ban.
Jerusalem Day is celebrated especially by young national-religious Jews who parade in the afternoon with Israeli flags, sing and dance through the streets of the city, ending their march at the Western Wall.
Many walk specifically through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to make a point about Israel’s sovereignty. Clashes have ensued in the past in that area between the marchers and Arab residents, with both sides claiming that the other instigated the violence.
In October of last year, Harvey Weinstein, former film producer and co-founder of Miramax, a major entertainment company, became embroiled in scandal when he was accused of sexually harassing, molesting or raping numerous women over a period of 30 years. The political repercussions of the case are still being felt in the current increased awareness of sexual harassment and abuse that women face in the workplace and in society in general.
By: Anat Ghelber
Now, his supposed victims will have to face the fact that, despite bringing their cases to court and being willing to testify, any damages they would receive are being significantly reduced by legal fees, including Harvey Weinstein’s, none of which he has to pay himself. Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys are looking to make as much as $14 million. The entire supposed settlement for those who’ve brought Mr. Weinstein past behavior to light is $44 million, with a majority of those victims apparently receiving an average of only $60,000, according to a report by the New York Post.
Among the alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein’s advances are actress Paz de La Huerta, who appeared on the HBO show “Boardwalk Empire” and Alexandra Canosa, a producer with Netflix. They, and as many as 150 other women, are reportedly going to have to divide what will remain of the legal settlement once fees for legal services for both the defendant and plaintiff have been paid off. As one supposed victim stated about the low settlement money that will be paid out, “It’s insulting. It’s particularly insulting that he doesn’t even have to pay his own lawyer’s fees. He gets to walk away without any consequences.”
Harvey Weinstein will not have to pay either his legal fees nor any of the money for legal settlement, with the fees coming out of the damages settlement, and that being covered by insurance agencies who provide coverage for both the Weinstein Co. and Miramax, the entertainment company he once ran.
With $14 million of the legal settlement money being allocated to pay off defendant’s legal costs and another $8 million to plaintiff’s legal fees, the remainder of the money will have to be distributed to 150 different women who are involved in the class action lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein.
According to an anonymous source close to the negotiations being held, “The defendants are using what could be victim funds to pay their legal fees despite many of them being billionaires.”
It’s also been revealed that women who filed single lawsuits themselves against Harvey Weinstein, as opposed to the class action lawsuit previously mentioned, will receive up to $500,000 each. There are up to 18 of these supposed victims located in the U.S. United Kingdom, and Canada.
The balance of the legal damages will total $9 million after all is said and done, which will have to be split up among the remaining 150 women involved in the class action lawsuit.
CNN International (CNNI) rules the world of newscasting. CNNI is an international pay television channel that is operated by CNN and carries news-related programming worldwide. They decide what stories to headline, they format and compose the headlines, they determine just where and when we view them and they choose who evaluates the importance and significance of the events. Dangerous, as Richard Salant, the former President of CBS News put it so well: “Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have.” The people behind the cameras, their directors and reporters are the chefs and waiters while we are the “in seat” consumers. This situation is not an easy one to change but we must understand the mechanics of the operation in order to avoid falling prey to the propaganda being fed us as news.
Whether you’re on a cruise in the middle of the Pacific or on a safari in the heart of Africa, your CNN news channel is with you. News is flashed to you on your TV, computer or laptop screens. You just cannot avoid being inundated by news that CNN decides is what you will watch. Recently, reporting on live video from Gaza, CNN reporter Ian Lee, wearing combat vest, dusty helmet, tearfully described the killing of 40 Palestinian civilian protesters by what he described as Israeli artillery, aircraft and small arms. This was his description without evidence other than what he was told by the Palestinian authorities with whom he was embedded..
One wonders just what his fate would be if he described in detail the goals of these protesters if they were permitted to swarm into Israel. What questions, (never asked) could he pose to Gaza’s Hamas leaders about their plans for the destruction of Israel. We never hear from any of CNN’s Gaza based reporters about the horrors of the Islamic regime which permits them to “report” with strict censorship, from their territory. How different is the attitude of their crews when issuing “news” accounts from within the democracy of Israel without fear of being beheaded? There they speak freely without any fear of retribution from the authorities.
Walter Cronkite, the former anchorman for The CBS Evening News told the scary truth about what we get to see and hear from the media. “We must decide which news items out of hundreds available we are going to expose that day. And those (news stories) available to us already have been culled and re-culled by persons far outside our control.” Read between the lines and you get it……the news we get is screened by those who have their own biases. We must become more sophisticated and aware of the powers of the vast media networks that now seem to be leaning far to the extreme Left. What is the future of the First Amendment covering free speech?
President Donald Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 26, 2018. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO
The outspoken but always right to the point, President Trump weighed in on the new proposed Israeli elections with these words: “Israel is all messed up with their election. Bibi got elected. Now all of a sudden they have to go through the process all over again. That’s ridiculous. They have to get their act together.” We agree. And so does Reuven Y. Hazan, a politics professor at Hebrew University. “This is new for Israel. We’ve never tried to form a government and bring down a new parliament at the same time.” So what’s this all about? Netanyahu was re-elected as Israel’s Prime Minister in April, not with a simple American-like two party system but with about 20 angry, battling political parties weighing in and the results were that 14 of them are represented in its Knesset (Congress) that with 120 members governs the nation.
And they all have to get along. Give us a break! Confusion reigns as Bibi tries to put together a coalition government that has to make decisions. He has to deal with and form by law a coalition government that might include Muslim Arabs, Jewish orthodox and Communists. Under Israeli law, if Netanyahu can’t form a government, its president, Reuven Rivlin must appoint another candidate to do so. But Bibi’s Likud Party has presented a bill to dissolve the Knesset, and the PM gave the go-ahead for the Knesset to dissolve itself forcing new elections which will take place on September 17th.
These new elections will surely delay both the White House’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan. This has irritated Trump whose emissaries, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his senior advisor and son-in-law,Jared Kushner, together with negotiator, Jason Greenblatt toured the Middle East last week to build support for peace in the region. But they can’t do it without the firm, solid support of Israel. And the Israelis need a leader that can count on the backing of Knesset. At this point, the Israelis are all screwed up politically. We, the United States, cannot continue to wait for the Israelis to “get off the pot,” to finally mature politically and to transform their government into a working one with fewer opposing political parties. We, American citizens, weep and wail every two years about foolish electioneering, debates and candidate posturing but when we look at the Israelis and their circus, we should be happy to go to the polls knowing that the candidates we elect will serve out fully, their terms without fear of having to run every few months as in Israel.
