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Christopher Columbus Gets the Sledgehammer

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The New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston was vandalized for the second time this summer

Every schoolchild knows that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. He and his men sailed in the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa Maria. The U.S. federal government in 1971 made Columbus Day a national holiday in October, with Columbus being the only person other than Martin Luther King so honored.

Born in the Republic of Genoa, and financed by the Spanish monarchy, not by any Italian, Columbus, explorer and navigator, made four voyages across the Atlantic in the hope of finding an alternative trade route to reach the East Indies by sailing west and finding gold and silver. Instead, sailing from the Canary Islands, he reached San Salvador, Bahamas.

Columbus is popularly regarded as the discoverer of the Americas, but he in fact was anticipated by the Viking Leif Erickson in the 11th century. Columbus is acclaimed as the starter of the European colonization of the New World, starting with the 2,500 who arrived with him in 1493. He did not find gold, but he did find natives, and his treatment of them has given risen to controversy.

Among other things, he headed the transatlantic slave trade. There remains controversy over the extent of his actions and those of his men. Differences exist among historians over the nature and degree of his responsibility for the poor treatment, at one extreme termed genocide, of native peoples – namely, the Taino people of Hispaniola and the Arawak people. Included in the criticism are the pressure of overwork; the importation and spread of European diseases, possibly syphilis; and the imposition of a form of slavery and sexual slavery.

Not surprisingly, Columbus is remembered in his hometown by an airport named after him and by his natal home becoming a museum. In the United States, his name, Columbus or Columbia, began appearing as a synonym for “America.” He is honored by statues, and his name is given to the U.S. capital, the District of Columbia, and the capital cities of Ohio and South Carolina, plus a busy traffic circle and intersection in Manhattan, New York City and the Columbia river.

The country this year has been troubled, even confused, by the fact that a number of cities in the United States have been the setting for the destruction of monuments of those disliked for various reasons. These have mostly been prominent figures of the old Confederacy in the South. On this issue, the country is divided, and an increasing volume of voices, not only President Donald Trump, has asked where this destruction will stop.

The most recent event was in the city of Baltimore, where in August four statues of people who were associated with the losing side in the Civil War, including Robert E. Lee; Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson; and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who authored the 1857 Dred Scott decision, have been destroyed.

As far as one can tell, Christopher Columbus, whatever else he did, never fought for the Confederate side in the U.S. Civil War, and he may not have owned personal slaves. Yet, in 2015, red paint and a hatchet were applied to a statue of Columbus in Detroit, and another in Boston was painted red.

A more serious event occurred in the middle of the night on August 21, 2017, when a monument to Columbus built in 1792, erected by a Frenchman and the oldest in the country, was vandalized in northeast Baltimore. A group calling itself Popular Resistance used a sledgehammer to deface the base of the monument. A relevant video by someone naming himself Ty called Columbus a “genocidal terrorist” and declared, without detail, that the future is racial and economic justice.

For this group, Columbus represents the initial invasion of European capitalism into the Western hemisphere and the capitalist exploitation in the Americas on the backs of indigenous peoples.

Where does the destruction stop? The Rev. Al Sharpton appears to have called for the destruction of the Jefferson Memorial. There are two issues. One is that destruction becomes infectious, inside and outside the U.S. For example, in November 2015, vandals in Mielec, Poland pulled down a monument of gratitude to the Soviet Red Army. On August 14, 2017, the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston was vandalized for the second time this year.

The second wider problem is whether 19th-century behavior – and with Columbus, 15th-century behavior – should be judged by 21st-century morals and standards. Or should it be recognized as part of the history of the country, unwelcome though it may be to some? A number of the Founding Fathers owned slaves. Are their monuments to be destroyed, or are they to be kept because the Founders established the Constitution?

The fear is that history is being erased. Already, a number of cities in the U.S. have decided to change the name of Columbus Day to “Indigenous Peoples Day.”

Abraham Lincoln is probably one of the few beyond reproach. It is wise to remember his words about the two sides in the Civil War in his Second Inaugural on March 4, 1865: “both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.” 

By: Michael Curtis
(American Thinker)

Iran Makes Mockery of Nuclear Deal

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Time for a serious reassessment

Things are unfolding rapidly in Syria as relentless offensives, undertaken by the joint might of Iran, Russia and Hezbollah against a plethora of rival Sunni militias, have taken their toll on the rebels. Analysts are fearful that the pending fall of Islamic State, which seems likely, will create a vacuum that the Islamic Republic will rush to fill. This coupled with the recent revelation that the United States terminated a covert military aid program to rebels seeking to topple Assad, virtually ensures that Iran will remain a dominant power in Syria. A troubling consequence of this development is that Iran will have essentially succeeded in creating a land bridge of sorts that travels through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea, a prospect that is inimical to both U.S and Israeli interests.

Israel is cognizant of the fact that as a result of the leadership vacuum created by the Obama administration, Moscow now pulls the strings in Syria. It also understands that the U.S. decision to terminate funding for certain Syrian rebel groups signals that the U.S. has limited its immediate aims in Syria to toppling the Islamic State. Malign Iranian and Hezbollah influences appear to have become secondary concerns. For good reason, Israel views Iran’s entrenchment in Syria as a direct strategic threat and regional challenge. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his concerns to Vladimir Putin in a meeting between the two leaders which took place on Wednesday in Sochi. Russia’s ambassador to Israel, Alexander Petrovich Shein, noted that Russia would take Israeli interests into consideration when dealing with Syria.  

While Iran’s cancerous spread of its hegemony is disconcerting, equally alarming is its continued violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also informally known as the Iran deal. The disastrous and dangerous Iran deal, mendaciously orchestrated by the Obama administration and sold to the American public through half-truths, cynical exploitation of the media and use of “echo chambers,” poses serious challenges to the Trump administration. 

Twice since the signing of the accord, Iran has exceeded the JCPOA’s prescribed limitations on heavy water production, and according to German intelligence, Iran continues to utilize front companies in efforts to purchase high-tech equipment for use in nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development. Moreover, Iran’s secretive Parchin facility, where the Islamic Republic conducts its most secretive nuclear experiments, continues to remain off limits to international inspectors. But Iranian malfeasance does not end there. 

According to a report compiled by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Iran, in flagrant violation of the JCPOA, has been using commercial airliners to transport Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen and proxy militias to various Mideast hotspots including Syria. Photos obtained by the FDD, and forwarded to congressional leaders show militia fighters affiliated with the Fatemiyoun Brigade, an Afghan Shiite militia, seated in an Iranian commercial airliner bound for Syria. The aircraft belongs to Iran Air, a purported Iranian civilian airliner, and its logo is clearly visible in the photo.

The stunning revelation comes on the heels of a report by the German media outlet Welt am Sonntag that Iran was using commercial airliners to transport military hardware to Syria from where it was shipped to Russia for maintenance and upgrading. Welt am Sonntag featured a satellite image of an Iranian Boeing commercial airliner parked on the tarmac at Khmeimim airbase, Russia’s largest and most important military airbase in Syria. The plane was likely purchased by Iran in the 1970s during the Shah’s era.

These disturbing incidents prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Iran is using dual use platforms for military applications. It is a fact that in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has spread its tentacles far and wide and maintains rooted interests in various civilian enterprises including the airline and banking industries. As noted, it utilizes commercial airlines to ferry troops and military equipment to Syria and elsewhere but it also uses its banking sector to launder money and finance overseas terror operations. In 2016, former secretary of state and Iranian lobbyist wannabee, John Kerry, attempted to persuade Western banks to do business with the Iranians, a request flatly rejected by banking executives who noted the IRGC’s well known infiltration of the Iranian banking sector and other civilian institutions. 

Two Iranian commercial airliners – Aseman Airlines and the aforementioned Iran Air – have contracted with Boeing and its European competitor, Airbus, to purchase several dozen commercial airliners in deals collectively worth almost $50 billion. But Boeing needs the U.S. Treasury Department’s approval before the sale can be finalized. Airbus too requires Treasury’s approval because at least 10 percent of the airplanes’ components are of American origin.

Clearly, events of late dictate denial of all sales to the Iranians. Moreover, sanctions must be imposed on all Iranian commercials airline companies for flagrantly breaching international obligations. Those sanctions should be imposed in collaboration with our allies and should include denial of air and landing rights. As noted by Reps. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.), Andy Barr (R., Ken.), and David Reichert (R., Wash.) in a letter addressed to Treasury Department, Iran Air is culpable in “facilitating the ongoing atrocities committed against the Syrian people by the Assad regime and its allies.” Lastly, it is patently obvious that Iran, by both word and deed, is defying the terms of the JCPOA. It is time for a serious reassessment of this dreadful accord that is worth less than the paper it is written on.

 By: Ari Lieberman
 (Front Page Mag)

Ari Lieberman is an attorney and former prosecutor who has authored numerous articles and publications on matters concerning the Middle East and is considered an authority on geo-political and military developments affecting the region

World Jewish Congress Publishes New Book that Chronicles its 80-Year-Long History

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The World Jewish Congress played a leadership role in the international efforts to force Swiss banks to disgorge more than one billion dollars they had wrongfully withheld from Jewish Holocaust victims and their heirs.
The World Jewish Congress provided invaluable assistance to the prosecutors at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg in the years after the Holocaust
The late Robert Herzstein, center, presenting documents linking Kurt Waldheim to Nazi war crimes in 1986.
In his foreword, World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder (pictured above) writes that “this book reminds us not only what the WJC did in the past, but why the Jewish people need this vital organization now more than ever and will continue to need it in the future.”

World Jewish Congress publishes new book chronicling its 80-year-long history

A new book chronicling the history of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the umbrella organization of Jewish communities across the globe, has been released to the public and is now available for purchase on Amazon. The World Jewish Congress, 1936-2016 details the dramatic diplomatic efforts and achievements of this preeminent international Jewish organization, from its founding in Geneva 80 years ago through the present.

In his foreword, World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder writes that “this book reminds us not only what the WJC did in the past, but why the Jewish people need this vital organization now more than ever and will continue to need it in the future.”

Among the episodes chronicled in the anthology are the WJC’s multifaceted rescue efforts during the years of the Holocaust; its pioneering role in crafting the groundbreaking Jewish-Catholic dialogue that fundamentally and profoundly changed the relationship between the Jewish people and the Vatican; its role in providing invaluable assistance to the prosecutors at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg; its high-level diplomatic negotiations that enabled Jews from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria to emigrate to Israel, France, and elsewhere during the 1950s and 1960s; its exposure of Kurt Waldheim’s Nazi past; and its leadership of the international efforts to force Swiss banks to disgorge more than one billion dollars they had wrongfully withheld from Jewish Holocaust victims and their heirs.

The book also details the World Jewish Congress’ critical hand in fighting the UN’s resolution that equated Zionism and racism; its focus in preserving the historical integrity of the site of the Auschwitz death camp; its efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry; its attitude toward Jews living in post-Holocaust Germany; and its work to bring the perpetrators of terrorist bombings in Buenos Aires to justice. In the book’s concluding chapters, WJC CEO Robert R. Singer describes the activities of the World Jewish Congress today, and Ambassador Lauder lays out his vision of the Jewish future.

Contributors include historians Michael Brenner, Jonathan A. Bush, Suzanne Rutland, Zohar Segev, and Gregory J. Wallance; Monsignor Pier Francesco Fumagalli, vice prefect of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan; Natan Lerner, professor of law emeritus at IDC Herzliya; Gregg J. Rickman, who led the US Senate Banking Committee’s examination of Swiss banks and their treatment of Holocaust-era assets during and after World War II; Eli M. Rosenbaum, longtime head of the US Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations; and Evelyn Sommer, chairperson of the WJC’s North American Section.

The World Jewish Congress, 1936-2016 (ISBN 978-0-9969361-1-8; $36) is edited by WJC General Counsel Menachem Z. Rosensaft. 

About the World Jewish Congress

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and international organizations.

Jerusalem Gets Smart with New Digital Gadget Library

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Inside Jerusalemu2019s new Device Lab. Photo courtesy of Intel Israel
Jerusalem’s gadget lab is a place for exploration without breaking the bank. Photo courtesy of Intel Israel
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, center, and other dignitaries at the ribbon-cutting for The Device Lab. Photo courtesy of Intel Israel

On loan are smart watches and laptops, 3D cameras, smart computer chips, gaming computers, tablets, and Android and iOS smartphones

Israel’s startup community has inaugurated its first gadget library. The Jerusalem venue, called The Device Lab, has cutting-edge technologies and devices on loan for entrepreneurs and students to try out their ideas.

US colleges have long offered their academic communities the opportunity to come try out new and old technologies on an array of gadgets and computers at so-called gadget libraries.

Now, Israeli developers – new and veteran – have a library of their own in which to tinker about.

Intel Israel, the government, the Jerusalem municipality and a group of young Jerusalemites known as Tze’irim Bamerkaz are backing the new project at 22 Shivtey Israel Street.

On loan are smartwatches and laptops, 3D cameras, smart computer chips, gaming computers, tablets, and Android and iOS smartphones by top brands such as Lenovo, Intel, Asus, Apple, Tag Heuer, RealSense and Edison. The library’s collection will constantly evolve.

“The new gadget library provides an international starting point for the young and innovative entrepreneurs in Jerusalem. Whoever succeeds in Jerusalem will succeed in the world,” Mayor Nir Barkat said in a statement.

Jerusalem’s startup ecosystem is growing all the time. In 2012, there were no accelerators in the city, according to Made in Jerusalem organization for the city’s entrepreneurs. To date, there are 15 startup hubs and accelerators in Jerusalem, according to Made in Jerusalem.

With the new gadget library now open, students and early-stage entrepreneurs no longer need to break the bank to try their ideas on new devices.

An annual subscription costs $212 and devices are loaned out for different amounts of time depending on demand.

Organizers say the library lab will also be a venue for demos, workshops and lectures.

“We are very pleased that we have the chance to promote technology and entrepreneurship in Jerusalem,” said Shahaf Kiselstein, Intel’s Vice President for Platform Engineering. “A vibrant entrepreneurial community is an important asset for Jerusalem.” 

By: Viva Sarah Press
(Israel 21c)

The Third Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art: October 1 – November 16, 2017

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The Tower of David Museum (pictured above) will host two Jerusalem Biennale exhibitions
Lili Almog (pictured above) transforms the women obscured under their black dresses into silhouettes creating a barrier within the urban landscape and instilling curiosity over the missing information.
Israeli architect-artist Avner Sher explores the tension between permanence and the ephemeral that is arguably inherent in Jerusalem’s spiritual and urban geography. Alternative Topography is comprised of two series, Maps of Jerusalem and Spolia, which address city space that is perpetually devolving. Sher will build a large scale temporary structure on the balcony of the Tower of David Museum, visible from the city
Siona Benjamin – Exodus
Bilha Zussman

The 3rd Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art, which will showcase the work of nearly 200 professional artists, Israeli and international, in dozens of exhibitions and installations in eight venues around the city, will run from October 1 through November 16. The Jerusalem Biennale, which explores the places where contemporary art intersects with the Jewish world of content, will take the concept of Watershed as its theme.

Jerusalem Biennale Founder Rami Ozeri: “The Jerusalem Biennale provides a stage for professional artists – from secular to ultra-Orthodox – who refer in their artwork to Jewish thought, spirit, tradition or experience. After two successful Biennales and invitations to exhibit contemporary Jewish art around the world, the Biennale will throw the spotlight onto the concept of watershed, examining it from a literal, metaphorical and even historical perspective. The theme finds its expression in issues as varied as Jewish identity, immigration and refugees, alongside watershed moments in history such as the Balfour Declaration and even the US presidential election.”

Several exhibitions and projects entitled People on the Move explore the watershed and life-shaping experience of moving from one place to another for individuals as well as communities – be it a proactive decision to emigrate, make aliya or yerida, or a forced decision to find refuge. These exhibitions include: 

Dreamland Never Found, in which artists who emigrated from the FSU as children, address migration from the perspective of a longing for childhood memories.  Dreamland explores the artists’ desire to uncover their individual and collective roots and search for a past which ultimately is nowhere to be found.  Curator: Maria Veitz.

Homelands explores artists’ reflections on one of the defining watershed moments from the last century: the disbanding of Jewish communities throughout the Muslim world, presenting this issue from both a personal and communal perspective. Curator: Dr. Meirav Balas.

585,000 m2 features Hungarian artists who reflect upon symbolic spaces found in the 7th district of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, through visual art statements from the pre-World War II period to the present day.  Curator: Andrea Ausztrics.

The Tower of David Museum will host two Jerusalem Biennale exhibitions:

Alternative Topography –  Israeli architect-artist Avner Sher explores the tension between permanence and the ephemeral that is arguably inherent in Jerusalem’s spiritual and urban geography. Alternative Topography is comprised of two series, Maps of Jerusalem and Spolia, which address city space that is perpetually devolving. Sher will build a large scale temporary structure on the balcony of the Tower of David Museum, visible from the city. Curator: Dr. Smadar Shefi

The Space Within –  Lili Almog transforms the women obscured under their black dresses into silhouettes creating a barrier within the urban landscape and instilling curiosity over the missing information. Curator Eilat Lieber

Other exhibitions include:

  • Mamzerim – an exhibition in which four Israeli artists explore the painful realities of Judaism’s “untouchable” caste, probing the very heart of the complex relations between state and religion in Israel.  Curator Nurit Jacobs Yinon will launch a book on the subject at the Biennale.
  • Adam: Created as Male and Female showcases four well established Israeli artists: Micha Ullman, Efrat Natan, Hila Ben-Ari and Nechama Golan.  Bringing together works from these artists who come from differing social and religious circles reveals a common ground- that of Jewish culture and its position of full equality between women and men. Curators: Rivka Baklash and Ruti Rubenstein
  • To and Fro is a group exhibition of French artists or artists residing in France who relate to the French interpretation of the texts of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav. Curator: Dr. Batsheva Goldman-Ida 
  • Water, Heart, Face – the exhibition, whose title comes from the verse in Proverbs “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man to man” focuses on the entanglement between artist and observer when a work of art is presented. Curator: Avital Naor Wexler
  • The Biennale will also host an American Pavilion with three exhibitions hailing from the States:
  • Flashpoints: A Collective Response, a collaborative exhibition from the Jewish Arts Initiative of Southern California that highlights America’s fractured soul, exposed subsequent to the US presidential election.
  • Jerusalem Between Heaven and Earth, from the Jewish Art Salon in New York City addresses watershed issues related to Jerusalem and its topography.
  • Jerusalem Artists in the New World, in which three artists from Dallas Texas explore the watershed moment of Judaism’s arrival into the New World.

In honor of the Balfour Declaration centennial, Biennale2017 will showcase specially-commissioned works by three British artists exploring this watershed in recent Jewish history and host a special event in the Knesset (November). 

Biennale2017 exhibition venues include the Tower of David Museum; the Bible Lands Museum; the Polonsky Building at the Van Leer Institute, the Austrian Hospice in the Old City, Beit Hasid on Emek Refaim, the Bezeq building on Chopin Street, the Skirball Museum at the Hebrew Union College and the Museum of Underground Prisoners in the Russian Compound.

Gallery talks and panel discussions with artists and curators will be available, as well as private and group tours guided in English and Hebrew.  Tours in additional languages can be arranged on request and based on availability – [email protected]

The Jerusalem Biennale is supported by The Leichtag Foundation (San Diego), The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (New York), The Lambert Family Foundation (New York), Matthew Bronfman and IKEA Israel, The Leir Charitable Foundations and private donors, as well as The Jerusalem Municipality and The Jerusalem Development Authority. 

Back by Popular Demand: “The Sixties Show” at Bay Street Theater

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Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the return of THE SIXTIES SHOW on Saturday, September 23 at 8 pm. Tickets are $29.99 – $35. Tickets are on sale now at baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500, open daily 11 am to show time. Beginning September 4, hours change to Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 5pm or show time.

THE SIXTIES SHOW from NYC has been described as “The Greatest 1960’s Musical Re-Creation Show in the World.” The band features former members of Bob Dylan’s, Ray Charles, James Brown’s, Ray and Dave Davies (The Kinks) bands and current members of legendary multi-platinum pop superstars The Smithereens.

The show is a cross generational crowd-pleaser and the band is widely celebrated and known for re-creating spot on, note for note re-creations of the hits, B-sides and deep album cuts from the greatest songs of the 1960’s.

Bios:

Craig O’Keefe

Musical Director, Bass, Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

Craig hails from the sun stained-dark corners, desert dream paradise- land of illusion, road rage and earthly delights, Los Angeles, CA and is the founder of The Sixties Show. Craig honed his musical prowess on the LA scene writing, touring and recording with several bands most notably psychedelic au go go stoner core favorites Hal Lovejoy Circus (BMG Ent) who scored a Top 10 Hit on the Billboard Alternative Album Charts. He was also a founding member of the Hollywood, CA 90’s kingpins Annapurna (Warner Bros Records) who shared stages with everyone from Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Oasis, Sublime and Weezer.

Craig was also the co-founder of LA underground fave raves and critics darlings Echoback (Acid Ceiling Recordings) whose critically acclaimed, yet sadly and commercially overlooked, “Paper Spaceships you Can Fly” CD landed in many of those in the know year’s end best lists.

Craig has also worked frequently as a session bass player and arranger for a slew of acts which won him coveted artist endorsement deals with G&L Guitars, D’Addario and Ampeg. His song writing /producing credits have been heard all over radio and TV such as ABC Television’s Smallville, the opening musical theme for TNT Network’s Saturday Night NBA Game of The Week, in store music for the Gap, Burger King, Nike, Starbucks and others as well as various compositions heard on HBO, Cinemax, Showtime.

Besides converting the world and elsewhere to the aural and sensory delights of the The Sixties Show he is working on a follow up CD to the harmonious Topanga Canyon styled psychedelia overdrive of “Mescal Emissions and Desert Transmissions”, the 1st album from his solo project Golden State Electric whose 2nd CD is titled “The Last Days of the Strange and Beautiful Machines” 

Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. We serve as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.

The Battle for the Last Three ISIS Holdouts

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After taking Mosul and sweeping the surrounding areas, the Iraqi and Kurdish forces now encircle Tel Afar, 50 miles west of Mosul. This momentum and the immediate security needs of the adjacent areas make Tel Afar a top priority for war planners.
The ISIS-held areas of Anbar province in Iraq are contiguous with ISIS-held swaths of eastern Syria, allowing manpower and resources to be smuggled easily between the areas. Pictured here are American troops in 2009

With the days of Baghdad preparing an “every man for himself” defense against Islamic State far behind, the caliphate’s Mosul capital was retaken last month as the once-dominating terror group is closer than ever to defeat in Iraq.

Now, only three major ISIS-held strongholds remain — two of which are surrounded by Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

Here’s a look at the upcoming final battles:

Tel Afar Pocket

After taking Mosul and sweeping the surrounding areas, the Iraqi and Kurdish forces now encircle Tel Afar, 50 miles west of Mosul. This momentum and the immediate security needs of the adjacent areas make Tel Afar a top priority for war planners.

With 200,000 predominantly Iraqi Turkish residents before the arrival of ISIS, Tel Afar is a third of the size of Mosul. Yet, the up to 2,000 ISIS militants have had months to prepare a tangled nest of urban and subterranean defenses. Lying in wait and with no path to escape, the fight will be to the death for ISIS and a costly, house-to-house operation for the Iraqi forces.

American advisers scrambled to replace and refit the tired Iraqi forces — worn from the nine-month Mosul campaign — but say they are ready to finish the job. A spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iranian-backed Shia group, says 20,000 members are joining the offensive, which will take “not more than weeks,” he predicted.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi announced the Tel Afar offensive Sunday morning.

Hawija Pocket

Estimates place the remaining ISIS strength in Hawija and the surrounding 500 villages at around 1,000 terrorists. Hawija, just southwest of Kirkuk, is a persistent security liability for the semi-autonomous Kurdish enclave. ISIS fighters test Kurdish lines, with intermittent suicide attacks and gun battles in the southern outskirts of oil-rich Kirkuk. Compared with Tel Afar, Hawija is, therefore, a higher priority for the Kurds, but political issues complicate the way forward.

Like Tal Afar, Hawija is surrounded to the south by the Iraqi forces, and to the north by Kurdish forces. The landmark cooperation between the two for Mosul is now fraying due to the disputed territorial status of Kirkuk and over the impending Kurdish independence referendum, which Baghdad does not recognize.

While the Kurds say that there’s no coordination with the Popular Mobilization Forces — who take a threatening posture on Kirkuk and the referendum — Prime Minister Abadi said in May that all forces would participate in the eventual liberation. The Kurds desire to inherit long-term security, yet they would not want to take administrative responsibility for Hawija’s 98 percent Arab majority. It remains to be seen what the political payoff will be to the Kurds if they participate in the battle to take re-Hawija.

Anbar Province

Iraq’s largest and westernmost province has always proven one of the most difficult parts of Iraq to take, let alone secure — even during a full American occupation of the country. The ISIS-held areas of Anbar are contiguous with ISIS-held swaths of eastern Syria, allowing manpower and resources to be smuggled easily between the areas.

It is a challenge for officials to say precisely how many ISIS fighters remain in Anbar — or where they are distributed, with an estimated 4,000 militants remaining and 3,000 formerly-paid supporters across Iraq, many moving freely even in liberated areas like Mosul.

That is why Anbar will likely be the last area of Iraq that would come under control of federal security forces. Considering the geography, history of a festering insurgency, and overwhelming ISIS success, it is hard to imagine it ever being secure.

Once Tal Afar, Hawija and Anbar are won, ISIS will ostensibly have lost their last remaining foothold in Iraq — at least as a clearly-identifiable, organized force. For ISIS to survive, it will have to adapt and operate from hard-to-reach terrain and plant sleeper cells in urban areas.

Iraq’s insurgency has claimed around 1,000 to 2,000 lives monthly for the last four years. Mitigating the sectarian tensions in Iraq that gave rise to ISIS in the first place — and countering hidden cells and hotbeds of extremism across the country — is another battle that will continue long after ISIS no longer holds territory.

This article appeared originally in RealClear Defense and was reprinted with the permission of the author.

By:  Zach Huff
(ClarionProject.com)

Palestinian Terrorist Rasmieh Odeh to be Deported to Jordan; US Judge Signs Terms of Plea Agreement

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Palestinian terrorist Rasmieh Odeh is about to be deported to Jordan. U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain formalized terms of a plea agreement during a sentencing hearing in Detroit.

It was not immediately clear when Odeh, a Chicago-based Palestinian activist, will leave the United States, but there are not expected to be problems getting her to go to Jordan, where she remains a citizen. It is up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrange her departure.

Odeh was convicted of naturalization fraud in 2014, but an appeal led to a new trial date last May. She opted to plead guilty in March and agree to deportation in exchange for a promise of no jail time. She was fined $1,000.

Odeh became a national icon for anti-Israel forces throughout the United States and beyond, embraced both as a hero of Palestinian resistance and as a purported victim of an unjust, racist prosecution. According to Detroit Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo, U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain had to cut Odeh off repeatedly during the sentencing hearing when she used her time to address the court to attack Israel.

Her prosecution stems from her failure to disclose her terrorist past to U.S. immigration officials.

Odeh confessed to her role in a 1969 Jerusalem grocery store bombing that killed college students Leon Kanner and Edward Joffe. She claims the confession came only after she endured weeks of brutal torture. But there is nothing to corroborate that claim. In fact, the records that do exist indicate that she admitted her guilt the day after her arrest. Investigators searched her bedroom and found explosives similar to those used in the grocery store and in a separate attack on the British consulate.

Odeh lied to U.S. immigration officials when she applied for a visa in 1995, and again in 2004 when she applied to become a citizen by saying she had never been arrested, convicted or imprisoned. Had she truthfully disclosed her conviction for a 1969 terrorist bombing in Jerusalem, she never would have been allowed in to the United States, let alone naturalized.

Every prosecutor and immigration official involved in the case said so. A 2014 jury trial ended with a quick conviction, prompting an appeal, a new trial date and ultimately her guilty plea.

She claimed that her lies to immigration officials resulted from post-traumatic stress resulting from this unproven torture. But her guilty plea – that she signed – clearly indicates that claim is bogus. Her false statements were made “intentionally and not as a result of any mistake, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or any other psychological issue or condition…”

Days after a formalizing her plea in court through gritted teeth, Odeh again was telling supporters that the immigration charge was “phony,” and blamed “the racist nature of the justice system in this country” for giving her no choice but to plead guilty.

She failed to explain how such a racist justice system granted her a new trial that she chose not to have.

As Cornell University law professor William Jacobson detailed in our interview with him, every aspect of Odeh’s story falls apart upon the slightest scrutiny.

Yet, as our video series, “Spinning a Terrorist Into a Victim” shows, Odeh’s dedicated supporters accept every false claim and stand by her. Hating Israel is more important than determining what’s true or considering the morality of latching their cause to an unrepentant terrorist killer.

A couple dozen of them gathered outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Detroit Thursday, the same people who have stood by her since 2013, chanting the same slogans about community leaders being “under attack,” and saying that, after all the information has come to light, “Rasmieh is welcome here.”

Not legally.

Odeh now walks in the footsteps of other Palestinian terrorists who managed to hide in plain sight in the United States for years, aided by lies and the gullibility of Israel-haters to believe every horrible evil alleged against the Jewish state and swallow every lie from a Palestinian “advocate.”

Sami Al-Arian is hailed as a free speech advocate and a peaceful proponent of the Palestinian cause. In reality, he was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s leadership as it used Iranian money to kill Jews. A federal judge deemed him a “master manipulator.” He was deported to Turkey in early 2015.

The Dallas Morning News faced picket lines and faux websites because it dared to expose the network of Hamas supporters, including political leader Mousa Abu Marzook, in its community. When an arm of that network, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), was prosecuted for illegally routing $12 million to Hamas, well-meaning but ignorant protesters argued that “feeding widows and orphans is not a crime.”

It isn’t. But sending money to a designated terrorist group is, and the record shows that is what HLF did. Marzook, who created a network of Hamas-support organizations that included the HLF, a propaganda arm called the Islamic Association for Palestine and a think tank, was deported to Jordan 20 years ago and remains a senior Hamas official.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas share certain goals and values. To each, it is not a question of whether a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible. It never will be acceptable. What is acceptable is violence against civilians.

“The creation of a state of terror, instability and panic in the souls of the Zionists” is a goal spelled out in the Islamic Jihad’s internal bylaws, which federal investigators seized from Al-Arian. Hamas unveiled an updated charter this year with some more sanitized language, but it remains committed to never recognizing Israel’s right to exist, and demands “the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.” In other words, no peace while Israel exists. Meanwhile, it continues to prioritize building attack tunnels and gearing up for its next war with Israel over the economic and physical well-being of Palestinians in Gaza.

Rasmieh Odeh bombed that grocery store before either group was created. So America has lost a pioneer in Palestinian terrorism. Take note of who grieves for that loss more than the loss of life she caused. 

By: IPT News
(Investigative Project on Terrorism)

Jury Selected in Upcoming Trial of NJ Sen. Bob Menendez

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In Newark, NJ the 12 members of the jury have been selected to decide the fate of Democratic Senator Robert (Bob) Menendez in his corruption trial. Last Wednesday, attorneys selected a children’s librarian, a mail carrier and a utility worker among the racially mixed jury. The members of the jury, as well as four alternates, are half male and half female. The pool originally numbered seven hundred potential candidates when the questionnaires were mailed out two months ago.  

Opening statements for the trial will begin on September 6th, and the case is expected to be ongoing for about two months. Menendez and a wealthy campaign donor are charged with a bribery scheme involving gifts, vacations and donations in return for political favors. Menendez, 63, is the senior Senator from NJ, having served at the post since 2006. He is one of four Latinos in Senate. Previously he served as NJ member of House of Representatives, on the General Assembly, and before that as mayor of Union City. The donor, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, 62, is on trial with Menendez. Melgen has already been separately convicted on multiple counts of Medicare fraud and may face maximum penalties and a lengthy prison sentence this fall. The defendants both attended two days of jury selection.

As reported by VIN news, the indictment alleges that the Senator interceded to help Melgen in a Medicare dispute with the government involving Melgen’s Palm Beach ophthalmology business; to help Melgen get visas for three foreign girlfriends; and in a dispute over a port security contract Melgen sought in his home country, the Dominican Republic. According to prosecutors, Melgen gifted Menendez with trips on his private plane and lavish vacations to Paris and the Dominican Republic.

Menendez’s defense team has been adamant in arguing that the Senator was only fulfilling his legislative duties during his interception with the Office of Health and Human Services and government officials at the State Department. Further, they contend that his actions don’t fit the narrowed definition of “official acts”, which under a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year threw out the bribery conviction of former Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia.

By:  Ellen Cans

Orthodox Jews in Jackson Fear Outdated Law is Targeting Eruvs

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Orthodox Jewish residents of Jackson New Jersey believe the township is using a previously ignored outdated law to target “eruvs,” which are visible boundaries, usually constructed of wire strung along utility poles, that are used by Orthodox Jews to carry objects outside their home on the Sabbath and certain holidays. 

In early July, member of the Orthodox Jewish community asked the township for permission to create an eruv through the town. A few weeks after the request was submitted, several homeowners began receiving violation notices from the township for objects “encumbering” the public street or lawn between the sidewalk and street.

The majority of the notices were for basketball hoops and hockey nets, however, many members of the town’s Orthodox Jewish community are questioning whether notices are connected to their request to build an eruv due to the timing. 

The state director for Agudath Israel, a nonprofit Orthodox Jewish advocacy group, Avi Schnall said, “This just continues the pattern of Jackson ordinances that are popping up against the Orthodox community. This is a very, very obvious move. For decades, people have had basketball hoops in front of their houses and no one was ever bothered.”

He said, “The fact that they took this ordinance and decided to start enforcing it seems a little bit suspicious.”

Eruvs, which are commonly attached to utility poles using wire and PVC pipe, already exist in the Jewish neighborhoods of Lakewood, Long Branch, Deal, and the North Dover area of Toms River. 

On Tuesday night, August 22, California Avenue resident Mordechai Burnstein told Jackson Township Council members, “We’re not allowed to carry our keys. We’re not allowed to carry our children. We’re not allowed to push a stroller. It’s our religious belief. I know people on Facebook call it ‘magic wires,’ but it’s our belief.”

App.com reports, “But in the suburbs, the utility poles are on the “right of way,” the small patch of lawn between the sidewalk and street. Though homeowners are required to maintain the land, it’s technically public property. But in an interview, Mayor Michael Reina said the sudden uptick in enforcement — 355 violations were issued in July, he said — came after the hiring of three new code enforcement officers and nearly a year of various complaints from residents.”

Reina said, “This is not something that popped up because the eruv wires came in. I think there were more complaints for basketball hoops than eruv wires. Nobody is being specifically targeted but you’re breaking a law that is on the books … It’s always been there. It was a sleeping giant.”

The laws governing the right of way are under the control of the Township Council, not the mayor, Reina added. Religious leader are encouraged by the mayor to ask the council to alter the laws. 

On Tuesday, township officials said that the right of way ordinance was in the process of being updated, because it was too general and referenced a “township committee,” which was the town’s legislative body under its defunct form of government. 

By Rachel Shapiro

Has the Heat of Worldwide Anti-Semitism Become Too Hot for the Jewish People?

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White supremacist protesters carry Nazi and Confederate flags in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12. Credit: Anthony Crider via Wikimedia Commons.

The stinging heat of anti-Semitism is being felt, yet again, around the world. Whether you live in Miami, Rome or Santiago, the goose bumps we all got when we heard the chants of the white supremacists in Charlottesville—“Jews will not replace us”—are the same.  

The lump in my throat when I learned that the pedestrians who were mowed down in Barcelona Aug. 17 were standing outside two kosher restaurants is the same feeling felt by Jews in Brussels, Sydney and Toronto. These feelings remind me of Robert De Niro’s character in the 1995 movie, “Heat.” De Niro’s character famously says that you have to be ready to drop everything and go, in 30 seconds, if you feel the heat coming around the corner. With the heat index of anti-Semitism on the rise, we must ask: Is it time for Jews to drop everything and move to the Jewish homeland, Israel? 

In 2015, then-Vice President Joe Biden said the only country in the world that can guarantee the safety of the Jewish people is Israel. Biden received a lot of criticism for that comment. American Jews felt slighted and concerned. Yet I believe he was absolutely correct. As Biden said, “No matter how hospitable, no matter how consequential, no matter how engaged, no matter how deeply involved you are in the United States…there’s only one guarantee. There is really only one absolute guarantee, and that’s the state of Israel.”  

A clear look at today’s political landscape shows the resurgence of anti-Semitism on both sides of the political spectrum. On one side, there is the “progressive” movement’s aggressive and anti-Semitic support of boycotts of Israel, often revealing that anti-Zionism is a thin veil for classic anti-Semitism. On the other side, we saw that the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville was filled with Nazis and white supremacists. None of this is new.

At the same time, another source of “heat” is the cheapening of Jewish life in mainstream society. This may seem like a bold, inflammatory statement—but it doesn’t make it any less true.  For instance, in January 2017, a group of people were patiently standing on a pedestrian promenade. A truck came barreling down the street, veered intentionally up the sidewalk and ran right over the group, killing four and injuring 15. 

The driver was then shot as he was reversing the truck to try to extend the carnage. Since this terrorist attack took place in Jerusalem, the BBC covered the story with a headline that read, “Driver of lorry shot in Jerusalem after allegedly ramming pedestrians, injuring at least 15, Israeli media report.” This is not just one news outlet. This is not just one incident. This is the new trend. Is the value of Jewish life beginning to diminish—again?

This brings us back to the initial question: Has the proverbial heat of anti-Semitism reached a level dictating that Jews should pack their bags and move to Israel, where all Jews are welcome and where there is a strong military focused entirely on defending the Jewish people?  

As a patriotic American citizen and as the mayor of an amazing municipality, I believe that the answer for Jews in the U.S. is “no.” America is still a very safe country, where the government—at every level—protects the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, including Jews. I know that in my municipality of Bal Harbour, and throughout the U.S., the Jewish community feels safe and is thriving. In fact, the Jewish people have never lived a safer and freer existence—outside of Israel—than we have in the U.S. during the last century. 

Despite this reality, and given the lessons of history, it is imperative for Jews to always ask the question: Am I still safe here? Jews around the world cannot be blind to the reality surrounding us. We cannot ignore the rising heat levels of the past several years. We must keep our eyes wide open, even if we live in what seems to be a paradise. The rise of anti-Semitism must be fought without hesitation and without equivocation—whether it comes from the left or the right. Anti-Semitism should not only be challenged when it is politically convenient. We must never again allow anti-Semitism or any form of racism to become tolerable in our society. 

By:   Gabriel Groisman
(JNS.org)

Gabriel Groisman is the mayor of Bal Harbour, Fla. Follow him on Twitter: @gabegroisman.

Inside the Labyrinth of Global Intrigue – Shalva Hessel, Author of “Married to the Mossad” Speaks Out  

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Married to the Mossad is available for sale at Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) or through Shalva Hesselu2019s web site at: marriedtothemossad.com. The book can also be purchased at your local book retailer.
Shalva Hessel recalls the early days of her relationship with her husband. She says of him: He was based in London and was an academic; studying at the London School of Economics. We began to write letters to one another and I met up with him in London in 1979. Admitting that theirs was a whirlwind courtship, Shalva says, “After spending ten days together we decided to get married.”
With her platinum blond hair and fair skin, there is no doubt that Shalva could be a dead ringer for a Nordic type or any non-Jewish caucasian for that matter as well as easily fitting in any culture. And that is exactly what she did.
“Married to the Mossad” has been out in Hebrew for many years and is a number one bestseller amongst Israelis and other Hebrew readers
Shalva’s husband during the time that the couple spent in London
Shalva Hessel as a young bride

As we know, the trajectory of the average person’s life is often replete  with unusual twists and turns, but for Shalva Hessel, the author of “Married to the Mossad” (the new thriller based on her true life experiences) life’s circumstances not only saw her not only immersed in an undercover operation in a hostile country but leading the kind of double life that only a veteran Hollywood script writer could conjure up.     

As the old adage goes, “life is more bizarre than fiction” and so it was for the young woman who had grown up on a moshav in central Israel and who later studied software engineering while in college.

“My father was the largest etrog dealer in Israel and my family was religious. I thought I would have a fairly ordinary life when I was growing up,” she recalled with a sense of irony. So, how did a nice Jewish girl end up marrying a Mossad agent whilst willingly taking on dangerous assignments for the security of her people and her homeland?

“I was studying computer science at the Technion Institute in Haifa and met the man that I was to marry through a friend, “ says Shalva with a wistful tone in her voice. “He was based in London and was an academic; studying at the London School of Economics. We began to write letters to one another and I met up with him in London in 1979. Admitting that theirs was a whirlwind courtship, Shalva says, “After spending ten days together we decided to get married.”

As Shalva settled down to what she had thought would be a fairly sedate married life in London, she was under the impression that her husband was employed as a low level official at the Israeli embassy, or at least that is what he told her. When she saw that he was disappearing at all hours of the night and was keeping a frenetic schedule her suspicions were naturally aroused. “It was then that I confronted my husband and insisted that he tell me the truth concerning his whereabouts in the wee hours of the morning.  After intensive negotiations with his handlers, he finally revealed to me that he was engaged in assignments for the Mossad,” she said.

After dealing with the initial shock of such a life altering admission, Shalva was informed by her husband that he had been offered an assignment in a hostile country and that she was to stay back in London until he returned. As a woman possessed with a fearless and intrepid nature, Shalva expressed her enthusiasm at the prospect of joining her husband and his work. “Initially, my husband strenuously objected to my eagerness to join him, but when he saw that I was not backing down from my position, he reluctantly agreed as it became clear to him that it was a fait accompli. It was then that I began to receive rigorous training, both mental and physical as a Mossad agent.”  

With her platinum blond hair and fair skin, there is no doubt that Shalva could be a dead ringer for a Nordic type or any non-Jewish caucasian for that matter as well as easily fitting in any culture.  And that is exactly what she did.

Shalva gave birth to two sons while undercover for the Mossad and was ferried out of he hostile country in which she lived at the time in order to give birth. “My husband and I were very successful in our missions as we lived a double life.” As for her concern for her children, Shalva says, “My sons became accustomed to us leading a false life as we went undercover, but the consequences for them actually helped them develop competing identities.” She said that her sons became acclimated to ever y society, every culture and every religion. Yet, she admits that her sons “never  felt at home anywhere.”  Because of the very strong Jewish identity that Shalva had instilled in her sons, they gained a clear comprehension that their future would be one of service to their people and their G-d.       

“When I look back in retrospect at what I have accomplished in my life; going undercover with the Mossad and placing my life in peril on a regular basis during dangerous and stressful situations, I came to the conclusion that I have the innate ability to improvise.  I am very tough and life has taught me that I can do this kind of work,” says Shalva.

Shalva attributes her stoic demeanor and inherent resilience to the education she received while growing up. “My parents instilled in me an unwavering faith in G-d. I have always believed that if you commit yourself to  cause that is larger than yourself, then G-d will help you every step of the way, and during the course of my life I have seen that come to fruition. If whatever you do is for the betterment of humanity, then you will be a success,” she said.

Adding that she inculcated this philosophy in to her sons, she recalls, “When my boys were young  I taught them that we have to learn to live with fear but they must be the boss of their own fear and they must control their own fear. As a result, my sons learned not to be selfish and to give of themselves.”    

Being a woman in a male dominated profession  such as espionage also carries its own distinct sets of responsibilities. “When I joined the Mossad, they had mulled over the possibility of expanding their cadre of women. I kind of broke the mold in the sense that subsequent to my involvement in the Mossad, there were many women whose curiosity was piqued about the Mossad and my involvement gave them encouragement to join as well.” 

Putting pen to paper and revealing the nuances of her clandestine work was no easy task for Shalva as her handlers in the hierarchy of the Mossad had voiced their staunch opposition to placing their reconnaissance  work under the public microscope.

“My book took a very long time to be published as I needed the approval of the Mossad. We kept going back and forth with them as they censored many sections of the book as well as certain topics pertaining to authentic investigations,” said Shalva.

She adds: “In my book, I am placed in the center of an international investigation of a cruel and dangerous group. All the components of an exciting thriller are here but they are all true. Money, death, tricks and love. The case was not connected to the Mossad but the Mossad was blamed. I felt that I needed to save this family from these reprehensible people. I must admit that this experience really changed my life.”

As a result, she says, “suddenly a lot of people from all walks of life began reaching out to me for help. My network of international contacts were expanding with each passing day and I began to earn a reputation as a dedicated and thorough investigator who produced results; especially in difficult to resolve cases. I have come to learn that the police are limited in some respects as to what they can do to in the realm of exacting justice.”

Today, Shalva operates her own private investigation company and is a speaker that is very much in demand on the lecture circuit. “I travel around the world to speak not only about my multifarious adventures with the Mossad but the investigative work that I currently do. I must admit, however, that my motivation is based on helping people in need.  I only take on cases that I really care about. In life, it is what we care about and what we sacrifice for that helps to define our characters. Living for others and contributing to the significant enhancement of the human experience is the greatest gift we could bestow to our families and communities,” she says.

Married to the Mossad is available for sale at Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) or through Shalva Hessel’s web site at: marriedtothemossad.com. The book can also be purchased at your local book retailer.     

By: Fern Sidman

Southampton Chabad’s Lavish Dinner Wows the Hamptons 

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Singer Alex Clare (Credit for all photos: Lieba Nesis)
Esther Caplin and Rabbi Konikov
Left to right: Chany Konikov, Wendy and Adam Modlin and Rabbi Konikov (Credit for all photos: Lieba Nesis)
Dr. Julie Ratner, Joan Macri, Jean Shafiroff, Rabbi Konikov and Paul Stanley
Writer and photographer Lieba Nesis (left) with Jean Shafiroff
Left to right: Larry Zakarin, David Puritz and David Mitchell
Dr. Kenneth Mark and Stuart Edelson
Dinner goers congregate in the tent at the Southampton Chabad annual dinner
Paul Stanley, Representative Lee Zeldin and Steve Carl
Chaya and Chaim Pape, with Joseph Feldman
Left to right: Ron and Janie Kupferman with Richard and Amy Miller
Jewish Voice society, fashion & entertainment reporter Lieba Nesis files a live report from the Southampton Chabad 16th Annual Dinner

The Southampton Chabad held its sixteenth annual dinner at The Hamptons Designer Showhouse on 195 Magee Street with cocktails beginning at 5:30 PM.  This event is the major fundraising event of the year for the only synagogue that brings Judaism to Southampton along with a warmth and merriment that is contagious. Rabbi Rafe and Chany Konikov are an incredibly dynamic couple who lead the community with a nonjudgmental guidance. Tonight illustrious businessmen Howard Lorber and Richard Miller came to pay tribute to their friends-the Konikovs. 

Lorber, a real estate legend and great friend of Donald Trump, is a staunch supporter of the rabbi and says he has only missed the dinner once in the past 16 years. The busy Lorber, who heads Douglas Elliman, attends services nearly every Friday night and enthusiastically assists the Rabbi in every way possible. I enjoy spending my Friday nights discussing current events and what’s going on in the Hampton’s with the Konikov’s. Rabbi Rafe, 48, who was ordained in 1992 and worked for the Chabads in La Jolla, Orlando, Venice and Austin settled in Southampton in 1994 with the help of founder Jacqui Ekstein. In 1999 they purchased the nine bedroom cottage on 214 Hill Street, where the shul currently resides, for $432,500. 

After recently paying off the mortgage with the help of donors such as Chetrit and Wilzig the shul has embarked on an ambitious program of weekly Torah classes, an inspirational youth group and a Jewish Film Festival. Additionally, Chany Konikov, the Rabbi’s magnificent wife, runs the only Jewish Day Camp in the Hampton’s, Camp Gan, which has served children from ages 2-14 for the past 11 years. It is hard to explain how Chany is able to raise 8 beautiful children, run a day camp and cook the Friday night meals with little help from the outside-it must be G-d’s guidance. The Rabbi is similarly extremely busy and has been planning this dinner for months along with the help of chairpersons Larry and Amy Zakarin and Irwin and Daryl Simon. 

This year’s honorees were Daniele and Steven Bleier who have been with the community for ten years. Steven, a successful partner and portfolio manager at Brigade Capital Management, resides in Englewood with his wife and five children during the winter months. Steven spoke about how it was beshert to meet his wife, start his business and daven at Southampton Chabad and how grateful he was. A live auction was then held where many of Bleier’s friends walked away with dinner at Rao’s, tickets to the Golf US Open and a trip to Cabo San Lucas for bargain basement prices. The Rabbi even mentioned that Rao’s would cook a glatt kosher meal upon request. 

Speaking of kosher food, a phenomenal dinner of short ribs and polenta was served while guests enjoyed entertainment from hilarious comedian Juston McKinney and superstar singer Alex Clare who has sold more than $3 million albums. The Rabbi also presented an award to Michael Milken who was in Washington working on building four new museums. Milken is a dynamo who has singlehandedly changed the face of prostate cancer through his tireless efforts. We also learned this evening that he is a devoted Jew starting a Hebrew School in California and working for numerous Jewish organizations including UJA. At the conclusion of the evening, after a delicious dessert table, guests headed home with a $120 Steve Madden bag. While most dinners in the Hampton’s start at $1,000 this $360 night containing plentiful food, top rate entertainment and illustrious guests is one of the best kept secrets in the South Fork. 

By: Lieba Nesis

Israeli Entrepreneur Retains the Allure of Versailles On the Shores of Long Island

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The sitting room at the Versailles mansion
The beautiful estate welcomes you with a Versailles replica wrought-iron front door, providing a preview of the interior’s elaborate style.
The materials used to build the home are usually imported from overseas and are custom made. Not to mention the intricate detail that accompanies building such a home does not come cheap.

The influence of Versailles continues to make its mark today. The royal château built by King Louis XIV in 17th century France has come to represent the height of success and prosperity. This is no coincidence either. The 2,300-room, approximately 750,000 square foot Palace was originally built to display King Louis’ power and France’s magnificence. Today, many homebuilders are replicating the Palace’s style, proving just how influential Versailles’ charm is. In this article, we profile Raphael Yakoby’s 23,000 square foot Versailles-inspired mansion located in Old Brookville, Long Island.

Raphael Yakoby, an entrepreneur best known for starting liquor brands Hpnotiq and Nuvo, spent 4 years building his 120-room Long Island estate. A 1,000-foot driveway, lined with pear saplings, lays the road approaching the intricately designed limestone mansion. The exterior is chiseled with elaborate carvings, including Mr. Yakoby’s initials “RY” carved in between two cherubs. The beautiful estate welcomes you with a Versailles replica wrought-iron front door, providing a preview of the interior’s elaborate style. The home features a foyer decked with Italian marble floors, a staircase finished with cast-iron and gold railings, and a prominently placed gold crystal Baccarat chandelier. Moreover, the home has two ballrooms, replicated after the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s French rooms, finished with custom plaster moldings and a 19th century marble fireplace. Other features of the home include a movie theater, 20-foot bar, wine cellar and tasting room, billiard room and fitness center. Mr. Yakoby plans to move into the tremendous estate after its completion within a month although he has also flirted with the idea of selling it. The home is currently on the market for about $100 million, a price close to the cost of building it. 

Versailles-inspired homes have their audience but do come with their challenges. The cost of building such homes is usually very expensive. Not so much for the sheer fact that the homes are usually large, but there is a lot of specialty work involved in recreating a 17th century style home to conform to modern requirements. Setting up electrical lighting, HVAC systems and other technological equipment, as well as abiding by all of the proper permitting and regulatory standards, is a challenge. To do all this while up keeping the classical feel requires a skilled homebuilder. 

Further, the materials used to build the home are usually imported from overseas and are custom made. Not to mention the intricate detail that accompanies building such a home does not come cheap. Moreover, these homes are usually not easy to re sell. People tend to have a strong opinion on them one way or another. Many homebuyers prefer contemporary styles and are not used to the classical, European feel a Versailles-inspired home would bring. However, the style is so timeless, it’s tough to see its impact ever fade. According to Realtor.com, Versailles’ impact is extensive as there are approximately 23 homes on the market with Versailles in their descriptions. However, homes that cited Versailles in their descriptions also spent on average 122 days on the market versus the national median of 62 days. 

Interestingly enough, the Versailles theme not only has its influence on houses but on condos as well. The most notable Versailles-inspired condo belongs to Jean Pierre, a commercial real estate investor. He purchased his Versailles penthouse condo in Las Vegas last year for $2.8 million after it did not sell for its original asking price of $4.8 million. The unit features 30-foot ceilings, gold leaf finished cabinets, a spiral marble staircase and a gold chandelier. Mr. Pierre finished the unit by building out fireplaces and decorating it with Versailles-style replicas. He was so enamored with the unit that he purchased it without ever stepping foot into it. 

Versailles-inspired homes will continue to have their mark. There will always be a market for its everlasting elegance and classical beauty. Mr. Yakoby’s home is an impressive feat and its sheer grandeur truly is a marvel to look at it. 

By: Dylan Margolin

GSA Picks MetTel for $50B Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Government Transformation Initiative

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The US General Services Administration (GSA) recently selected MetTel (Manhattan Telecommunications Corp.), a leading communications solution provider with advanced software-defined networking (SDN) skills and technologies, as a winner under the $50 billion, 15-year telecommunications infrastructure contract known as GSA Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS).  

The GSA for the first time included non-traditional communications companies such as systems integrators and communications companies classified as businesses with under 500 employees in its selection pool.

EIS is a comprehensive, solutions-based contract addressing all aspects of federal information technology, telecommunications, and infrastructure requirements. Federal agencies can realize the benefits of the contract through task orders for specific projects or needs that represent incremental steps in the government’s digital transformation. These building blocks enable the US Government to leverage innovative, easy to use technologies designed to improve agency productivity and cost-efficiency.

EIS replaces the existing 10-year Networx contract. Federal agencies currently spend approximately $2 billion per year on network infrastructure, according to the GSA.

“MetTel is on a mission to help the Federal Government complete its digital transformation,” said MetTel CEO Marshall Aronow. “Building on our service to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), MetTel looks forward to providing advanced solutions such as our EIS Portal, SD-WAN, cloud and IoT services, big data analytics and hyper connectivity. MetTel’s solutions will leverage our consulting and integration expertise and award-winning customer service to fulfill the unique communications needs of the Federal Government.”

Previous GSA awards focused exclusively on the largest, traditional telephone carriers. For EIS, the GSA opened bidding to all players, including systems integrators with specialized networking capabilities and small businesses. MetTel became the first non-traditional winner with its advanced solutions, skills and expertise. While MetTel supports its own facilities-based, global network covering 165 countries, it is best known for its unique ability to access the services of the four largest US carriers and aggregate them into one converged network that offers the strongest connectivity in any region, regardless of the locally dominant carrier. With this carrier integration capability, MetTel provides more coverage than any other single network provider. 

“We’re a new breed of hybrid carrier and solution provider, using software and advanced networking to access and amplify resources beyond the ability of traditional carriers and network equipment makers,” said Aronow.

Since 2011, the company has provided network and telecom expense management (TEM) management and big data analytics/business intelligence solutions, automating processes that allow agency personnel to focus on their core mission of supporting America’s agricultural goals.  In addition to serving the Federal Government, MetTel also provides solutions to many large commercial enterprises, including Fortune 500 members, a growing portion of its 10,000 customers.

MetTel is digitally bonded with more than 650 global, national and regional carriers, enabling the delivery of real-time provisioning, utilization, and billing data to customers. This automation reduces the time and cost of aggregating carrier data manually. Customers benefit from greater accuracy, speed of service delivery and costs associated with obtaining, reviewing, analyzing, and processing network infrastructure data.

In addition to its expansive portfolio of products and services, the company will provide a powerful tool, the MetTel EIS Portal. The portal enables customers to manage ordering, help desk, trouble tickets, SLA credits, billing, inventory, services, and reporting from one simple, user-friendly interface available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The MetTel EIS Portal is purpose-built to FISMA moderate requirements from MetTel’s core customer portal that was awarded 2016 Internet Telephony Product of the Year.* The MetTel EIS Portal also distinguishes itself from others with its data analytics, enabling federal agencies to obtain detailed insight and business intelligence regarding their telecommunication configurations and budget management.

MetTel has assisted thousands of companies as well as federal agencies such as the USDA, Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy and Department of the Interior to digitize their infrastructure with advanced technology, skills and market-leading customer care. MetTel’s E-bonding enables automated transition of phone lines at the rate of thousands per day. Federal Agencies will be able to monitor conversion progress through the MetTel EIS Portal.  

MetTel’s market leading customer service has been recognized with a Stevie Award for Customer Service Department of the Year — Telecommunications for the past three years, due largely to MetTel’s proactive approach to predicting the probability of network strains and addressing them before they become major outages. 

Elon Musk & Other CEOS Call for Ban on Use of Killer Robots

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CEOs and researchers from 29 countries have joined forces to urge the United Nations to ban the use of killer robots, robot arms race and robotic weapons. Billionaire Elon Musk is among 116 founders who are acting with concern. The 46-year-old is a business investor, engineer and inventor well known as CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, and Neuralink. He called the artificial intelligence (AI) technology an “existential danger” and said its development was “summoning Satan himself.” He has united with other leaders in robotics & AI companies in signing an open letter warning that such weapons may bring “the third revolution in the war” (after gunpowder and atomic weapons). The letter was released by Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, during the opening of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne. The conference is known as the world’s foremost assembly for top experts in robotics and AI.

As reported by Jewish Business News, the letter cations against the inception of new war technology. “As companies operating in the field and can be responsible for the development of autonomous weapons, we feel obliged to warn,” it reads. “Once autonomous weapons are developed, armed conflict can be conducted on a larger scale than ever, which can be captured. These can be weapons of terror that can hurt innocent populations, and weapons that are sensitive to hacker attacks and use of unwanted methods.”

“This is not a hypothetical scenario, but a very real, very pressing concern which needs immediate action,” said signatory Ryan Gariepy, founder of Clearpath Robotics, at a press release. “We should not lose sight of the fact that, unlike other potential manifestations of AI which still remain in the realm of science fiction, autonomous weapons systems are on the cusp of development right now and have a very real potential to cause significant harm to innocent people along with global instability.” Previously, Canada’s Clearpath Robotics was the only company to formally appeal for a ban on lethal autonomous weapons. This is the first time companies have banded together to press the issue.

The United States, Russia, China, and Israel are currently developing lethal autonomous weapons. These are operating at various levels in defensive and offensive systems, primarily unmanned aerial vehicles are used as decision-making aids for commanders. The use of autonomous weapons raises moral questions. The weapons remove a human controller from the equation, giving machines liberty to make moral decisions such as what is a target and how to respond. Combat and violence become simpler, potentially creating mass destruction.

By:  Hadassa Kalatizadeh