Friday, August 30, 2019
Rock Thrown At Hasidic Man In Brooklyn For 2nd Time This Week
For the second time this week, someone threw a rock at a Hasidic man in Brooklyn.
The attack happened Thursday evening at about 5:00 p.m. in Crown Heights, at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Park Place.
A 34-year-old Hasidic man driving a pick up was stopped at a red light, when a teenager threw a rock at him through his window.
Police say he had a cut on his head.
He was treated by EMS at the scene.
The suspect was described as a male teenager.
There have been no arrests announced in this case yet, or in the previous attack that happened Tuesday a mile away at Lincoln Terrace Park.
There, a 63-year-old rabbi was beaten with a paving stone, suffering a broken nose and two broken teeth.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating both attacks.
Both are part of a jump in hate crimes in the city this year.
Through May, the NYPD reported a 64 percent increase, with 60 percent of those hate crimes coming against Jewish people.
https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/news/rock-thrown-hasidic-man-2nd-time-week
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The attack happened Thursday evening at about 5:00 p.m. in Crown Heights, at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Park Place.
A 34-year-old Hasidic man driving a pick up was stopped at a red light, when a teenager threw a rock at him through his window.
Police say he had a cut on his head.
He was treated by EMS at the scene.
The suspect was described as a male teenager.
There have been no arrests announced in this case yet, or in the previous attack that happened Tuesday a mile away at Lincoln Terrace Park.
There, a 63-year-old rabbi was beaten with a paving stone, suffering a broken nose and two broken teeth.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating both attacks.
Both are part of a jump in hate crimes in the city this year.
Through May, the NYPD reported a 64 percent increase, with 60 percent of those hate crimes coming against Jewish people.
https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/news/rock-thrown-hasidic-man-2nd-time-week
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Thursday, August 29, 2019
De Blasio Fails to Gain Support from Allies in Brooklyn Jewish Community
Reports said leaders of Satmar, an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, recruited just 670 contributors, a number far short of their 10,000 goal.
"The Satmar leaders asked for donations as small as a dollar to help de Blasio meet the 130,000-donor threshold for the September debate by the Aug. 28 deadline. Their pitch brought in just $868," according to the New York Post.
Former New York City Councilman David Greenfield who currently leads the Met Council on Jewish poverty, said the mayor's relationship with the Hasidic community is decades old.
"He literally brokered the détente between Hillary's campaign and the Hasidic community and that was before he ran for City Council," Greenfield said. "So he has a deep relationship with this community and he certainly has a lot of friends and there's a general sentiment that, 'The guy's a friend and if he's only asking for a dollar why not be helpful?'"
However, reports said on Wednesday night de Blasio failed to qualify for the Democrat debate planned for the second week of September.
"Facing a midnight deadline to show both the fundraising and polling needed to reach the fall debates, de Blasio had reportedly failed to hit either mark," according to CBS New York.
The report continued:
New York City's mayor is among 11 other candidates who reportedly couldn't gather 130,000 unique donors (with 400 each in at least 20 states) and to hit two percent in four national polls. Recently, de Blasio and Gillibrand had both seen their polling numbers around zero percent.
Breitbart News reported Wednesday that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) had dropped out of the race after she failed to qualify for the upcoming debate.
"The field is cut in half overnight, basically," said Democrat fundraiser, David Brock. "That's clarifying. It's important to get all the major candidates on stage together. But on the other hand, there's a lot of chatter about the candidates who got boxed out, they would say unfairly. I think it's really tough if you're not in the debate to have any hope."
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Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Cuomo calls for state cops to investigate attack on Brooklyn rabbi
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday called for a State Police investigation into a possible hate crime in which an unhinged man beat a rabbi with a rock in a Brooklyn park a day earlier.
“I am sickened to learn of the vicious attack on a Hasidic Jewish man in Lincoln Terrace Park in Brooklyn,” Cuomo said. “This incident is unfortunately just the latest in a string of horrific anti-Semitic attacks happening across the state and the country — part of the cancer of division and hate that has been injected into the body politic of this nation.”
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community — and any community targeted by such vile acts,” Cuomo said. “And no matter what happens we will always stay true to our values of dignity and respect for every New Yorker.”
The 64-year-old victim, Rabbi Avraham Gopin, was taking his usual stroll through the park Tuesday when a man threw a stone toward him just around 7:40 a.m, cops said. The man then punched Gopin and hit him in the face with a paving stone, which knocked out some of his teeth.
Gopin was wearing a yarmulke and the NYPD announced it was investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, officials said.
Video of the alleged attacker was released Wednesday.
The city didn’t immediately respond when asked about the State Police investigation.
https://nypost.com/2019/08/28/cuomo-calls-for-state-cops-to-investigate-attack-on-brooklyn-rabbi/
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“I am sickened to learn of the vicious attack on a Hasidic Jewish man in Lincoln Terrace Park in Brooklyn,” Cuomo said. “This incident is unfortunately just the latest in a string of horrific anti-Semitic attacks happening across the state and the country — part of the cancer of division and hate that has been injected into the body politic of this nation.”
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community — and any community targeted by such vile acts,” Cuomo said. “And no matter what happens we will always stay true to our values of dignity and respect for every New Yorker.”
The 64-year-old victim, Rabbi Avraham Gopin, was taking his usual stroll through the park Tuesday when a man threw a stone toward him just around 7:40 a.m, cops said. The man then punched Gopin and hit him in the face with a paving stone, which knocked out some of his teeth.
Gopin was wearing a yarmulke and the NYPD announced it was investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, officials said.
Video of the alleged attacker was released Wednesday.
The city didn’t immediately respond when asked about the State Police investigation.
https://nypost.com/2019/08/28/cuomo-calls-for-state-cops-to-investigate-attack-on-brooklyn-rabbi/
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Tuesday, August 27, 2019
LONG-AWAITED AFFORDABLE SENIORS HOUSING OPENS
After a number of setbacks, B’nai Brith says that its second affordable apartment building for autonomous seniors in Montreal will be fully operational this fall.
The close to $28-million Château B’nai Brith at 7171 Côte-St-Luc Rd., which broke ground in late 2016, is about three-quarters occupied, said Ted Greenfield, the chair of the project.
He is confident that the 129-unit building will be full by the end of the year. In compliance with government criteria, at least half, and possibly all, of the units will be subsidized, and are available to people over 65 whose income and assets are below an established threshold.
Even the unsubsidized units have rents somewhat below what is considered market value and applicants have to meet guidelines set by the province.
Discussion about the project began soon after the first residence, the 95-unit B’nai Brith House, which is also on Côte-St-Luc Road, opened 13 years ago.
B’nai Brith believed there was a serious need for kosher housing for low- to moderate-income seniors who can live independently.
In 2016, B’nai Brith launched a campaign to raise the $3 million it is required to contribute to the project. The Quebec government has kicked in the largest proportion of the cost, with the province and federal governments providing mortgage guarantees for the remainder.
When construction of the seven-storey building began, it was expected to be complete by July 2018. That was then extended into the fall and construction issues later pushed it into 2019.
About 30 residents did move in last October because they had sold their homes or ended their leases by that time. Since February, others have been moving in.
At one point, there were about 450 people on a waiting list for consideration, said Greenfield, but they either were not eligible or made other plans due to the uncertainty over the opening date.
https://www.cjnews.com/news/canada/long-awaited-affordable-seniors-housing-opens
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The close to $28-million Château B’nai Brith at 7171 Côte-St-Luc Rd., which broke ground in late 2016, is about three-quarters occupied, said Ted Greenfield, the chair of the project.
He is confident that the 129-unit building will be full by the end of the year. In compliance with government criteria, at least half, and possibly all, of the units will be subsidized, and are available to people over 65 whose income and assets are below an established threshold.
Even the unsubsidized units have rents somewhat below what is considered market value and applicants have to meet guidelines set by the province.
Discussion about the project began soon after the first residence, the 95-unit B’nai Brith House, which is also on Côte-St-Luc Road, opened 13 years ago.
B’nai Brith believed there was a serious need for kosher housing for low- to moderate-income seniors who can live independently.
In 2016, B’nai Brith launched a campaign to raise the $3 million it is required to contribute to the project. The Quebec government has kicked in the largest proportion of the cost, with the province and federal governments providing mortgage guarantees for the remainder.
When construction of the seven-storey building began, it was expected to be complete by July 2018. That was then extended into the fall and construction issues later pushed it into 2019.
About 30 residents did move in last October because they had sold their homes or ended their leases by that time. Since February, others have been moving in.
At one point, there were about 450 people on a waiting list for consideration, said Greenfield, but they either were not eligible or made other plans due to the uncertainty over the opening date.
https://www.cjnews.com/news/canada/long-awaited-affordable-seniors-housing-opens
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Monday, August 26, 2019
Hungary’s Orban hopes a rabbi can save his country’s controversial new Holocaust museum
The carcass of a dead pigeon lay rotting inside a sculptural Star of David tunnel at Hungary’s new Holocaust museum. Spiders had colonized the stairwells of the empty complex.
Construction of the $23 million museum, known as the House of Fates, was completed three years ago. But controversy has stalled its opening.
Initially, a Hungarian official spoke of a museum that would highlight the “story of love between Hungarian Jews and non-Jews. A love that has survived everything. As a result of which, there is still a large Hungarian Jewish community living in this country.”
The premise was decried as Holocaust revisionism by historians and museum professionals worldwide.
And so, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on Slomo Koves, a rabbi affiliated with the Hasidic Chabad movement, to direct and reimagine the project.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/hungarys-orban-has-asked-a-rabbi-to-take-over-a-stalled-holocaust-museum-many-jews-still-fear-a-whitewash/2019/08/25/9f9d0e1a-b78e-11e9-8e83-4e6687e99814_story.html?noredirect=on
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Construction of the $23 million museum, known as the House of Fates, was completed three years ago. But controversy has stalled its opening.
Initially, a Hungarian official spoke of a museum that would highlight the “story of love between Hungarian Jews and non-Jews. A love that has survived everything. As a result of which, there is still a large Hungarian Jewish community living in this country.”
The premise was decried as Holocaust revisionism by historians and museum professionals worldwide.
And so, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on Slomo Koves, a rabbi affiliated with the Hasidic Chabad movement, to direct and reimagine the project.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/hungarys-orban-has-asked-a-rabbi-to-take-over-a-stalled-holocaust-museum-many-jews-still-fear-a-whitewash/2019/08/25/9f9d0e1a-b78e-11e9-8e83-4e6687e99814_story.html?noredirect=on
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Sunday, August 25, 2019
Yeshiva grads square off in Rockland over the need for state education oversight
Former yeshiva students split Friday on the key topic of a press conference: Whether to support state Education Department efforts to enforce state law requiring private school instruction to be substantially equivalent to what public schools teach.
In May, SED proposed regulations for carrying out longstanding law that mandates all schools provide basic core education in secular subjects like math, science, English and history. The state is seeking public comments through Sept. 2.
Naftuli Moster of New City, whose organization Young Advocates for Fair Education has aggressively advocated for oversight of Hasidic yeshivas, defended the proposed regulations. He said there is often limited secular education in ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, especially for Hasidic boys.
"The consequences are acutely felt especially in Rockland," said Moster, who said he struggled for years after his yeshiva education left him unprepared for a decent job or college.
As Moster and others spoke, frequent rebuttal could be heard from the audience outside the Rockland County Courthouse. "Shame, shame, shame, " Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder said at one point.
"This is the biggest hoax perpetrated on the people of New York state," said Wieder, who has fought against regulatory changes for private schools, including on social media, where he often posts videos about successful Hasidim.
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2019/08/23/yeshiva-grads-square-off-rockland-over-need-state-oversight-education-elia-regents/2078317001/
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In May, SED proposed regulations for carrying out longstanding law that mandates all schools provide basic core education in secular subjects like math, science, English and history. The state is seeking public comments through Sept. 2.
Naftuli Moster of New City, whose organization Young Advocates for Fair Education has aggressively advocated for oversight of Hasidic yeshivas, defended the proposed regulations. He said there is often limited secular education in ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, especially for Hasidic boys.
"The consequences are acutely felt especially in Rockland," said Moster, who said he struggled for years after his yeshiva education left him unprepared for a decent job or college.
As Moster and others spoke, frequent rebuttal could be heard from the audience outside the Rockland County Courthouse. "Shame, shame, shame, " Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder said at one point.
"This is the biggest hoax perpetrated on the people of New York state," said Wieder, who has fought against regulatory changes for private schools, including on social media, where he often posts videos about successful Hasidim.
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2019/08/23/yeshiva-grads-square-off-rockland-over-need-state-oversight-education-elia-regents/2078317001/
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Saturday, August 24, 2019
Jewish Hospital plans to continue heart transplant program
Jewish Hospital has cancelled its plan to suspend a decades-old heart transplant program.
KentuckyOne Health and the University of Louisville announced Friday afternoon they are working together to maintain the heart transplant program at Jewish Hospital.
UofL Board of Trustees votes unanimously to purchase Jewish Hospital
Jewish Hospital suspends heart transplant program
Following the signing of last week's purchase agreement between UofL and Jewish Hospital, the two began discussions to revive the program.
The health care company had announced on July 18 that it would suspend the program but it is now asking the United Network for Organ Sharing to disregard that action.
“The heart transplant program is simply too important for our university, our community and the patients who are depending on this lifesaving procedure,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi.
Dr. Ken Dulnuan, a cardiologist from the University of Louisville Physicians, has been appointed as the medical director for the program.
The program has been around for more than 35 years.
https://www.wlky.com/article/jewish-hospital-plans-to-continue-heart-transplant-program/28801225
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KentuckyOne Health and the University of Louisville announced Friday afternoon they are working together to maintain the heart transplant program at Jewish Hospital.
UofL Board of Trustees votes unanimously to purchase Jewish Hospital
Jewish Hospital suspends heart transplant program
Following the signing of last week's purchase agreement between UofL and Jewish Hospital, the two began discussions to revive the program.
The health care company had announced on July 18 that it would suspend the program but it is now asking the United Network for Organ Sharing to disregard that action.
“The heart transplant program is simply too important for our university, our community and the patients who are depending on this lifesaving procedure,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi.
Dr. Ken Dulnuan, a cardiologist from the University of Louisville Physicians, has been appointed as the medical director for the program.
The program has been around for more than 35 years.
https://www.wlky.com/article/jewish-hospital-plans-to-continue-heart-transplant-program/28801225
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Friday, August 23, 2019
POLISH ONTARIO NEWSPAPER ACCUSED OF ANTI-SEMITISM
Police in Peel Region have confirmed they are investigating a local Polish-language news outlet following a complaint from B'nai Brith Canada about anti-Semitic content.
The force's Equity and Inclusion Bureau is "also aware" of the complaint, said spokesperson Const. Heather Cannon.
B'nai Brith laid the complaint after discovering "frequent anti-Semitic and hateful material" in Goniec, a news outlet based in Mississauga, Ont., that publishes a weekly newspaper with a circulation of about 1,000, and maintains a website and YouTube channel.
According to B'nai Brith, the paper has accused "Jews and Zionists" of having "terrorism in their blood," and has urged readers to "stand up to the Jews," in response to their attempts to "destroy" Poland.
In a series of "incendiary" articles, the outlet "warns repeatedly of Jewish control over the Polish government through 'puppet politicians' in the United States who favour 'rewriting history' in the interest of the Israeli government," B'nai Brith said in an Aug. 15 statement.
Authors on the website have also stated that Jews are "playing their old game" of trying to interfere in various governments, while calling the actions of Jewish organizations "racist" and "satanic," the Jewish advocacy group alleged.
"We are appalled by the blatant Jew-hatred peddled by this publication," said Michael Mostyn, B'nai Brith's CEO. "While there is room for disagreement over policies in modern Polish-Jewish relations, the anti-Semitic content that we are seeing is truly beyond the pale."
Among other examples B'nai Brith cited was a photograph of Hasidic Jews juxtaposed with the U.S. Capitol building, followed by allegations that Congress is controlled by Jewish forces, as well as a headline saying, You Use WhatsApp – Jews Are Spying on You.
Goniec has also described a film documenting the 1941 anti-Jewish massacre in the Polish town of Jedwabne as "false propaganda of the 'Holocaust enterprise' in a plot to initiate reparations for Jewish property that was lost or stolen during the Second World War," B'nai Brith charged.
Andrzej Kumor, the paper's editor-in-chief and sole employee, called B'nai Brith's accusations "unfounded" and said he will co-operate with police.
"I have nothing to hide," Kumor told The CJN via email. "I was never hateful towards Jews or any other community. I see politics as a power play of different interests. I love the debate and I think that the debate is a cornerstone of (a) free, democratic society."
He defended the material cited by B'nai Brith.
The headline about Jews spying, for example, "is about the security hole found in WhatsApp, which was exploited by (an) Israeli group with connections to … state security services," Kumor explained, asking, "Is the headline, 'The Russians are spying on us' anti-Russian?"
He said the commentary titled Zionists Have Terrorism in Their Blood (not "Jews," he noted) is about paramilitary groups in pre-state Israel – the Irgun, Haganah and the so-called Stern Gang – and "the smart political use of terrorism by Jews fighting for their country after the Second World War."
As for the July 1941 pogrom in Jedwabne, "this crime should be investigated to the very end … to find out how many people died, and other circumstances," Kumor said.
Several sources agree that at least 340 Jews were murdered in the pogrom, 300 of whom were locked in a barn that was set on fire.
Peter Jassem, past chair of the Polish-Jewish Heritage Foundation of Canada's Toronto chapter, said it was brought to his attention "on numerous occasions" that Kumor was publishing "anti-Semitic content for years, sometimes explicitly, sometimes as innuendo regularly present in numerous articles written by him and his contributors."
As for B'nai Brith's translations, "everything seems to be accurate," said Jassem. However, the title of one video cited by B'nai Brith "does not mean that Zionists have terrorism in their blood, but rather that they are guilty of terrorism," Jassem explained. "But when you listen to the video, (Kumor) does say this: 'Jews or Zionists have terrorism in their blood.' " Later in the same video, Kumor says, "It is said that Jews simply invented modern terrorism," according to Jassem.
He added that both in this article and in an interview Kumor gave to an online Polish television station that Jassem views as anti-Semitic," Kumor "seems to show himself as a martyr and a freedom fighter whose mission is to uncover the truth and to defend freedom of speech. He blames Jewish conspiracy for this action against him."
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Thursday, August 22, 2019
HUNDREDS OF HASIDIC KIDS GET VACCINE AFTER MEASLES OUTBREAK
About 350 children in the Tosh Hasidic community north of Montreal have been vaccinated against measles, after five cases of the disease were confirmed there this summer.
The second of two temporary clinics set up by the public health authority within the community closed on Aug. 16, after vaccinating at least 150 youngsters over four days, said Isaac Weiss, who is one of the people responsible for security and public safety in the community, which is located in the town of Boisbriand, Que.
He said the first clinic took place about a month earlier, after "one suspected case" was discovered. Approximately 200 children were vaccinated at that time.
The immunization was offered to those whose medical records showed they were unvaccinated or not up to date, but was voluntary.
Community leaders are co-operating fully with the CISSS des Laurentides, which ran the clinics, said Weiss. The public health director, Dr. Eric Goyer, said these were the first cases of measles in the region since 2011.
Before the two clinics were held, Weiss said "90 to 95 per cent" of Tosh families had their children vaccinated, and community leaders are urging all of its members to do so. There are about 500 Tosh families in Boisbriand, or 3,000 people.
No one knows for sure how the infection spread.
Weiss said it is thought that a young man from the community who went to New York to take part in a recreational after-school program may have contracted the virus and brought it back to Boisbriand. It appears that he had been vaccinated, but his shots were not up to date.
The community's leaders are informing members about the necessity of vaccinations and trying to dispel any fear about the risk of negative side effects.
Unvaccinated children will not be permitted to attend the community's schools until the outbreak is deemed contained, Weiss said, but parents can only be persuaded, not forced, to vaccinate their children.
"We have a few anti-vaxxers; it's no different from any community," he said. Nevertheless, the leadership has been insisting that there are no religious grounds for refusing vaccination; rather, safeguarding the health of one's children and others is an obligation.
A father of five who asked that his name not be published, said, "We are outraged that there are parents – a few – who are so irresponsible as to refuse (vaccination).
"The rabbis are talking about it, everyone is talking about it, but some are difficult to convince."
Last spring, when there was a serious measles outbreak in New York, Montreal public health authorities stepped up an educational campaign targeting ultra-Orthodox communities.
While the rate of vaccination among those communities is believed to be similar to that of the general population, there is frequent contact between the Montreal and New York communities.
At the time, Rabbi Yonasan Binyomin Weiss, who serves as the chief rabbi of Montreal and heads the medical ethics committee of the Jewish Community Council, stated that, "From a religious perspective, and also from an ethical and moral perspective, our message is very clear: families are required to follow the directions of the health authorities."
In April, many Montreal doctors were among over 500 medical professionals serving Orthodox Jewish communities throughout North America who signed a public letter confirming the need for everyone to be vaccinated according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The doctors rejected "the dangerous misinformation campaign being spread and reject any unproven unscientific statements that contradict all available current science-based studies on vaccinations" against measles and other illnesses.
In July, public health officials issued a warning that a person suspected to have measles had visited the kosher Pizza Pita restaurant on Décarie Boulevard on June 26. There were no reported instances of anyone who had been there at the time showing symptoms within the incubation period of up to two weeks.
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Wednesday, August 21, 2019
President pledges to deal with religious corruption scandal in Uman - head of orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce
The President of Ukraine was informed of an extremely unpleasant incident in Uman, the Hasidic pilgrimage center, in which the city authorities were involved.
This was stated by the founder and head of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (New York), Duvi Honig.
"The Chamber of Commerce of Orthodox Jews sent a delegation here to call on President Zelensky to stop corruption in Uman, where land is being taken away from Jews. The local mayor and his deputy are demanding huge bribes in exchange for permission to build a memorial complex that includes a twenty-thousand-seat synagogue to accommodate everyone who comes to the city to meet Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year - Ed.) They demand 300 thousand dollars into their own pockets. We have all the documents, but they want to change the zoning and make a park on the land unless they receive these dollars. Today we met with President Zelensky after we had passed this information onto him two days ago, and the president said that he would personally deal with this matter. We are now sending him all the documents, but he has already sent a delegation from the President's Office to Uman to deal with the situation on the spot, and this has already been done," he said.
"We thank President Zelensky for his quick response and leadership. We were pleased to meet with him and we will help the people of Ukraine, the people of Kyiv and Uman, become a modern nation, rather than a third world country. People who come to Uman from the United States, Canada, Israel, Europe should live in normal conditions, have a normal spiritual center, because currently there is no proper infrastructure. And, of course, the mayor and his deputy must leave their posts. They must understand that it is impossible to blackmail and sabotage and use own society as a piggy bank," Duvi Honig said.
Recall that for more than 10 years the Jewish religious community of Bratslav Hasidim has been fighting for the right to build a Jewish memorial complex in Uman - one of the largest Jewish spiritual centers in Ukraine.
The head of the orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce is Mr. Duvi Honig.
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Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Man, 20, pleads not guilty in Jewish center video threat
A 20-year-old man pleaded not guilty Monday to threatening a Jewish community center in a video that authorities say showed him shooting a semi-automatic rifle.
A judge near Youngstown set bond at $250,000 for James Reardon, ordered a mental health evaluation and told him to stay away from Jewish churches and organizations if he is released from jail.
Police arrested Reardon Saturday on charges of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing, a day after a Jewish organization contacted authorities.
Ammunition, semi-automatic weapons, a gas mask and anti-Semitic information were found at a house in New Middleton where he lives with his mother, police said.
New Middletown police said the video posted on Reardon's Instagram account last month included the sounds of sirens and screaming with the caption: "Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O'Rearedon."
The post tagged the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown.
The Youngstown Area Jewish Federation said it found out about the threat on Friday and alerted the police and FBI. The organization said it later learned that "ira-seamus" was an online pseudonym for James Reardon.
"I want to stress that we know of no other threat to the Jewish Community or to any of our agencies at this point it time," said Andy Lipkin, the federation's executive vice president. "″Nonetheless, I have directed that we maintain the additional level of security for the near future."
Reardon was arraigned by video in Struthers Municipal Court.
A message seeking comment was left with his attorney. There was no answer at a phone number for his mother, and a man who answered a number listed for his father hung up.
Media outlets in Youngstown reported that Reardon attended the 2017 white nationalist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.
New Middletown Police Chief Vince D'egidio told WFMJ-TV that Reardon has posted several videos in which he used derogatory remarks towards the Jewish and African American communities.
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Monday, August 19, 2019
Telegrass founder greeted with cheers as court orders his remand
The founder of a virtual marijuana marketplace was greeted by cheering supporters as he was brought before a court on Sunday following his extradition to Israel.
Amos Dov Silver was taken into custody after arriving early Sunday morning in Israel from Ukraine, where he was arrested in March at the request of Israeli police.
Silver, who is accused of founding and running the Telegrass application, briefly escaped from Ukrainian police on Friday as he was brought to the airport to be extradited. He was caught a day later.
As he was escorted into the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing, supporters gave Silver a standing ovation, with some chanting his name.
The court ordered Silver's remand for 12 days after police requested 15, with the judge saying he was a flight risk.
Silver was largely silent in response to reporters' questions. Turning to one of his police escorts, he said, "The day will come when I'll tell them everything."
Telegrass, a sprawling forum that used the Telegram messaging app to connect drug dealers and consumers, was shut down in March and dozens of people connected to it, including Silver, were arrested in Israel, the United States, Ukraine and Germany, authorities said.
On Friday, Silver was taken to Kiev's Boryspil airport to be flown to Israel after he had exhausted appeals to stop his extradition when he managed to slip away from his guards and escape. Following a day-long manhunt, Israeli and Ukrainian police announced Saturday he had been nabbed and the extradition would go ahead.
According to Israeli police, Silver was caught in Uman, a city south of Kiev popular among Jewish pilgrims as the burial place of the founder of the Breslov Hasidic dynasty.
According to Channel 12 news, Silver was planning on fleeing to the US and intended to spend two days in Uman before crossing into Moldova on Sunday.
His lawyer told the channel Saturday that he was a US citizen. The attorney, Uri Corb, also alleged that his client had been beaten by police from Ukraine's SBU security service, and he was appealing for help from Washington and Jerusalem.
In a statement announcing Silver's capture, the SBU said it had detained three of its own employees suspected of helping Silver escape.
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Sunday, August 18, 2019
Jewish congregation asking prosecutors to go for plea deal with accused Tree of Life shooter
Members of a Pittsburgh Jewish congregation that used the Tree of Life Synagogue are asking prosecutors to reject the death penalty and seek a plea deal with the accused shooter.
Our partners at the Trib report Dor Hadash wants to save the public and congregation by eliminating a trial.
They are requesting that he sit in jail for life with no parole in exchange for no death penalty.
Robert Bowers is accused of killing 11 people in the attack in October.
https://www.wpxi.com/news/synagogue-shooting/jewish-congregation-asking-prosecutors-to-go-for-plea-deal-with-accused-tree-of-life-shooter/976805845
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Our partners at the Trib report Dor Hadash wants to save the public and congregation by eliminating a trial.
They are requesting that he sit in jail for life with no parole in exchange for no death penalty.
Robert Bowers is accused of killing 11 people in the attack in October.
https://www.wpxi.com/news/synagogue-shooting/jewish-congregation-asking-prosecutors-to-go-for-plea-deal-with-accused-tree-of-life-shooter/976805845
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Saturday, August 17, 2019
Police: New Middletown man made threat toward local Jewish Community Center
Police arrested a man in New Middletown Saturday that they said made a perceived threat toward a local Jewish Community Center.
James Reardon, Jr., 20, is being held in the Mahoning County Jail on telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing charges.
Police Chief Vincent D’Egidio said Reardon posted a video July 11 on Instagram of a man shooting a semi-automatic rifle with sirens and screams in the background. The caption post read, “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.”
The post tagged the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown.
“That kicked off an intense investigation, a very rapidly evolving investigation because of the way the world is,” said Chief Vince D’Egidio.
Police said the account was determined to belong to Reardon. The rest of his social media feed is filled with racial slurs and comments against minorities.
During their investigation, police said extra security was given to the Jewish Community Center.
Friday, a warrant was issued and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force raided Reardon’s house on Eastwood Drive. Police seized dozens of rounds of ammo, several semi-automatic weapons, a gas mask and bulletproof armor.
They also found anti-Semitic and white nationalist propaganda.
“This is a person that has declared himself as a white nationalist. With the hate crimes and everything else going on, we want to make sure we do our part to make sure we did our part to make sure this person was taken off the streets very quickly,” D’Egidio said.
Reardon took part in the deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
He was interviewed for a documentary and said that he was a white nationalist, he wanted to see a homeland only established for whites and that his parents did not agree with his opinions.
Saturday afternoon, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation spoke about the threats. They said they immediately contacted police and increased security at the Jewish Community Center, local synagogues and other Jewish facilities.
“I’m confident that we are doing what we need to do at this point, but the world has changed and we always have to assess what we are doing moving forward,” said Andrew Lipkin from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
Police said they intend to keep extra security at the Jewish Community Center for some time.
Reardon is being held on $250,000 bond with a court hearing planned Monday morning.
The FBI has not said yet if they’ll pursue federal charges.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/police-new-middletown-man-threatened-shooting-at-local-jewish-community-center/
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James Reardon, Jr., 20, is being held in the Mahoning County Jail on telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing charges.
Police Chief Vincent D’Egidio said Reardon posted a video July 11 on Instagram of a man shooting a semi-automatic rifle with sirens and screams in the background. The caption post read, “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.”
The post tagged the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown.
“That kicked off an intense investigation, a very rapidly evolving investigation because of the way the world is,” said Chief Vince D’Egidio.
Police said the account was determined to belong to Reardon. The rest of his social media feed is filled with racial slurs and comments against minorities.
During their investigation, police said extra security was given to the Jewish Community Center.
Friday, a warrant was issued and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force raided Reardon’s house on Eastwood Drive. Police seized dozens of rounds of ammo, several semi-automatic weapons, a gas mask and bulletproof armor.
They also found anti-Semitic and white nationalist propaganda.
“This is a person that has declared himself as a white nationalist. With the hate crimes and everything else going on, we want to make sure we do our part to make sure we did our part to make sure this person was taken off the streets very quickly,” D’Egidio said.
Reardon took part in the deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
He was interviewed for a documentary and said that he was a white nationalist, he wanted to see a homeland only established for whites and that his parents did not agree with his opinions.
Saturday afternoon, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation spoke about the threats. They said they immediately contacted police and increased security at the Jewish Community Center, local synagogues and other Jewish facilities.
“I’m confident that we are doing what we need to do at this point, but the world has changed and we always have to assess what we are doing moving forward,” said Andrew Lipkin from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
Police said they intend to keep extra security at the Jewish Community Center for some time.
Reardon is being held on $250,000 bond with a court hearing planned Monday morning.
The FBI has not said yet if they’ll pursue federal charges.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/police-new-middletown-man-threatened-shooting-at-local-jewish-community-center/
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Friday, August 16, 2019
New tactic in Greens at Chester stalemate
The Greens at Chester developers are trying a new approach in their standoff with town officials: a direct appeal to residents, warning that the town's denial of building permits could saddle taxpayers with huge legal costs and still won't stop the 431 homes from being built.
The developers mailed a letter to town residents last week under the name "Better Chester," and have created a web site —
Standing on Thursday at the development site as construction vehicles lumbered past, developers Livy Schwartz and Joseph Landau said they started the outreach partly to present accurate information and dispel misconceptions, like the idea that the Greens at Chester would resemble the dense, multi-family housing found in Kiryas Joel. Their plans call for 237 single-family homes and 194 semi-detached homes on 117 acres.
Schwartz and Landau say they also hope to build pressure on town officials to relent so homes can be built and damages are kept to a minimum in their lawsuit, which they predict they will win. Their suit seeks $100 million in damages.
"We did not want to get to this point where we have to go to court and the Chester residents have to pay damages," Schwartz said.
Valentine, whose cell number was provided in the letter, said Thursday that he has gotten about 25 calls and a few emails in response so far, all of them supporting the town and snubbing the developers' campaign.
"They think the same thing I think — that it's a strong-arm tactic," he said.
The 101-page federal lawsuit filed last month accuses town officials of trying to block an approved housing project because of strident opposition to what people have expected will be an all-Hasidic community. The complaint quotes numerous comments from town meetings to demonstrate that sentiment and argue that the town's actions have been discriminatory.
The developers bought the property with approved housing plans in 2017 for $12.1 million, and have been steadily building roads, installing pipes and doing all other site preparation for the first construction phase. But they have not been allowed to build any homes.
One dispute holding up construction is home size. Town officials contend the houses can be no larger than 2,500 square feet, and say the developers are trying to exceed that. The developers argue the town invented that limit to deter Hasidic homebuyers with large families, and say their plans fully comply with the town's 2013 approvals. Their proposed model homes are 2,500 to 3,400 square feet.
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A New York Town Fights to Keep Hasidic Jews Out
In 2017, a group of real-estate developers bought a plot of land in the town of Chester, in New York's Hudson Valley, that had been designated for a new housing development. Since then, the town's residents and officials have fought to stop the houses from being built, stating quite bluntly that they fear it will become a ḥasidic enclave—a concern based solely on the fact that some of the developers are themselves Ḥasidim. Sharon Otterman writes:
Town officials have repeatedly placed obstacles in the developers' path: restrictions on the size of the houses they can build, delays on issuing building permits, and a request to relocate the main road by ten feet. . . . Angry residents at [a town] meeting talked of how school taxes could rise, and public resources could be stretched in the town. . . . They spoke of fears that the development would one day resemble Kiryas Joel, a ḥasidic village about nine miles away that is overcrowded and has ranked among the poorest communities in the nation.
The developers . . . cite these statements and others in a federal lawsuit that accuses the town, Orange County, and individual local officials of discrimination. . . . The Orange County executive, Steven M. Neuhaus, a Chester resident and its former town supervisor, suggested delay tactics, including retesting the water and denying sewer permitting, at a meeting a month earlier. . . .
"If you show up to a public hearing, you can hear what the voters are saying, which is 'keep the ḥasidic [sic] out,'" said John Petroccione, the civil engineer who designed the project 25 years ago, and is working with the developers to complete it. . . .
"[N]obody on the board, . . . nobody who works in the town, . . . nobody wants this development to go through," Alexander Jamieson, the former town supervisor of Chester, said at a public meeting in May 2018. . . . Jamieson, who resigned as town supervisor last September after pleading guilty to collecting unemployment while working in that role, also stood by his comments. "It's not anti-Semitic to say it's going to be a ḥasidic development," he said in an interview near the site. "I'm just telling the truth."
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Thursday, August 15, 2019
Two arrested in series of attacks on Hasidic men in Brooklyn
Two young men have been arrested in a series of assaults on Hasidic Jewish men in Brooklyn.
The New York Police Department says 19-year-old Deandre Diagle and 20-year-old Michael Bellevue were arrested late Wednesday on assault and robbery charges.
It's not known whether the two have lawyers who can comment on the charges. No telephone numbers could immediately be obtained for their homes.
Police say at least three men were attacked early Monday in different locations, all near each other in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Police say each victim was approached by several teens who punched him in the face, searched his pockets and fled.
The victims ranged in age from 56 to 71. Two were taken to hospitals.
Police say the investigation continues.
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Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Flurry of lawsuits emerge as NY opens door to sex abuse claims
As of midnight, victims could officially begin filing under The Child Victims Act.
Thousands of people who say they were molested as children in New York state plan to file lawsuits this week against their alleged abusers and the institutions where they worked.
As of midnight, victims could officially begin filing under The Child Victims Act. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law back in February. The new law allows a person of any age, who claims they were sexually abused as a child one year to file a civil lawsuit against their alleged abuser and the organization that enabled the abuse to occur.
Previously, victims had been barred by the state's statute of limitations, which were among the nation's tightest.
The Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, public schools, hospitals and some within the Hasidic community are among the many institutions expected to be named as defendants in the suits.
Attorneys who spoke with News 12 estimate every diocese in New York state could face legal damages reaching hundreds of millions of dollars and may opt for bankruptcy.
Legal experts advise anyone who wants to file a civil suit should first talk with an experienced child sex abuse attorney.
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Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Brooklyn: 3 Jews violently attacked within an hour
Jews were violently mugged Monday morning in three separate incidents that took place on streets in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, CBS New York reported.
According to the report, three Hasidic Jews between the ages of 56 and 71 were attacked within an hour of each other as they walked to synagogue or work.
The NYPD's Hate Crimes unit is investigating.
The attackers sneaked up from behind before punching the victims in the face and going through their pockets, police said according to CBS New York. They added that they believe there were three attackers, all of whom were teenage boys.
A community activist cited by CBS New York said that two people had suffered major trauma in the attacks and were still being treated, but are expected to be alright.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement in the wake of the attacks, saying, "I am sickened by Monday's series of assaults on Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg. In New York, we have absolutely zero tolerance for such heinous acts; they are completely unacceptable and are repugnant to our values of diversity and inclusion."
"I am directing the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to immediately provide the NYPD with any resources needed to assist in the investigation of this incident and to ensure those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
"Anti-Semitism is a growing cancer that has been injected into the nation's body but in New York we will continue to stand united and with one voice condemn any and all acts of hatred and intolerance," Cuomo added.
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Monday, August 12, 2019
Hasidic Concert Canceled in Afula After Court Nixes Gender Separation
A much-anticipated performance by world-renowned Hasidic vocalist Motti Steinmetz scheduled for Wednesday in the Afula Municipal Park, has been canceled by the artist following a ruling by the Nazareth District Court prohibiting agreed-upon gender separation at the event.
The ruling came in response to a petition by the "Women's Lobby" which challenged the separate seating that was to take place at the performance, the sole event of the summer programmed for the strictly-observant, Orthodox Jewish public.
"Out of 360 summer events, the authority sought to produce an event for the hareidi-religious public to celebrate and enjoy according to its customs," the Afula municipality said in a statement issued in response to the Court ruling. "We regret that was not possible."
Menachem Perla, one of the producers of the event, told the Orthodox B'Hadarei Haredi website there was a huge demand for tickets to the event.
"We were actually taken aback by the demand," he said. "People called and said if the event was not completely segregated they couldn't come. We set up a really amazing event – for one ticket, you would receive entry to a four-hour event with inflatables, facilities, performances, Torah lectures . . . we were inundated by thousands of calls from people all over the north – from Beit Shean, Karmiel, Haifa, Kiryat Ata, Migdal HaEmek, Kfar Gideon, and more.
"We were really getting kudos on this event – and then came the Women's Lobby in Israel, calling to abolish the separate seating. It's not just the cancellation of the event that is expensive – not just the loss of the money – but of cultural and leisure activities for the families that is at issue here," he said.
"There are entire Hasidic, Lithuanian, Sephardic, and National Religious communities in the northern region who wanted to go out to a family event, and who require separation as part of their way of life. In the name of equality, not only women, but also men are removed. Canceling this event leaves all these families at home."
Transportation Minister MK Betzalel Smotrich called the ruling a "grave and outrageous judgement that joins a chain of rulings reflecting the court's bias together with those who place themselves against Judaism and the religious public and who seek to impose their distorted values and re-educate them."
Speaking in response to the decision, Smotrich said that cancellation of the event was tantamount to a robbery from the religious public that had demanded "so little" from citywide public venues and public budgets, in accordance with its insular values and world outlook. "Tell us more about religious coercion," Smotrich said with deep sarcasm.
"If only I could expect from the prime minister to come out and defend the religious public and to call upon the attorney general, whose staff lead the coercion of these secular fundamentalists, to order. But he is busy seeking their mandates and he has no time to address their struggles.
"I call upon all the religious political parties to immediately inform the prime minister that they will enter his government after the elections in order to make the necessary legislative amendments to end this secular coercion and to allow the religious public to be able to live according to their faith."
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Sunday, August 11, 2019
LA Jewish center shooting commemorated on 20th anniversary
A moment of silence marked the day 20 years ago when a white-supremacist gunman wounded children and staff at a Los Angeles Jewish center before killing a Filipino American postal worker.
The Los Angeles Times reports family and friends of victims were on hand Saturday outside a U.S. Post Office where a plaque commemorates letter carrier Joseph Ileto (“ill-LET-oh”), who was gunned down Aug. 10, 1999.
His brother, Ismael Ileto, called for stricter gun control laws, noting the rise in mass shootings and recent violence in California, Texas and Ohio.
Before killing Ileto, Buford Furrow shot a woman and four children at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the San Fernando Valley. All survived.
Furrow, a member of the white-supremacist group Aryan Nations, was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-news/2019/08/la-jewish-center-shooting-commemorated-on-20th-anniversary/
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The Los Angeles Times reports family and friends of victims were on hand Saturday outside a U.S. Post Office where a plaque commemorates letter carrier Joseph Ileto (“ill-LET-oh”), who was gunned down Aug. 10, 1999.
His brother, Ismael Ileto, called for stricter gun control laws, noting the rise in mass shootings and recent violence in California, Texas and Ohio.
Before killing Ileto, Buford Furrow shot a woman and four children at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the San Fernando Valley. All survived.
Furrow, a member of the white-supremacist group Aryan Nations, was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-news/2019/08/la-jewish-center-shooting-commemorated-on-20th-anniversary/
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Saturday, August 10, 2019
An easy meaningful fast to all
Friday, August 09, 2019
Bill de Blasio is campaigning in Yiddish to save presidential bid
Leaders in the Satmar movement who are close to de Blasio have sent out an appeal online and over the messaging app WhatsApp urging Hasidim to donate at least $1 to his campaign.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is marshaling his supporters in the Hasidic community to solicit donations in Yiddish for his presidential campaign.
Leaders in the Satmar movement who are close to de Blasio have sent out an appeal online and over the messaging app WhatsApp urging Hasidim to donate at least $1 to his campaign, according to Politico. The message says de Blasio been a reliable advocate for the Satmar movement's interests as mayor.
The Satmar movement is divided into two factions, one of which supported de Blasio's mayoral campaign. He has since backed their policy priorities in office.
De Blasio has been earning little to no support in polls of the Democratic presidential candidates. He needs 130,000 individual donors in order to qualify for next month's party debate.
The Satmar appeal, according to Politico, is made in the name of people "who work together with the faithful [community leaders] who are in constant contact with the government to lobby on a number of issues on behalf of our holy institutions and communities and for individuals who need help and to represent your interests."
"By donating the dollar you support your needs, the entire Haredi Orthodox public and our rights and needs."
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Thursday, August 08, 2019
A WINDOW INTO HASIDIC LIFE
In places across North America and beyond, where there are insular Orthodox communities, there are frictions between those Orthodox communities and their neighbours. Some of these frictions seem to be the same the world over: there are bylaw battles over eruvim and over the erection and duration of sukkot. There are disputes about educational provision. There are concerns about gender segregation.
In Quebec, these tensions are both emblematic of the larger picture of Hasidic life in a secular society and also, as the only place in North America that has banned religious symbols on public employees, unique. And one of the things that makes Quebec's tensions so unique is that they have led to the rise of the Hasidic woman's voice in dialogue with her neighbours in an act of bridge building.
This act is not insignificant. If the Hasidic characters in francophone non-Jewish Quebecois writer Myriam Beaudoin's 2006 novel Hadassa are curious about what a non-Jewish person in Quebec does, thinks and knows, the same sentiment could be said to exist tenfold in reverse, both within and outside of the book. Beaudoin's French-language book purports to be about "un monde à part, enveloppé de mystère et d'interdits, mais séduisant et rassurant" (a world apart, shrouded in mystery and taboos, but seductive and reassuring). It was nominated in 2007 for the Prix des libraires du Québec and won, the same year, both the Prix littéraire des collégiens and the Prix littéraire France-Québec. In 2011, another non-Jewish francophone writer in Quebec named Abla Farhoud also took on the subject of local Hasidim with her book titled Le sourire de la petite juive (The Smile of the Little Jewess). And in 2014, non-Jewish Quebecois filmmaker Maxime Giroux directed Félix et Meira, a film about a married Hasidic mother and a single Quebecois man, star-crossed lovers of Montreal's Mile End, which won "best Canadian film" at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was submitted in 2015 to the Academy Awards as Canada's foreign-language contender.
By virtue of their chosen subject, these books and film appear to follow in the success of the short story collection Lekhaim!: Chroniques de la vie hassidique à Montréal (later published in English as Rather Laugh Than Cry), which was written by a Hasidic woman in Quebec in 2006. Yet in many ways, Beaudoin, Farhoud and Giroux's tales more closely resemble the narratives of secular Jewish writers like Eve Harris and Julia Dahl that render Hasidic life exotic – and somewhat tragic. Beaudoin's story includes a romance between a gentile and a Hasidic woman, Farhoud's highlights the growing internal struggle of a Hasidic girl who feels confined by her religious identity and Giroux mixes the two scandalizing ingredients to produce his stirring drama. The author of Lekhaim!, on the other hand, writes her stories about and within the Hasidic community. The stories of the Hasidim she presents are the stuff of everyday, made interesting not through sensationalism but through humour and pathos.
Despite the quotidian subject matter, the book was met with much success in francophone Quebec. The writer, whose real name is known to many residents in Outremont, the Montreal borough in which she resides, calls herself "Malka Zipora" for her book, though she refers to herself throughout, more significantly, only as "a Hasidic mom," making herself a representative of her community. In writing her stories for a general audience, Zipora "gingerly" draws "aside the shades to the window in (her) home," to provide "glimpses of many universal emotions and stories," which are essential to the Hasidic residents' communication and coexistence with their neighbours. The language suggests hesitation and also a sense of modesty. Still, if Hasidic communities are known for their insularity and difference, Zipora is undermining both by drawing aside her metaphorical shades.
But she is also doing something else surprising, which she does not name. She is giving voice to a group that has often been spoken for (in the media and literature, by non-Jewish Quebecois and secular Jews), but has rarely spoken: Hasidic women. This speaking is a speaking back, for when they are spoken for, Hasidic women are doubly rendered silent through the erasure of their own voices and the voices that represent them.
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Wednesday, August 07, 2019
Four members of Hasidic cult indicted for plot to kidnap 2 kids from their mother
Four more alleged members of Lev Tahor, a fringe ultra-Orthodox sect, were indicted in New York for conspiring to kidnap two children from their mother and return them to their sect.
One of the men, Mordechay Malka, was arrested this week at Newark Liberty International Airport and remains in custody, the New York Post reported, citing the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan. Three others — Shmiel Weingarten, Yoil Weingarten and Yakov Weingarten — remain at large.
The charges unsealed Friday in White Plains come days after five leaders of the sect, who were arrested in December, were indicted on similar charges.
They are accused of participating in kidnapping two children — 14-year-old Yante Teller and her 12-year-old brother Chaim Teller.
Their mother is Sara Helbrans, the daughter of sect founder Shlomo Helbrans. The mother had fled the group, based in Central America, and returned with three of her six children to New York's Sullivan County. Three other children were returned to her 10 days later.
Lev Tahor, which has about 230 members, relocated to Guatemala from Canada in 2014 following allegations of mistreatment of its children including abuse and child marriages.
It moved in 2016 from the outskirts of Guatemala City to Oratorio, a village 30 miles east of Guatemala City, after religious disputes with its neighbors, and reportedly crossed the border from Guatemala to Mexico in June 2017. It may have returned later to Guatemala.
Arranged marriages between teenagers and older cult members are reported to be common. The group shuns technology and its female members wear black robes from head to toe, leaving only their faces exposed. It also rejects the State of Israel, saying the Jewish nation can only be restored by God, not humankind.
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Tuesday, August 06, 2019
Court dispute over KJ bus service
The operator of a new bus shuttle to Kiryas Joel for South Blooming Grove's growing Hasidic population has been ordered to apply for a new permit from the village while the two parties continue a court dispute over the bus service.
The state judge hearing the lawsuit brought by South Blooming Grove last week ordered the business, Derech Emunah, to seek a permit within 20 days to continue its daily runs between the two neighboring communities while the case is pending. The village had given the company a 90-day permit in January as a trial run, but later suspended it and then sued after the bus trips continued.
The bus caters to Hasidic women in South Blooming Grove, who are forbidden by their religious customs to drive and would otherwise take taxis or other hired services to Kiryas Joel to buy kosher food and for various other reasons.
South Blooming Grove's lawyers say in court papers that the village's laws allow commercial buses only on a few major roads, but were amended by the Village Board in December in response to requests from Hasidic residents for the bus service. That amendment allowed permits for buses that meet certain prescribed conditions.
Village officials soon allowed bus operator Yoel Oberlander to begin shuttling up to 28 passengers at a time from certain streets in South Blooming Grove to Kiryas Joel, with a limit of five runs per day between 9 a.m. and afternoon. They suspended his permit after residents reported that he had been speeding and lodged other complaints, according to the court papers.
Michael Sussman, the attorney respresenting Oberlander and his bus company, said Monday that no law enforcement agency had ticketed Oberlander in South Blooming Grove for speeding or any other violations. He contends the objections to the bus service stem from anti-Hasidic sentiment in the village.
Sussman said his clients will apply for a permit as ordered by state Supreme Court Justice Elaine Slobod, and are continuing their runs. "We just would like to be able to operate the bus in a peaceable, responsible manner, and provide a needed service for the community," he said.
Village officials say in court papers that they asked Oberlander for a corrective-action plan and weekly copies of his bus speed and video records, but didn't get them. They also say Oberlander was replaced by another driver after they found he was disqualified because he accumulated nine or more points on his driver's license for tickets in an 18-month period.
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Monday, August 05, 2019
Police suspect hate crime after Jewish boys assaulted in Toronto
Canadian police have opened a hate crime investigation after two Jewish boys were assaulted in an apparent anti-Semitic incident in Toronto on Saturday.
According to B'nai Brith Canada, the unidentified minors were walking in the suburb of Thornhill when they were accosted by another youth who verbally abused them, then punched one of them in the face and followed them as they attempted to leave the area. Both Jewish boys were wearing kippas.
"This is an extremely serious incident, and we trust that law enforcement will give it the attention that it deserves," B'nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn said in a statement. "It is inconceivable that Jewish families will be afraid to send their children to the park, in a heavily Jewish neighborhood, on the Jewish Sabbath."
The incident comes less than a week after a similarly violent incident in Montreal, in which a Jewish man wearing a kippah was assaulted by a taxi driver. During that incident, the cabbie was blocking the door to an underground garage at a condo building. When asked to move he replied "I won't move for any f***ing Jews" and threatened to kill the other driver.
The victim then attempted to photograph the taxi number in order to file a complaint, at which point the driver exited his car and punched the Jewish man repeatedly, shouting anti-Semitic slurs until a parking supervisor intervened, B'nai Brith Canada said in a statement. The victim's phone was smashed. The victim required attention at a local hospital.
Much of the incident was captured on a security camera.
On the same day, another Jewish resident of Montreal was subjected to anti-Semitic death threats at a local fast food restaurant, B'nai Brith Canada reported. Part of that incident was also captured on film.
According to B'nai Brith Canada, "many local Jews, especially those who wear the kippah or other visible signs of Jewish identity, have reported feeling less secure in the shadow of Quebec's Bill 21, which bans religious garments such as the kippah from various public sector professions."
Late last month, Canada's Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs reported that despite a significant reduction in the overall tally of hate crimes, attacks against Jews have remained relatively steady.
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Sunday, August 04, 2019
Proposed Anti-Israel Ethnic-Studies Curriculum has California Jews On Alert
Hostility towards Israel and its supporters across college campuses throughout the United States and beyond—well-documented for years—has been the focus of pro-Israel groups. Now the anti-Israel movement may be officially trickling down into the high school system of the largest state in America.
A new ethnic-studies curriculum under proposal by the California Department of Education is being widely condemned by pro-Israel and Jewish groups, California lawmakers and activists for its “blatant bias against Israel.”
“The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum is deeply troubling—not only for its shocking omission of any mention of Jewish Americans or anti-Semitism or its blatant anti-Israel bias and praise of BDS, but for its clear attempt to politically indoctrinate students to adopt the view that Israel and its Jewish supporters are part of ‘interlocking systems of oppression and privilege’ that must be fought with ‘direct action’ and ‘resistance,’ ” Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, co-founder and director of the California-based AMCHA Initiative, told JNS.
California lawmakers have begun to raise alarms over the proposed curriculum, the result of a 2016 law calling for the creation of a model ethnic-studies curriculum by the state’s board of education.
The proposed curriculum is currently going through public comment and is expected to go through revisions, followed by being approved next year by the board.
Members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, all Democrats, wrote a letter, dated July 29, 2019, to Soomin Chao, chair of the Instructional Quality Commission at the California Department of Education.
“As elected representatives and members of California’s diverse Jewish community, we have consistently prioritized efforts to promote inclusion and have strongly supported efforts to ensure that California students understand our state’s complicated history and rich diversity,” they wrote. “However, we cannot support a curriculum that erases the American Jewish experience, fails to discuss anti-Semitism, reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews, singles out Israel for criticism and would institutionalize the teaching of anti-Semitic stereotypes in our public schools.”
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/proposed-anti-israel-ethnic-studies-curriculum-has-california-jews-on-alert/2019/08/04/
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A new ethnic-studies curriculum under proposal by the California Department of Education is being widely condemned by pro-Israel and Jewish groups, California lawmakers and activists for its “blatant bias against Israel.”
“The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum is deeply troubling—not only for its shocking omission of any mention of Jewish Americans or anti-Semitism or its blatant anti-Israel bias and praise of BDS, but for its clear attempt to politically indoctrinate students to adopt the view that Israel and its Jewish supporters are part of ‘interlocking systems of oppression and privilege’ that must be fought with ‘direct action’ and ‘resistance,’ ” Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, co-founder and director of the California-based AMCHA Initiative, told JNS.
California lawmakers have begun to raise alarms over the proposed curriculum, the result of a 2016 law calling for the creation of a model ethnic-studies curriculum by the state’s board of education.
The proposed curriculum is currently going through public comment and is expected to go through revisions, followed by being approved next year by the board.
Members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, all Democrats, wrote a letter, dated July 29, 2019, to Soomin Chao, chair of the Instructional Quality Commission at the California Department of Education.
“As elected representatives and members of California’s diverse Jewish community, we have consistently prioritized efforts to promote inclusion and have strongly supported efforts to ensure that California students understand our state’s complicated history and rich diversity,” they wrote. “However, we cannot support a curriculum that erases the American Jewish experience, fails to discuss anti-Semitism, reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews, singles out Israel for criticism and would institutionalize the teaching of anti-Semitic stereotypes in our public schools.”
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/proposed-anti-israel-ethnic-studies-curriculum-has-california-jews-on-alert/2019/08/04/
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Saturday, August 03, 2019
Jews have ugly noses, Belgian journalist writes in column attacking Israel
Representatives of Flemish Jews have filed a police complaint after a Belgian journalist joked about Jews’ noses and accused Israelis of stealing Palestinian land.
The reference to Jewish noses appeared in a July 27 column by Dimitri Verhulst in the left-leaning Belgian daily De Morgen. Its title, “There is no promised land, only stolen land,” paraphrased a quote attributed to the late French-Jewish singer Serge Gainsbourg.
Verhulst misquotes the singer as saying: “Being Jewish is not a religion, no God would give creatures such an ugly nose.” The actual quote by Gainsbourg speaks neither of God nor ugliness, reading: “Being Jewish is not a religion. No religion makes you grow such a nose.”
The column begins with the words: “Because God has His favorites and they have their privileges, Palestinians were driven out of their homes in 1948 to make place for God’s favorites.”
Verhulst also accused Israel of “murdering” 10,000 Palestinians over the past 17 years and said that “talking to the Chosen is difficult” because he said they accuse him unjustly of racism for his anti-Israel views.
The Forum of Jewish Organizations of Belgium’s Flemish region called the comments “rabid anti-Semitism” in a statement Friday about the complaint.
Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs also condemned the column in an op-ed he published Friday in the ND newspaper, calling it “pure anti-Semitism” and adding he is “concerned” that it could be published in a mainstream newspaper.
In 2016, Belgian Jews complained after De Morgen interviewed a Holocaust denier.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-have-ugly-noses-belgian-journalist-writes-in-column-attacking-israel/
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The reference to Jewish noses appeared in a July 27 column by Dimitri Verhulst in the left-leaning Belgian daily De Morgen. Its title, “There is no promised land, only stolen land,” paraphrased a quote attributed to the late French-Jewish singer Serge Gainsbourg.
Verhulst misquotes the singer as saying: “Being Jewish is not a religion, no God would give creatures such an ugly nose.” The actual quote by Gainsbourg speaks neither of God nor ugliness, reading: “Being Jewish is not a religion. No religion makes you grow such a nose.”
The column begins with the words: “Because God has His favorites and they have their privileges, Palestinians were driven out of their homes in 1948 to make place for God’s favorites.”
Verhulst also accused Israel of “murdering” 10,000 Palestinians over the past 17 years and said that “talking to the Chosen is difficult” because he said they accuse him unjustly of racism for his anti-Israel views.
The Forum of Jewish Organizations of Belgium’s Flemish region called the comments “rabid anti-Semitism” in a statement Friday about the complaint.
Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs also condemned the column in an op-ed he published Friday in the ND newspaper, calling it “pure anti-Semitism” and adding he is “concerned” that it could be published in a mainstream newspaper.
In 2016, Belgian Jews complained after De Morgen interviewed a Holocaust denier.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-have-ugly-noses-belgian-journalist-writes-in-column-attacking-israel/
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Friday, August 02, 2019
What’s This Mini Police Station Doing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn?
In the Hasidic Jewish area of Williamsburg, you may see a miniature police station that might look straight out of a movie set. Located on a small traffic island on Lee Avenue just off the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, it could be the more utilitarian version of the Tardis police box from Doctor Who. And in a way, you would be going back in time if you were to go inside. This station is defunct, but was part an official NYPD neighborhood watch post in the 1980s for the local area, according to a retired NYPD detective we spoke to who was previously assigned to this very station.
The retired detective also told us the station itself was built by the local community to have a police presence, particularly during Shabbat from Friday evening to Saturday when electricity and phones can not be used, as per the religious tenets in the Orthodox Jewish community. The community could just walk over to the police station, if help or emergency was needed, the detective says. When he was a rookie assigned to this station, he says it was originally "built for an old-timer – Police Officer Danielski, this was his post." In addition to the watch post, there were also House of Worship (HOW) patrol cars that would monitor activity in front of synagogues.
We haven't seen any other mini stations like this elsewhere in New York City. Despite some aging, a little graffiti and some weeds, the station is fairly intact on the exterior. The POLICE sign in a blue Helvetica-style font is on three sides of the building. There's a door with a numeric keypad on the side facing Keap Street with an air conditioning unit on top. Blinds are drawn on all sides but on the side facing Williamburg Street East and the BQE, two top windows were tilted open.
The Hasidic Jewish community has many of their own separate institutions, including its own bus line, the B110 that runs from Williamsburg to Boro Park which has been subject to investigation regarding discrimination and segregation in the past — as it operates as a franchise from the city. They also have their own "emergency medical corps, a security patrol, and a rabbinic court system, which often handles criminal allegations," according to The New Yorker. The increasing evolution of separate institutions is possibly one of the reasons why this police box is defunct. For now, it remains a curious artifact from another time, mostly forgotten.
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Thursday, August 01, 2019
Controversial eruv is being reinstalled on Staten Island
An eruv -- which is an overhead religious wire -- is being reinstalled on the North Shore, after it was removed in May amid controversy over its installation and Jewish residents from Boro Park, Brooklyn, moving into the community, the Advance has learned.
After the eruv, which was erected by a group of Hasidic Jewish residents, was visible to the local community, multiple sources told the Advance that anti-Semitic comments were voiced at a Westerleigh Improvement Society meeting in May. In addition, signs saying: "Westerleigh Strong. We're Not Selling" started popping up on lawns throughout the community.
Community members said they were upset the eruv was erected before the necessary approvals were granted by Consolidated Edison.
An eruv's purpose "is to make each individual who dwells within its boundaries a part owner of the enclosed area for certain Halachic purposes," according to Young Israel of Staten Island's website.
Those in the community who would benefit from the religious wire had to split the cost to take it down and wait for permits to be granted -- but they are now in the process of putting it back up, according to a member of the Hasidic community who spoke to the Advance.
A spokesman for Consolidated Edison confirmed the license for the installation was granted in July.
"It took 10 weeks to get the permit, but as soon as we got it, we started working. We got the contractor...It should be complete by Friday," said the Hasidic community member.
He said he raised $40,000 to cover the following costs: installation and removal of the eruv; an architect who drew up blueprints; insurance; reinstallation of the eruv; paperwork for the city and the utility company.
"We had to get $10 million in liability insurance," said the community member. "The community will now feel relief, and will be able to carry during the Shabbat."
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