Monday, January 31, 2022

Trumpworld adjusts to the growing influence of vaccine skeptics within its ranks

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/31/vaccine-skeptics-gop-politics-trump-00003759

A few weeks ago, Donald Trump decried politicians who did not share their Covid-19 vaccine booster status as “gutless”—a seeming swipe at other Republicans with presidential ambitions, mainly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who were keeping mum on the matter.

Days later, Trump took the stage in Arizona and didn’t mention his vaccination status or encourage others to get it, as he had at past rallies. He has not talked about booster shots since.

The silence from the former president is not coincidental. Within Trump’s circles, there is a growing sense that encouraging vaccines too aggressively could carry political risks. Like much of the rest of the GOP, the current calculation has been to rail against vaccine mandates but keep quiet on the push for the vaccines themselves.

Children suffer from neurological effects of COVID, Israeli data shows

 https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rjixjlbcy

Several cases of children who suffered from seizures have also been identified, and it is still unclear how vast this phenomenon is and how many children suffer from it in Israel.

The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, an IDF taskforce charged with helping battle the pandemic, said that children who developed encephalitis during or after the disease suffer from symptoms such "as headaches, balance disorder, seizures, and confusion"
"In the United States and South Africa, seizures have been prevalent in children infected with Omicron, and they were described as unusual and unfamiliar."
A recent article in a leading pediatric neurology journal found that 44% of children hospitalized with COVID suffered from at least one neurological phenomenon, including headaches reported in some 20% children, blurred consciousness reported in 16% children, and seizures reported in 8%.

The Great Resignation is fueling a rabbinic hiring crisis that could leave synagogues without leaders

 https://forward.com/fast-forward/481766/the-great-resignation-is-fueling-rabbinic-hiring-crisis/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3619870

In early December, Judaism’s Conservative movement sent a disquieting message to dozens of synagogues looking for a new rabbi: Many of you won’t make a hire this year.

At least 80 Conservative synagogues anticipated rabbi vacancies — approximately one of every seven affiliated with the movement, the email said. At most, 50 to 60 rabbis would be looking for new jobs.

“We are not presenting this information to alarm, but rather to help you prepare for and navigate the challenges of this search season,” said the email, which was signed by the “career search team” of the Rabbinical Assembly, the Conservative movement’s rabbis association, and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the group that represents its nearly 600 congregations.

‘Omicron the Pandemic Killer’ Idea Ignores Dangers of Long COVID

 https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-omicron-the-pandemic-killer-idea-ignores-dangers-of-long-covid

A preprint study by Oxford University investigators on the medRxiv website, compares brain scans for SARS-CoV-2 infections in 394 COVID-19 patients who tested positive for the infection against 388 patients in a control group. “We identified significant effects of COVID-19 in the brain with a loss of grey matter in the left parahippocampal gyrus, the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the left insula,” the study states. “When looking over the entire cortical surface, these results extended to the anterior cingulate cortex, supramarginal gyrus and temporal pole.”

Omicron amps up concerns about long COVID and its causes

 https://apnews.com/article/long-covid-omicron-research-45986f5b42e47e656d5b385bd51b2bb2

More than a year after a bout with COVID-19, Rebekah Hogan still suffers from severe brain fog, pain and fatigue that leave her unable to do her nursing job or handle household activities.

Long COVID has her questioning her worth as a wife and mother.

“Is this permanent? Is this the new norm?” said the 41-year-old Latham, New York, woman, whose three children and husband also have signs of the condition. “I want my life back.’’

More than a third of COVID-19 survivors by some estimates will develop such lingering problems. Now, with omicron sweeping across the globe, scientists are racing to pinpoint the cause of the bedeviling condition and find treatments before a potential explosion in long COVID cases.

COVID-19 vs. COVID-19 vaccine: Risk of neurological complications

 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-vs-covid-19-vaccine-risk-of-neurological-complications

A recent study found that the risk of neurological complications was higher in people with a positive COVID-19 test than in those who had received COVID vaccines.

IDF draft bill for haredim passes in Knesset in second attempt

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-695111

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition succeeded in passing the first reading of the IDF draft bill for haredim (ultra-Orthodox) in a 51-48 vote on Monday night, two weeks after the coalition embarrassingly failed to pass it.

The bill sets out annual targets for the number of ultra-Orthodox men to be enlisted per year beginning in 2021, with very slowly increasing rates of enlistment for the annual cohort of ultra-Orthodox men turning 18.

Should enlistment targets not be met, the bill provides for a reduction in the state budget for yeshivas, money that is distributed to recognized yeshivas for the purposes of paying students a monthly stipend

Donald Trump Says He Wanted Mike Pence to Overturn the Election for First Time

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-mike-pence-overturn-election-1674410

Donald Trump has admitted that he wanted former Vice President Mike Pence to have "overturned the Election" while the 2020 results were being certified during his ceremonial role as presiding officer of the Senate.

In a statement released on Sunday night attacking bipartisan efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act, the former president suggested Pence had the power to stop the results being certified in favor of Joe Biden.

However, Trump's remarks are the first time he has described his intention as overturning the election results, which Pence "unfortunately" failed to do.

Top Cyprus court acquits UK woman of making false rape claim against Israelis

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-cyprus-court-acquits-uk-woman-of-making-false-rape-claim-against-israelis/

The Cypriot Supreme Court on Monday overturned the conviction of a young British woman for lying about being gang raped by Israeli tourists.

The unnamed woman, who was 18 at the time of her arrest, alleged that she was raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists, aged 15 to 22, in a hotel room in the seaside holiday resort of Ayia Napa in July 2019.

Defense lawyers successfully argued there had been a miscarriage of justice when a district court in January 2020 found her guilty of public mischief and handed her a suspended four-month jail term.

COVID-19: Hamsters can infect humans with the coronavirus - study

 COVID-19: Hamsters can infect humans with the coronavirus - study

The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can be transmitted from humans to hamsters and then be transferred back to humans, according to a new study.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has spread all over the world since it began in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Millions of people have died due to the virus, which continues to rage throughout the world.

While the exact origins of the virus are under debate, it is widely thought that it spread from animals (specifically bats) to humans in what is known as zoonotic transmission. And according to this new study, published in The Lancet in pre-print and awaiting peer-review, hamsters are one such animal that can spread the virus to humans.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Long Covid study finds abnormality in lungs that could explain breathlessness

 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/29/long-covid-study-finds-abnormality-in-lungs-that-could-explain-breathlessness

Abnormalities have been identified in the lungs of long Covid patients that could offer a potential explanation for why some people experience breathlessness long after their initial infection.

The findings, from a pilot study involving 36 patients, raise the possibility that Covid may cause microscopic damage to the lungs that is not detected using routine tests.

Breathlessness is a symptom in the majority of long Covid patients, but it has been unclear whether this is linked to other factors such as changes in breathing patterns, tiredness, or something more fundamental.

Bari Weiss' decision to be 'done' with Covid is a slap in the face to health care workers

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/28/opinions/bari-weiss-bill-maher-done-with-covid-horton/index.html

In all fairness, Weiss is hardly the first person I have heard say they are done with the pandemic. I hear it almost every day from colleagues, resident doctors, nurses and medical students. Some of them are weeping when they say it. Some seem like shadows of themselves and are now under the care of psychiatrists and therapists. Many more are suffering without treatment. They have not had time to watch "Tiger King," or to listen to Spotify. They too would like to change the channel. But they have been too busy intubating, palliating, showing up day after day to do the hard things people do for one another in health care. They are anxious and depressed, without a way to "end it." It is awful. They are done. But many politicians and health care systems exploited the good, decent instincts of health care workers before the pandemic, and that phenomenon will probably never end.

‘Science is flawed’: COVID-19, ivermectin, and beyond

 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/science-is-flawed-covid-19-ivermectin-and-beyond


In early 2020, people were desperate for any kind of treatment for COVID-19. A melange of partial evidence emerged.

This included: a laboratory study showing that the drug acted as a strong antiviral in a petri dish, a study in a French nursing home where the residents took ivermectin to treat a scabies outbreak and seemed to subsequently enjoy higher survival rates, and preprint reporting that ivermectin reduced the mortality from COVID-19 by 90%.

All three were weak evidence in different ways. Single in vitro studies are very poorly predictive of eventual clinical outcomes, and the nursing home paper was an accidental and uncontrolled observational study — what if the residents had never been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in the first place?

The ivermectin story somehow got even worse from there. In late 2020, studies started popping up showing what can only be described as simply incredible results for the medication — a 90% mortality benefit or a 100% reduction in cases when used as a prophylactic.

After nearly a year, myself and other data sleuths demonstrated that many of these studies probably never happened, but the damage was well and truly done long before the first fake paper was retracted.

Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19

 https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/why-you-should-not-use-ivermectin-treat-or-prevent-covid-19

Here’s What You Need to Know about Ivermectin

The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals. Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing.
Taking large doses of ivermectin is dangerous.

If your health care provider writes you an ivermectin prescription, fill it through a legitimate source such as a pharmacy, and take it exactly as prescribed.

Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.

American school bans teaching of Pulitzer prize-winning Holocaust book

 https://www.thejc.com/news/world/american-school-bans-teaching-of-pulitzer-prize-winning-holocaust-book-Q27uGmT4FhGvOLwwLz6fv

A school in Tennessee has banned an award-winning book on the Holocaust from its schools, citing the use of profanity including the phrase “God Damn” and illustrations of naked women.

According to local news site, TNHoller, the vote passed unanimously as school board members lined up to criticise the book for its supposedly graphic content.

Tony Allman, a board member in McMinn county said: “Why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff, it is not wise or healthy… I am not denying it was horrible, brutal, and cruel. It’s like when you’re watching tv and a cuss word or nude scene comes on it would be the same movie without it. Well, this would be the same book without it…"

Mask-wearing linked to 53% cut in Covid incidence, global study finds

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/17/wearing-masks-single-most-effective-way-to-tackle-covid-study-finds

Mask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, according to the first global study of its kind, which found that the measure was linked to a 53% fall in the incidence of the disease.

Vaccines are safe and effective and saving lives around the world. But most do not confer 100% protection, most countries have not vaccinated everyone, and it is not yet known if jabs will prevent future transmission of emerging coronavirus variants.

Globally, Covid cases exceeded 250 million this month. The virus is still infecting 50 million people worldwide every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant, with thousands dying each day.

Now a systematic review and meta analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions has found for the first time that mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing are all effective measures at curbing cases – with mask wearing the most effective.

How Effective Is a Face Mask Against COVID-19 if You're the Only One Wearing It?

 https://www.verywellhealth.com/face-mask-effectiveness-covid-5214491

Experts encourage a return to masking as the U.S. grapples with another COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant.
Masks work best if everyone wears them, but they can offer some protection even when you're the only one wearing it.
Different types of mask have varying levels of effectiveness.

An evidence review of face masks against COVID-19

 https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118#sec-22

Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widespread mask use as source control to reduce community transmission: Nonmedical masks use materials that obstruct particles of the necessary size; people are most infectious in the initial period postinfection, where it is common to have few or no symptoms (45, 46, 141); nonmedical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses; and places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have shown substantially lower community transmission.

The available evidence suggests that near-universal adoption of nonmedical masks when out in public, in combination with complementary public health measures, could successfully reduce ReRe to below 1, thereby reducing community spread if such measures are sustained. Economic analysis suggests that mask wearing mandates could add 1 trillion dollars to the US GDP (32, 34).

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Fact Check-No reliable evidence that Rife machines cure cancer

 https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-rife-cancer-idUSL1N2OZ166

An American scientist did not create a machine that cures all cancers, Cancer Research UK told Reuters.


Rumours that Doctor Raymond Rife created a device in the early 20th century that could cure “over 5,000 diseases including all cancers” popped up online this month via a meme that asked: “WHY AREN’T WE USING THIS?” (here).


Similar statements appeared on Twitter (here) and the same image can be found on Instagram as far back as 2019 (here).

Do mitzvos evolve? - Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky

 אמת ליעקב שמות פרק כד פסוק יח
(יח) ויהי משה בהר ארבעים יום וארבעים לילה.
עיין בפרקי דרבי אליעזר [פמ"ו] דאיתא בזה"ל: ריב"ק אומר מ' יום עשה משה בהר קורא במקרא ביום ושונה במשנה בלילה ולאחר מ' יום וכו', ועיי"ש. ונראה שבעל כרחך זמן תורה שבעל פה הוא בלילה, דהא קי"ל דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן בעל פה32. ומזה [אנו למדים] שכל מצבי האדם מסוגלים לתלמוד תורה, אלא שכל מצב יש לו תורה מיוחדת, ודו"ק.
אמנם בעיקר דין זה יש לתמוה, הא הלכה פסוקה היא שדברים שבכתב אסור לאומרן בע"פ ודברים שבע"פ אי אתה רשאי לכותבן, ומה אנו רואין כעת הלכה למעשה, הפוסקים טרחו וגבבו לנו היתרים שונים לדברים שבכתב לאומרן בע"פ, ולהפך דברים שבע"פ התירו לכתוב משום עת לעשות ד', אבל ההיתר הזה נתרחב ונתפשט עד שכל גדולי ישראל ברכו ברכת שהחיינו כשזכו להעלות דבריהם על הכתב, ובלי שום היסוס וחשש כתבו דברים שבע"פ, ולמצוה וזכות הוא נחשב, ואיך נתהפך הדבר מן הקצה אל הקצה?
מקובל הוא אצל כל מאמין בעיקרי דתנו, כי התורה המצויה עתה בידנו היא היא הנתונה למשה רבינו. וברור הוא אצל כל אחד, כי משה רבינו ועזרא הסופר והלל הנשיא והרמב"ם והרמ"א כולן נטלו בימי החג אותן ארבעת המינין שאנו נוטלין. וכן תקעו באותו השופר שאנו תוקעין. ואותו התפילין והציצית והמזוזה המצויות עתה בידנו, הן הן שהיו בידי התנאים והאמוראים והגאונים והרבנים הראשונים והאחרונים. אבל מה נשתנה מצות ת"ת עד שמדור לדור רואין אנו שמשתנים אופני קיום מצוה זו וכמה מדיניה קבלו צורה אחרת לגמרי?
הבה נברר דברינו: בתחלה מי שיש לו אב מלמדו תורה מי שאין לו אב לא היה לומד תורה מאי דרוש: ולמדתם אותם ולמדתם אתם, התקינו שיהו מושיבין מלמדי תינוקות בירושלים, מאי דרוש: כי מציון תצא תורה. ועדיין מי שיש לו אב היה מעלו ומלמדו מי שאין לו אב לא היה עולה ולמד, התקינו שיהו מושיבין בכל פלך ופלך ומכניסין אותו כבן ט"ז כבן י"ז ומי שהיה רבו כועס עליו מבעט בו ויוצא. עד שבא יהושע בן גמלא ותיקן: שיהו מושיבין בכל עיר ועיר ומכניסין אותן כבן ו' כבן ז' [ב"ב דף כ"א ע"א]. הרי שבמצוה זו שינו וחזרו ושינו, תקנו וחזרו ותקנו, ומי התיר להם לבטל דרשת ולמדתם אתם ודרשת כי מציון תצא תורה?
לפי דברי המשנה [אבות פ"ה מכ"א] בן חמש למקרא בן עשר למשנה בן ט"ו לגמרא, וכן היתה ההלכה הפסוקה, מתחלה חייב הבן ללמוד תורה שבכתב כולה ואח"כ לומד משנה וגמרא. ואעפ"כ בזמן גדולי הפוסקים האחרונים, הב"ח והש"ך, עד דורותינו אלו, דורות שהיו זהירים בקיום כל המצוות עם כל פרטיהן ודקדוקיהן, ובכל זאת הזניחו את התנ"ך. וזכורים אנו שגם בימינו כשהתינוק עדיין אין לו ידיעה ואפילו שטחית בתורה שבכתב כבר מתחיל הוא למוד הגמרא ומזניחין לגמרי את לימוד התנ"ך. וכבר טרחו אחרונים למצוא מקור למנהג זה [ש"ך ביו"ד סי' רמ"ה], אבל מי הוא שהרשה להם ריפורמות כמו אלו. ובאמת מצינו שגם בימי רבי מתחלה דרשו גמרא אין לך מדה גדולה מזו, ואח"כ דרשו ולעולם הוי רץ למשנה יותר מן הגמרא [ב"מ דף ל"ג ע"א], הרי ששינו אופני קיום מצות ת"ת לפי צורכי השעה. אבל מדוע באמת לא הגדירה התורה עצמה חוקי וגדרי קיום המצוה החשובה הזאת שהיא כנגד כולם וכל דור ודור תורתו בידו?
יסוד הדבר בכל אלה לפי דעתי הוא: ולמדתם אותם ושמרתם לעשותם "גדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה". המעשה הוא הוא המגדיר את צורת מצות הלימוד, אופן קיומה וחומר הנלמד, צורתו ותכנו, ולפיכך עם שנוי העתים וחליפת הדורות משתנים אופני הלמוד וחלקי התורה הנלמדים. בתחלה כשכל ישראל היו למודי ד' וכל אחד מישראל היה יכול בעצמו ללמד את בנו תורה, ודאי שהאב הוא המלמד היותר מוכשר, כי מי כמוהו יודע ומכיר את אופי בנו וכשרונותיו, איזה ענין מסוגל הוא יותר לתפוס וכדומה, אבל אח"כ במשך הזמן שנתרבו עמי הארץ, וא"כ אם ננקוט שרק האב ילמד את בנו א"כ בני עמי הארץ יהיו עמי הארץ עד סוף כל הדורות, התקינו להושיב מלמדים. אבל מכיון שכן צריך להושיבם בירושלים, ששם ראו התלמידים את הקדושה השוררת בחיים וכהנים העוסקים בעבודתם, וזה ודאי שיפעל על התלמידים להתמסר לתורתם בכל לבם ונפשם [תוס' ב"ב שם], אבל היו נכנסים רק כבני ט"ז, ועד אותו הזמן שהיתה שולטת הקדושה לא היו בועטים ברבותיהם, אבל אח"כ היו בועטים ברבותיהם, והוכרחו להושיב בכל עיר ועיר בכדי שיוכלו להכניס גם בני ו' וז'. ואף שבכל פלך ופלך היה אפשר להושיב מלמדים יותר חשובים ומוכשרים, אבל מפני ירידת הקדושה הוצרכו לתקן גם זאת, כי בני ו' אי אפשר להוליך מעיר לעיר.
מתחלה ידעו חכמי הדורות להשתמש באותן המדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן; ידעו כל מדה ומדה איך היא נדרשת ובאיזה אופן יכולים להשתמש בה, והיו בקיאין בחסרות ויתרות, ואות יתירה לדרשה נאמרה, וגופי הלכות נלמדין מיו"ד או וא"ו יתירה, ולפיכך היתה קפידא יתרה שלא ללמוד תורה הכתובה בע"פ [אם לא לסומא] משום עת לעשות. ולהפך דברים שבע"פ נאמרו מפה לאוזן ע"י הרב המלמד, ורק המלמד בעצמו היה כותב בעצמו מגלות סתרים, השמועות החדשות ששמע מרבותיו, והיה מעיין בהן לעצמו, שעל ידי הנגלה יהיה זכור מה ששמע מרבו בע"פ, אבל ללמוד מתוך הכתב לא היו נוהגין, כי מי הוא שיכול לדקדק בסגנון ובלשון עד שיוכל המעיין מעצמו לדקדק להבין כל כוונות המחבר, ואין המחבר יכול לכתוב כל כך מדוקדק. עד שחיבר רבינו הקדוש חיבור המשנה מפני מעוט הלבבות ע"י הצרות שהלכו ונתגברו, והחיבור הזה נסדר ונכתב בדקדוק גדול עד שהליטו בה כל הלכות הברייתות (כתובות ס"ט ע"ב)33 בדקדוק לשונה, ומאז כבר התחילה תורה שבע"פ לדחוק רגלי תורה שבכתב, שהתחילו להשתמש כבר בסברות, ורק לפעמים הורו הלכה מתוך המקרא, עד שנשתכחו לגמרי גדרי המדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן ונחתם הש"ס שעליו אין להוסיף מעתה. זהו חתימת תקופת האמוראים, ומשם ואילך אין ההלכה יוצאת מתוך המקרא אלא מתוך המשנה והגמרא, אלא שגדולי הראשונים שאבו מן המקראות בצרוף אגדות חז"ל האמונות והדעות התורניות, ומפני מעוט הלבבות העלו כולם דבריהם על הכתב משום עת לעשות, ונמצאו גם אלה נעשו להלכות פסוקות, כמו של רבינו סעדיה גאון והרמב"ם והרמב"ן ודומיהם, וכיון שנכתבו גם אלו נעשה מעתה המקרא בבחינת אלפא ביתא [הגר"י סלנטר במכתביו34], כלומר כהכנה להבנת תורה שבע"פ הכתובה בזמננו משום עת לעשות, ולפיכך כל עיקר הלמוד נשאר אצלינו בתורה שבע"פ, כי היא היא המביאה לידי מעשה, ומחוייבים אנו לראות שהלמוד יהיה תלמוד המביא לידי מעשה, שכן היא חובת מלמדי תינוקות ללמדם ולחנך אותם בדרך טובה [רש"י ב"ב דף ח' ע"א] והיא צורת תלמוד תורה.

Ch-i_As_Heresy

 BS"D

The Ch-i Concept as Kefirah B'Ikkar (Heresy)

26 Shvat, 5782 /Jan. 28, '22 /Parshas Mishpatim, "... V'Shaim Elohim Achairim Lo Saz'kiru - Lo Yi'shomah Al-Pi'choh" (23:13)

Copyright 2022 © by Noson Shmuel Leiter

When I was in sixth or seventh grade, I remember that my teacher emphasized what a noun was. A noun is NOT "a person, place or thing." A noun is a WORD which REFERS TO a person, place or thing. Little did I realize how important that distinction is. Failure to properly distinguish between a word and what it refers to has led to immense confusion in understanding the very concept of heretical/ idolatrous names, "shaimos Avoda Zorah," and, in particular, understanding the objections to the term "Ch-i," the "New-Age" term for their heretical notion of an universal Life-Force "energy."

In this week's parsha, the Torah forbids us to even mention the names of idolatry. Additionally, as our Sages explain, the Torah prohibits Jews to even to cause a non-Jewish idolater to take an oath in the name of idolatry. "... V'Shaim Elohim Achairim Lo Saz'kiru - Lo Yi'shomah Al-Pi'choh" (Shemos 23:13). (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 156.)

By using idolatrous names, often people unknowingly transgress an additional prohibition: Avoda Zorah by Attribution, described in Talmud tractate Avoda Zorah 27b [and, according to the view of Tosofos, in tractate Pesachim 25a as well].  There we learn that a mystical practice - when attributed to Avoda Zorah (idolatrous forces), by explicitly attributing its alleged effectiveness to a specified Avoda Zorah, or even implicitly - is absolutely prohibited. Such a practice/ therapy is prohibited even to the extent of obligating us to give up our lives rather than be healed thereby, lest someone be drawn to believe in the attribution to Avoda Zorah (i.e. to imagine that the foreign deity has independent power - a heretical belief). This law is cited by Rav Yosef Karo in his Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Daiyoh, 155:1 (end), without any mention of a dissenting view.

Also see Rashi on the aforementioned passuk (23:13),  citing the equivalence drawn between avoiding Avoda Zorah and observance of the entirety of the Torah (e.g. see further Bamidbar 15:22-23, Rashi, Ramban; Horiyos 8a; Rambam, M.T., Laws of Idolatry (Hil. A.Z.), 2:4). Note that this derivation is based on the very verse that prohibits pagan names. That juxtaposition perhaps suggests that the very names of Avoda Zorah ("A.Z.") are foundational to the broader idolatrous milieu, perhaps by serving as gateway notions. This observation is borne out by what transpires nowadays in the new-age milieu. Therein, words are used, and ideas are conveyed simply by identifying things by heretical names, like, as we explain shortly, terms such as Ch-i (or Qi, or Ki in Japan, or Prana in India, etc.).

When seeking to identify heretical and idolatrous terms, one needs to distinguish between words and that which they refer to. Idolaters generally referred to existing forces, but in a distorted manner, attributing independent will to them, and often ascribing other abilities to them that they lacked. Thereby, the very mention of the idolatrous name conveyed their erroneous ideas about the entity or force, without recourse to a even making a statement.

This arises constantly with regard to the aforementioned term "Ch-i."

What is "Ch-i"?

"Ch-i" is a word. It's word used widely in the western milieu of people dedicated to a variety of mystical ideas and practices based on far-eastern religion/ metaphysics, ancient idolatry and paganism, and the Occult. This milieu is commonly referred to as the "New Age Movement," ("the NAM"). The NAM is not at all new, or easy to define. Nor is it even a single, easily identifiable movement. It is primarily from the NAM milieu that this term Ch-i, and its attending ideology/ theology, has infiltrated many religious communities around the world.

In the NAM milieu, the CONCEPT of Ch-i is commonly understood as follows:

They imagine that the force(s) that "energy healers" (and others) ostensibly manipulate in their "energy-channelling" practices is/are (1) a single universal force, (2) a vital-life-force which animates the entire universe, & (3) THE Source of all being, R"L. 

THAT conception erroneously attributes corporeality (physicality) to The Source of All Being, i.e. G-d. In other words, Ch-i refers to
 his'gamshmus HaBorei. Thus, the notion of Ch-i is a form of Kefirah B'Ikkar (Heresy). It is HaShem (G-d) who is The Exclusive Source of all, and He has no connection to physicality (see Rambam, M.T., Hilchos Yedosei HaTorah, 1:1, 5,6,7,11; Hil. Teshuva 3:7). To assert that the Source of All Being, meaning G-d, can be channeled or manipulated, or is  subject to change, location or movement is absolutely heretical (kefirah)(Rambam, YH"T, 1:11).

(4) Many new agers ALSO clearly attribute independent will to this force as well, R"L, and therefore ask it permission if it's "ready and willing" for the practitioner to perform a muscle test, or dowse, especially in Health Kinesiology.  THAT conception of Ch-i is clearly heresy on an additional count (see Ikkar #5, Chazon Ish Y.D. 62:19, for example.)

Thus, the New-Age TERM Ch-i refers to a kefirah CONCEPT. If some frum Ch-i advocates opt to use the term differently, that doesn't change the fact that the TERM is a Shaim-Kefira/Avoda Zorah.

Q: One question that confuses many people is this: What if there is an existing force similar to their distorted notion of Ch-i?

A: That doesn't alter the fact that the TERM "Ch-i" refers to a kefira distortion/ misconception of such a force, which, by definition, doesn't exist. Most Avoda Zorah names referred to some existing entity, but in a distorted way, attributing independent will to it [as Rav Ovadia Seforno mentions repeatedly in sefer D'varim]. That fact by no means circumvents the prohibition of using idolatrous names.

If those using the term Ch-i wish to refer to some existing entity, they need to use the term to identify it - rather than using the term Ch-i, which refers to something else altogether, or, at best, refers to a grave misconception of the existing entity, which by definition, is a mere figment of the imagination.

Moreover, even IF the Ch-i propagandists could establish that "the force" that the "energy-practitioners" are manipulating in their "energy-work" is a real entity, it's an entirely different entity than fictitious notion to which the NAM term "Ch-i" refers. Referring to THAT existing entity as "Ch-i" doesn't render the TERM "Ch-i" something other than what it is: a heretical term (shaim AZ/ Kefirah). 

In other words, the only other way to describe the term Ch-i is that it erroneously refers to the actual force or forces - that energy workers purportedly are using - but attributes to that ostensibly existing force/s their fictitious and heretical notion of His'gashmus HaBorei.

If said Ch-i advocates truly wanted to avoid promoting heresy-related concepts, they would simply use different terminology. And they would benefit greatly by sidestepping much of the controversy. But they refuse. Clearly, they're intent on promoting Ch-i ideology, which, as evidenced from the above, is actually New Age heresy.

Accordingly, said Ch-i advocates need to be avoided altogether, with their never-ending stream of propaganda, as per the published Psak signed by Rav Dovid Feinstein, Rav Yisroel Belsky, et.al., OB"M, published at the end of the Sefer "Rav Belsky on Alternative Medicine" et. al (Judaica Press). It is this endless propaganda that's instrumental in ensuring that many very confused people never understand the foundational concepts relevant here, or the monumental objections to Ch-i theology and the practices attributed to it.

May we witness the Final Redemption in the merit of helping identify and eradicate the cardinal transgressions which impede its arrival.
###

Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,

Executive Director,

Help Rescue Our Children

NathanAdvisors@gmail.com / personal account

USA: 845-642-1679* «» 

* for calls and texts, but not WhatsApp

Israeli Helpline: 03-721-3337

Rife with Therapies- anti -esatblishment advice?!

 https://mishpacha.com/rife-with-therapies/

Turning the lens inward, our community seems to have its own rather complex relationship with the dichotomy of establishment consensus versus skeptical minority opinion. Some people who don’t fit in to all the neat communal boxes, for example, feel disenfranchised by what they see as elitist condescension in areas like school admissions, shidduchim, and other areas.


Yet in the hot-button political and medical debates of recent years, parts of the community have also manifested a paranoiac distrust of mainstream institutions and expert consensus. And strangely, there often seems to be a simultaneous adoption of both of these extremes, applied selectively depending on the issue.


Ross Douthat’s advice to American society — to open-mindedly consider alternative wisdom, yet not descend into paranoid suspicion of mainstream thinking either — seems like good counsel for us, too
.

No Fourth Vaccine for Me - nonsensense from Mispacha Magazine's resident "godol"

 https://mishpacha.com/no-fourth-vaccine-for-me/

I decided against a fourth Covid vaccine when Israel made them available to those over 60 a few months ago. For one thing, despite the above-the-fold headlines every day about the dramatic increase in cases due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, the numbers of those requiring hospitalization were by no means commensurate. Most of my children and grandchildren have tested positive, and not one had more than a bad cold or flu-like symptoms for a few days.


And though I qualified for the vaccine by age, I’m healthy.

 

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I decided to post the above after receiving a glowing review from a friend

He attempted to coherently sort out the relevance for different people and populations instead of the sweeping generalizations we're constantly hearing.
He touched on 'saftyism' which adds a significant dimension to understanding the way many are relating to covid in general.

 

His claims regarding safetyism reminds me about a brief conversation I had with Rav Noach Weinberg. He told me a Jew should not use seat belts or get vaccinated because by showing a lack of bitachon. It will bring about that which he fears.

 I see many frum people who feel like Rosenbaum that the danger of Covid are exaggerated in order to give government and the medical establishment  authoritarian powers and thus the proposed methods are ignored or openly transgressed as well as ridiculed.

While Rosenbaum apparently got three vaccine doses and is not an anti-vaxxer. His arguments are largely those found among Republicans and right wing media and anti-vaxxers.

 

 

Contrary to Rosenbaum's screed The fourth shot has been shown beneficial.

from cdc

 http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2022/01/booster-shots-needed-against-omicron.html

from the Israel Health Ministry

https://corona.health.gov.il/en/vaccine-for-covid/4th-dose/

Fourth Vaccine Dose

According to studies, the Omicron variant, which led to the current infection wave, causes reduced immune protection among vaccinated individuals as well, compared to other variants.
In light of the extensive infection rate and the enormity of infection cases, hospitalization cases and severe illness cases, it was decided to allow the fourth vaccination of anyone aged 18 and older who has pre-existing conditions and risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness, for their caregivers and for anyone else at high risk for exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 patient in their line of work.
Studies show that those vaccinated with the fourth vaccine are twice as protected against infection than those vaccinated with three doses, and 3 to 5 times better protected from severe illness compared to those vaccinated with three doses.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan - A Living Torah

 https://mishpacha.com/a-living-torah/

Rabbi Kaplan wrote ten highly-popular and influential books for NCSY, and they remain as relevant today as they were back in the 1970s. Some addressed the foundational principles of Jewish faith (Love Means Reaching Out, The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith, Jerusalem: Eye of the Universe) while others explored such central mitzvos as Shabbos, mikveh (The Waters of Eden), tefillin and tzitzis (G-d, Man, and Tefillin). At the behest of NCSY, he also authored a series of booklets, later combined into one volume entitled The Real Messiah, which debunked the claims of Christian missionaries who had become a real and growing threat as part of a well-funded, aggressive nationwide campaign to ensnare Jewish souls in messianic “Judaism.”

Friday, January 28, 2022

Wife of rabbi with COVID-19 sues NY hospital for not using Ivermectin - report

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-694875

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, many people began touting Ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19. This has been supported by no medical studies at all. However, many people still believe that it is an effective treatment, especially due to the amount of COVID-19 misinformation spread online.

In fact, not only is it not helpful as a treatment, but it is also very dangerous. It is possible to overdose on Ivermectin, especially if the dosage is high, which it likely will be when used to treat COVID-19 since it is usually done with the animal ivermectin drugs, which are a lot more concentrated.

As noted by the FDA, overdosing on Ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, dizziness, seizures, allergic reactions, coma and death.

MK Yaakov Litzman to sign plea bargain

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/321250

On Thursday, a plea bargain was signed between MK Yaakov Litzman (UTJ), mere days before the Attorney-General, Dr. Avichai Mandelblit leaves office.

According to the terms of the deal, Litzman will admit to breach of confidence in the Malka Leifer saga; the accusation of disturbing the course of justice will be removed from the charge sheet. The “Hama’adaniyah” episode will also not appear on the charge sheet. The penalty that has been agreed between the two sides is that Litzman will be given a conditional prison sentence and a symbolic fine of NIS 3,000.

In addition, MK Litzman will resign from the Knesset without being accused of moral turpitude. The plea bargain is thus similar to that signed between the State Prosecution and Shas head Aryeh Deri, who recently resigned his Knesset seat.

How to think about boosters in light of this week's Pfizer and Moderna news

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/27/health/omicron-booster-wait-wen-wellness/index.html

About 50% of eligible Americans have received abooster shot, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the Pfizer and Moderna news might raise questions regardless. For those who have yet to get inoculated, should they wait until there is an Omicron-specific vaccine? What if someone has already had Covid-19 during the Omicron surge, do they still need a booster? And what does this mean for people who've already gotten a booster, or those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and then subsequently got a dose of another kind?

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Remembering Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan: NCSY Republishes Collection Of His Selected Works

 https://matzav.com/remembering-rabbi-aryeh-kaplan-ncsy-republishes-collection-of-his-selected-works/

On the occasion of the 39th yartzheit of Rabbi Aryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan, NCSY – the national youth movement of the Orthodox Union – has launched the NCSY Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Library. The reissuance of Rabbi Kaplan’s illuminating writings is designed to help preserve his unique legacy and introduce it to contemporary youth.

Rabbi Kaplan, one of the central figures in the American Jewish spiritual awakening “teshuva movement” of the 1960s, was one of NCSY’s foremost thinkers who influenced thousands of unaffiliated Jewish teens over the course of several decades. The physicist-turned-rabbi’s prolific output of books, essays, pamphlets and translations of complex Kabbalah works were clear and compelling. Most notably, perhaps, Rabbi Kaplan synthesized his extraordinary understanding of Jewish law, mysticism, science and other disciplines to make them accessible to a wide Jewish audience, especially teenagers – a notoriously underserved demographic.

anti vaxxer nonsense

PROVIDERS PAID BY FEDS TO MURDER COVID PATIENTS --PROOF HOSPITALS ARE BEING PAID TO KILL

CATHERINE AUSTIN FITTS | WE ARE HEADED FOR A DIGITAL CONCENTRATION CAMP - JAN 15, 2022

STEW PETERS: KAREN KINGSTON | FAUCI’S DEATH FUNNEL: HE FUNDED & CONTINUES TO FUND VIRUS ENHANCING RESEARCH

THE 7 US GOVERNMENT PAYOFFS TO KILL YOU IN HOSPITALS

COINCIDENCE? OR SOMETHING ELSE. COUNTRY LEADERS DEAD AFTER REFUSING THE VAX BE USED IN THEIR COUNTRIES

PRESIDENT OF GHANA GOES ON NATIONAL TV IN GHANA TO TELL THE ENTIRE COUNTRY ABOUT THE SATANIC PLAN

PFIZER WORLD HEADQUARTERS BUILDING IN NEW YORK CITY FILLED WITH STRANGE SYMBOLISM?

WE WILL PREVAIL - BY EJ PRODUCTIONS41
TRANS-VAX OR "V" !

KAREN KINGSTON PHD. PROOF THE 'VACCINES' WERE CREATED TO KILL CHILDREN!!!

AUSSIE: 5-11 YEAR OLD VACCINATIONS BEGAN TODAY - 3 DEATHS ALREADY

FOUR HUNDRED ATHLETES COLLAPSING AND DYING IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS

PROJECT CAMELOT AND BILL RYAN - TALKING ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY RECORDED BACK IN 2010? !!

PROOF: DOCS KNOW THEY'RE KILLING: FAUCI'S DEADLY REMDESIVIR HAD 50% KILL RATE IN EBOLA TRI

PILOTS EXPOSE THE MANDATED ILLNESS RAMPANT AMONG THE MAJOR AIRLINES

STEW PETERS: KAREN KINGSTON | FAUCI’S DEATH FUNNEL: HE FUNDED & CONTINUES TO FUND GAIN OF FUNCTION VIRUS RESEARCH?

KAREN KINGSTON | PROOF THE 'VACCINES' WERE CREATED TO KILL CHILDREN!!!

THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO TO US!

DR. ZELENKO | EXPOSING THE SATANIC DEPOPULATION AGENDA - REAWAKEN AMERICA

DR. ROBERT MALONE: 18 NARRATIVE-CHANGING HIGHLIGHTS FROM HIS 3-HOUR INTERVIEW W/ JOE ROGAN

‘A Menace to Public Health’: Doctors Demand Spotify Puts an End to Covid Lies on ‘Joe Rogan Experience’

 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/covid-misinformation-joe-rogan-spotify-petition-1282240/

Rivera is one of 270 doctors, physicians, and science educators who signed an open letter calling on Spotify, which obtained exclusively streaming rights to the Joe Rogan Experience in a reported $100 million deal, to take action against misinformation on the platform, such as that contained in the interview with Malone. “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” the letter reads. “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”

Why was Rav Goren not accepted in the Hareidi world? - Guest Post by KA

 We have to go back to the beginning.  Rav Avraham Goroncik and family moved to Poland to Eretz Yisroel when their son was around 7. He showed enormous intellect, and was memorizing everything he learned.  Rav Avraham placed young Shlomo in yeshivot , where he excelled. He was told at the age of around 12 to learn 7 daf of Gemar which he did. Keeping his feet in a bucket of cold water to stay awake enough to learn.  At Etz Chaim, he became close to rav Isser Zalman Meltzer. Rav Meltzer was very impressed, and as young Shlomo developed he started learning 22  daf of Gemara per day. 

His reputation grew in Yerushalayim, and around the world. Rav Aaron Kotler ztl wanted him as a son in law, but rav Goren said he was a Gurer Hassid and had to ask the rebbe.  He also was close to Rav Kook, who became his master.
He tells in his autobiography that he learned Yerushalmi daily with rav Isser Zalman ztl for 12-13 years (on top of  Bavli).

So he was a genius, ilui. Rav Rakeffet calls  him a Gaon sh'ba gaonim.

He wanted to learn full time, but went to university to study Greek and Philosophy to assist him in learning Yerushalmi.  he married the daughter of the Nazir, rav david haCohen, whom he met in  University. (Joanthan sacks also met his wife, Elaine in Cambridge University).

he was in a circle of Talmidei chachamim in Jerusalem , but was called to become the Rav of the army, to make it kosher for religious as well as secular soldiers. 

So far we see that despite his tremendous ability to learn, he is already outside of the classical Hareidi model, whether gur, hasidic or Misnagdic. 

In the army he had to deal with situations not seen for 2000 years and hence with little halachic matter in the sources. He had to learn sources from a variety of texts, Tanakh, Yerushalmi, Maccabees etc.  And in wartime,  psak is not the same as writing to a psoek who has time to reflect and go through sources. these are urgent pikuach nefesh matters which go on 24/7. 

Now the pattern merges of not only someone aligned to the more modern and Zionist world, but someoen embarking on a role that nobody is familiar with - and making decisions which in peacetime migh not be so easy to make.

But even so, some people still respected his great learning and stature.  According to biographer Shalom Freedman, in 1960 Rav Shach asked R Goren to set up a kollel together with him.  Rav Goren declined because he was still busy with the army. 

Meanwhile rav Goren published a commentary on the Yerushalmi, and apparently there are or were more manuscripts on further tractates. 

In the same year,  1960, there was an empty vacancy for the Ashkenazi chief rabbi's position, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe at that time was backing rav Goren.

In fact, the election only took place in 1964, and was between Rav Unterman and Rav Goren.  At this time, there was no major opposition to him. Rav Elyashiv was still there and is famously photographed with both of the candidates. 

It should be clear that something seismic shifted between 1964 and 1972.

In 1967, Rav Goren was in the victorious army that liberated the Kotel. while this was great joy for many Jews around the world,  and which started the modern Teshuva movement , it was also a humiliation for those who cannot accept Jerusalem before the Moshisch arrives.  

In his own writings, Rav Goren speaks of the high esteem he had for the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and how they spoke for several hours during his visits to New york, debating the Rambam's position vs that of the Yerushalmi on the ability to build the temple before Moshiach.

In 1968, just one year after blowing the shofar, Rav Goren gets involved in the Langer case,  and gets agreement from Rav Nissim to set up a new BD. This did not transpire. 
We have debated umpteen times the 1972 controversy, so I can only suggest what the different views are regarding the opposition to Shlomo Goren, and then make my own suggestion.

There are several strands of Hareidi reaction to this that we can glean from the old articles written closer to the time.

Rav Moshe ztl  in NY was opposed to both the election, and to the psak.  But he said the psak is not valid because r' Goren took a bribe. The bribe was allegedly making a promise to give the heter , if they gave him the job.

Lubavitcher Rebbe says something a bit kinder, that we cannot have a secular government giving orders or direction to how a posek acts, and that Rav Goren should resign  whether he was right or wrong!  it is a milder criticism than that or Rav Moshe.

In Israel, the reactions were more extreme - he was accused of making a play of halacha, of being megaleh panim, and that his future psak was no longer valid. 
This is from the hareidi side, and not just the bitter enemies, but even Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztl, who generally avoided controversy. 

On the RZ side, they argued that his psak was sound, and that the oppostion was extremism, either anti-rabbanut, or anti-Zionist. 
On the MO side, Rabbi Rackman, backed the psak and said that the Gaon Rav Henkin supports Goren.  The grandson, Rav Yehuda Henkin ztl said that his grandfather used the words "ze lo halakha, ze politika" ie the opposition was political , not halachic. 

This division continues today. For MO and RZ, Rav Goren remains a major gadol and personality, whereas in the Hareidi world, he is a subject of bizayon and hatred.

The Hareidi world has long suppressed independence of thought. it requires conformity.  An example is Rav SZ Auerbach's proposal to give a heter for a woman who could not conceive except during niddah. There was such strong opposition, that he had to retract and say it was not halacha l'maaseh. Had he stuck to his views, he would be outcast and mocked like a another Goren. 

It was not the psak per se that was so bad it was just the right excuse at the right time  a) to make an example of him, and b) to threaten the RZ world of more sanctions.  

Whilst this has given the Hareidi world a false sense of unity , it has also undermined their own authority.  There is a  viable, sustainable world that can follow halacha, make independent decisions, and not be too fussed by noise from Bnei Brak or Meah Shearim.  The RZ world continues, and still relies on Rav Goren's piskei halacha.  This was a victory for Rav Goren, but not in the short term, rather the long term.  Perhaps it was his last victory, and was in the halachic arena and not the military. 

reaction of DE: Bottom line you are constantly claiming opposition was primarily for political or theological reasons. Would you advise  a family member to marry into the Langer family based on Goren's psak?

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Excommunication Edict Draws Smiles

 https://www.jta.org/archive/excommunication-edict-draws-smiles

The Chief Rabbinate Council excommunicated Lorincz yesterday afternoon at a session held under Rabbi Goren’s chairmanship but boycotted–as usual–by its co-chairman, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef whose perpetual quarrels with Rabbi Goren make the news almost as frequently as the daily weather report.


Lorincz Excommunicated for Calling Goren Idi Amin

 https://www.jta.org/archive/lorincz-excommunicated-for-calling-goren-idi-amin

The Chief Rabbinate Council today excommunicated Shlomo Lorincz, an outspoken Knesset member of the Aguda bloc for insulting Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren in the course of a Knesset debate this week, Lorincz likened Goren, who was chief chaplain of Israel’s armed forces before he was elevated to the Chief Rabbinate three years ago, to President Idi Amin of Uganda, a one-time friend but now a vitriolic for of Israel, (See earlier story in Wednesday’s Bulletin.)

Israelis Bemused as Clergy Ousts Member Who Berated Top Rabbi

 https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/01/archives/israelis-bemused-as-clergy-ousts-member-who-berated-top-rabbi.html

The excommunication was handed down after Rabbi Lorincz rose in Parliament Monday and accused Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren of dictatorial and tyrannical practices similar to those of Uganda's fiery and unpredictable leader.

Esther Horgan's murderer in court: We have a right to murder Jews

 Esther Horgan's murderer in court: We have a right to murder Jews

The military court in the Salam camp held a hearing this morning on the case of the murderer of Esther Horgan. The prosecutor is seeking to impose a life sentence on the terrorist Muhammad Maruh Kabha.

The Horgan family demanded that the court exhaust all severity of the law with Kabha and all concerned, including Prime Minister Bennett and Defense Minister Gantz, to enforce the law and also come to terms with PA leaders inciting the murder of Jews and rewarding terrorists. They also demanded significant compensation from Kabha.

Kabha said at the hearing, "The family says it is incitement from the PA, yet it is our right. We strive our whole lives for peace and we hope there will be peace later and we will all live together without killing on either side."

A Hoax of Hate: The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion

 https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/a-hoax-of-hate-the-protocols-of-the-learned-elders-of-zion

Anti-Semites around the globe still actively circulate the Protocols. It has appeared in Japan-where bestsellers by anti-Semite Masami Uno cite them as evidence of a "Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world’-and in Latin America (including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay). The document is also favored by such U.S. right-wing extremists as the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nations. The most common U.S. edition was published by hatemonger Gerald L. K. Smith’s Christian Nationalist Crusade.

Outrage spreads over 'Elders Of Zion' book being sold by top booksellers

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-694559

The antisemitic text The Protocols Of The Meetings Of The Learned Elders Of Zion is being sold on popular book sellers' websites, Jewish social media users were outraged to learn on Tuesday.

Top online booksellers such as Walmart, Book Depository, Thrift Books, Hudson Books, and Barnes & Noble are each selling dozens of versions of The Protocols of the Elders Of Zion. Of note, these retailers are also selling a version published by Book Tree in 1999 that is causing outrage on social media.

Religious , Secular Jews Divided Over Ruling on the Langer Case



Israel Army sergeant-major Hanoch Langer ( picture , right ) marrying Yehudit Krispon , and his sister Miriam Langer marrying Daniel Levi at quiet wedding ceremonies held one alter the other m a Tel Aviv wedding hall in the presence of their closest relatives and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan .



Nearly 5 , 000 people gathered in Mea Shearim to protest against Chief Rabbi Goren s decision on the Langers and to rent their garments as a gesture of mourning .

Religious , Secular Jews Divided Over Ruling on the Langer Case

JERUSALEM - ( WNS ) - Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren's swift resolution of the case of Hanoch and Miriam Langer who had been classified as mamzerim has created a sharp rift within the world s secular and religious Jewish communities . Conservative Judaism leaders attending the World Council of Synagogues convention here appeared unanimous in their approval of Rabbi Goren s handling of the case . Rabbi Judah Nadich , Rabbinical Assembly of America president , cabled congratulations to Rabbi Goren on the great ruling which will increase the glory of the Torah . Prof . Simon Greenberg , Jewish Theological Seminary ot America vice chancellor , said the ruling was the spirit of halacha . Great Britains Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits , who is Orthodox , indicated his approval , but cautioned We cannot change the law completely . Leaders of the religious communities of Bnei Braq met to consider establishing their own rabbinate and marriage registry . Denmark's Chief Rabbi Bent Melchior said he was unhappy with Goren's ruling , which removed the taint of illegitimacy from the Langers and permitted them to marry their fiances , because it did not solve the overall problem of mamzerut (illegitimacy) . The Rabbis action proved immensely popular with a majority of Israelis although it engendered bitterness among diehard conservatives in the rabbinate and in ultra-Orthodox circles . Leaders of the Agudath Israel of America at its 50th national convention in Atlantic City , N . J ., condemned Goren' s action and said the 1 , 000 Orthodox leaders attending the convention feel it will be necessary to review the entire status of Israel's official rabbinate as it is presently structured . Meanwhile , Rabbi Goren is under heavy police guard as a precaution against physical assaults by religious zealots.  Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren detailed to reporters at his home why he had decided that the stigma of bastardy should be lifted from Hanoch and Miriam Langer , the former halachic mamzerim who wed their fiances last week after a Goren appointed court cleared the brother and sister . Rabbi Goren explained that there was no conclusive proof that Abraham Borokovsky _, the first husband of the Langer's mother , had converted to Judaism , and thus his marriage was halachically void . Even if Borokovsky had converted , the Chief Rabbi continued , it was done for personal gain — to marry the Langer's mother — because he had returned to Christianity immediately after the supposed conversion and had baptized his son .  Quoting Maimonides and other commentators , Rabbi Goren said that a convert to Judaism who returns to his original religion is considered as never having been a Jew . Furthermore , Rabbi Goren said , the Langer's mother had converted to Christianity and prayed in church before marrying Borokovsky , making the supposedly Jewish ceremony halachically invalid . Finally , Rabbi Goren explained , Borokovsky had never taken his conversion to Judaism seriously , was unable to recite the Shma and did not know how to lay tefillin . Thus , Rabbi Goren concluded , Borokovsky was not a Jew , his marriage to the Langer's mother was invalid , and she was officially single and eligible to marry Langer and have children by him . Rabbi Goren said that an earlier appeal to the Supreme Rabbinical Court had failed because its members had been threatened by terrorists who had also launched a campaign of unbridled terror against him . If such activities are not checked , he warned , dayanim ( judges ) will be unable to rule dispassionately and their judgments will lose their credibility .Ultra-Orthodox residents of the Mea Shearim quarter publicly rent their garments to protest the Langer decision . At a demonstration called by Neturei Karta , an extremist group that does not recognize the Israeli government — a crowd listened for more than two hours to rabbis denouncing Rabbi Goren for alleged desecration of the Torah . At the request of one speaker , the protestors quietly cut their jacket lapels and shirts with scissors and knives and sat briefly on the ground in a gesture of mourning . Posters on Mea Shearim walls asserted that future decisions by Rabbi Goren would be considered void . The posters were signed by several rabbis , including Yosef Shalom Chishin , who resigned as senior judge of the Supreme Rabbinical Court last month to protest Rabbi Goren s election as Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi .

Great Controversy in Israeli Batei Din - The Langer Case By Benzion Rotblat

 https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/great-controversy-in-israeli-batei-din-the-langer-case-by-benzion-rotblat-21

Rav Goren later faced severe criticism in light of his ruling. Rav Elyashiv, who had ruled in the original case, left the Rabbinate Beit Din system after Rav Goren’s decision, as he felt that his ruling violated Halachic norms. A group of top tier Rabbanim including Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Yechezkel Abramsky, Rav Yaakov Kanievsky, Rav Eliezer Menachem Man Shach and Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz condemned the decision as consisting of “lies and deception” and that the Psak “endangers the survival of the nation.” [7] The Lubavitcher Rebbe also called for Rabbi Goren’s resignation. [8]

Goren Clears Mamzerim: Hanoch and Miriam Langer Wed Their Fiances

 https://www.jta.org/archive/goren-clears-mamzerim-hanoch-and-miriam-langer-wed-their-fiances

Rabbi Goren called on his colleague, Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – in the Negev town of Netivot for the day – and on all other rabbis and dayanim in the country to make peace with him. Members of the Supreme Rabbinical Court said in reaction to the quickie court that they thought it undermined the Judicial process. They wondered if the court appointed by Rabbi Goren had time to examine the evidence and hear witnesses.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Letter of "Revealing the Opinion of the Union of Rabbis", opposing the Dismissal of Rabbi Unterman in Favor of the Appointment of Rabbi Goren as Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel

 https://www.kedem-auctions.com/en/content/letter-revealing-opinion-union-rabbis-opposing-dismissal-rabbi-unterman-favor-appointment

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who opposed the dismissal of Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman and the appointment of Rabbi Goren, wrote the ruling in this open letter: "The subject of the Jewish rabbinate all over the world, is a matter of authority which according to Torah law is irrevocable all his life

Man Taunts Middle Schoolers For Wearing Masks, Allegedly Coughs In Their Faces

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2022/01/24/man-taunts-middle-schoolers-for-wearing-masks-allegedly-coughs-in-their-faces/ 
  The man, who is pictured typically wearing a shirt that reads “Your mask makes you look stupid,” has been allegedly harassing children in La Crescenta for wearing masks for at least the past month. Some parents said he’s been following middle and elementary school students and harassing them for longer. He was caught on video spewing out an anti-mask tirade after harassing middle schoolers in a parking lot near Rosemont Middle School. He was heard shouting obscenities within the earshot of those students. He also claims that his children goes to local schools and called the mask mandate “child abuse.”

Monday, January 24, 2022

UK woman can’t have contact with twin sons, 12, after Austrian court ruling

 https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/uk-woman-cant-have-contact-with-twin-sons-12-after-austrian-court-ruling/

 A British Jewish woman has been told that she is to have no contact with her 12-year-old twin sons as a result of a new ruling by an Austrian court.

Beth Alexander, now a London-based family law solicitor, has been fighting her ex-husband, Dr Michael Schlesinger, in the Vienna courts, after the breakdown of their short marriage and the birth of the twins, Samuel and Benjamin.