Though Trump said Wednesday that "100%" of ISIS had been defeated, forces on the ground suggest otherwise. An August report by the Pentagon estimates that ISIS is “resurging” in Syria and has as many as 18,000 militants there and in Iraq. And although its threat had dissipated in recent times, it has not disappeared. On October 11, the group claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on a popular restaurant in the Syrian-Kurdish city of Qamishli, which killed at least three civilians.

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/.premium-trump-said-isis-defeated-forces-syria-iraq-tell-otherwise-1.8019763

Special report from Syrian-Iraq border: ‘For sure, the Islamic State will take this opportunity to come back,’ warns one Kurdish fighter, while U.S. coalition commander says: 'The mission against ISIS has been undermined

Though Trump said Wednesday that "100%" of ISIS had been defeated, forces on the ground suggest otherwise. An August report by the Pentagon estimates that ISIS is “resurging” in Syria and has as many as 18,000 militants there and in Iraq. And although its threat had dissipated in recent times, it has not disappeared. On October 11, the group claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on a popular restaurant in the Syrian-Kurdish city of Qamishli, which killed at least three civilians.

Trump walks back claim of defeating ‘100% of the ISIS caliphate’

https://www.rollcall.com/news/whitehouse/in-another-reversal-trump-walks-back-claim-of-defeating-100-of-the-isis-caliphate

 the president told a different story on Monday during a speech to law enforcement officers in Chicago ahead of two fundraising events at a hotel he owns in the Windy City.

He told the officers that once the U.S. military — which had help from Kurdish forces Trump recently allowed to be attacked by Turkey’s military — had eliminated “70 percent” of the so-called caliphate, “I said, ’Let’s go home.’”

Killing Americans - "Mind, Body and Spirit:"

By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

*  The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

Parshas Noach, 5780

29 Oct. '19

Elections in Focus: Assisted Suicide supporters running for re-election in NJ:

Previously, the Jewish Press published a psak Halacha regarding Assisted Suicide legislation, including a statement relevant to elections:

"Thus, when voting for any public official, this issue must be considered as top priority, certainly overriding financial considerations, government programs, etc. By voting for people who support these laws, we become accountable for their actions. This ruling would still apply even if these laws were to be passed, we would still be forbidden to vote for legislators who voted for these laws. This is the most important way to fulfill our obligation."

Some of the rabbanim who signed the psak are Rabbis

Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Yitzchok Cohen (Yeshiva University), Shmuel Kamenetsky (Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia), Benjamin Yudin (Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ), Steven Pruzansky (Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck), Simcha Bunim Cohen (Khal Ateres Yeshaya), Dovid Schustal (Bais Medrash Govoha),  Avrohom Yaakov Nelkenbaum (Mirrer Yeshiva).

Legislators who represent Orthodox districts in NJ, and who voted for assisted suicide - and are  thus included in the category of those candidates for whom it is forbidden to vote - include:

Lisa Swain, Christopher Tully  (Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Paramus);

Gordon Johnson,  Valerie Vainieri Huttle (Englewood, Fort Lee, Teaneck, Tenafly);

Clinton Calabrese (Passaic):

Jamel Holley, Annette Quijano (Elizabeth, Union); 

Louis Greenwald,  Pamela Lampitt  (Cherry Hill);

Mila Jasey, John McKeon (Livingston, Maplewood, West Orange);

Annette Chaparro,  Raj Mukherji  (Jersey City, Union City);

Angela McKnight (Jersey City, Bayonne).

After years of deceptive campaigning, Assisted Suicide passed in NJ a number of months ago, by a single vote in each house of the Legislature. Thus, technically, each and every legislator is responsible for its passage.  By demonstrating what our values are, we help preserve them, especially in states where Assisted Suicide still poses a real and present danger, especially N.Y. By ignoring the Halacha, and voting for those who ostensibly throw government money at us to buy our votes, we not only perpetrate Chillul HaShem, but we aid and abet those who threaten the lives of some of our most vulnerable.

It should be mentioned that in that last vote, much of the Orthodox community was intentionally kept in the dark about the need to be extra vocal in our opposition to Assisted Suicide legislation in NJ. For example, one community leader, who had a detailed conversation with the lead activist of an Orthodox lobbying organization, had no idea of the need to reach out to a key legislator in his own district, even just a few hours before that fateful vote. That particular Assemblyman voted yes, technically providing the one vote needed to pass it in the Assembly, thus making it law.

####

Part 2:

Educational "Crusader" running for D.A. in Rockland County:

In a high profile, three way race in Rockland County, NYS Supreme Court Judge Thomas Walsh, pro-LGBT, pro-abortion Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, and Attorney Michael Dietrich are running for D.A.

Mr. Dietrich has made multiple public statements (on social and in print media) threatening to prosecute Orthodox Jewish individuals over our choices of how we educate our children. His posted statements, when objectively examined in context, would terrify any Biblically oriented parent, and deeply concern anyone concerned about safeguarding constitutional liberties - in the realms of religious, educational, and parental rights - from unconstitutional government intrusion, and,  ultimately, from the unrelenting LGBTQ indoctrination agenda permeating public education nowadays.

Tellingly, he also calls for leaving one's religion out of the voting booth, as if voting on antireligious values is somehow preferable to voting on the basis of one's religious values.

He claims that the lack of secular education in many ultra Orthodox institutions would be prosecutable as endangerment of the welfare of a child. He singles out several large orthodox communities for critique, including Lakewood NJ. Meanwhile, indisputable harm to children is being perpetrated in his own backyard. For example, the NYC school system, as reported in this column not long ago, has been subjected to new Guidelines, in the form of draconian transgender policies. If he is concerned about child welfare, where is his concern over that, which is being promulgated with the blessing of the NYS Democratic Establishment?  

He complains about indoctrination by Yeshivos that teach secular subjects in a manner consistent with the Torah, as if our religious values and perspective must be restricted to religious studies. 

 

As AG Barr wisely noted recently, the problem Americans face is not religious indoctrination, but antireligious indoctrination, especially in the arena of Education.

The very focus, on the part of Mr. Dietrich and his ilk, on the  prosecution of Yeshivas and Bais Yaakov girl schools - while ignoring the systemic pro-LGBTQ indoctrination of the public schools system - raises a red (or pink) flag.

It's crucial to clarify that, to an extent, the concerns Orthodox Jews have over outside influence over education extend to all segments of the Orthodox community (all of which would be branded "ultra-Orthodox by pro-immorality propagandists). Additionally, these threats to educational independence pose similar dangers to all children, particularly those in religious schools. Once religious schools are targeted for maintaining their educational independence, in this LGBTQ permeated societal milieu, no school, family, or child is safe.

Mr. Dietrich reveals his assimilationist missionary agenda darkly in another posted statement. He intones that if ultra-Orthodox students were educated on secular subjects and basic American values, he claims, we wouldn't be a separate community, as in Lakewood (and, we'd add: Monsey, Wesley Hills, and Flatbush...) - but rather "one unified community" in which "almost every child" would be in the Public School system. 

Mazel Tov. And every child would be entitled to the opportunity to be compelled to restrain himself from using the restrooms all day, to avoid the transgender bathroom incidents currently victimizing NYC Public School inmates. And every child could partake of the spectacle of being educated by teachers who (at least pretend to be) unaware of basic anatomical distinctions defining male and female, and who genuflect to 67 genders of the Equality Rainbow culture. Furthermore, the children would be taught from textbooks celebrating same gender "marriage," recognition of which, Chazal exhort us in Beraishis Rabba 26:5/10 on Ber. 6:2, and in VaYikra Rabba on ViYikra 18:3, triggered the Great Flood detailed in this week's parsha.

These people not only are bereft of authority to address our religious needs, they don't even begin to speak as authorities on Education altogether, because they clearly have no idea of what it is.

What Is the “Highly Anticipated” FISA Report That Conservatives Keep Talking About?

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/inspector-general-fisa-report-carter-page-russia-investigation.html

To those outside the conservative news bubble, “the FISA report” might not mean much—let alone be “highly anticipated,” as the story described it. But those who watch Fox News have been primed to think of this report as something that will show that the FBI and Justice Department were reckless, or even acted illegally, in their efforts to undermine Donald Trump. Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared on Fox News on Sunday to promise a public hearing as soon as the report is available. Lou Dobbs complained on Fox when he learned the report had been delayed. Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett promised viewers that the report would mean “harsh judgment” and a possible criminal referral for former FBI Director James Comey. And it’s not just Fox. The larger conservative media world has focused on the report. (The New York Times and the Washington Post, by contrast, have covered the report’s existence, but they haven’t hyped it as a possible game-changer.) The Daily Caller, for example, called the report “much-anticipated” and reminded its readers that “a lot is riding on the report.”

Racial Profiling, or Pure Antireligious Discrimination?

By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

feinbergbinyomin@gmail.com

* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

~~~~~~~~~~~

1 Cheshvan,5780 °° Oct.30,'19

The extent of corruption in the government handling of the case of Ziva bas Mazal is coming to light. Individual instances of mismanagement can theoretically be attributed to other factors, but a pattern indicates intentional corruption, and, in light of a previously articulated Army agenda, discrimination. Some of the "anomalies" include:

1. Ziva (and her family) is clearly religious. Nevertheless, had been hit with a whopping 31-day military prison sentence [since completed] for ostensibly submitting her religious exemption documentation late.

2. Even if the Army's claim of late submission would be accurate, lateness is clearly no excuse for intentionally drafting or imprisonment of a religious girl, denying her religious rights.

3. There is no reason to doubt Ziva's claim that she sent in her religious certification early.

4. Nor is there reason to accept the ubiquitous Army claim that they never got the her religious certification in the mail. Those involved is assisting girls avoiding military service hear of this claim by army officers frequently, too frequently to be credible.

5. As noted previously, this claim has even less credibility because of an intentional government refusal to enact a simple exemption confirmation process, so every girl would know if she is exempt or not. The government chooses to keep the girls in the dark, and at the same time keep claiming that the government cannot reliably deliver critical mail -- to itself.

6. Ziva's initial attorney, a government-provided public defender, reportedly indicated to Ziva that Ziva's case was a low priority for her.

7. Ziva's interview with Maitav "Vice"-Commander Avner Lotati technically should have addressed the core issue ostensibly under question, being her religiosity. It did not; she was not asked any questions about her religiosity per se. Furthermore, in Lotati's report recommending Ziva be drafted, Lotati failed to provide any rationale for rejecting her claim of religious observance (for good reason - because there's absolutely nothing to question about her religiosity).

The concatenation of this sequence of mistreatment indicates intentional discrimination. Is it only because Ziva is religious, or is it also because she's Ethiopian, and at somewhat of a disadvantage because of that?

###

~~~~~~~~~~~

Some previous posts on this ongoing scandal:

https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/10/outrage-upon-outrage.html

https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/10/making-racism-great-again.html

To check for updates throughout the week please visit ("Updates for Cheshvan" at: )

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11EUa2a_8OwXs7T1vMfek3MehHfC2Rd9mWt6NetNxLm0/edit?usp=sharing

Trump’s False Claim about Syrian ‘Safe Zone’

https://www.factcheck.org/2019/10/trumps-false-claim-about-syrian-safe-zone/

In his press conference, Trump said he was “glad” he “was able to help” Turkey establish a “safe zone” — but, in doing so, he made his false claim about deaths “from that safe zone.”

Trump, Oct. 27: Turkey has taken tremendous deaths from that part of the world. You know, we call it a safe zone. But it was anything but a safe zone. Turkey has lost thousands and thousands of people from that safe zone. So they’ve always wanted that safe zone, for many years. I’m glad I was able to help them get it.

Three experts we interviewed said the president is wrong.

“President Trump specifically said they have been fighting in the ‘safe zone’ area that he gave to Turkish control,” Aydıntaşbaş said. “Again, no recorded history of that ever. Turkey has not ‘lost thousands of people in that safe zone.'”

Henri Barkey, a professor of international relations at Lehigh University and adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, was blunt: “This is complete nonsense. He is making things up,” Barkey said.

Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, didn’t say Trump was “making things up,” but rather “conflating” Turkey’s ongoing fight against the PKK in Turkey with the perceived threat from the YPG across the border in Syria.

“Turkey has long been fighting the PKK. Estimates that appear frequently in the press and reports are that 40,000 people have died as a result of the fighting between the Turkish state [and] the PKK,” Sloat said, referring us to a Sept. 13 story in Al-Jazeera about a roadside bombing that killed seven in southeast Turkey. “So the ‘thousands’ who have died are in Turkey as a result of fighting with the PKK, not in Syria as a result of fighting with the YPG there.”

The CIA also reports that the conflict in Turkey has resulted in 40,000 deaths.

But, Sloat said, “PKK (in Turkey) are linked to YPG (in Syria),” and “Turkey has long wanted a safe zone.” She said Erdogan since 2013 has been calling for a safe zone “in Syria to push the YPG off its border and to prevent them from connecting several cantons and creating an autonomous Kurdish region, which he believes would threaten Turkish security.”

That threat, however, has not resulted in “thousands and thousands” of Turkish deaths in northern Syria, contrary to Trump’s claim. Those deaths occurred as a result of a decades-old conflict inside Turkey’s borders.

'Trump FACES A STORM After He Attacks On Vindman Trigger Backlash

TRUMP'S UKRAINE TRANSCRIPT: ALEXANDER VINDMAN SAYS THERE ARE TWO KEY POINTS MISSING

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-ukraine-transcript-alexander-vindman-key-points-missing-1468603

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman told House impeachment investigators Tuesday that multiple important words and phrases were not included in the memo of the July phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, despite his best efforts to have them recorded.

The New York Times cited three people familiar with the testimony who said Vindman—the National Security Council's Ukraine expert who sat in on the phone call and raised concerns about it to an NSC lawyer—told representatives that two of his attempted changes to the memo were not made.

Vindman—an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient—said some of his suggestions were incorporated into the memo released last month, but that omitted portions included Trump claiming that there were recordings of 2020 rival Joe Biden discussing corruption in Ukraine.

During more than 10 hours of questioning, Vindman also said that at one point, Zelenskiy mentioned the Burisma Holdings energy firm which employed Hunter Biden as a board member and around which the corruption allegations against the Bidens center.

The released memo used ellipses to indicate where some speech had been excluded, raising concerns that the White House is hiding more damaging details of the call. The memo had three sets of ellipses during stretches where Trump was speaking.

Combat Veteran Who Was On July 25th Call Testifies In Impeachment Inquiry | Deadline | MSNBC

Trump Impeachment Update: Vindman’s Explosive Testimony | The Daily Show

Energy Secretary Rick Perry Defends Urging Trump to Make Ukraine Call

https://time.com/5711415/rick-perry-defends-ukraine-call/(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) — Outgoing U.S. 

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Saturday that he asked President Donald Trump to make the phone call at the center of the impeachment inquiry because it was “important” for the country’s energy needs and had nothing to do with former Vice President Joe Biden or his son Hunter.

NSC official's testimony appears to contradict Rick Perry Ukraine claims

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/29/nsc-official-testimony-ukraine-perry-061244

Testimony from a senior White House official on Tuesday appeared to contradict Energy Secretary Rick Perry's ardent denials that he ever heard former Vice President Joe Biden or his son Hunter discussed in relation to U.S. requests that Ukraine investigate corruption.

In his opening statement, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council official overseeing Ukraine policy, told House impeachment investigators that he objected to EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland's comments in a July 10 White House briefing — attended by Perry — requesting that Ukrainian officials investigate the 2016 U.S. election, the Bidens and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma that had employed Hunter Biden.

MALKA LEIFER REFUSES TO COOPERATE WITH NEW PSYCH PANEL

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Malka-Leifer-refuses-to-cooperate-with-new-psych-panel-606200

Lawyers for alleged pedophile Malka Leifer informed the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday that she would refuse to cooperate with a new psychiatric panel which is scheduled to convene and evaluate her mental fitness for extradition.

Leifer’s lawyers added that they were requesting that the court issue a ruling immediately on whether or not Leifer is mentally fit to stand extradition trial without a determination from the panel.

This would then give them the opportunity to appeal such a decision to the Supreme Court, should the judge decide to proceed with extradition hearings.

Manny Waks, a campaigner against sexual abuse in the Jewish community, said that Leifer’s lawyers were again trying to drag out the case to prevent their client from being extradited and facing justice in Australia.

“They’re trying to prolong this case as along as possible,” said Waks. “It’s a publicity stunt. There is no genuine grounds for this step, and ultimately the court will see through it and hopefully will compel Leifer to participate in the process.”

White House official testifies on Ukraine call concerns, as president blasts 'Never Trumper witness'

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-white-house-official-alexander-vindman-testimony

"Why are people that I never even heard of testifying about the call," Trump tweeted. "Just READ THE CALL TRANSCRIPT AND THE IMPEACHMENT HOAX IS OVER!"

He also tweeted: "How many more Never Trumpers will be allowed to testify about a perfectly appropriate phone call when all anyone has to do is READ THE TRANSCRIPT! I knew people were listening in on the call (why would I say something inappropriate?), which was fine with me, but why so many?"

JEWISH REFUGEE FROM UKRAINE SET TO TESTIFY IN THE IMPEACHMENT QUERY

https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Jewish-refugee-from-Ukraine-set-to-testify-in-the-impeachment-query-606150

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council staffer set to deliver dramatic testimony confirming that President Donald Trump sought dirt on a political rival from Ukraine, is a Jewish refugee from that country when it was part of the Soviet Union.