Meron event organizers ignored major safety report days before disaster

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1fBFIaPO?fbclid=IwAR1kgWfQRg4nvFreYQ8viKqG8sNy_D9bO5gtNveEfHEPRbJKTyybcdHBqwA

Report ordered organizers of the festivities at the Toldos Aharon compound, where the stampede occured, to have 4 passageways if the number of participants exceeds 9,000; 20,000 were inside when stampede occured but only one exit was open

 

Convicted pedophile who worked at Melbourne Jewish school faces new rape charge

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/convicted-pedophile-who-worked-at-melbourne-jewish-school-faces-new-rape-charge/

 Former yeshiva school guard David Cyprys, a convicted rapist and pedophile, was charged in Melbourne on Friday for rape and other crimes, Australian police said.

Cyprys was indicted at Melbourne’s Magistrate’s Court on charges of rape, false imprisonment and aggravated burglary.

Torah scholars and political leaders need to bear grudges and seek revenge and be unforgiving

 Yoma (22b)     Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Why was Saul punished? Because he forewent the honour due to himself, as it is said: But certain base fellows said: ‘How shall this man save us?’ And they despised him and brought him no present. But he was as one that held his peace, and it is written [immediately following that]: Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead. R. Johanan further said in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak: Any scholar, [23a]who does not avenge himself and retain anger like a serpent, is no [real] scholar.1 But is it not written: Thou shalt not take vengeance nor bear any grudge? — That refers to monetary affairs, for it has been taught: What is revenge and what is bearing a grudge? If one said to his fellow: ‘Lend me your sickle’, and he replied ‘No’, and to-morrow the second comes [to the first] and says: ‘Lend me your axe’! and he replies: ‘I will not lend it to you, just as you would not lend me your sickle’ — that is revenge. And what is bearing a grudge? If one says to his fellow: ‘Lend me your axe , he replies ‘No’, and on the morrow the second asks: ‘Lend me your garment’, and he answers: ‘Here it is. I am not like you who would not lend me [what I asked for]’ — that is bearing a grudge. But [does] not [this prohibition apply to] personal affliction? Has it not been taught: Concerning those who are insulted but do not insult others [in revenge], who hear themselves reproached without replying, who [perform good] work out of love of the Lord and rejoice in their sufferings, Scripture says: But they that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might? — [That means,] indeed, that he keeps it in his heart [though without taking action]. Rut Raba said: He who passes over his retaliations has all his transgressions passed over? — [That speaks of the case] that an endeavour was made to obtain his reconciliation, and his consent is obtained

ערוך השולחן יורה דעה סימן רמג

סעיף ח

מדינא דגמ' [מ"ק ט"ז א] החכם עצמו יכול לעשות דבר זה לכבודו לעם הארץ שפקר כנגדו וא"צ לא עדות ולא התראה ואין מתירין לו עד שירצה החכם וכמ"ש בסעי' הקודם ואם מת החכם באים ג' בני אדם ומתירים לו ואם רוצה החכם למחול לו ולא לעשות בו דין האמור הרשות בידו ואף על פי שיש רשות לחכם לעשות כן לכבודו אינו שבח לת"ח שינהוג עצמו בכך בד"א שחירפוהו בסתר אבל אם חירפוהו בפרהסיא אסור למחול על כבודו עד שיבקש ממנו מחילה ויסלח לו ובכיוצא בזה אמרו כל ת"ח שאינו נוקם ונוטר כנחש אינו ת"ח כשאינו עושה לכבודו שלא בשביל כבוד התורה בלבד וכתב רבינו הרמ"א סעי' ח' די"א דבזמה"ז אין רשות לת"ח לעשות כן לכבודו לעשות דין לעצמו אא"כ אחרים עושים כן ויש חולקים ובלבד שיהא מוחזק וראוי לכך עכ"ל ועוד כשרק כוונתו לשמים בשביל כבוד התורה בלבד: 

 

Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Negative Commandments 12

כל הנוטר (א) לאחד מישראל עובר בל"ת שנ' לא תטור מפרש ביומא [ד' כ"ג] ובת"כ [קדושים] (ב) מה היא הנטירה כגון ראובן שאמר לשמעון השאילני קרדומך ענהו שמעון איני משאילך למחר נצטרך שמעון לראובן אמר לו השאילני קרדומך ענהו ראובן הריני משאילך ואיני כמותך ולא אשלם לך מעשיך העושה זה וכיוצא בו הר"ז עובר בלא תטור, עוד שם [ביומא] א"ר יוחנן (ג) כל תלמיד חכם שאינו נוקם ונוטר איבה כנחש אינו ת"ח (ד) והכתיב לא תקום ולא תטור ההוא בממון הוא דכתיב (ה) ומסיק שם דת"ח צריך שיהא עלוב ולא עולב שומע חרפתו ואינו משיב ולעולם דנקיט ליה בליביה וכי מפייסין ליה מפייס (ו) וכתב רבי' משה [סוף פ"ז דהל' ת"ת] דהתם מיירי בת"ח שביזוהו בפרהסיא שאסור לו למחול על כבודו ואם מחל נענש מפני שזה בזיון התורה אבל אם לא ביזוהו בפרהסיא לא ושאר כל אדם שמתקוטטים עם חבריהם אע"פ שאין לאו בזה אם ינקום מחבירו מדת חסידות הוא להעביר על מדותיו כדאמרינן כל המעביר על מדותיו מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו וכן דוד הי' משתבח במדותיו הטובות ואמר אם גמלתי שולמי רע וגו' וההוא חסידא [פרק בתרא דמגילה דף כ"ח] דכל אימת דסליק לפורייה הוה אמר שרי ומחיל כל מאן דמצערן לי:

Did U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Die After being Hit With a Fire Extinguisher? or more nonsense from Jonathan Rosenblum

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brian-sicknick-fire-extinguisher/

 On Jan. 8, 2021, The New York Times reported that U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick succumbed to injuries sustained during his on-duty efforts to protect the Capitol from a violent mob of pro-Trump rioters. The latter stormed the building in an effort to stop Congress from formalizing the electoral win of former President Donald Trump’s political rival, U.S. President Joe Biden.

Citing two unnamed law enforcement sources, the Times initially reported Sicknick “was struck with a fire extinguisher,” but on Feb. 16, 2021, the Times updated the story to note that those sources may not have provided accurate information, reporting:

 https://www.foxnews.com/us/capitol-police-officer-brian-sicknick-cause-of-death-natural-causes-capitol-riot-examiner

 Law enforcement officials initially said that Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher -- an idea perpetuated by The New York Times in a February report that was quietly updated one month later. U.S. Capitol Police later said Sicknick had "succumbed to his injuries" after defending the building, although questions lingered about the cause of death.

 https://www.foxnews.com/media/brian-sicknick-natural-causes-debunking-new-york-times-complete-fiction-narrative

 Journalist Glenn Greenwald reminded readers that The New York Times "published an emotionally gut-wrenching but complete fiction that never had any evidence" by initially reporting, as Greenwald put it, that Sicknick’s "skull was savagely bashed in with a fire extinguisher by a pro-Trump mob until he died."

 Weeks later, the Times quietly updated its story to note new information "questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police," but the revision came weeks after the inaccurate information was initially published.

Being a Journalist Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

 https://mishpacha.com/being-a-journalist-means-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/

 One might think that the MSM, which did so much to push the story that Sicknick had his skull bashed in, might have done some soul-searching in the wake of those findings. But if you thought so, you obviously do not remember the MSM reaction to the refutation of a much more ballyhooed and long-running story of Trump’s collusion with Russia that proved to be a dud.

 At the time, one could have searched in vain for  examples of media self-examination as to how they got such a major story so wrong. New York Times editor Dean Baquet, for example, simply informed the newsroom that the paper would have to find a new narrative to pursue, and seamlessly switched to the 1619 Project and the exploration of America’s systemic racism.

 The media, Greenwald ends, treated Sicknick’s tragic death as a convenient means to portray the rioters as savages so primitive and inhuman that they were willing to fatally bash the skull of a helpless person or spray him with deadly gases. “None of this was true, but that did not matter — and still does not to them — because truth has nothing to do with their actual function. If anything, truth is an impediment to it.”

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56810371

 Speculation over Officer Sicknick's death was the source of widespread disinformation after the New York Times reported erroneously that protesters had bludgeoned him with a fire extinguisher - a claim the newspaper later retracted.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-government-and-politics-b497800805aedae48b72bc4837b90042 

Investigators initially believed the officer was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation, according to two people familiar with the case. And they later thought the 42-year-old Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance — possibly bear spray — that may have contributed to his death.

 

Of course Rosenblum has no mention of right wing media claiming that Trump lost because of voter fraud or that Biden was banning beef or that falsely claiming that VP Harris' book was being given to immigrants etc etc

State comptroller announces investigation into ‘preventable’ Meron disaster

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/state-comptroller-announces-investigation-into-preventable-meron-disaster/

 The state comptroller announced Monday that he would be opening a special investigation into the disaster at the Mount Meron compound where 45 people were crushed to death last week, saying that the tragedy was “preventable.”

“I intend to launch a special investigation into the circumstances that led to this disaster, the preparation of the various bodies, both this year and during the years that have elapsed since the State Comptroller’s report from 2011,” said Matanyahu Englman at a Jerusalem press conference.

Rambam Kiddushei Kesef is divrei sofrim?

 Rambam (1:144 Pe’er Hador) Why is marriage through money described in Mishne Torah (Ishus 1:2) as divrei sofrim (rabbinic) while intercourse and document are described as being from the Torah because  in fact all three are learned from the Torah? The answer in brief is that I have a sefer in Arabic concerning the number of mitzvos, It consists of 14 chapter dealing with major principles dealing with the counting of the mitzvos.  It is needed to be understood first in order to be aware that your question is mistakened as is the counting of mitzvos by everyone besides me up until the present time. I explain there that not everything that is learned from a hekesh or kal v’chomer or gezera shaveh or one of the 13 hermeneutic rules has the status of a Torah mitzva unless our Sages indicate that it has Torah status and this is also true of what is called Halacha L’Moshe M’Sinai. . In other words a mitzva has the status of Torah only if it is explicitly in the Torah or our Sages indicate that it is from the Torah. Intercourse is obviously from the Torah while both money and document are learned from drash so why do I only state that money is divrei sofrim? We see in the discussion in the gemara (Kiddushin 9b) that marriage through document is treated as a Torah obligation since an engaged maiden who was married through document is liable to the death penalty if she was unfaithful. 

Rashi (Kesubos 3a) I heard all my teachers explain that marriage through money is only a Rabbinic decree. But it is impossible to say such a thing, because it is in fact learned from a gezera shaveh from a Torah verse (Kidushin 2) which is equivalent to learning from an explicit verse. Furthermore if marriage is only Rabbinic, ‘how could it result in the punishment of stoning and cause an unsanctified sacrifice being offered in the Temple if adultery is not intentional. 

 Rashi Gittin (33a) I received the ruling from my teachers that marriage with money is only rabbinc since is not stated explicitly in the Torah but is learned from kicha kicha of the field of Ephron

Tashbatz (1:1) Many people think  that the Rambam's statement that marriage through money is Rabbinic because he accepted the view of Rashi’s teachers as Rashi notes in Gittin (33a) but that is not so. We know that the Rambam himself wrote a tshuva that explains it and further more Rashi already refuted that view. Noting that something learned from a gezera shaveh has a Torah status.  

 Lechem Mishneh (Ishus 1:2) And with money which is Divrei Sofrim. The reason the Rambam said this is because whatever law learned by the 13 hermeneutic rules is called Divrei Sofrim as he wrote in his Sefer Hamitzvos. However this answer is problematic since document is not explicit in the Torah so why isn’t it also described as Divrei Sofrim? The Rambam addressed this question in a tshuva cited by the Ramban regarding counting the mitzvos.  He answers that document is clearly a Torah law as is seen in Kiddushin (9a)

Kesef Mishneh (Ishus 1:2) A woman is married in three ways by intercourse or document which are Torah methods while the third – money is rabbinic. This ruling of the Rambam is problematic, How could he write that money is only Rabbinic since it is learned from the Torah by gezera shaveh? It is known that what ever is learned by one of the hermeneutic rules is a Torah law.  I found that the Remak testified that the Rambam himself corrected this text to read that all three were from the Torah. I found a similar claim by the Rambam’s son. Nevertheless it seems to me that is not correct based on the fact that the Rambam wrote in the third chapter of Mishneh Torah and what he wrote in his Sefer Hamitzvos.  The reason that the Rambam wrote that it was divrei sofrim is explained in his Sefer HaMitzvos in shoresh 2 that laws not stated explicitly in the Torah are called Divrei Sofrim this concept also is stated in Sanhedrin (88) that something not stated explicitly in the Torah is called Divrei Sofrim – even though it is considered a Torah law. Rashi (Kesubos 3) states a similar idea.

After Meron calamity, Haredim question the price of their own autonomy

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-meron-calamity-haredim-question-the-price-of-their-own-autonomy/

The story of the Meron disaster cannot be divorced from this larger story of Haredi autonomy, from the Haredi habit of establishing facts on the ground that demonstrate their strength and independence, and then crying “persecution” when those steps are challenged.

 

Jim Acosta tears into debunked Fox News 'nothingburger'

Did Sean Hannity use an antisemitic trope in 'Bolshevik Bernie' tweet?

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/hannity-hit-with-antisemitism-allegation-after-bolshevik-bernie-tweet-666866

 Fox News host and right-wing media personality Sean Hannity received a wave of criticism on Friday night after tweeting an article from his website which users have argued features an age-old antisemitic trope.

 Hannity tweeted the headline of the article, titled "BOLSHEVIK BERNIE: Sanders Says Dems Just ‘Beginning to Create an Economy That Works For All,’" which covers Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' response to US President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress, wherein the president laid out his vision for the coming years.

As families bury their dead, recriminations begin over deadly crush at a religious festival in Israel

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/02/middleeast/israel-crush-funerals-blame-intl/index.html 

 Levi told Channel 13 News he blamed the leaders of the mostly Hassidic sects that take part in the Lag B'Omer festival, along with their political representatives in government, for running what he described as "a mafia" that controlled the festival site.

"This mountain is strange. It is supposed to be clean and religious when it is in fact it is corrupt in the full sense of the word," he said.

 

In a growing indication that the tolerance many Israelis feel is shown towards the ultra-Orthodox might be slipping, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has spoken out about the abuse it said its female soldiers received as they took part in rescue and recovery efforts at the festival site.

Former police leaders: Establish Meron commission of inquiry

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305397

 According to them, "The Mount Meron incident is not the domain of the Israel Police alone. It involves other security officials, government ministries and other authorities, both in staff work processes and in the decision-making process, with the division of responsibilities between bodies for planning, management and execution in complete blindness."

 "There must be an in-depth and secret investigation of all the bodies involved in this incident and the like and especially to prevent a similar disaster in the future. There is no option but to establish a state commission of inquiry as soon as possible," they added.

The former senior officials stressed, "The Israel Police and its people have in the past dealt with commissions of inquiry that have been appointed to investigate alleged failures, and despite the difficulties, the Israel Police has always come out strengthened."

IDF: Female soldiers who came to rescue in Meron were attacked

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/female-soldiers-who-came-to-rescue-in-meron-were-attacked-idf-666922

The female soldiers, who came to rescue and evacuate those who were wounded, were attacked verbally and physically.

 

'You can't move a stone at Meron without facing Hassidic opposition'

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJuXYhovu

 

Former head of the regional council where Mount Meron is located tells Ynet he for years tried to eliminate the dangers at the location, but religious groups use government connections and corruption to have the place 'in a chokehold'

Chareidi lives matter

 After the terrible Miron tragedy, it is easy to find essays and articles pointing the main finger at the Israeli police. This article is different, though, since it discusses a complaint sent to the minister of interior affairs and the chief of police on the 19^th of April, ten days before the Miron tragedy, stating that the Israeli police doesn’t care about the lives or welfare of Chareidi individuals.

 On ג׳ אייר , the 15th of April, A Chareidie teenager was beaten up on the light rail in Jerusalem. Now this happens from time to time, but this time the attacker put the video of the attack on the TikTok social platform, forcing the police to locate and prosecute the attacker.

Shmuel Marziano, a high ranking police officer, was asked by a radio station what the police were doing to protect the Chareidi Community from the recurring attacks by Arabs. He first said some political mumbo jumbo (the parents of the attacked boy handled it well, etc) and then said something really significant: The police view these attacks as childish pranks!

As a mother of children who frequently use public transportation in Jerusalem, I was no less then horrified from the flippant attitude towards my children’s lives. I sent a formal complaint (above) to the police,  the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the state comptroller. Obviously received no replies.

The tragedy in Miron has many parties to share the blame, but the final trigger was five policeman who  blocked the exit (Without blocking the entrance, of course..) because they had been told to arrange the people in “Capsules” due to covid19. Survivors say (and there are videos to support this) that people cried to them “We are dying!”, but were disregarded. Only when people directly in the policemen’s line of vision started dropping dead; did they open the blockade, but by then it was too late. They tried their best to help once they saw people dying with their own eyes, but by then it was too late.

How could such a thing happen? How can policeman hear people saying they are dying and continue to robotically obey orders and let people die?

The answer is very simple: The police didn’t take the dying men seriously because they don’t take Chareidim seriously. They treat Chariedie people like a sub species. Something between a child and an imbecile. When these policemen heard people complaining they were dying, what they really heard was a kid saying “I can’t, I am tired, I am dying to get out of here” and they reacted like a parent saying “You are exaggerating… just have patience…”.

On Friday morning, shaken to the core, I sent my complaint to every Chareidie MK of Gimmel And Shas. Judging by their functioning during the Covid19 crisis, it doesn’t seem that they  either care too much about chaireidi lives, so I am not keeping my hopes up for a real change.

May משיח come soon and redeem us from those who we pay to protect us, yet do the opposite.

Chareidi lives matter.