Anti-vaxxers threaten elderly rabbi and his family

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318614

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leader of the Lithuanian haredi community, is now being threatened by anti-vaxxers who oppose the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a Tuesday morning report, Yediot Aharonot said that following Rabbi Kanievsky's call to vaccinate children against coronavirus, the senior haredi leader has become a target of attacks, threats, and fake news spready by extremists.

Yanky Kanievsky, a grandson of Rabbi Kanievsky who is said to have his ear, has suffered calls of, "You're murderers," and, "You have the blood of children on your hands," as well as threats such as, "We'll get to you," "We're wishing," and "They're going to rape your children."

A text message sent to other family members, some of whom received it late at night, read, "May your name be erased," "villain," and "Amalek."

Herzog receives report on sexual abuse against minors

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/herzog-receives-report-on-sexual-abuse-against-minors-688643

 Until relatively recently, Israeli society and state did not make a major issue out of sexual abuse of children.

The Malka Leifer case, which almost caused a diplomatic rift between Israel and Australia, may have sparked the genesis for a change in policy.

Antisemitic canard

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitic_canard

"The blood libel accusation, another famous anti-Semitic canard, is also a twelfth-century creation."^[70] The first recorded ritual murder accusation against Jews was that of William of Norwich, reported by a monk Thomas of Monmouth.^[71]

The descriptions of torture and human sacrifice in the antisemitic blood libels run contrary to many of the teachings of Judaism. The Ten Commandments forbid murder. The use of blood (human or otherwise) in cooking is prohibited by Kashrut and blood and other discharges from the human body are considered ritually unclean. (Lev 15) The Bible (Old Testament) and Jewish teachings portray human sacrifice as one of the evils that separated the pagans of Canaan from the Hebrews. (Deut 12:31, 2 Kings 16:3) Jews were prohibited from engaging in these rituals and were punished for doing so (Ex 34:15, Lev 20:2, Deut 18:12, Jer 7:31). Ritual cleanliness for priests prohibited even being in the same room with a human corpse (Lev 21:11).

When "Church and secular leaders sharply denounced these defamations ... people refused to abandon this myth ... Popes, kings and emperors declared that Jews, if for no other reason than their strict dietary laws banning even the smallest drop of blood in meat or poultry, were incapable of the crime. The Christian populace was not impressed. In 1385, Geoffrey Chaucer published his Canterbury Tales which included an account of Jews murdering a deeply pious and innocent Christian boy. This blood libel became a part of English literary tradition."^[72]

Among those who refuted the blood libel against Jews were Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1236: "we pronounce the Jews of the aforementioned place [Fulda] and the rest of the Jews in Germany completely absolved of this imputed crime";^[73] Pope Gregory IX in Papal Bull dated 7 October 1272: "We decree ... that Christians need not be obeyed against Jews in a case or situation of this type, and we order that Jews seized upon such a silly pretext be freed from imprisonment, and that they shall not be arrested henceforth on such a miserable pretext, unless – which we do not believe – they be caught in the commission of the crime";^[74] Pope Clement VI on 26 September 1348: "Jews are not responsible for the Plague."^[75]

Blood libel stories have appeared in modern times on many occasions in the state-sponsored media of a number of Arab and Muslim nations, their television shows and websites, and books alleging instances of the Jewish blood libels are not uncommon there.^[76]

COVID has killed 1 of every 100 older Americans as U.S. nears grim milestone

 https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/as-u-s-nears-800000-virus-deaths-1-of-every-100-older-americans-has-perished/

As the coronavirus pandemic approaches the end of a second year, the United States stands on the cusp of surpassing 800,000 deaths from the virus, and no group has suffered more than older Americans. All along, older people have been known to be more vulnerable to having severe cases, but the scale of loss is only now coming into full view.

Seventy-five percent of people who have died of the virus in the United States — or about 600,000 of the nearly 800,000 who have perished so far — have been 65 or older. One in 100 older Americans has died from the virus. For people younger than 65, that ratio is closer to 1 in 1,400.

Rand Paul called out for disaster relief hypocrisy

BBC demonised our children, parents of Oxford street victims say

 https://www.thejc.com/news/news/bbc-demonised-our-children-parents-of-oxford-street-victims-say-6J1fcLl11AR0ykO5ZN3e6Y

 The Board of Deputies called on the BBC to apologise, saying: “The BBC thought that they heard a slur in English. What they were actually hearing was a distressed Jewish man speaking in Hebrew appealing for help.”

 When approached for comment about the original BBC article featuring the claim that several anti-Muslim slurs were audible from the Jewish boys on the bus, a BBC spokesperson said: “The article is about the police’s appeal for information. The main focus is the actions of the individuals the police want to identify. The audio appears to show that a slur can be heard coming from the bus. We have changed our story to clarify only one such slur can be heard clearly.”

Police request information and additional complaints regarding accused child molestor

 *דוברות המשטרה (ירושלים)*:

*המשטרה עצרה לחקירה חשוד בביצוע עבירות מין כלפי קטינים. היום מעצרו הוארך בבימ״ש והחקירה נמשכת*

ראשית החקירה החלה עם קבלת תלונה במשטרה ע״י אמא של קטין (11) מירושלים לפני מספר שבועות, על כך שמכר של המשפחה ביצע בקטין מעשים מגונים. במהלך החקירה עלה חשד לביצוע עבירות כלפי קורבנות נוספים.

חוקרי תחנת שפט של מחוז ירושלים, עצרו לחקירה את החשוד במעשה.

בימ״ש התיר לפרסם את שמו של החשוד, מרדכי כהן חדד (22) תושב שכונת נווה יעקב בירושלים, שנעצר אתמול והועבר לחקירה.

היום בבוקר הוארך מעצרו של החשוד בבימ״ש השלום בירושלים עד ליום 16.12 לטובת המשך החקירה.

*המשטרה קוראת לכל מי שנפל קורבן למעשיו של החשוד, לסור מיד לתחנת המשטרה לצורך הגשת תלונה או לדווח על כך בהקדם למוקד 105 של המשטרה.*

מצ"ב תמונת החשוד

‘The president doesn’t like you guys now’: The inside story of Trump’s rage against Netanyahu

 https://forward.com/news/479427/barak-ravid-trump-netanyahu-book-israel-united-states-interview/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3362505

 Despite his call to Biden after the elections, Netanyahu walked on eggshells to avoid a public rift with Trump. Even after Trump left office, Netanyahu avoided appearing too friendly with Biden. Netanyahu reacted in a diplomatic manner when the profane remarks were first reported on Friday. “I highly appreciate President Trump’s big contribution to Israel and its security,” he said in a statement to the media. “I also appreciate the importance of the strong alliance between Israel and the U.S. and therefore it was important for me to congratulate the incoming president.”

In the two-hour-long interview with Ravid, Trump indicated that he was expecting from Netanyahu to do the very least to help him in his own re-election bid. “I think that when Trump speaks about loyalty, I don’t think that he speaks only about the congratulations to Biden,” Ravid explained. “It was a broader expectation that Netanyahu would give him the same political support domestically that he gave him in Israel.”

Hospital CEO: Covid patients are dying ‘at a rate we’ve never seen before’

Leader of Belz Hasidic sect urges teachers in new Brooklyn yeshiva to get vaccinated

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318512

Just days after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate for employees of private schools — including religious schools — a major Hasidic leader in Israel has instructed his followers in Brooklyn to comply with the mandate.

Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, the leader of the Belz Hasidic sect who lives in Israel, urged teachers at a new Belz school being built in Borough Park to get vaccinated.

“In the matter of vaccinations against Corona, indeed, it is proper for all staff members to be vaccinated — the men as well as the women, and may it be with great hatzlacha [success,]” Rokeach wrote in a letter, according to local news site BoroPark24

Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly Event Reportedly Fizzles In Florida

 https://news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-bill-oreilly-event-044515232.html

 There were so many empty seats at Donald Trump’s Florida event on Saturday that organizers had to shut down the upper level of the arena in Sunrise, Florida, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Trump fans sitting in the nosebleed section of the FLA Live Arena were told that they were being “upgraded” to the lower levels, according to the newspaper.

Many tickets remained unsold before the event.

Inciting Another Jew to Worship Idols

 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/962671/jewish/Negative-Commandment-16.htm

The 16th prohibition is that we are forbidden from leading someone astray by encouraging [even] one Jew to serve idolatry. The person who does so is called a meisis, as we have explained above.1

The verse which is the source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), regarding a meisis, "'[If your maternal brother tries to lead you astray…secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve false gods…You shall put him to death…] and they shall no longer do such an evil thing in your midst."

One who transgresses this prohibition, i.e. the one who incites another Jew [towards idolatry] is liable to execution by stoning, as the verse states, "You must certainly kill him." The one whom the meisis tried to incite should be the one to perform the execution, as in G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "Your hand shall be the first against him to kill him." In the words of the Sifri, "The one who was incited is commanded to execute him."

Not My Neighbor: The prohibition against loving a meisis

 https://outorah.org/p/6293/

Just as we may not legitimize an idolatrous “prophet” by asking for more information, we may not encourage a “meisis.” A meisis is someone who tries to persuade other Jews to worship an idol by telling them how great it is. We are not to engage the meisis in discussion or befriend him in any way as doing so only perpetuates his idolatrous missionizing.

Boris on the brink: how Johnson reached the edge of disaster

 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/12/boris-johnson-on-the-brink-sleaze-partygate-covid

 Several MPs said that Johnson’s weakness was all the greater because he lacked any die-in-the-ditch allies. “He has nobody who will stand for the last bit of hand-to-hand combat. He’s on the field alone. The emperor doesn’t have new clothes. He is just wandering around stark bollock naked,” observed another MP.

“I’ve got members, my colleagues are saying they’ve got members, saying, ‘I voted for Johnson as I thought he was brilliant. I was duped. He’s a clown. He’s got to go.’”

As our Opinium poll shows today, support for Johnson is fast ebbing away. In just a few weeks, a comfortable Tory advantage has turned into a nine-point lead for Labour. One senior Tory MP said that in the current atmosphere he would not be surprised if his party lost. “Boris will be praying that we hang on, so he can get through to Christmas and then regroup. But there is a lot of anger out there. We thought he was an electoral asset. But this is the worst possible time for the Tory party led by Boris to be asking the electorate to keep the faith.”