Likud, RZP agree to not join int'l convention to fight violence against women

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-725814

In April, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked sent a letter to Sa'ar, detailing many reservations to the convention. Shaked claimed, among other things, that the clauses of the treaty concerning persecution based on gender-based violence open "a door for a population unprecedented in scope to be able to claim refugee status or, unfortunately, for protection against deportation."

Her letter stated, "With all due regret, granting political asylum is not intended and cannot be a solution to any type of difficulty or distress that exists in less developed countries of origin, certainly when it comes to cross-cultural phenomena. Such a reality is of course not desirable from a practical point of view as it is an opening to countless asylum requests on grounds that are difficult to almost impossible to refute, leading to the abuse of the Israeli asylum system."

Chanukah - The Rest of the Story

 https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/455235/jewish/The-Rest-of-the-Story.htm

This, then, is the lesson which should be gleaned from Chanukah. No display of might can ever banish that spark of hope and courage from man's heart. Tanks and battleships cannot vanquish the fortitude and determination for one's convictions. Brutality and aggressiveness will not overcome the passion which an individual feels for his beliefs. In the face of terror and discrimination, the deepest wells of mankind's gallant capabilities are exposed, enabling a handful of resisters to repel those that harass them. It happened over two thousand years ago, has occurred since, and will continue to take place: because that inner reserve of resilience and valor has never been diminished.

Hanukkah, or Why We Celebrate a Civil War

 https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-labels/laitman/2016-12-22/ty-article-labels/hanukkah-or-why-we-celebrate-a-civil-war/00000180-8db5-d5fa-a9c2-cdb7e8680000

For this reason, the Hasmoneans had no choice but to destroy those Jews who wished to prevent their brethren from fulfilling their task—to be a light unto nations and to show the way to unity. The victory we celebrate on Hanukkah is not over the land we reclaimed from the Seleucids. We celebrate our victory over those among us who wished to deny the world of a shot at unity, a shot at lasting happiness and peace

Four Contemporary Interpretations of Hanukkah Candles and Ethical Traits: Zionist, Classical Reform, Hassidic, and Jewish Renewal

 https://www.hartman.org.il/Fck_Uploads/file/Hanukkah.Noam.Zion.pdf

The Pluralist Manifesto of Hanukkah and its Mission

Rav Abraham HaKohen Kook

Everyone must know and understand that within burns a candle/lamp. There is no one's candle is like his/her fellow's and no one lacks their own candle. Everyone must know and understand that it is their task to work to reveal the light of that candle in the public realm. And to ignite it until it is a great flame, and to illuminate the whole world 

Doctors should be allowed to refuse care to LGBTQ+ people - RZP MK

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-725759

Struck was commenting on the fact that both RZP and United Torah Judaism’s coalition agreements with the Likud included an amendment that would enable private businesses to refuse to provide a product or service due to religious belief if the same product or service could be obtained in near proximity at a similar price.

How Demographic Shifts Fueled by Covid Delivered Midterm Wins for Democrats

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/12/08/republicans-2022-election-results-coronavirus-00072565

According to his own pollsters, the former president’s misguided and unreliable management of the public health crisis cost him the 2020 election.

Now there is evidence that the demographic change spurred by Republicans’ and Democrats’ divergent responses to the pandemic likely cost Republicans a number of key seats in the 2022 midterms. And the fallout, fueled by cross-country migration and even the Covid death toll, could linger into 2024 and beyond.

False claim COVID-19 vaccines caused 1.1 million deaths

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/12/23/fact-check-false-claim-covid-19-vaccines-caused-1-1-million-deaths/10929679002/

One such claim comes from a Nov. 24 article from The Expose, a website that has published multiple pieces of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

“Secret CDC Report reveals at least 1.1 Million Americans have 'Died Suddenly' since the COVID Vaccine roll-out & another Government Report proves the COVID Vaccines are to blame,” reads the article's headline.

The piece was shared more than 700 times on Facebook in a month, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle.

But the article is incorrect. The data source it cites does not list any cause for reported excess deaths in the U.S. Experts say COVID-19 infections make up most of those deaths.

Study led by FDA researchers didn’t find that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine caused blood clots, contrary to viral claims on social media

 https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/study-fda-researchers-didnt-find-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-caused-blood-clots-contrary-viral-claims-epoch-times/

These findings suggest that the initially detected associations, obtained by comparisons with historical pre-COVID data, were the result of confounding factors—such as differences in healthcare-seeking behavior and monthly variations in the baseline rates of such adverse events—rather than true associations with the Pfizer vaccine. Confounding factors are variables that affect the outcome of an experiment, but aren’t the variables being studied in the experiment.

Yazan Abou-Ismail, a hematologist at the University of Utah Health who specializes in blood clotting disorders, also pointed out in a Twitter thread that the claim is inaccurate and the study “cannot be used to claim causality”.

George Santos may be Congress’ Talented Mr. Ripley. Some of his voters just don’t care.

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/23/george-santos-congress-resume-fake-00075324

 Republican Rep.-elect George Santos stands accused of fabricating major portions of his biography, from his Jewish ancestry to what companies he worked for.

But disgust for Democrats is so strong among some voters in the district whose seat he flipped, they’d rather have a fabulist representing them in Congress.

Trump Put on Blast for ‘Lying’ About Tax Audits That Supposedly Prevented Records Release

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-put-on-blast-for-lying-about-tax-audits-that-supposedly-prevented-records-release

Critics, congressmen, and members of the House Ways and Means Committee that released a six-year snapshot of Trump’s taxes slammed the former president on Wednesday for “lying” about a faux IRS audit throughout his presidency. The lie began in 2016 during his presidential campaign, when the Republican candidate claimed he couldn’t share his financial details due to an ongoing IRS audit, and grew to claims of multiple audits throughout his presidency as a basis for continued concealment of the documents. In actuality, the agency failed to audit Trump for the first two years of his presidency—despite the fact that annual audits of the president are required by law. Trump’s failure to provide his tax returns broke tradition with every president since Nixon and many vice presidents, who voluntarily offered records of their annual tax returns to the public for transparency. “Tonight we learned the IRS failed to follow the law and did not audit donald trump for years,” said one of the committee members, Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), on Twitter. “Oh yeah and trump was lying when he said he was under audit.”

Far Right Turns on ‘Faker’ & ‘Liar’ Marjorie Taylor Greene

 https://news.yahoo.com/far-turns-faker-liar-marjorie-022507205.html

The far right is out to destroy one of their own.

Over the past week, far-right pundits have begun lining up to take shots at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as the congresswoman reportedly vacationed in Costa Rica.

As for why fellow extremists are upset? That’s three-fold—and it involves Greene’s vocal support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to be the next Speaker of the House, her public spat with onetime friend Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and the finalization of her divorce.

Judge dismisses remainder of Kari Lake’s election lawsuit following two-day trial

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3785655-judge-dismisses-remainder-of-kari-lakes-election-lawsuit-following-two-day-trial/

An Arizona judge on Saturday ruled against Kari Lake in her challenge of Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’s (D) victory, dismissing the highest-profile case challenging the midterm election results.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson following a two-day trial found that Lake had not proven that election officials committed intentional misconduct sufficient to change the race’s outcome.

Haredi man whose arrest sparked riot indicted for arson of Jerusalem cellphone store

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredi-man-whose-arrest-sparked-riot-indicted-for-arson-of-jerusalem-cellphone-store/

A Beit Shemesh man was indicted on Friday over the torching of a cellphone store in Jerusalem several months ago.

According to prosecutors, Yehoshua Dadon, 34, and three others broke into the store in October and set it alight because the shop did not comply with religious strictures restricting the devices.

The resulting blaze destroyed the store and affected several adjacent buildings, causing around NIS 600,000 ($170,000) in damages. Dadon was charged with arson, extortion by threats and obstruction of justice.

Former President Donald Trump asked “for troops around the Capitol to make sure everyone is safe,” on Jan. 6, 2021, but was “turned down by the Democrats.”

 https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/10/facebook-posts/no-proof-trump-asked-troops-jan-6-or-democrats-den/

There is no record of former President Donald Trump authorizing or requesting thousands of National Guard troops for the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Several Trump administration officials who have testified before the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 said they never heard Trump request National Guard support before or during the attack.

Congressional Democrats did not deny a request for troops. The D.C. National Guard reports only to the president. If such a request had been made, they would not have had the authority to deny it.