National Security Expert: Biden is a remarkably good president for Israel

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388484

Dr. Freilich says that “Trump hasn't said a single good thing about Israel since the war began. He hasn't called to strengthen Israeli security. He hasn't said anything about what he would do in a second term, so he did some very good things for Israel in his first term, for which he certainly deserves credit, whether it's the Golan and Jerusalem. He also made the catastrophic decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear program and here the proof is in the pudding. All you have to do is look at where Iran was in 2015 and where it is today, where it is a threshold nuclear state. In effect it's just about a nuclear state and can cross that final threshold pretty easily, at a time of his choosing. So, I believe that Biden has both been a remarkably good president for Israel and, compared to the alternatives, he is certainly a better one.”

Once a tolerant haven, Holland sees antisemitism surge as Jews across Europe scent danger

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/once-a-tolerant-haven-holland-sees-antisemitism-surge-as-jews-across-europe-scent-danger/

A record number of hate crimes reflects a post-Oct. 7 reality that’s making the continent’s Jews question their futures, but they no longer see Israel as their ‘insurance policy’

Rabbi Cherki: I recited Hallel after Iran's attack

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388501

Rabbi Cherki says that he recited the Hallel without the blessing. "I told that student, and that's what I did myself, I said the full Hallel without a blessing, because I didn't want to complicate matters. But reciting Hallel on the day on which Israel had salvation, there is certainly room to do so."

Adam Kinzinger Slams Donald Trump's 'Insane' Reaction to Iran Attack

 https://www.newsweek.com/adam-kinzinger-slams-donald-trumps-insane-reaction-iran-attack-1890159

"This is insane. It did happen!" he wrote. "Iran struck and injured 100 Americans in Iraq and Trump responded with nothing but fear. He's a small man."

‘The Antisemitism Is Absolutely Disproportionate’

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/04/14/a-california-regent-confronts-the-limits-of-free-speech-00152103

If it was any other group, we wouldn’t do it. We’re not seeing on college campuses, attacks and questioning every student of Russian heritage because we take issue with the Putin administration, and what they’ve done in Ukraine and other places around the world. We’re not seeing where we’re attacking every Muslim student, because we take issue with what Hamas did on Oct. 7. One can debate the space between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. But one would have to have serious blinders not to recognize that what’s happening on college campuses, UCs included, is a series of activities that are targeting Jewish students because of their identities, making them feel unsafe and apart from the rest of the community in a way that really should have no place in our society and no place on our college campuses.

U.S. Moves Warships to Defend Israel in Case of Iranian Attack

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iranian-attack-expected-on-israel-in-next-two-days-42b0537c?mod=hp_lead_pos1

The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as this weekend.

The moves by the U.S. that are part of an effort to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East came after a warning from a person familiar with the matter about the timing and location of the potential Iranian attack. A person briefed by the Iranian leadership, however, said that while plans to attack are being discussed, no final decision has been made.

Missing Jewish shepherd found dead

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388411

On Saturday, the body of 14-year-old Binyamin Ahimeir was located in the area of Malachei Hashalom by the IDF, ISA, and Israel Police.

Binyamin Ahimeir went missing on Friday morning, and was murdered in a terrorist attack.

Tzuras is a disease only talmidei chachomim can get

 The Netziv in his commentatary to Tazria raises a number of interesting points 

He says based on the Zohar that the Adam mentioned in the parsha is the highest level human - a talmid chachom whose sinning is a chillul HaShem and thus requires exile from the camp - i.e. exile. An ordinary person doesn't get tzuras and that is why a cohen - not a sage decides if it is truly tzuras - by means of a form of prophecy.  Thus tzuras is a spiritual disease found only with talmidei chachomim

Pro-Israel Conservatives Are Done With Tucker Carlson

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/pro-israel-conservatives-are-done-with-tucker-carlson?ref=home?ref=home

Carlson then concluded: “If you wake up in the morning and decide that your Christian faith requires you to support a foreign government, blowing up churches and killing Christians. I think you’ve lost the thread.”

Needless to say, especially since right-wing media and GOP officials have relentlessly bashed progressives over their increasingly pro-Palestinian stance, Carlson’s screed went over like a lead balloon with a certain contingency of conservatives.

“Tucker is cultivating hatred of Israel and Jews based on lies and innuendos,” Israeli-American conservative journalist Caroline Glick tweeted in response to the interview.

Israeli academics face backlash signing letter accusing Israel of ‘plausible genocide’ in Gaza

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-796399

Regev Nathansohn, who teaches communications at Sapir College, is one of two dozen Israeli academics who have signed a petition calling for the United States to stop arming Israel in its war with Hamas. The petition, which more than 1,000 academics from around the world have signed, characterizes Israel’s conduct as a “plausible genocide.”

“President Biden, do not let the United States go down in history as the enabler of genocide,” said the petition, which has more than 1,000 signatories, from a group called Academics4Peace. “Respect the US’s obligation under international law and basic morality. The only way to stop the starvation of two million people, including 100+ Israeli hostages, is to end this war.”

GOP rages over FISA as deadline inches closer

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4587023-gop-rages-fisa-702/

“The Rules Committee’s so broken right now, I think the only option [is to] put it on suspension,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee. “And I think it would get two-thirds.”

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, also took a shot at those Republicans who blocked the FISA bill, saying they’re simply “confused” about what the bill actually allows the government to do. 

“The ideologically pure crowd doesn’t take well to facts,” he said. 

Trump Blows Up Anti-Terror Surveillance

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-fisa-reform-bill-section-702-surveillance-terrorism-5f5a2ffe?mod=hp_opin_pos_3

Donald Trump has a special talent for creating chaos that benefits no one except Donald Trump, and doesn’t even do that in the end. That’s the only way to understand his destructive intervention Wednesday on the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in Congress. “Kill FISA,” he wrote on Truth Social, and the House Republican dunce caucus obliged.

Tucker Carlson says 'You've lost the thread' to US Christian leaders who support Israel

 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-796479

Turning to Isaac for insight, Carlson sought a message directed at Christian leaders in the US, prompting Isaac to talk about the historical context of the conflict, stating, "It would be to remind them that when the state of Israel was created, it was not created on an empty land. It was created on a land that had millions of indigenous Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians."

Mila is dangerous?

 Chazal state that wounding with iron is life threatening - so why is mila done with a metal knife?

Sanhedrin (76b) Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: It is revealed and known before He Who spoke and the world came into being that an iron instrument of any size kills. Therefore, the Torah did not provide a measure for it. The Gemara comments: And this statement applies only when the murderer stabbed him with the iron instrument. But in a case where the murderer struck another with an iron instrument, he is liable only if the instrument was at least a certain measure capable of causing death.