UK woman can’t have contact with twin sons, 12, after Austrian court ruling

 https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/uk-woman-cant-have-contact-with-twin-sons-12-after-austrian-court-ruling/

 A British Jewish woman has been told that she is to have no contact with her 12-year-old twin sons as a result of a new ruling by an Austrian court.

Beth Alexander, now a London-based family law solicitor, has been fighting her ex-husband, Dr Michael Schlesinger, in the Vienna courts, after the breakdown of their short marriage and the birth of the twins, Samuel and Benjamin.

Health Ministry: 4th dose triples protection from serious illness for over-60s

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-4th-dose-triples-protection-from-serious-illness-for-over-60s/

The Health Ministry said on Sunday that the fourth vaccine dose for those aged 60 and up offers a threefold protection against serious illness and twofold protection against infection in the current wave driven by the Omicron variant.

The ministry said the figures are the result of initial analysis by experts from various leading academic and health institutions, and compares the fourth vaccine with those who received three doses at least four months ago.

The figures are based on 400,000 Israelis who received the fourth vaccine and 600,000 who received three doses, with the ministry stressing that the methodology is similar to previous papers the experts have published in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine.

COVID-19 vaccine mandates worse than Holocaust, RFK Jr. suggests at anti-vax rally

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-694357

Addressing an anti-vaccination rally in Washington, DC, American environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday compared COVID-19 vaccination mandates to the Holocaust, saying that "Even in [Adolf] Hitler's Germany... you could hide in the attic like Anne Frank did," according to a tweet by NBC News senior reporter Ben Collins.

A tragic battle with only losers

 https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-tragic-battle-with-only-losers/

When I tell people our story, they immediately know it is a Jewish story. The father is Viennese, a member of the Jewish community who grew up here and has friends in the right places; a Jewish High Court Judge, a Jewish psychiatrist and colleague, the head of the Chabad kindergarten, as well as his Rav and mentor with strong influence over the members of his kehilla. You would expect the community here to have joined ranks to prevent a chillul Hashem and deescalate the situation. If the leadership were courageous and compassionate enough perhaps Sammy and Benji would have been spared this needless endless suffering. If only the leaders had intervened at the very beginning when I begged them to mediate to find a solution outside the courts. But for reasons I may never understand, they allowed this whole sorry mess to be dragged through the courts for the eyes of the whole world to see and censure. There is nothing more tragic and embarrassing than seeing Jew against Jew.

JUDGE'S AFTERNOON TEA PARTY WITH THE FATHER

 these are extracts from  Susanne Gottlicher the "impartial" judge's report concerning her personal "investigation"

This visit took place in 2015 after the mother reported her concerns about the Filipino nanny who the children were often left alone with for the whole of Shabbos while the father worked. Furthermore, she could barely speak German or English.

The judge however was satisfied there were no concerns and shortly after the visit, she awarded Schlesinger full and final custody. 

When we arrive, in addition to the father and the two boys, the father’s sister, Martina Schlesinger,

and the nanny are present.

We are greeted heartily and asked to come in. I introduce Ms Andesner and the father urges the

children to shake hands with us. We are ushered into the living room. The rooms I see are neat and

tidy but not sterile. The flat looks as if it is lived in and does not resemble the showroom of a

furniture store....

We sit down on the couch in the living room, where I again discuss the purpose of today’s visit:

the (recent) youth welfare office (Jugendamt) report made no mention of the mother’s accusations

regarding the nanny. The latter is introduced to us and sits down in an armchair beside the couch.

She is a woman in her fifties who does not speak perfect German but with whom I can easily

converse.....

I am given an explanation as to how the nanny came to the Schlesinger family:

They got to know each other in a park where the family often goes. The Schlesingers noticed how

the nanny was getting on with an Italian child she was caring for – a boy from an Italian Embassy

family. The nanny was so sweet with the boy that the twins’ aunt went up to her and asked if she

might not have time to take care of Sammy and Benji as well. The nanny has now been with the

Schlesingers for four years. She nodded as she heard this, confirming it...

...The father explains the following to me regarding the boys’ teeth:

When the boys came into his custody, they had objectively proven bad teeth and this fact was

common knowledge. At that time, teeth had to be extracted. The gaps in the teeth were provided

with temporary replacements....

...In the course of the conversation, the boys proudly show me and Ms Andesner the gaps in their

teeth: they are already so big that new, permanent teeth are on the way...

The father explained that the children love going to therapy and really enjoy it. They are very fond

of their occupational therapist, Ms Martina Muckler, and her approach of working through

pleasure and play is the most effective for success in learning and therapy.

In reply to my question, he answered that he would of course not subject the boys to unnecessary

therapies....

...Later, Benji goes and gets some pastries from the plate we have been offered. His father tells

him in a friendly manner to take a plate....afterwards, he comes in with a soft toy that looks like a

snake. It resembles a folded strap that is straight at first but when tapped against the lower arm,

rolls into the shape of a wristband. It is covered with fabric and has a snake’s head at the top. He

lets his snake eat from the pastries. We join in the game and when it is over, the snake is allowed

to drink from my glass of water...

...The accusation that the father acted violently on the occasion of a court hearing and pushed the

mother on the steps of the court is absolutely untrue....

The father again praises the nanny and states, “There is no one else outside the family circle that I

would trust to take care of the children without hesitation.”

In this atmosphere, it is described how the nanny still comes in the morning to assist the father

before work, and how she does the housework and sometimes cooks. She is no longer there in the

afternoons or evenings, except perhaps two or three times per week, when the father is on night

duty in the hospital.

...Our house visit lasts one and a quarter to one and a half hours. My impression is that of a nice,

caring family. ...

Olmert demands psychiatric evaluation for Netanyahu family

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320985

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has submitted a request to the Tel Aviv District Court asking that the Netanyahu family – former premier Benjamin, his wife Sara, and son Yair – be subjected to psychiatric evaluation.

Olmert is currently being tried for defamation with the plaintiffs being the Netanyahu family, after Olmert publicly suggested that they suffered from mental illness. According to a report in the Haaretz newspaper, the chances of the judge granting Olmert’s request are low.

Police chief defiant amid NSO scandal: ‘Some want to harm our crimefighting ability’

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-chief-defiant-amid-nso-scandal-some-want-to-harm-our-crimefighting-ability/

With police facing public outrage over accusations they have regularly used spyware to break into Israelis’ phones without oversight, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Friday fiercely defended the force’s conduct, denied any widespread spying and vowed to respond severely to any “isolated incidents” of wrongdoing — if those are discovered.

Shabtai, in a letter sent to members of the force, said that “the police and one of its most important departments have been under attack, and it appears there are those who want to harm its ability to fight serious crime.”

3 mayors said targeted by police using NSO spyware despite no evidence of offenses

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/3-mayors-said-targeted-by-police-using-nso-spyware-despite-no-evidence-of-offenses/

At least three city mayors and members of their families were targeted by Israel Police with spyware made by the controversial NSO Group in an attempt to find indications of criminal activity, the Calcalist website reported Sunday.

Information gleaned by targeting the mayors’ family members with the Pegasus spyware revealed activity that, though apparently not criminal, was used to justify requests for wiretaps on the mayors. That in turn led to their being taken into custody and interrogated, but all the cases were eventually closed, according to the report.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef jokes: Rabbi Shlomo Goren put Abba Eban to sleep

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320971

He said, "Then there was the issue of the brother and sister, the Langer siblings, which was a problem of mamzerim (children born from a union forbidden according to halakha who cannot marry anyone but other mamzerim). Rabbi Goren then wrote [that they were not mamzerim). The head of the Great Rabbinical Court, the entire rabbinical court, ruled that they were forbidden [to marry] and he ruled that they were permitted. There was an argument. The heads of government came at the time and began to chide [Rabbi Ovadia Yosef]. 'You should learn from your colleague, from Rabbi Goren. You also have the power to permit.' They chided him. Moshe Dayan said something I remember to this day: 'I don't care how you permit, I just want the bottom line that they are permitted.' Just like that."

The Well-Armed Troll

 https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/02/07/the-well-armed-troll/#slide-1

Putin is, in that sense, a very well-armed troll — opportunistic, attention-seeking, happy to upset the cart and see if any apples roll his way. But the Russian regime necessarily looms larger in the Western mind than do those of Putin peers such as Kim Jong Un for three reasons: (1) The Cold War trained Western policy intellectuals to think of Russia as a great power, and the habit remains even though Putin has nothing like the real geopolitical power enjoyed by Joseph Stalin or Leonid Brezhnev; (2) Putin’s forces are in close proximity to our European allies, including NATO members; (3) although the old Soviet nuclear arsenal has declined, Putin has something on the order of 1,600 strategic warheads ready to go — on missiles, bombers, and submarines — and a thousand strategic warheads in storage, according to the estimate of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The first of those three considerations is a matter of intellectual inertia, but the other two are live concerns.

'Dangerous precedent': Jan. 6 committee trains its sights on false pro-Trump electors

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/21/january-6-committee-precedent-pro-trump-electors-527528

The decision to deploy illegitimate electors highlights the deliberation of Trump's allies in their attempts to keep his effort to reverse the election alive. Top Trump White House officials at the time — including adviser Stephen Miller — made clear they were tracking “alternative” slates of electors in real time.

Booster Shots Needed Against Omicron, CDC Studies Show

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/01/21/covid-vaccination-requirement-cases-deaths/6601998001/

Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have proven highly effective at preventing omicron-related hospitalizations, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The booster doses were 90% effective at keeping people out of the hospital after they had become infected with the omicron variant. The doses also were 82% effective at preventing emergency department and urgent care visits, the data shows.

Why the Sarah Palin v. New York Times trial will be an 'excruciating experience' for the paper

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/22/media/sarah-palin-new-york-times-trial/index.html

The case is, at its heart, about the limits of First Amendment protections and the standard set in the landmark New York Times vs. Sullivan case. Specifically, the standard that a public figure must prove an outlet operated with "actual malice" when it published defamatory information. Palin has argued The Times did, and The Times has said it made an honest error.

"At issue is the elasticity of the protections that allow news organizations to present tough coverage of public figures," Washington Post's Erik Wemple wrote on Friday. "Or, to put things a bit more sharply, the case will help demarcate the line between really bad journalism and libelous journalism."

The reporting from mainstream news sources tends to be a lot more buttoned up than reporting in right-wing media. Fox, for instance, is wrapping itself in the First Amendment as it defends itself from lawsuits against voting technology companies Dominion and Smartmatic.

Which is to say that the attempts to reduce press freedom on the right could backfire in enormous ways. "Fox needs those protections more than The New York Times at the moment," Toobin pointed out. "The New York Times made a single mistake and behaved responsibly. Fox was the gateway for a torrent of lies that nearly destroyed these companies and has never appropriately apologized."

What is rechilus?

Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions chapter 7

1. He who bears tales against his fellow violates a prohibitive commandment, saying: "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people" (Lev. 19.16.); and although the punishment of flogging is not inflicted for violating this charge, it is a gross iniquity, and is the cause of the slaughtering of many souls in Israel; it is because thereof, that following this commandment is this Verse: "Neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor" (Ibid.). Now, go ye and learn of that which happened to Doeg the Edomite.¹First Samuel, 22.9-19. G.

 אֵי זֶהוּ רָכִיל. זֶה שֶׁטּוֹעֵן דְּבָרִים וְהוֹלֵךְ מִזֶּה לָזֶה וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ אָמַר פְּלוֹנִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עַל פְּלוֹנִי. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא אֱמֶת הֲרֵי זֶה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. יֵשׁ עָוֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה עַד מְאֹד וְהוּא בִּכְלַל לָאו זֶה וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. וְהוּא הַמְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאוֹמֵר אֱמֶת. אֲבָל הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁקֶר נִקְרָא מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע עַל חֲבֵרוֹ. אֲבָל בַּעַל לָשׁוֹן הָרַע זֶה שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה פְּלוֹנִי וְכָךְ וְכָךְ הָיוּ אֲבוֹתָיו וְכָךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלָיו וְאָמַר דְּבָרִים שֶׁל גְּנַאי. עַל זֶה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (תהילים יב ד) "יַכְרֵת ה' כָּל שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדלוֹת":  

2. What ia a rachil? One who loads himself up with matters, and goes from this one to that one, saying to each, such did that man say, thus and such have I heard concerning that man, even though it be true, behold him, he destroys the universe. There is yet an extremely grosser iniquity, which, too, is included in this prohibitive commandment, and that is, the evil tongue, one who spreads scandal about his fellow even though he be telling truth. If he be lying, he is called a maligner who invents an evil name against his fellow. The owner of an evil tongue, behold him, he sits in company and relates, saying: thus and such did that certain party, thus and such were his parents, and thus and such I did hear about him and of course, he relates scandalous matters. Of him, the Verse says: "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things" (Ps. 12.4). 

 According to this rechilus is gossip without intent to cause harmand is true  The Kesef Mishna adds that it is gossip about that person who his being talked to.

On the other hand Rambam  following Sanhedrin (31a)also describes it  as revealing secrets

Rambam (Sanhedrin 22:7)  אָסוּר לְאֶחָד מִן הַדַּיָּנִים כְּשֶׁיֵּצֵא מִבֵּית דִּין לוֹמַר אֲנִי הוּא הַמְזַכֶּה אוֹ הַמְחַיֵּב וַחֲבֵרַי חוֹלְקִין עָלַי אֲבָל מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה שֶׁהֵם רַבּוּ עָלַי וְאִם אָמַר כֵּן הֲרֵי הוּא בִּכְלַל הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה סוֹד. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּתַלְמִיד אֶחָד שֶׁהוֹצִיא דְּבָרִים שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ לְאַחַר שְׁתַּיִם וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְהוֹצִיאוּהוּ בֵּית דִּין מִבֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ וְהִכְרִיזוּ עָלָיו זֶה מְגַלֶּה סוֹד הוּא: 

 The same verse (Vayikra 19:16) is also the basis for the prohibition of lashon harah and slander 

Ben Yohoyada

מִנַּיִן לִכְשֶׁיֵּצֵא, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר: אֲנִי מְזַכֶּה וַחֲבֵרַי מְחַיְּבִין, אֲבָל מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה, שֶׁחֲבֵרַי רַבּוּ עָלַי, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: (ויקרא יט, טז) "לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ". וְאוֹמֵר: "הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה סוֹד" (משלי יא, יג). קשא למה הוצרך להביא פסוק זה אחר שהביא פסוק מן התורה? ונראה לי בס"ד דלעולם הוא למד זה מפסוק תורה אך פסוק תורה בלחודיה איכא למדחי דאיירי במספר לשון הרע וכאן אינו מספר לשון הרע דלא אמר חבירי מחייבין שלא כדין, אלא אומר כך היה דעתי כפי הדין וכך היה דעת חבירי כפי הדין ואפשר שהדין עמהם ורק דבר זה נחשב מגלה סוד ואם כן אין הוכחה מן פסוק 'לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל' דיש לומר רָכִיל קאי על בעל לשון הרע ולא על 'מְגַלֶּה סוֹד' לכך הביא פסוק 'הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה סוֹד' דנמצא דגם מגלה סוד בלבד נקרא רכיל אם כן נמצא פסוק 'הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל' איירי בכל גוונא אפילו ב'מְגַלֶּה סוֹד' בלבד דאיכא לאו ואזהרה בזה בכל גוונא.

What is rechilus?

French parliamentary report on Sarah Halimi murder reopens wounds it sought to heal

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/french-parliamentary-report-on-sarah-halimi-murder-reopens-wounds-it-sought-to-heal/

Leaders of French Jewry reacted critically to the report, and especially to a statement Morlighem made during a committee meeting. According to minutes from the session, Morlighem said that police likely didn’t hear Halimi scream because, “in light of the dimensions of Traore, and the photos of Sarah Halimi’s cadaver, I think she did not scream for a long time.”

Legislating Morality: The Prohibition of Lashon Hara

https://hakirah.org/Vol%2012%20Buchman.pdf

Rav Yisrael Salanter was asked by the Chofetz Chaim for an approbation (haskamah) to his Sefer Chofetz Chaim but Rav Salanter did not give it.23 He explained the reason to him. He said, you write that if one speaks lashon hara about another, he must relate what he had done and ask the person for forgiveness (mechilah).24 Thus, if one has talked badly about his dearest and most beloved friend and in a moment of weakness he relates something negative about him to another, he must do teshuvah by revealing the transgression to the friend. The Chofetz Chaim responded that this is in fact the halachah, and indeed this is implied by the words of Rabbenu Yonah,25 and though not mentioned it would follow from Hilchos Teshuvah of Mishneh Torah as well. Rav Salanter responded that one is not permitted to fulfill a mitzvah and gain teshuvah, at the expense of another’s pain.26 To reveal his transgression to his life-long friend who felt loved like as a brother is an act of cruelty.

Lauren Boebert does some casual antisemitism as a hilarious “joke”

 https://www.mic.com/impact/lauren-boebert-capitol-tourists-orthodox-joke

This week, just days after a gunman held four congregants of a Dallas-area synagogue hostage while spouting antisemitic fantasies about Jews controlling the world, Boebert stumbled onto a group of Jewish visitors to the United States Capitol Building and, after looking them up and down (they were allegedly all wearing yarmulkes) asked whether they were there for “reconnaissance.” Ha ha ha. Jokes!

Don’t get it? That’s okay, neither do I, despite Boebert’s later insistence that others did, and besides, she’s “too short to see anyone’s yarmulkes.” Ha ... ha ha? Given Boebert’s dalliances with casual antisemitism in the past, coupled with the overt antisemitism on display during the Jan. 6 insurrection — for which she, herself, has been credibly accused of providing “reconnaissance” tours ahead of time — it’s pretty understandable to assume Boebert’s “joke” isn’t exactly coming from a place of tolerance and understanding.

US Rep. Boebert asks Jewish visitors if they are spying on Capitol

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-rep-boebert-asks-jewish-visitors-if-they-are-spying-on-capitol/

Rep. Lauren Boebert asked a group of kippah-wearing Jewish visitors in a US Capitol building elevator on Thursday if they were there to do “reconnaissance,” Buzzfeed News reported.

The outspoken Colorado Republican claimed the comment was a joke tied to criticism she has received over Capitol tours she reportedly gave in the days before the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection there.

Revealing secrets is prohibited

Sanhedrin (31a) The mishna teaches: And from where is it derived that when the judge leaves the courtroom, he should not say: I deemed you exempt and my colleagues deemed you liable, but what can I do, as my colleagues outnumbered me and consequently you were deemed liable? About this it is stated: “You shall not go as a talebearer among your people” (Leviticus 19:16), and it says: “One who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but one who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter” (Proverbs 11:13). The Sages taught in a baraita: From where is it derived that when the judge leaves he should not say: I deemed you exempt and my colleagues deemed you liable, but what can I do, as my colleagues outnumbered me and consequently you were deemed liable? The verse states: “You shall not go as a talebearer among your people” (Leviticus 19:16), and it says: “One who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets” (Proverbs 11:13)

The Gemara relates: There was a certain student, about whom a rumor emerged that he revealed a statement that was stated in the study hall and should have been kept secret, and the rumor emerged twenty-two years after the time the statement was revealed. Rav Ami removed him from the study hall as a punishment. Rav Ami said: This is a revealer of secrets and he cannot be trusted.

Rambam (Sanhedrin 22:7)אָסוּר לְאֶחָד מִן הַדַּיָּנִים כְּשֶׁיֵּצֵא מִבֵּית דִּין לוֹמַר אֲנִי הוּא הַמְזַכֶּה אוֹ הַמְחַיֵּב וַחֲבֵרַי חוֹלְקִין עָלַי אֲבָל מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה שֶׁהֵם רַבּוּ עָלַי וְאִם אָמַר כֵּן הֲרֵי הוּא בִּכְלַל הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה סוֹד. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּתַלְמִיד אֶחָד שֶׁהוֹצִיא דְּבָרִים שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ לְאַחַר שְׁתַּיִם וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְהוֹצִיאוּהוּ בֵּית דִּין מִבֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ וְהִכְרִיזוּ עָלָיו זֶה מְגַלֶּה סוֹד הוּא:

Chofetz Chaim, (Introduction to the Laws of the Prohibition of Lashon Hara and Rechilut, Opening Comments 1) One who bears tales against his friend transgresses a negative commandment, viz. (Vayikra 19:16): "Do not go talebearing among your people." What is talebearing? "Loading oneself" with words and going from one to another, saying: "This is what ploni [so and so] said about you"; "This and this is what I heard ploni did to you." Although what he says may be true, it destroys the world. And there is a sin much greater than this — lashon hara, which is included in this negative commandment. And that is speaking disparagingly of one's friend, even if what is said is true. But one who speaks falsely [about his friend] is referred to as a "motzi shem ra" [one who spreads an evil report].

We Found the One Group of Americans Who Are Most Likely to Spread Fake News

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/14/we-found-the-one-group-of-americans-who-are-most-likely-to-spread-fake-news-526973

In newly published research, we found that it’s not conservatives in general who tend to promote false information, but rather a smaller subset of them who also share two psychological traits: low levels of conscientiousness and an appetite for chaos. Importantly, we found that several other factors we tested for — including support for former President Donald Trump — did not reliably predict an inclination to share misinformation.

Can LCCs be prevented from sharing falsities? One of the most common measures for combating misinformation is using accurate messaging or fact-checker interventions, which have been shown to reduce the sharing of misinformation. Unfortunately, in two studies, we found that fact-checking warnings were inadequate: LCCs continued to share fake news stories at a higher rate compared with liberals and high-conscientiousness conservatives, despite being told the news was inaccurate.

After a Year in Office, How Biden's Approval Rating Stacks Up Against Trump's

 https://www.newsweek.com/after-year-office-how-bidens-approval-rating-stacks-against-trumps-1662665

A year into his presidency, President Joe Biden is more popular than former President Donald Trump was after his first year, but not by much, with both presidents having similar ratings after their first year in office.

Biden's overwhelming election victory was viewed as a referendum on Trump's administration and some championed the win as a rejection of the former president. However, Biden's honeymoon phase with voters ended in the summer and problems with the economy and the ongoing pandemic has continued to drag down his approval rating.

A year after being inaugurated, Biden's average approval rating stands at just 42 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight. The president's rating is lower than the approval ratings nearly all of his predecessors had at this point in their presidencies in the last 70 years. The one exception is Trump, who had only a 39.5 percent approval rating a year into his presidency.

Austria approves vaccine mandate for adults

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320877

Austria’s parliament voted on Thursday to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for adults starting February 1, the first of its kind in Europe, The Associated Press reported.

The mandate has maximum potential fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,000) for people who don't comply after a series of reminders.

'Catastrophe' in the IDF: Dairy cooking may be allowed again

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320858

For decades, the complexities of making absolutely certain that dairy and meat do not mix has led to a ban on dairy in all IDF kitchens. Over the last few weeks, however, the IDF has formulated a plan for repealing the ban on dairy, which was imposed by Rabbi Shlomo Goren during his tenure as Chief Rabbi of the IDF.

First Ever Genetically Modified Pig-to-Human Kidney Transplant Successfully Completed

 https://www.newsweek.com/first-ever-genetically-modified-pig-human-kidney-transplant-successfully-completed-1671331

Specialists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have, for the first time, successfully transplanted pig kidneys into a human patient.

The xenotransplantation was performed on September 30, 2021, at UAB Hospital. Today, the first peer-reviewed research was published in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Joe Rogan's Friends Assemble in D.C. to Do Something They Say Isn't an Anti-Vax Rally

 https://www.vice.com/en/article/88g5bk/joe-rogans-friends-assemble-in-dc-to-do-something-they-say-isnt-an-anti-vax-rally

In a bit of light comedy, at one point, the rally’s website also listed as a speaker someone they referred to only as “Rabbi Epstein.” The site used a photo of Mendel Epstein, the infamous Orthodox rabbi convicted in 2015 of masterminding a long-running operation in which he and his cronies kidnapped and tortured men to persuade them to give their wives gets, or Jewish divorce decrees. FitzGibbon did not respond to an email inquiring about whether Mendel Epstein was indeed speaking at the rally. By the following morning, however, Mendel’s photo had been quietly swapped out for one of Rabbi Zev Epstein, a known anti-vaccine activist and a far more likely candidate for someone who’d speak at this event.

Man accused by January 6 truthers of being FBI infiltrator denies claim in interview with House select committee

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/11/politics/january-6-ray-epps-fbi-false-flag/index.html

The Arizona man that some right-wing figures baselessly claim was part of secret FBI plot to orchestrate the January 6 insurrection told the House panel investigating the attack that he has no ties to the FBI or law enforcement, a committee aide told CNN.

While Epps' denial is unlikely to sway diehard conspiracy theorists, it carries some heft because it came in an interview with congressional investigators, where lying would be a federal crime.

Republican lawmakers and pro-Trump outlets have zeroed in on Epps to bolster their broader conspiracy theory that the FBI was responsible for the violence on January 6. Their claims about Epps have been panned by fact-checkers.

Two-thirds of COVID-19 jab reactions caused by placebo effect - study

 https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-693996

More than two-thirds of the common side-effects people experience after a coronavirus shot can be attributed to a negative version of the placebo effect rather than the vaccine itself, new research indicates.

Scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston examined data from 12 clinical trials of COVID vaccines and found that the “nocebo effect” accounted for more than three-fourths (76%) of all common adverse reactions after the first dose and more than half (nearly 52%) after the second dose. A third of clinical trial participants who received no vaccine reported systemic adverse advents like headache and fatigue.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, suggest that a large proportion of milder side-effects, such as headaches, short-term fatigue and arm pain are not produced by the the vaccine itself, but by other factors thought to generate the nocebo response, such as anxiety.

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to shield records from Jan. 6 committee

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/trump-supreme-court-records-527421

The Supreme Court’s order on Wednesday did not reach a final conclusion on this point but said Trump’s effort failed because his assertion of executive privilege would have failed even if he were still in office.

“The questions whether and in what circumstances a former President may obtain a court order preventing disclosure of privileged records from his tenure in office, in the face of a determination by the incumbent President to waive the privilege, are unprecedented and raise serious and substantial concerns,” the high court said.

“Because the Court of Appeals concluded that President Trump’s claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former President necessarily made no difference to the court’s decision,” the unsigned Supreme Court order added.

Supreme Court ruling is a bitter legal and personal blow to Trump

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/20/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-january-6-committee/index.html

There is no doubt, however, that Trump will be apoplectic that his three Supreme Court nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, did not publicly dissent from denying his bid to keep his West Wing records secret. Trump has repeatedly slammed the Supreme Court for throwing out his false claims of election fraud, claiming he was a victim of a miscarriage of justice even though his delusional cases were also dismissed by multiple lower courts. Even before the election in 2020, the then-President had said it was important to quickly confirm Barrett so that she could be in place to vote on any election disputes.

Supreme Court clears the way for House to get Trump White House documents

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/supreme-court-trump-white-house-docs/index.html

The Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for the release of presidential records from the Trump White House to a congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

The court's order means that more than 700 documents will be transferred to Congress that could shed light on the events leading up to the insurrection when hundreds of rioters converged on the Capitol attempting to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Only Justice Clarence Thomas said publicly that he would have granted former President Donald Trump's request to block the document handover from the National Archives to the House select committee. No other justices made an objection public.

Don Lemon SLAMS Unvaxxed As "Idiots," Laura Ingraham MOCKS Gen. Milley Over COVID Diagnosis

When the Delta variant dominated, vaccination and prior infection protected against Covid-19, but vaccination was safest, study finds

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/health/covid-vaccine-infection-protection-cdc-study/index.html

"Together, the totality of the evidence suggests really that both vaccination and having survived Covid each provide protection against subsequent reinfection, infection and hospitalization," said Dr. Eli Rosenberg, New York state deputy director for science. "Having Covid the first time carries with it significant risks, and becoming vaccinated and staying up-to-date with boosters really is the only safe choice for preventing COVID infection and severe disease."

"If a person who's had natural Covid then gets vaccinated, they have levels of antibody that are much, much higher than after the natural infection itself. And what we know about higher levels of antibody is: one, you usually get a longer duration of protection, and number two, the variety of antibodies that your immune system produces is more diverse. The notion is that you will be better protected against a diversity of variants," said Schaffner, who is a vaccine adviser to the CDC, but was not involved in the study.

Boeing Takes Hit as Its 777, 787 Planes Appear Susceptible to 5G Network

 https://www.newsweek.com/boeing-takes-hit-its-777-787-planes-appear-susceptible-5g-network-1670782

Boeing faces a setback as its 777 and 787 planes used by airlines worldwide are particularly susceptible to the new 5G network signals as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced safety concerns.

The FAA said the new 5G signals could interfere with the Boeing 787's and 777's airplanes systems using radio altimeters, which indicate how far a plane is off the ground while in the air, according to a statement Friday.

Altimeters data are used in several systems such as for engines, flight controls, traffic alert, collision avoidance, ground proximity warning, autopilot systems, and detecting dangerous wind shears.

Airlines are concerned because altimeters operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range, and the 5G frequencies would operate too close to the same range and affect airplane instruments, Reuters reported.

הממשלה מאשרת שוב את חוק הגיוס שנפל

 https://www.kikar.co.il/410490.html

הגנץ לוקח סיכון: פחות מ-48 שעות אחרי נפילת חוק הגיוס במליאת הכנסת, שר הביטחון בני גנץ לחץ והיום (רביעי) הממשלה מאשרת את חוק הגיוס מחדש לקראת הצבעה חוזרת על החוק בהמשך.

אחרי שהחוק יאושר לא יהיה צורך בישיבת ממשלה או בוועדת שרים לענייני חקירה, אלא החוק יונח ישירות על שולחן הכנסת.

כזכור, ביום שני האחרון נפל חוק הגיוס של שר הביטחון בני גנץ, לאחר שחברת הכנסת ג'ידא רחנאווי זועבי ממר"צ הפרה את המשמעת הקואליציונית והצביעה נגד חוק החוק ובמקביל חברי הכנסת מאזן גנאיים ועמיחי שיקלי נעדרו מההצבעה.

Gantz Resubmits Draft Law; Set to Pass Next Week

 https://hamodia.com/2022/01/19/gantz-resubmits-draft-law-set-to-pass-next-week/

Ahead of the vote in the Knesset plenum, pressure is expected to be placed on the MKs of the Ra’am party, one of whom abstained from voting on Monday, and also on MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of Meretz, who opposed the bill in Monday’s vote, resulting in the bill failing to pass. The coalition believes that Zoabi will support the proposal this time around.

The vote on Monday ended in a 54:54 tie after MK Zoabi violated coalition discipline and voted against the law. MKs Mazen Ghanaim (Ra’am) and Amichai Chikli (Yamina) were absent from the vote.

Freed Hostage Rabbi Demanded Israel Drop Sovereignty Plans in the Settlements

 https://www.jewishpress.com/news/jewish-news/freed-hostage-rabbi-demanded-israel-drop-sovereignty-plans-in-the-settlements/2022/01/16/

In the world of "you can't make this stuff up"... This is my old synagogue, I left due to a few issues, first, the Rabbi called Israel an apartheid state against Islam, and a second, he didn't allow his members (including myself) to be armed during services. Now he is held hostage by a Muslim man with a gun...

Singer Hana Horká Dies of COVID After Catching It on Purpose To Avoid Vaccine

 https://www.newsweek.com/singer-hana-horka-dies-covid-after-catching-purpose-avoid-vaccine-1670675

Hana Horká, who was the vocalist for the long-running folk band Asonance, passed away on Sunday at the age of 57, AFP reported, citing her son Jan Rek.

Rek told Czech public radio iRozhlas.cz that his mother had voluntarily exposed herself to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, in order to obtain a health pass that would have allowed her to visit the sauna and theater.

Israeli police evict Palestinian family in East Jerusalem neighborhood

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

Israeli police evicted a Palestinian family from their home in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Wednesday, demolishing the dwelling in a case that has drawn international attention.

Police had withdrawn after the standoff on Monday but returned before dawn on Wednesday, saying in a statement it was enforcing a court-approved eviction order of "illegal buildings built on grounds designated for a school for children with special needs".

In a joint statement with the Jerusalem municipality, police said several people were arrested for questioning on suspicion of violating a court order and disturbing the peace. Witnesses said some 25 Palestinians, including five family members, were detained.

Elderly man suspected of sexual abuse is arrested

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320753

A Jerusalem resident in his 70s has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing two people, Maariv reported.

According to the report, the individual is suspected of sexually abusing minors in separate instances, which occurred several years ago.

The individual, who is well-respected and considered to be a hasidic leader, carried out sex crimes against a minor female family member, as well as against a minor male.

Calling Omicron ‘Mild’ Is Wishful Thinking

 https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/01/omicron-mild-severity-immunity/621238/

For weeks, the watchword on Omicron in much of America has been some form of phew. A flurry of reports has encouraged a relatively rosy view of the variant, compared with some of its predecessors. Omicron appears to somewhat spare the lungs. Infected laboratory mice and hamsters seem to handily fight it off. Proportionally, fewer of the people who catch it wind up hospitalized or dead. All of this has allowed a deceptively reassuring narrative to take root and grow: Omicron is mild. The variant is docile, harmless, the cause of an #Omicold that’s no worse than a fleeting flu. It is so trivial, some have argued, that the world should simply “allow this mild infection to circulate,” and avoid slowing the spread. Omicron, as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky would have you believe, is “basically nature’s vaccine.”

In high-enough numbers, any Omicron infection can wreak havoc. Across the country, people are entering isolation in droves, closing schools and businesses, and hamstringing hospitals that can already ill-afford a staffing shortage. In many parts of the country, hospital capacities are already being reached and exceeded, making it difficult for people to seek care for any kind of illness. An overstretched system could also, ironically, mask the extent of Omicron’s tear: When hospitals are full, they cannot accept more patients, artificially deflating recorded rates of severe disease, even as total cases continue to rise. “Omicron may be more mild at the individual symptom level,” Duana Fullwiley, a medical anthropologist at Stanford who has studied how the term mild has affected people’s experience of sickle-cell anemia in Senegal, told me. “But we’re not talking about the severity of Omicron as it’s impacting the system.”

Smartmatic Sues Mike Lindell, Accusing Him of Spreading Election Lies to Sell More Pillows

 https://www.newsweek.com/smartmatic-sues-mike-lindell-accusing-him-spreading-election-lies-sell-more-pillows-1670599

Lindell, a conspiracy theorist who rose to prominence as a trusted friend of former President Donald Trump, became a lead voice pushing Trump's baseless claims that an unprecedented, nationwide conspiracy of voter fraud "stole" the 2020 election from Trump.

While Lindell has pushed numerous conspiracy theories to explain Trump's loss, he has mainly focused on voting machines from Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems. He has alleged that these machines switched votes from Trump to current President Joe Biden.

However, Smartmatic's voting machines were only used in one U.S. county during the 2020 election, Los Angeles County, Forbes reported. Neither Lindell nor anyone else has yet to produce concrete evidence proving that the machines flipped votes during the election.

Leading haredi rabbi: Father can report child's abuse to police

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320741

Kikar Hashabbat on Tuesday publicized a video of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leading Lithuanian-haredi rabbi, in which he can be heard encouraging those whose children were molested to turn to the police.

In the video, which was filmed around twenty years ago, Rabbi Kanievsky is asked, "Unfortunately, I have a cousin in America, whose children were hurt by someone. What should he do? He wants to look into the matter and he is asking if he can involve the police."

In response, Rabbi Kanievsky can be heard asking, "What is the question?" to which the questioner responds, "Someone hurt an 11-year-old boy, and he is asking if he is permitted to turn to the police and complain that there is someone evil there."

"Obviously it is permitted for him to do this, in order to save others - in order to save others it is allowed," 

Rabbi Kanievsky responded.The questioner continued, "He doesn't need to go first to beit din (a Jewish court)?"

"Apparently. The assumption is that it is permitted to save others," Rabbi Kanievsky said.

https://www.kikar.co.il/410403.html

לפני כעשרים שנה, נשאל מרן שר התורה הגאון רבי חיים קנייבסקי, האם מותר לפנות למשטרה נגד אדם שפגע בילד? והשיב בנחרצות: "מותר, כדי להציל אחרים"; התיעוד מהפסק, נחשף כעת

POSEKIM - e judaica

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/posekim

POSEKIM, a Hebrew term for scholars whose intellectual efforts were concentrated on determining the halakhah in practice (for whom the word "decisors" is sometimes used) in contrast to those commentators who applied themselves to study for its own sake, and in order to facilitate the understanding of the subject under discussion and who are called mefarshim (expositors or commentators). This distinction was already recognized by early authorities who stressed, for instance, that halakhah should not be derived from *Rashi 's commentary on the Talmud – since Rashi did not introduce into his commentary various ancillary considerations without which no practical decision can be arrived at, except perhaps for those few instances where Rashi explicitly states that the halakhah is in accordance with his exposition.

In the early period, especially in Germany, the term posekim was identical with the teachers and leaders of the generation in every locality. It included the heads of the yeshivot, avot battei din, rabbis and talmudic scholars generally, on condition that their statements were made "by way of pesak," on actual cases which arose. The ruling of the posek was binding only upon those subject to his authority, since he laid down the halakhah in accordance with local tradition and for the people who accepted his authority. A ruling was never successfully imposed upon communities outside the area of the jurisdiction of the posek. The authority of the posek during this period depended on his being a competent talmudic scholar, possessing a comprehensive knowledge in every field on his subject, and on the fact that he continued the tradition of his locality and of his teachers transmitted to him while he studied under them. In the course of time this situation gradually changed, as a result of the dissemination of the codes, which afforded easy access to sources necessary for deciding the halakhah. From the second half of the 16th century with the beginning of the spread of the Shulhan Arukh, the character of the works by the posekim changed fundamentally. Henceforth the outstanding posekim hardly engaged at all in theoretical exposition, and to the extent that they did do so their commentaries were generally forgotten and ignored. The posek during this period won general recognition by virtue of the extensive practical experience he accumulated and by gaining the approbation of contemporary scholars, by devoting the whole of his intellectual and physical energy to this goal, and by virtue of "divine aid," the charisma with which he was endowed. For a survey of the posekim and their development see *Codification of Law .

Contempt of beis din - E Judaica

It appears that in talmudic times the administrative, and not the judicial, officers of the court were the main target of contempt of court – demonstrated both in words and violence – and detailed rules were worked out to facilitate the perilous tasks of court messengers assigned to serve summonses and to execute judgments (BK 112b–113a; Maim. ibid., 25:5–11; ḤM 11). The standard punishment for contempt of court messengers is anathema (niddui), after three prior warnings (ibid.); but admonitory lashes were also administered not only for insulting process-servers (Kid. 12b, 70b), but especially for failure to pay judgment debts (Ket. 86a–b). The source for the authority to proclaim anathema was taken to be Deborah's curse on those who did not come to the help of the Lord (Judg. 5:23). One scholar, invoking the wide authority given to Ezra by the Persian king for the punishment of offenders (Ezra 7:26), went so far as to authorize the infliction of imprisonment, shackling, and confiscation of goods (MK 16a), but in practice no such severe measures appear ever to have been adopted. No witnesses were required to prove such contempt: the complaint of the court official was accepted as conclusive – and expressly excluded from the applicability of the rules against slander (ibid., and Maim., and ḤM ibid.).

In post-talmudic times, obedience to the courts had to be enforced by more rigorous means: both admonitory lashes (cf., e.g., Resp. Rosh 8:2 and 11:4) and imprisonment (cf., e.g., Rema and ḤM 97:15; Resp. Ribash 484) were widely used against persons who willfully persisted in disobeying the court. However, such extreme sanctions were resorted to only where previous public admonitions (cf., e.g., Resp. Maharam Minz 38, 39, 101), the exclusion from religious and civic honors, the disqualification from suing and testifying, and similar measures (including the anathema) had been of no avail (S. Assaf, Battei Din… (1924), 118 and passim). It has been maintained that all these sanctions were not punitive in nature but solely designed to execute the judgment of the court or make the adjudged debtor pay his debt (Elon) – a modern distinction which in most cases is rather academic. The talmudic formula, "he shall be beaten until his soul departs" (Ket. 86b et al.), has an unmistakably punitive undertone: compelling the debtor to pay coincides with punishing him for his contempt.

Anti-vaxxer nonsense

PROVIDERS PAID BY FEDS TO MURDER COVID PATIENTS --PROOF HOSPITALS ARE BEING PAID TO KILL

CATHERINE AUSTIN FITTS | WE ARE HEADED FOR A DIGITAL CONCENTRATION CAMP - JAN 15, 2022

STEW PETERS: KAREN KINGSTON | FAUCI’S DEATH FUNNEL: HE FUNDED & CONTINUES TO FUND VIRUS ENHANCING RESEARCH

THE 7 US GOVERNMENT PAYOFFS TO KILL YOU IN HOSPITALS

COINCIDENCE? OR SOMETHING ELSE. COUNTRY LEADERS DEAD AFTER REFUSING THE VAX BE USED IN THEIR COUNTRIES

PRESIDENT OF GHANA GOES ON NATIONAL TV IN GHANA TO TELL THE ENTIRE COUNTRY ABOUT THE SATANIC PLAN

PFIZER WORLD HEADQUARTERS BUILDING IN NEW YORK CITY FILLED WITH STRANGE SYMBOLISM?

WE WILL PREVAIL - BY EJ PRODUCTIONS41

TRANS-VAX OR "V" !

KAREN KINGSTON PHD. PROOF THE 'VACCINES' WERE CREATED TO KILL CHILDREN!!!

AUSSIE: 5-11 YEAR OLD VACCINATIONS BEGAN TODAY - 3 DEATHS ALREADY

FOUR HUNDRED ATHLETES COLLAPSING AND DYING IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS

PROJECT CAMELOT AND BILL RYAN - TALKING ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY RECORDED BACK IN 2010? !!

PROOF: DOCS KNOW THEY'RE KILLING: FAUCI'S DEADLY REMDESIVIR HAD 50% KILL RATE IN EBOLA TRI

PILOTS EXPOSE THE MANDATED ILLNESS RAMPANT AMONG THE MAJOR AIRLINES

STEW PETERS: KAREN KINGSTON | FAUCI’S DEATH FUNNEL: HE FUNDED & CONTINUES TO FUND GAIN OF FUNCTION VIRUS RESEARCH?

KAREN KINGSTON | PROOF THE 'VACCINES' WERE CREATED TO KILL CHILDREN!!!

THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO TO US!

DR. ZELENKO | EXPOSING THE SATANIC DEPOPULATION AGENDA - REAWAKEN AMERICA

DR. ROBERT MALONE: 18 NARRATIVE-CHANGING HIGHLIGHTS FROM HIS 3-HOUR INTERVIEW W/ JOE ROGAN

Hong Kong to cull 2,000 hamsters following COVID outbreak

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320703

Authorities in Hong Kong are to cull around 2,000 small animals such as hamsters after several hamsters tested positive for COVID-19 at a pet store.

The discovery was made after one of the store’s workers tested positive for coronavirus; the infected animals were imported from the Netherlands and now all imports of small animals to Hong Kong have been banned until further notice.

“We cannot exclude the possibility that the shopkeeper was actually infected from the hamsters,” said Edwin Tsui, a controller at the Centre for Health Protection.

Stephanie Seneff - Fox News anti- vaxxer "expert"

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320629

MIT scientist points to possible link between COVID vaccine and Parkinson's

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

In 2011, Seneff began publishing articles on topics related to biology and medicine in low-impact, open access journals, such as Interdisciplinary Toxicology and eight papers in the journal Entropy between 2011 and 2015.[2][8] According to food columnist Ari LeVaux, Seneff's work in this area has made her "a controversial figure in the scientific community" and she has received "heated objections from experts in most every field she's delved into".[2] In 2013, she coauthored a paper that associated the herbicide glyphosate with a wide variety of diseases such as cancer and disorders such as autism.[9] Discover magazine writer Keith Kloor criticized the uncritical republication of the study's results by other media outlets.[10] Jerry Steiner, the executive vice president of sustainability at Monsanto, said in an interview regarding the study that "We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied."[11] Seneff's claim that glyphosate is a major cause of autism and that, "At today's rates, by 2025, half the kids born will be diagnosed with autism," has also been criticized. For example, Pacific Standard noted that, contrary to Seneff's claims, many scientific reviews have found that the rise in autism rates over the past 20 years is due to changes in diagnostic practices, and that a number of studies, including a 2012 review in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, have found little evidence that glyphosate is associated with adverse development outcomes.[12]

Seneff and her MIT colleagues have also published on the health impacts of fat and cholesterol consumption in America. Based on this work, Seneff claimed that Americans are suffering from a cholesterol deficiency, not an excess.[13][14] In 2014–2016 Seneff was proposed as an expert witness for litigators seeking damages from Pfizer associated with their cholesterol drug Lipitor,[15] but the court dismissed the claim largely because Seneff lacked expert status and failed to provide credible evidence linking Lipitor to any specific harm.[16]

Response from scientists and academics[edit]

Clinical neurologist and skeptic Steven Novella criticized Seneff's Entropy publication for making "correlation is causation" assumptions using broad statistical extrapolations from limited data, saying "she has published only speculations and gives many presentations, but has not created any new data".[17] Scientists and scholars such as Derek Lowe, a medicinal chemist, and Jeffrey Beall, a library scientist known for his criticism of predatory open access publishers, have separately criticized Seneff's paper for misrepresenting the results and conclusions of other researchers' work. Lowe and Beall also noted that Entropy and its publisher, MDPI, have a known history of publishing studies without merit.[18][8]

A 2017 Review Article written by Kings College of London researchers and published by Frontiers in Public Health called Seneff's glyphosate health-risk research claims "a deductive reasoning approach based on syllogism" and "at best unsubstantiated theories, speculations or simply incorrect."[19] Consumers Union senior scientist Michael Hansen characterized Seneff and her glyphosate claims as "nutty", "truly unhinged", and "dangerous".[20]

Inaccurate claims about 'rabbinical court' opposing Covid-19 vaccination spread online

 https://factcheck.afp.com/http%253A%252F%252Fdoc.afp.com%252F9RK34P-1

In theory, three people can get together and form a 'rabbinical court' to perform certain rabbinical court functions," he said.

"But when the term 'rabbinical court' is used to connote a body that has the authority to rule on a matter of communal importance, the court really derives its authority by widespread communal acceptance," Weissmann said.

"If an actual rabbinical court (which meets regularly and is organized under the auspices of a sizable community) were to issue a proclamation, that might be newsworthy and it might even possess some degree of authority under Jewish law, depending on the circumstances. But when three unknown individuals sign a document, purportedly as a 'rabbinical court,' the term 'rabbinical court' becomes somewhat meaningless," he added.

Is there a concept of appeals in the Bais Din system?

 https://www.thehalachacenter.org/journal-links/5777/bamidbar/shelach/appealing-beis-din-decision2.php

• The Gemara comments that one beis din does not investigate the conclusions of another. It is unclear whether this is a descriptive statement, or a halakhically binding one that must be followed. Many commentaries feel that it is indeed instructive. If so, two reasons are offered for it:
• The right of the victorious one not to have to reargue his case
• Respect for the first dayan
• The Gemara writes elsewhere that the losing litigant may ask the beis din in writing for an explanation of why they judged him in the manner that they did. The acharonim explain that this may be due to the right he has to appeal the decision. Some commentaries held that this is only allowed where he was forced to appear before that local beis din that issued the decision, while the first passage in the Gemara is where both willingly appear.
• The consensus opinion is that in principle, the rule of lo dayki, not reviewing a case in another beis din, does apply, even if the dayanim are not great Talmidei chachamim, though some, such as the Radbaz, disagreed.
• Some poskim held that if the halacha in question was complex and not well-known, we may suspect a decision in error, and review the case. Rav Ovadia felt today that everyone would agree with this assessment, as we are on a very low level of Torah knowledge.
• Many modern poskim argued that even if we accept that the rule of lo dayki applies in all cases, this is only true where no universally accepted system of appeals exists, and only ad hoc review takes place. However, if the community and its leaders establish a system, takana, enactment, or minhag, custom, to introduce this system, and everyone participates and enter with full understanding of how the system works, then many (though not all) argue that this is completely permitted. No degradation to the beis din exists, and it does not violate the rights of the litigant. Finally, as noted by the Tzitz Eliezer and Yabia Omer, this system has already been in place in Israel for a while, many gedolim even sat on it, and it is the common custom today.

Lara Logan dropped by talent agency after comparing Fauci to Nazi doctor

 https://nypost.com/2022/01/18/lara-logan-dropped-by-agency-after-comparing-fauci-to-nazi-doctor/

Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Lara Logan has been dropped by her talent agency over a recent TV interview in which she compared Dr. Anthony Fauci to Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.

But she acknowledged that it’s “absolutely true” that she has not appeared on Fox News since November.