JEWISH UKRAINIAN OLIGARCH LEADING IKG REFUGEE OPERATION, SUSPECT IN BILLION DOLLAR UKRAINE- RUSSIAN MONEY LAUNDERING CLAIMS

 

VIENNA - Ukrainian millionaire, Maxim Slutski, recently appointed by the IKG to coordinate the Ukrainian refugee programme in Vienna, is a suspected link in a billion dollar money laundering scheme tracing to Putin's overthrown puppet president Victor Yanukovych.  

Questions continue to surround the whereabouts of billions of dollars plundered from the Ukrainian budget and funnelled out of the country by former Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych and his cronies. Whilst convicted for high treason by a Ukraine court on 25 January 2019, and sentenced to 13 years in prison in absentia, the mystery as to how the Kremlin-backed politician made an estimated $40-$70 billion of taxpayers money simply “disappear” is yet to be solved. Here's How Ukraine's Ousted Government Got Away With $40 Billion (buzzfeednews.com)

Following Yanukovych's cowardly escape to Russia in 2013, a group of journalists broke into the empty presidential palace, a sprawling country estate featuring what has been described as “absurd luxury”, including a golf course, a vintage-car collection and a private zoo which housed his famous ostriches.

There, they unearthed reams of financial records revealing how Yanukovych and his top officials buried millions of dollars embezzled from the state treasury in off-shore havens. The damning evidence was confiscated by the Ukrainian prosecutor, who proceeded to launch an investigation. However, private investigators managed to gain access to parts of the material and discovered that Yanukovych was also laundering vast sums via shell companies throughout Europe.

 

One of the companies revealed was A.M. Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (Frankfurt am Main), a commercial real estate management company incorporated in September 2006 under company number HRB 77967.

According to open sources, the company is run by former Ukrainian, Maxim Slutski, living in Vienna, Austria. Maxim Slutski was married to Tina Schlesinger, sister of Michael Schlesinger. The couple divorced in 2009.

Yanukovych's associates are reported to have constructed an elaborate web of companies trading in buy-back loan schemes. The diagram produced by investigators below shows Slutski, his second wife Yuliya (nee Kaplan) and Yuliya's sister, Olena Gyellyer, purportedly involved in a convoluted operation, leading directly to the criminal in hiding, Victor Yanukovych at the base (circled red).

Essentially, the way the network operates is that company (A) borrows X amount of money from company (B). Lender company (B) then sells the debt on to company (C). Finally, the debt is re-acquired by the original borrower or by another company under its control. In this way, the debt is dissolved since company (A) is unlikely to ever  enforce the debt against itself. The true figures of the company accounts are thereby distorted. Whilst still being able to generate revenue on the loan investment, company A avoids income tax because the loan and its repayment are shown as a loss on the balance sheets.

In 2008, Slutski's company is alleged to have received a $2 million loan from two Cypriot front firms, Dardo Trading Ltd and Jenifex Participation Limited registered in Nicosia(circled yellow). The beneficiaries of these companies are Yulia Shchukina and Vladislav Kravets (circled blue), both Ukrainian citizens and according to sources in law enforcement agents, also well-known bankers. Between 2012-2018, Shchukina and Kravets allegedly resold the debt to Maxi Services Ltd (circled green).

 

Intermediary companies, New Thornhill Trading Inc. and Margolex Limited (circled purple) are then reported to have unburdened Maxi services (green)of the debt and "resold" it along the chain.

 

 

According to the investigation, Margolex (purple) ultimately sold the debt on to ELIZATEN MANAGEMENT (orange), surprisingly a Scottish registered company.

 Interestingly, the founder of Elizaten Management is an Olena Gyellyer, née Kaplan, sister of Yulia Kaplan, the afore-mentioned wife of Maxim Slutski.

 Having exhausted the chain of transactions, the original debt returned to Slutski to either repay or write off.

In 2020, Slutski fled with his family to London after an alleged kidnapping attempt (Three Ukrainians accusing the judge Emelyanov in an attempt of kidnapping in Germany - world news (24-my.info) in Vienna. There he stayed in this luxurious £3.1million home in Hampstead.

He has since firmly re-established himself back in Vienna where he plays a prominent role within the IKG and Lauder Chabad, spearheaded by Rabbi Jacob Biderman. As a former Ukrainian refugee himself, Slutski was chosen to coordinate all the activities inconnection with the influx of refugees who are currently fleeing their besieged homeland and arranged an extravagant party over Purim in their honour.

Whilst appearing to be philanthropic, there is a bitter irony in Ukrainian refugees receiving charity which could potentially trace back to the tax payer money stolen from them in the first instance. 

Due to Ukraine’s dysfunctional law enforcement system, Yanukovych's associates have yet to be brought to justice. As for Yanukovych himself, he is reported to be living under Putin's protection in Russia. Putin's brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians are, experts say, an attempt to destabilise Zelensky's government and re-establish Yanukovych as a pro-Russian puppet.

Chaos in central Tel Aviv as cops, army forces hunt for shooter on Dizengoff Street

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-7-2022/

Security forces flood scene of attack that killed 2 people; police tell the public to remain indoors as assailant remains at large

JEWISH UKRAINIAN OLIGARCH LEADING IKG REFUGEE OPERATION, SUSPECT IN BILLION DOLLAR UKRAINERUSSIAN MONEY LAUNDERING CLAIMS

 

1KG millionaire Maxim Slutski 7'h April 2022

VIENNA - Ukrainian millionaire, Maxim Slutski, recently appointed by the IKG to coordinate the Ukrainian refugee programme in Vienna, is a suspected link in a billion dollar money laundering scheme tracing to Putin's overthrown puppet president Victor Yanukovych.

Questions continue to surround the whereabouts of billions of dollars plundered from the Ukrainian budget and funnelled out of the country by former Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych and his cronies. Whilst convicted for high treason by a Ukraine court סח 25 January 2019, and sentenced to 13 years in prison in absentia, the mystery as to how the Kremlin-backed politician made an estimated $40-$70 billion of taxpayers money simply "disappear" is yet to be resolved. Here's How Ukraine's Ousted Government Got Away With $40 Billion (buzzfeednews.com)

Following Yanukovych's cowardly escape to Russia in 2013, a group of journalists broke into the empty presidential palace, a sprawling country estate featuring what has been described as "absurd luxury", including a golf course, a vintage-car collection and a private zoo which housed his famous ostriches. 

There, they unearthed reams of financial records revealing how Yanukovych and his top officials buried millions of dollars embezzled from the state treasury in off-shore havens. The damning evidence was confiscated by the Ukrainian prosecutor, who proceeded to launch an investigation. However, private investigators managed to gain access to parts of the material and discovered that Yanukovych was also laundering vast sums via shell companies throughout Europe. 

Ukraine War: Arab Social Media Unsympathetic, Sees Western Hypocrisy

 https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-russia-war-arab-social-media-hypocrisy-west-1696106

As the Western world rallies around Ukraine during Russia's invasion, Arabic-speaking social media users have been less inclined to express solidarity due to a perceived lack of international support for Arab populations in times of upheaval.

On Facebook, Arabic-language Facebook groups focused on Ukraine-Russia developments garnered tens of thousands of members and multiple daily posts praising Russia. Few show support for Ukraine.

Chazon Ish: Why Satan loves elections

From Mishpacha (October 17, 2013 page 39)

Summary: The Chazon Ish needed a cab to get to a bar mitzva - during the elections. The Aguda had reserved a number of cabs for the purposes of getting out the vote. They refused to allow the cab's to be diverted even for a short time and even for the Chazon Ish! A cab was provided courtesy of a political party which would eventually merge with Likud and seemed to have a better appreciation of who the Chazon Ish was. 

The point is that a chareidi party empasizes that they are not concerned with politics per se but only as a means of enhancing the kavod of talimidei chachom and kiddush hashem. Elections unfortunately show that many times - even for chareidi parties - the concern is first and foremost to win - and their official goals get pushed aside if they get in the way of winning.

אחת התמונות המפורסמות של החזו"א, היא זו שבה הוא נצפה לצדו של הגאון רבי יעקב לנדא זצ''ל אב"ד בני ברק - העומד משמאלו, ומימינו ניצב נער צעיר כבן שלושה עשרה. זהו הגאון רבי אליהו לנדא הי"ו )ראה מסגרת,( שחגג באותו יום בר מצווה והחזון איש הגיע להשתתף בשמחה. מאחורי הגר"י נראה רבי מאיר וונדר, שהיה אז תלמיד בישיבת פוניבז'. 

קוריוז שאולי הוא גם בעל משמעות מוסרית - על אודות אותו מאורע, שמענו מפיו של רבי מאיר וונדר: 

"החזון איש ביקש ממני להשיג לו מונית, כדי שייסע לבר המצווה. היה זה  בדיוק יום בחירות אפוף שאון, המולה ותעמולה, וכל המוניות היו תפוסות. הן נשכרו מראש בידי מפלגות אגודת ישראל והמזרחי, לצורך הסעת הבוחרים הפוטנציאליים שלהם אל הקלפי. ברירת המחדל האולטימטיבית שעמדה לפני חיתה לגשת אל ראשי המטות, ולבקש מהן 'לשחרר' לי מונית אחת, למשך זמן קצר, על מנת שתסיע את החזו"א למחוז חפצו". 

למרבה החרפה והכלימה, אף אחד לא הסכים לפנות מונית מתוך המצבת המצומצמת. 'גודל השעה' וה'אילוצים המפלגתיים', עמדו, ככל הנראה, בראש סדר העדיפויות של הפעילים הנ"ל, על פני נוחותו של החזו"א. 

"תתפלא לשמוע, אבל כאשר נואשתי מלחזר אחר הפעילים 'שלנו', מיהרתי לפעיל נמרץ בשם לאופר, שהיה ראש המטה של מפלגת חירות - התנועה שערכיה לא עלו בהכרח בקנה אחד עם האידיאלים של הציבור החרדי - ודווקא הוא קיבל אותי בסבר פנים יפות. הוא מיהר להורות לאחד מנהגי המוניות להתלוות אלי כששמע במי הדברים אמורים. 

"הנה לך עוד דוגמה, לגודל הערכת הציבור הכללי את דמותו העילאית של החזו"א".

Atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, appear 'premeditated,' 'deliberate': senior US defense official

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bucha-ukraine-atrocities-appear-premeditated-deliberate-us-defense-official

Russia prompted global outcry this week after the bodies of hundreds of civilians were found on the streets and in mass graves in Bucha.

More than 400 civilians are believed to have been killed by Russian troops in what the U.S., Ukraine and NATO have deemed evidence of war crimes.

Russia said last week that as part of the negotiating process it would withdraw troops from the capital city of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to "increase mutual trust."

Ukraine activists say they ID’d ‘Butcher of Bucha’ commander leading ‘genocide’

 https://nypost.com/2022/04/05/ukraine-activists-say-they-idd-azatbek-omurbekov-as-butcher-of-bucha/

“This is what the SS troops used to do in the past,” he said. “This evil simply cannot go unpunished. Our intelligence is consistently identifying all invaders and killers. All of them! And each killer will at his own time get what he deserves.”

Despite mounting evidence, Russia continued on Tuesday to deny the massacre, accusing Ukraine of staging the scenes as propaganda to escalate opposition to invading forces.

The Kremlin initially claimed it could not have been Russian forces because they had left Bucha at the end of last month.

However, satellite images released Tuesday showed bodies clearly strewn in the streets as early as March 18, when Russian forces were still there — and meaning some have been there for weeks.

Many of the dead still remain in black bags in 45-foot-long trenches dug as mass graves.

Marjorie Taylor Greene's ugly accusation points to a dangerous trend in the GOP

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/05/opinions/marjorie-taylor-greene-smear-kbj-filipovic/index.html

Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene is no stranger to outlandish, offensive and frankly bizarre behavior. And on Monday, she did it again, tweeting, "Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are pro-pedophile" because "they just voted for #KBJ" -- a reference to Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal judge set to become the next Supreme Court justice, and three moderate Republican senators who say they will vote to confirm her.

Of course, this is nonsense. Jackson is not soft on pedophiles, and her record is not out of line with the rest of the federal judiciary -- a point reinforced by a group of retired federal judges, two of whom were Republican appointees. The accusations that Jackson is somehow soft on pedophiles are so spurious that even a writer in the conservative National Review condemned them as a meritless smear.

‘Poorly trained actors’: how Russia’s state media twists revelations of atrocities

 https://www.ft.com/content/9d58d7b1-ceb3-429d-b952-3e7da76aace3

Its top TV hosts told Russian viewers there was “no evidence of victims” in Bucha. They accused Ukraine of colluding with western media to stage “provocations” by hiring “poorly trained actors” to play victims or “cynically collecting bodies” to dump in the street for the cameras.

Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Lawrence Ray found guilty on all counts

 https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-jury-finds-lawrence-ray-guilty-sarah-lawrence-sex-cult-trial-20220406-4ieb5doxpvgmpnddayb66cqsv4-story.html

It took the panel roughly a half-day to convict Ray, 62, of racketeering conspiracy for his 10-year reign atop “The Ray Family,” preying on the vulnerable young friends of his daughter Talia at the bucolic Bronxville college. Testimony and evidence, including videos filmed by Ray himself, showed he systematically broke down down his victims until he controlled every aspect of their lives.

GOP laying early plans for its own Hunter Biden probes

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/06/gop-early-plans-hunter-biden-probes-00023230

“Hunter Biden has never been in office and isn’t seeking office. Donald Trump led a failed coup against his government,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a member of the Intelligence and Judiciary committees. “The Republicans are obsessed with investigating Hunter Biden and have no interest in guarding against another Trump coup.”

Study: Fourth vaccine dose improves protection by a factor of about 3

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/325294

A new study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the effectiveness of the fourth dose based on data of over one million people aged 60 or older who were eligible for the vaccine, in the period between January 10 and March 2.

The study found that the rate of severe disease among people who received the fourth dose was lower by a factor of about three compared to people who only received three vaccine doses, and that this protection did not wane throughout the study period.

The rate of confirmed infection in those receiving the fourth dose was lower by a factor of about two compared to people who only received three doses, but this protection waned throughout the eight-week study period.

Adam Kinzinger Slams GOP for Focusing on Disney Amid 'Genocide' in Ukraine

 https://www.newsweek.com/adam-kinzinger-slams-gop-focusing-disney-ukraine-genocide-1695275

Representative Adam Kinzinger slammed the Republican Party for focusing on the recent Disney controversies rather than addressing their members who have "shown Putin sympathy" amid the war in Ukraine, accusing the GOP of distracting voters by riling them up for the midterm elections.

"The world order is being challenged for the first time since World War II and [the Republican Party is] sitting around today thinking about how we can win our next election, what the newest outrage is, what's the next thing we can do to get people angry and upset and get their money from them for our re-election," Kinzinger said in a video shared to social media on Tuesday.

Top US general: Potential for 'significant international conflict' is increasing

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/05/politics/mark-milley-ukraine-reaction-international-conflict/index.html

"Candidly, short of the commitment of US military forces into Ukraine proper, I'm not sure he was deterrable. This has been a long-term objective of his that goes back years," Milley said. "I think the idea of deterring Putin from invading Ukraine, deterring him by the United States, would have required the commitment of US military forces, and I think that would have risked armed conflict with Russia, which I certainly wouldn't have advised."

Ex-Russian oligarch says Putin only responds to force

Neville Chamberlain

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

Chamberlain's reputation remains controversial among historians, the initial high regard for him being entirely eroded by books such as Guilty Men, published in July 1940, which blamed Chamberlain and his associates for the Munich accord and for allegedly failing to prepare the country for war. Most historians in the generation following Chamberlain's death held similar views, led by Churchill in The Gathering Storm. Some later historians have taken a more favourable perspective of Chamberlain and his policies, citing government papers released under the thirty-year rule and arguing that going to war with Germany in 1938 would have been disastrous as the UK was unprepared. Nonetheless, Chamberlain is still unfavourably ranked amongst British prime ministers.[1]

Joe Biden Is Calling for Regime Change in Russia and This Time It Isn't A Gaffe

 https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-calling-regime-change-russia-this-time-it-isnt-gaffe-1694867

When President Joe Biden told the world from Warsaw on March 26 that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," the White House quickly sought to downplay the U.S. leader's remarks, noting that Biden's remarks were not a call for "regime change" in Moscow.

But Biden then told reporters he was "not walking back anything," and that his words were an expression of his "moral outrage" at the atrocities he believed a man he's branded a "war criminal" has been responsible for throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The president doubled down on these accusations on Monday, after images emerged purporting to show massacres committed by withdrawing Russian troops in the Ukrainian cities of Bucha and Trostyanets. Russia has denied committing atrocities.

"You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal," Biden told reporters on the White House lawn. "You saw what happened in Bucha...he is a war criminal."

Trump 'Loved to Gossip' With Ginni Thomas About Who Was Disloyal: Grisham

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-loved-gossip-ginni-thomas-about-who-was-disloyal-grisham-1694487

Many commentators and analysts have described Trump's "Make America Great Again" or "MAGA" movement as "a cult."

"Sadly, the people who helped deprogram Ginni were also apparently involved in right-wing causes. As is the case with SO many former members, she was overly susceptible and went from one cult to another (The Cult of Trump)," Hassan assessed in his Twitter thread.

What we know about what happened in Ukraine’s Bucha

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-we-know-about-what-happened-in-ukraines-bucha/

The images from Bucha have led to a global outcry.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the sight of multiple civilian bodies in Bucha was a “punch to the gut”.

The UK said the “appalling acts” must be investigated as war crimes.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the images were “unbearable” and that Russian authorities “must answer for these crimes.”

Germany has said the civilian deaths in Bucha are a “terrible war crime” that “cannot go unanswered” and called for fresh sanctions on Moscow.

In rare decision, rabbinical court rules a man is married - but wife is considered single

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/325198

In a rare ruling, the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court issued a decision last week stating that a man who publicly stated that the get or traditional divorce document he granted his wife was not valid would be considered still married and that he would be placed on the list of people who are not permitted to remarry until he granted his wife an additional get.

However, at the same time, his wife would be considered divorced and free to remarry. The couple wed in 2006 and had five children, but after a decade, the marriage fell apart. In April 2017, the wife left the house and filed a divorce claim with the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, but from the moment the procedure began, the husband unequivocally refused to grant her a divorce.

Letter to Austrian Ambassador to the UK

 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhgngwieeb1_iwVGIrXw_17ZAK0lysQvfyEOAPthguhFRN7Q/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3_O1retj3ACxJsYXWG3knJaW2VtqrJTTbn-DBsSVaZ955dvGoeyLr5gqc

Please find below a link to an open letter to be sent to the Austrian ambassador to the UK, Michael Zimmerman, copying in MP Liz Truss.

We would be grateful if you could sign this letter by completing the form below, and in addition, encourage as many others to sign and share.

Clashes break out between Palestinians, cops in Jerusalem on second Ramadan night

https://www.timesofisrael.com/lapid-tours-damascus-gate-with-police-chief-amid-ramadan-tensions/

Palestinian rioters clashed with the Israel Police near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate on Sunday for the second night of Ramadan in a row. Officers responded far more forcefully, using riot dispersal measures, while carrying out arrests.

Handfuls of rioters hurled glass bottles, rocks, and other objects at a police checkpoint, as was the case on Saturday night.

On Saturday, police managed to contain the situation without using riot dispersal measures, while arresting four. One officer was lightly injured after being struck by a bottle.

‘Provocative incursion’: Palestinians condemn Lapid’s visit to Damascus Gate

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/provocative-incursion-palestinians-condemn-lapids-visit-to-damascus-gate/

Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority issued statements criticizing Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for paying a visit to the flashpoint Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Amid a rise in deadly terrorist attacks and tensions across Israel and the West Bank at the start of Ramadan, Lapid toured the area around the Old City’s Damascus Gate with Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and other officials and lawmakers. “This is a difficult, tense period, but we have a police [force] that can be relied on to get us through this complex period,” Lapid said, adding: “We give you full backing.”

Corpses 'All Over' Streets, Yards as Russia Retreats From Kyiv Area: Report

 https://www.newsweek.com/corpses-all-over-streets-yards-russia-retreats-kyiv-area-report-1694506

As the Russian military retreats from the Kyiv oblast, the carnage left behind is becoming more visible. There are reports of civilians being shot to death while there hands were tied behind their back. Bodies of naked women were found on a highway and corpses have been spotted in yards, in cars and in the streets near the Ukrainian capital.

"Russians are shooting civilians after tying their hands behind their backs," wrote Anastasiia Lapatina, a journalist for the Kyiv Independent. "Dead bodies are all over the Kyiv oblast, on the streets, in cars, in people's yards. Mass graves are full of unidentified bodies. Many families will never know what happened to their loved ones."

Lawmaker falsely claiming Trump caught bin Laden perfectly sums up today's GOP

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/03/opinions/lisa-mcclain-trump-bin-laden-obeidallah/index.html

GOP Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan was apparently so desperate to suck up to Donald Trump at his rally this weekend in her state that she falsely boasted to the crowd of adoring Trump fans that the former President had "caught Osama bin Laden." In reality, bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, when President Barack Obama was in the White House and Trump was hosting the season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" featuring Gary Busey and Meat Loaf.

Polio outbreak in Israel caused by lack of vaccinations - Knesset Health Committee

 https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-703081

The recent outbreak of polio cases in Israel has been caused by a lack of vaccination against the disease, Israel’s Head of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis told a Knesset Health Committee meeting on Sunday morning.

Eight children have been diagnosed with polio in Israel since a four-year-old child in the Jerusalem area was discovered to have symptoms on March 8. Since then, the Health Ministry has launched an extensive operation to detect new cases and bring up rates of vaccination in communities and areas where they are low.

During a Sunday morning Health Committee meeting led by MK Idit Silman, Alroy-Preis offered insight into the challenges that health officials are facing in trying to contain any potential outbreak of the disease.

“It is a challenge for several reasons,” she explained. “First, due to fake news, suddenly everything has a question mark over it. Even vaccines which we have had for years and which we’ve seen eliminate diseases, suddenly they are being questioned.”

Rambam rejects Chazal because he was a rationalist

 Shomer Emunim HaKadmon (1:13): It is quite obvious to us and is clearly stated in the gemora and medrash in many places that there is a power to names and amulets to do amazing things e.g., Shabbos (61a) and Yevamos (49b)…Rashba (1:220). Nevertheless, the Rambam denies that this is true and strongly ridicules those who believe in the power of names to do anything. We see this in Moreh Nevuchim (1:61–62). Thus, he does not find the testimony of the gemora credible. It is also known that our Sages received traditions concerning demons and witchcraft as is well known from the gemora and medrashim. Nevertheless, the Rambam decided that they are nonsense and stupidity and that all who believe that they are real but the Torah has prohibited them is a fool and idiot and is included amongst the ignorant women and children (Hilchos Avoda Zara 11:16)... Even though the issue of magic is mentioned in the Torah itself in a number of places - nevertheless the rationalists reject their validity and produce far-fetched explanations to these verses in order not to violate their rationalism. They are not concerned with the words of our Sages that are clearly stated in a number of places which clearly acknowledge the reality of demons and magic. Their rejection of these things is that according to the rationalistic understanding it is simply impossible that these things exist. This is the approach of the rationalists. They will simply not accept the validity of anything said by our Sages which contradicts rational human understanding…

Rambam (Tefilin 5:4) It is a universal custom to write the word Shaddai (Almighty) on the other side of the Mezuzah, opposite the blank space between the two sections. As this word is written on the outside, the practice is unobjectionable. They, however, who write names of angels, holy names, a Biblical text or inscriptions usual on seals, within the Mezuzah, are among those who have no portion in the world to come. For these fools not only fail to fulfill the commandment but they treat an important precept that expresses the Unity of God, the love of Him, and His worship, as if it were an amulet to promote their own personal interests; for, according to their foolish minds, the Mezuzah is something that will secure for them advantage in the vanities of the world.*A reproof to those who sell Mezuzoth to be worn as amulets ! 

Avoda Zara (11a) When Onkelos the son of Kalonymus became a proselyte, the Emperor sent a contingent of Roman soldiers after him, but he enticed them by citing scriptural verses and they became converted to Judaism. Thereupon, the Emperor sent another Roman cohort after him, bidding them not to say anything to him. As they were about to take him away with them, he said to them: ‘Let me tell you just an ordinary thing: In a procession the torchlighter carries the light in front of the torchbearer, the torchbearer in front of the leader, the leader in front of the governor, the governor in front of the chief officer; but does the chief officer carry the light in front of the people that follow?’ ‘No!’ they replied. Said he: ‘Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, does carry the light before Israel, for Scripture says. And the Lord went before them . . . in a pillar of fire to give them light.’ Then they, too, became converted. Again he sent another cohort ordering them not to enter into any conversation whatever with him. So they took hold of him; and as they were walking on he saw the mezuzah which was fixed on the door-frame and he placed his hand on it saying to them: ‘Now what is this?’ and they replied: ‘You tell us then.’ Said he, ‘According to universal custom, the mortal king dwells within, and his servants keep guard on him without; but in the case of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is His servants who dwell within whilst He keeps guard on them from without; as it is said: The Lord shall guard thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore.’ Then they, too, were converted to Judaism. He sent for him no more.

Zohar (3 266b)  R. Abba further discoursed on the verse: “The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore” (Ps. CXXI, 8). He said: ‘That God shall keep thy going forth we understand; but what need is there to say, “thy coming in”? For when a man goes into his house he is in no danger? What it means, however, is that he who affixes the holy sign to his house with the words of the Holy Name is protected against all danger. The one who dwells at the door of his house accompanies him when he issues forth, and when he returns it proclaims before him: Have a care for the honour of the image of the Holy King-all this on account of the Holy Name which is impressed on his door, so that not only is a man protected in his house, but God protects him both when he goes out and when he comes in, as it is written, “The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy coming in”, etc. But as for the evil spirit that abides between the doorposts, woe to the man who does not know how to guard against it by impressing on the door of his house the Holy Name that it may be with him, for this spirit has three hundred and sixty-five assistants, one for every day of the year, which accuse him above and below, trying to mislead him by day and troubling his dreams by night. When he goes out they accuse him; when he comes in they place their hands on his shoulders and say: Woe to So-and-so who has thrown off the control of his Master, woe to him in this world and in the world to come! Therefore the sons of the true faith should be stamped throughout with the impress of their Master to scare away all the sides of the “evil species”, that they may be protected in this world and the next.’

Divine Spirit and Physical Power: Rabbi Shlomo Goren and the Military Ethic of the Israel Defense Forc

https://www.tau.ac.il/law/members/arye_edrei/Edrei2ndgallys.pdf

This claim explains why, in order to create the aforementioned corpus of military ethics, Rabbi Goren utilized a broader and significantly different variety of sources than generally used in Jewish legal literature. He turned directly to the narrative portions of the Bible, an approach that is not accepted in rabbinic literature, which views the Mishnah and Talmud as the essence of the canon. Similarly, Goren was wont to quote and rely on apocryphal pre-rabbinic literature from the Second Temple period, such as The Books of the Maccabees and Megillat Ta’anit, works that are not recognized as normative sources by the Rabbinical Sages and are perhaps even considered illegitimate as sources for rabbinic decisions. He also referred to the works of the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus Flavius to derive information on the conduct of war during the Second Temple period. There is a logic behind Goren’s use of these sources. First of all, as mentioned, the legitimization of the use of force, its purposes, and its limitations lies at the heart of the Biblical experience. In addition, these are sources from politically active periods in Jewish history — the First Temple and Second Temple periods — and therefore relate to the issues that arose with the renewal of Jewish sovereignty, discussions of which are lacking from the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods and certainly from the later rabbinic period.38 It seems,

Daily Update – Poliovirus (Poliomyelitis) Infection and Vaccination

 https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/27022022-04

The following positive/suspected poliovirus (poliomyelitis) samples have been collected in Jerusalem and its surroundings so far:

Children with positive culture and symptoms – 1 unvaccinated

Children with positive culture and without symptoms – 3 unvaccinated

Children with suspected initial test and without symptoms (final testing stages) – 3 unvaccinated.

All positive/suspected children are unvaccinated.

Putin is making the same mistakes that doomed Hitler when he invaded the Soviet Union

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/02/world/putin-invasion-mistakes-hitler-blake-cec/index.html

"The evidence suggests that Putin thought he could win a quick victory with the deployment of special forces and airborne units," says Ian Ona Johnson, a professor of military history at the University of Notre Dame. "So when they were forced to go to a much more traditional war involving essentially most of the Russian army along the Ukrainian border, they weren't prepared for some of the logistics."

'Sadistic’ man who ‘tormented’ wife is first in England to be jailed over get refusal

 https://www.thejc.com/news/news/sadistic'-man-who-'tormented'-wife-is-first-in-england-to-be-jailed-over-get-refusal-1WkHeCtIkaXV3m9cDcSYQT\

For the first time an English court has jailed a man for coercive behaviour that included obstructing a get – or religious divorce - for his wife.

Alan Alti Moher received an 18-month sentence at Southwark Crown Court on Friday after having pleaded guilty to one count of coercive or controlling behaviour in a private prosecution brought by his wife Caroline.

Judge Adam Hiddleston accepted that he had “tormented” Mrs Moher - from whom he has been civilly divorced since 2016 - over a number of years.

תקדים: בית הדין קבע - האישה גרושה, הגבר לא

 https://www.ynet.co.il/judaism/article/r14yu5mmc

גט סלקטיבי: ל-ynet נודע שבית הדין הרבני בירושלים קבע כי אישה שנפרדה מבן זוגה, תוכל להינשא לאחר – אך הגבר שעיגן אותה במשך שנים, יישאר כלוא בנישואיהם הכושלים. כך הגיעו הדיינים להכרעה התקדימית

In first, Britain jails businessman for refusing to grant his wife a Jewish divorce

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/manchester-businessman-imprisoned-for-refusing-to-grant-wife-jewish-divorce/

An English court on Friday sentenced a Jewish businessman to 18 months in prison for refusing to grant his wife a religious divorce.

Alan Moher, 57, and his wife Caroline separated in 2016 after 20 years of marriage. The couple, who have three children, were granted a civil divorce in 2019.

However, the Manchester property firm owner refused to grant his wife a get, which Jewish law mandates must be given freely without coercion and prevents her from remarrying until he does.

Can a godol be evil?

 Sanhedrin (36a) Rabba, son of Rava, says, and some say that it was Rabbi Hillel, son of Rabbi Valles, who says: From the days of Moses and until the days of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi we do not find unparalleled greatness in Torah knowledge and unparalleled greatness in secular matters, including wealth and high political office, combined in one place, i.e., in a single individual.

The Gemara asks: But was there not such a person? Wasn’t there Joshua, who was unparalleled in both domains? The Gemara answers: During his time there was Elazar, who was Joshua’s equal in Torah knowledge. The Gemara asks: But wasn’t there Pinehas, who outlived Elazar? The Gemara answers: There were the Elders, who were equal to Pinehas in Torah knowledge.

The Gemara further objects: But wasn’t there Saul, who was unparalleled in both domains? The Gemara answers: There was Samuel, who was Saul’s equal in Torah knowledge. The Gemara asks: But didn’t Samuel die in Saul’s lifetime, leaving Saul the leading figure in both domains? The Gemara answers: We meant to say that from the days of Moses until the days of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi there was no other single individual who reigned supreme in Torah and greatness for all the years that he was the leader of the Jewish people.

The Gemara asks: But wasn’t there David, who was both the greatest Torah authority and the most powerful temporal authority of his day? The Gemara answers: There was Ira the Yairite, who was David’s equal in Torah knowledge. The Gemara objects: But didn’t Ira the Yairite die in David’s lifetime? The Gemara answers: We meant to say that there was no other single individual who reigned supreme in Torah and greatness for all the years that he was the leader of the Jewish people.

The Gemara asks: But wasn’t there Solomon, who was unparalleled in both domains? The Gemara answers: During his day there was Shimi ben Gera, who was Solomon’s master in Torah knowledge. The Gemara objects: But didn’t Solomon kill him at the beginning of his reign (see I Kings, chapter 2)? 

Trumpian Conservatives Hold an ‘Emergency’ Meeting Over Russia

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/04/02/trump-conservatives-emergency-meeting-gop-russia-00022419

When it came to the actual events in Russia and Ukraine, the panelists grappled with the issue more uneasily. Some castigated the media for demonizing anyone who had the audacity to suggest that America should not rush to war. Lee Smith, who writes for Real Clear Investigations and Tablet, defended conservative commentator Candace Owens, who, among other things, blamed America for the war in Ukraine. According to Smith, the true implication of the brouhaha stirred up by Owens’ remarks is that “Donald Trump supporters are disloyal. American voters, at least half the country, are disloyal.” This “rolls over” into Jan. 6, he added. “Anyone who didn’t vote for Biden” ends up being unfairly branded as “an insurrectionist or a domestic terrorist.”

Fighting Austrian court and heartbreak, UK mom renews decade-long battle to see kids

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/fighting-austrian-court-and-heartbreak-uk-mom-renews-decade-long-battle-to-see-kids/

It is every mother’s nightmare. For more than a decade, Beth Alexander has been largely unable to see her two sons as she has fought a complex and seemingly never-ending legal battle to gain custody of the twin boys through the Austrian courts.

Alexander’s story — a whirlwind romance which turned into a bitter tussle over her children, allegations of foul play in Viennese legal circles and a dramatic intervention by Britain’s chief rabbi — has attracted international headlines, while her plight has won her strong support in the UK Jewish community and parliament.

But, as she launches a new campaign to gain access to her children, the Austrian judge overseeing the case has rebuffed Alexander’s latest legal efforts — and gone a step further, barring all contact between mother and children — saying it is not in the 12-year-olds’ interest to see their mother.

Rabbis blast Disney over pledge to increase LGBT content

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/325046

An organization representing over 2,000 Orthodox American rabbis and other Orthodox community leaders issued a statement Friday morning condemning entertainment giant Disney, after the company protested a recently passed bill in Florida barring teachers from having certain conversations with young children on issues of sexuality and their reproductive organs.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law this week, prohibiting classroom instruction in sexual orientation or gender identity through third grade, and requires that parents have access to information regarding the physical and mental health of their children.

Disney employees staged a walkout in response, complaining that LGBT content was cut from films and that Disney had not done enough to protest the bill, which some critics erroneously characterized as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Russian Host Says Biden Should Be Ousted for Moscow 'Partner' Donald Trump

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-putin-popov-partner-donald-trump-1693210

A Russian state TV host has said that President Joe Biden should be removed from office and replaced by his predecessor Donald Trump, whom he described as a "partner" for Moscow.

Cawthorn’s orgies-and-drugs comment stirs trouble within Freedom Caucus

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/29/cawthorn-orgies-freedom-caucus-00021548

Kevin McCarthy isn’t the only senior Republican who wants to have a talk with Rep. Madison Cawthorn about his claim that some of his colleagues invited him to orgies and used cocaine.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who chairs the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus to which Cawthorn belongs, said he plans to speak to the North Carolina Republican one-on-one about the incendiary comment. Perry further indicated that Cawthorn should identify the individuals he alleges engaged in that behavior.

COVID-19 booster essential, even among individuals previously infected

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/324752

A long-term, cohort study led by researchers at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University and Ziv Medical Center in Safed has produced further insight regarding the interplay between COVID-19 infection and vaccination in providing protection over time.

Seven to nine months after the second dose of the vaccine, antibody levels throughout the cohort dropped and were comparable in all groups including among young people and those infected before vaccination. The booster, however, led to antibody levels ten times higher than after the second dose in all groups within the cohort.

The study, recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, further showed that all individuals, including those with hybrid immunity (infected and vaccinated) require subsequent boosters beyond the two initial COVID-19 vaccine doses.