Washington – Trump Threatens To ‘Close Border’ Over Caravan

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October 18, 2018

Washington – Trump Threatens To ‘Close Border’ Over Caravan

U.S. President Donald Trump is lashing out over a caravan of Central American migrants trying to reach the United States, saying that if Mexico does not stop the effort, he will use the military to “CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.”

Washington – Trump tweeted Thursday that he wanted “Mexico to stop this onslaught.” He also appeared to threaten a revamped trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

Trump did not detail his military threat. Earlier this year, some National Guard members were deployed to the border on a limited mission that does not include contact with migrants.

Enormous quantities of U.S. exports and imports and hundreds of thousands of people legally move across the border daily

More than 2,000 Hondurans are in a migrant caravan trying to reach the United States.

Mexico’s government says migrants with proper documents can enter and those who don’t either have to apply for refugee status or face deportation.

Source: VosIzNeias

After Embassy Move in Israel, U.S. Changes Status of Consulate

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October 18, 2018

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After Embassy Move in Israel, U.S. Changes Status of Consulate

Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 9:52 am

YERUSHALAYIM (AP) – The United States said Thursday that it is placing its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians under the authority of its embassy to Israel.The State Department said that merging the Jerusalem Consulate with the newly opened Jerusalem Embassy will achieve “significant efficiencies.” But the move also has symbolic significance, by in effect downgrading the standing of the consulate.

For years, the consulate has served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians, reporting straight to the State Department in Washington. Placing it under the authority of the embassy could be seen as suggesting American recognition of Israeli control over East Yerushalayim and Yehudah and Shomron.

The Palestinians cut ties with the U.S. after President Donald Trump recognized Yerushalayim as Israel’s capital last year and moved the U.S. Embassy there.

Source: Hamodia

UN Allows Palestinians to Act More Like Full Member in 2019

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October 17, 2018

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UN Allows Palestinians to Act More Like Full Member in 2019

by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday allowed the Palestinians to act more like a full UN member state during meetings in 2019 when they will chair the group of 77 developing nations.

The United States, Israel and Australia voted against the move, which won 146 votes in favor. There were 15 abstentions and 29 countries didn’t vote.

“We cannot support efforts by the Palestinians to enhance their status outside of direct negotiations. The United States does not recognize that there is a Palestinian state,” US Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the General Assembly.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Israel took control of those territories in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally.

“We strongly oppose the Palestinians’ election as chair of the G77 as well as this so-called enabling resolution,” he said. “Only UN member states should be entitled to speak and act on behalf of major groups of states at the United Nations.”

In 2012, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine when it upgraded the Palestinian Authority’s UN observer status to non-member state — like the Vatican — from entity.

The status upgrade has allowed them to participate in some General Assembly votes and join some international bodies. However, as a non-member state the Palestinians cannot speak in meetings until after member states, diplomats said.

The Egyptian-drafted resolution allows them to procedurally operate like a member state when acting on behalf of the G77 and China — making statements, submitting and co-sponsoring proposals and amendments, giving rights of reply and raising points of order.

“Australia’s decision to vote no on this resolution reflects our long-standing position that Palestinian attempts to seek recognition as a state in international fora are deeply unhelpful to efforts toward a two-state solution,” Australian UN Ambassador Gillian Bird told the General Assembly.

Source: the Algemeiner

Jerusalem – Israel And US Postal Services Issue Joint Chanukkah Stamp

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October 17, 2018

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Jerusalem – Israel And US Postal Services Issue Joint Chanukkah Stamp

Jerusalem – Israel Post and the U.S. Postal Service have issued a joint stamp for Hanukkah.

The stamp also is meant to celebrate 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United States, Israel Post said in a statement.

The new stamp design was launched simultaneously in the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, the oldest synagogue in the United States, and at the American Center in Jerusalem.

“Today’s joint stamp issue is a symbol of the shared values and the cultural affinity between the United States and Israel,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said at the Jerusalem ceremony.

Postal Service Judicial Officer Gary Shapiro said in Rhode Island: “Starting today, this work of art celebrating the Jewish Festival of Lights will travel on millions of letters and packages, throughout America and around the world.”

The stamp art features a Hanukkah menorah created using the technique of papercutting, a Jewish folk art, by artist Tamar Fishman. Behind the menorah is a shape that resembles an ancient oil jug representing the miracle of the oil that burned in the candelabra in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after its sacking and recapture for the eight days necessary to resupply. Additional design elements include dreidels and a pomegranate plant with fruit and flowers.

The stamp is being issued in the United States as a Forever stamp, which will always be equal in value to the current first class mail one-ounce price. It will sell in Israel for 8.30 shekels, the cost of a regular first-class stamp. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 2.

The first joint U.S.-Israel Hanukkah postal stamp was issued in 1996.

Making a Splash by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz, The Observant Jew

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October 17, 2018

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Making a Splash

By: Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz, The Observant Jew

Back in the early days of space travel, the astronauts would take off from land, but when they came back, they needed the forgiving nature of the ocean to soften their landings as the capsules were slowed by means of a parachute but still could not make a soft enough landing on the ground.

The phrase for this water landing was splashdown and it was as its name suggests: a landing that made a pretty big splash. There’s another phrase with a slightly different connotation. It’s called splashback. It’s when you throw or spill something but it splashes off the surface and bounces back onto you, usually with less than stellar results.

While cleaning out my car and getting rid of the empty wrappers, used envelopes, and half-empty water bottles, I had to spill out the water before I recycled the plastics. As I poured their contents onto my driveway, it happened. The water bounced off the asphalt and splattered on my pants! As do so many things, it got me to thinking. How could I spill out the water without looking like I got caught in the rain shower of a very low-hanging cloud?

I won’t mention going inside to spill the water in the sink because that would be too time-consuming and require too much effort. It was simply not an option. Instead, I found two ways to dispose of the water safely outside my home.

The first way was to pour it not onto the asphalt, but onto grass or onto the flower beds. They could probably use the water and it wouldn’t hurt that a bracha had been made on it which might imbue them with some extra holiness. Because the soil is more pliable and able to absorb the water like the ocean absorbed the impact of the space capsules, the water doesn’t splash back the way it does on the unforgiving asphalt.

The second way I found to avoid getting wet while emptying the bottles was to keep pouring the water onto the macadam driveway but to do it more slowly and from a much lower height, thus reducing how much of the liquid was splashed back onto me. This approach involved a bit more effort and patience, but was effective nonetheless.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the life lesson I had just discovered. You see, Torah is compared to water, and like it was Eliezer, servant of Avraham, it is doled out to people from those who have received it from others. So, the idea of pouring water onto different surfaces made me think of sharing Torah concepts with people with different natures.

Some people are naturally more open to hearing words of Torah. Those are the people who are like the grass and flowers and are more accepting in varying degrees. You can share ideals and not worry that they will throw them back in your face. They are likely to benefit from it and use the “water” to grow.

Then you have the people who are simply not ready to listen. If you try to speak to them about HaShem and what their mission in life might be, you may very well crash and burn like a space capsule coming down in a field instead of in the ocean. Not only will your words not penetrate, but they will recoil in your face and make you look bad. There is only one thing you can do to mitigate the unwanted reaction: Lower yourself so the water isn’t coming from such a high place.

You see, when people speak to others about Torah principles, it’s quite common for them to mistakenly hold the Torah over the person’s head. They forget that the Torah is intended to perfect people, meaning that the people are the primary thing.

If you maintain a distance from others and look down on them, you can’t be surprised when your words backfire. The more pressure they feel to accept when they’re not open to it, the more they will push back. Continuing to press the issue will only leave you all wet.

However, if you focus on helping the other person, and finding a way to convey the message without making them uncomfortable, they will be more receptive of your words and able to grow. The way to do that is to humble yourself, take your time, and speak to them as an equal. Then your words will hit their mark and remain there, and the reception you get will be out of this world.

© 2018 – All Rights Reserved

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Israeli Salad Wraps

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October 17, 2018

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Israeli Salad Wraps

This easy Israeli-inspired lunch is a great one for kids, especially after Shabbos when (if you’re like me) you have leftover Israeli Salad

Chaya Piatt

Prep Time . 10 Minutes

TypeParve

Israeli Salad

1 large red pepper, diced

1 large English cucumber, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2 tablespoons Bartenura Olive Oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Wraps

4 large wraps or 6 small

1 container hummus

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 15 ounces Gefen Ready-to-Eat Chickpeas

Prepare the Wraps

Prepare all ingredients for Israeli Salad in bowl.

Take a wrap, add some store-bought hummus (I make my own but store-bought works too) to the middle of the wrap and spread evenly with back of spoon (use as much or as little of the hummus that you want). Add some chickpeas and then sprinkle on Israeli Salad.

Wrap it and cut in half. I roll foil around it so it all stays together for the lunch.

From Kosher.com

Mysterious Paralyzing Illness Found Among Kids In 22 States

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October 17, 2018

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Mysterious Paralyzing Illness Found Among Kids In 22 States

October 17, 2018 7:00 am

U.S. health officials on Tuesday reported a jump in cases of a rare paralyzing illness in children, and said it seems to be following an every-other-year pattern.

At least 62 cases have been confirmed in 22 states this year, and at least 65 additional illnesses in those states are being investigated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similar waves of the same illness occurred in 2014 and 2016.

CDC officials say they haven’t found the cause. Some possible suspects, such as polio and West Nile virus, have been ruled out. Another kind of virus is suspected, but it’s been found in only some of the cases.

“This is a mystery so far,” the CDC’s Dr. Nancy Messonnier said in a call Tuesday with reporters.

About 90 percent of the cases are children who have suffered muscle weakness or paralysis, including in the face, neck, back or limbs. The symptoms tend to occur about a week after they had a fever and respiratory illness.

It is “a pretty dramatic disease,” but fortunately most kids recover, Messonnier said.

Health officials call the condition acute flaccid myelitis. The CDC would not release a list of the states reporting probable or confirmed cases. But some states have previously announced clusters, including Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, New York and Washington.

The cases in 2014 and 2016 were partly attributed to particular strains of respiratory germs called enteroviruses, which spread the most in the summer and fall.

Most people infected with enteroviruses suffer only minor symptoms like cough and runny nose. And though enteroviruses have been detected in some paralysis cases, it hasn’t been found in others, CDC officials say.

Lacking an established cause, health officials confirm cases through a review of brain scans and symptoms.

About 120 confirmed cases were reported in 2014. Another 149 were reported in 2016. In 2015 and 2017, the counts of reported illnesses were far lower.

The cases this year seem to be spread across much of the country, as were the earlier two waves. But mysteriously no other country has reported the emerging every-two-years pattern seen in the U.S., Messonnier said.

(AP)

Source: The Yeshiva World

China Tourism Makes a Comeback

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October 17, 2018

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China Tourism Makes a Comeback

By Dror Halavy

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 9:45 am

YERUSHALAYIM – After a drop in the number of tourists visiting Israel from China at the beginning of the year, tourism from China has sharply rebounded in the past several months. In August, some 8,700 Chinese tourists visited Israel, compared to 6,700 in the same month in 2017.

The number of tourists from China had gone down after that month, falling by some 10 percent overall in the first six months of 2018. The drop came after China issued a travel warning, when U.S. President Donald Trump began preparations to move the U.S. Embassy to Yerushalayim. Immediately after that warning was issued in January, tourism dipped by 27 percent. The drop continued until July, when tourism rebounded slightly, but was still below previous levels.

But the situation turned around in August, with 30 percent more Chinese tourists coming that month compared to July. Despite the problems at the beginning of the year, a total of 65,500 tourists visited Israel from China between January and August 2018, 40 percent more than during the same period in 2014, which saw 32,402 visitors.

Last week, Sichuan Airlines began flying routes to and from Chengdou, outside Shanghai. In the first stage, the airline will fly two nonstop flights between Chengdou and Tel Aviv per week. The flight takes 8 hours and 20 minutes.

New York – Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $868 Million, Second-largest In U.S. History

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October 17, 2018

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New York – Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $868 Million, Second-largest In U.S. History

New York – The U.S. Mega Millions jackpot swelled to $868 million early on Wednesday, the second-largest in U.S. history, after no winning ticket was sold in Tuesday night’s draw.

The Mega Millions jackpot rose from $667 million after no one hit the six numbers drawn on Tuesday, extending a winless streak for the top prize that has lasted since July.

The lottery prize is the largest-ever for Mega Millions and the country’s second-highest on record, trailing a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot that was paid out in 2016.

Lottery tickets are sold at $2 each in kiosks, supermarkets and gas stations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

The immediate cash value of the Mega Millions prize, which winners can opt to take, is $494.5 million. The higher amount is an annuitized value if the prize is paid out over 29 years.

The Mega Millions jackpot has grown with each of the 24 semi-weekly drawings that failed to produce a top winner since July 24, when an 11-member office pool in Santa Clara County, California, hit a $543 million jackpot.

The odds of hitting the jackpot by matching all six numbers correctly are an astronomical one in 302.6 million, but the odds of turning a Mega Millions ticket into a winner of any kind, including a $2 prize simply for matching the “Mega ball,” are a more down-to-earth one in 24.

Russian Official: Student Gunman Killed 17 People at Crimea College

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October 17, 2018

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Russian Official: Student Gunman Killed 17 People at Crimea College

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 6:16 am

MOSCOW (AP) – A Russian official said a student attacked a vocational college Wednesday in Crimea, a rampage that killed 17 other students and left more than 40 people wounded, before killing himself.

The comments from Sergei Aksyonov, the regional leader in Crimea, were the latest in a series of shifting explanations by Russian officials as to what exactly happened at Kerch Polytechnic College in the Black Sea city of Kerch.

Russian officials at first reported a gas explosion, then said an explosive device ripped through the college canteen in a suspected terrorist attack. But witnesses reported that at least some victims were killed in an attack by a gunman or gunmen.

Aksyonov said on broadcast media that the student, a local man acting alone, killed himself after the attack.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s top investigative agency, identified the attacker as Vladislav Roslyakov, 18. It said he was caught on security cameras entering the college with a rifle and firing at students.

The committee said all the victims died of gunshot wounds, contrasting with the previous statements by other officials saying they were injured in an explosion.

Reflecting the official confusion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the victims were killed by an explosion just as the Investigative Committee was announcing they were fatally shot.

Putin deplored the attack as a “tragic event” and offered condolences to the victims’ families at a news conference in Sochi, where he had talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

After the attack, local officials declared a state of emergency on the Black Sea peninsula that they had annexed from Ukraine in 2014. They also beefed up security at a new 12-mile bridge that links the peninsula with Russia that opened earlier this year.

Military units were deployed around the college.

The Investigative Committee initially said an explosive device that went off at the college’s canteen was rigged with shrapnel.

Sergei Melikov, a deputy chief of the Russian National Guard, said the device was homemade. Explosives experts inspected the college building for other possible bombs, according to Anti-Terrorism Committee spokesman Andrei Przhezdomsky.

Witnesses did not speak of an explosion but said one or more armed men attacked the school.

The Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper quoted student Semyon Gavrilov as saying he fell asleep during a lecture and woke up to the sound of shooting. He said he looked out and saw a young man with a rifle shooting at people.

“I locked the door, hoping he wouldn’t hear me,” the paper quoted Gavrilov as saying.

He said police arrived about 10 minutes later to evacuate people from the college and he saw dead bodies on the floor and charred walls.

Another student, Yuri Kerpek, told the state RIA Novosti news agency that the shooting went on for about 15 minutes.

Olga Grebennikova, director of the vocational college, told KerchNet news channel that men armed with automatic rifles burst into the college and “killed everyone they saw.” Grebennikova, who said she had left the grounds shortly before the attack occurred, said students and staff were among victims.

Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova headed to the area to help coordinate assistance to the wounded and helicopters carrying emergency medical teams flew to the area.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine triggered Western sanctions. Russia has also supported separatists fighting the Ukrainian government in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has left at least 10,000 people dead since 2014.

Over the past few years, Russian security agencies have arrested several Ukrainians accused of plotting terror attacks in Crimea, but no attacks have occurred.