Well-Known Israel Activist Killed in Gush Etzion Stabbing Attack
By Yona Schnitzer/TPS • 16 September, 2018
Pro-Israel activist Ari Fuld has been identified as the 40-year-old Israeli killed in Sunday morning’s terrorist attack in Gush Etzion Junction, just south of Jerusalem.
Fuld was stabbed by a 17-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Yatta, located near Hebron.
The stabber arrived at the parking lot outside the Rami Levi supermarket, where he stabbed the 40-year-old in his upper body, causing severe bleeding and tissue damage, shortly before being shot and neutralized – allegedly by Fuld who chased after the terrorist and shot him.
Fuld was transported to Shaare Zedek Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds.
A resident of Efrat, Fuld was a father of four and an avid supporter and defender of Israel.
Lior Shurka, a friend of the victim, told TPS that Fuld “was very involved in explaining and defending the good reputation of the State of Israel.”
“Ari was about to have launched in a new Hasbara website in English. He was a good friend who you knew would stand by you and protect you in any situation,” Shurka said. “A lowly terrorist came up behind him, and in a cowardly way stabbed him. Ari was one of the fighters in the Efrat emergency squad. We didn’t expect anything less of him. Even after he was shot, Ari engaged with the terrorist and chased him as he was bleeding, and managed to respond and shoot at the terrorist.”
“We are confident that his death will not be in vain, and his activity will grow and intensify. We expect the government to immediately demolish the house of the terrorist and expel his family to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible,” Shurka added.
What do you do when you have achieved it all, when you have risen to whatever career heights fate or providence has in store for you? What do you do as age lengthens its shadow, the sun sinks, and the body is no longer as resilient or the mind as sharp as it once was?
That has become a major problem as life expectancy has increased in most parts of the world. There has been nothing quite like it in history. In America, in 1900, average life expectancy was around 41 years, in Europe 42.5. Today in Britain, for men it is 79, for women 83. Much of that has to do with a huge reduction in infant mortality. None the less, the sheer pace in the rise in longevity – every decade since 1900, life expectancy has risen by about three years – remains remarkable. What will keep you young in spirit even if the body does not always keep pace?
The biblical case study is Moses, of whom we are told that even at the end of his life, “his eye was undimmed and his natural energy unabated.” At the opening of today’s parsha he says, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer come and go, and the Lord has told me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’” Rashi points out that the “I can no longer” does not mean that he lacked the strength. It means that he no longer had permission. The moment had come when he had to hand on the role of leader to his successor and disciple, Joshua. He himself stayed full of vigour, as the passion of his speeches in the book of Devarim, delivered in the last month of his life, testify.
To understand what Moses epitomises at the end of his life, two closely related concepts are helpful. The first is Erik Erikson’s idea of generativity, the seventh of his eight life stages. Relatively late in life, he argues, many people’s perspective changes. They begin thinking about legacy, about what will outlive them. Their focus often shifts from self to others. They may devote more time to family, or community, or care or voluntary work. Some mentor young people who are following in their career path. They make commitments to others. They ask themselves, how can I contribute to the world? What trace will I leave on those who will live on after me? What, in the world, is better because of me?
The second and related idea is David Brook’s concept of the second mountain. Speaking to people over 70, he found that early in their lives they had identified the mountain they were going to climb. They had specific aspirations about family and career. They had a vision of the self they wanted to become. By age 70, some had achieved it and were happy. Others had achieved it only to find it not entirely satisfying. Yet others had been knocked off the mountain by misfortune.
At a certain age, though, many identified a second mountain they wanted to climb. This mountain was not about achieving but about giving. It was less about external accomplishment (success, fame) than about internal accomplishment. It was spiritual, moral; it was about devoting yourself to a cause or giving back to the community. It is often, he says, a yearning for righteousness, an inner voice that says, “I want to do something really good with my life.” This second peak, associated with later life, may well prove more significant to our sense of self-worth than the ego-driven ascent of the first mountain.
The case of Moses sets all this in dramatic perspective. What do you do if you have already achieved what no human being had ever done before or would ever do in the future? Moses had spoken to God face to face. He had become His faithful servant. He had led his people from slavery to freedom, put up with their complaints, endured their rebellions and prayed for – and achieved – their forgiveness in the eyes of God. He had been the agent through which God had performed His miracles and delivered His word. What else is left to do after such a life?
His closest friends and allies, his sister Miriam and brother Aaron, had already died. He knew that the decree had been sealed that he would not cross the Jordan and lead the people on the last stage of their journey. He would not set foot in the Promised Land. Unlike Aaron, whose children inherited his priesthood to eternity, Moses had to live with the fact that neither of his sons, Gershom and Eliezer, would become his successor. That role would go to his assistant and faithful servant Joshua. These were, surely, huge disappointments to set alongside the momentous achievements.
So, as Moses faced his own life’s end, what was there left to do? The book of Devarim contains and constitutes the answer. As it says in its opening chapter: “In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh “Relatively late in life many people’s perspective changes. They begin thinking about legacy.” month, Moses spoke to the Israelites … On the east bank of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began expounding this law …” No longer the liberator and miracle-worker, Moses became Rabbenu, “our teacher,” the man who taught Torah to the next generation.
The way he does so in Devarim is stunning. No longer, as before, does he simply articulate the law. He explains the theology behind the law. He speaks about the love of God for Israel and the love Israel should show to God. He speaks with equal power about the past and the future, reviewing the wilderness years and anticipating the challenges ahead.
Above all, coming at the subject from every conceivable direction, he warns the young people who will enter and inherit the land, that the real challenge will not be failure but success; not slavery but freedom; not the bread of affliction but the temptations of affluence. Remember, he says again and again; listen to the voice of God; rejoice in what He has given you. These are the key verbs of the book, and they remain the most powerful immune-system ever developed against the decadence-and-decline that has affected every civilisation since the dawn of time.
That last month in Moses’ life, which culminates in today’s parsha as he finally hands over the reins of leadership to Joshua, is one of the supreme instances in Tanakh of generativity: speaking not to your contemporaries but to those who will live on after you. It was Moses’ second mountain.
And perhaps the very things that seemed, at first sight, to have been disappointments, turned out in the end to have played their part in shaping this last chapter in that great life. The fact that he knew he would not accompany the people into the land, and that he would not be succeeded by his sons, meant that he had to turn into a teacher of the next generation. He had to hand on to them his insights into the future. He had to make the people his disciples – and we have all been his disciples ever since.
All of this suggests a powerful and potentially life changing message for all of us. Whatever our life has been thus far, there is another chapter to be written, focused on being a blessing to others, sharing whatever gifts we have with those who have less, handing on our values across the generations, using our experience to help others come through difficult times of their own, doing something that has little to do with personal ambition and much to do with wanting to leave some legacy of kindness that made life better for at least someone on earth.
Hence the life-changing idea: Whatever your achievements, there is always a second mountain to climb, and it may turn out to “Whatever our life has been thus far, there is another chapter to be written, focused on being a blessing to others…” be your greatest legacy to the future.
Andrew Gillum Encouraged Attendees at CAIR-Hosted Conference Promoting Boycott of Israel
NEW YORK — Florida Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum delivered an in person welcome and message of encouragement to attendees at an event organized by the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that boasted as one of its main two agenda items support for the extremist Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.
Gillum’s participation in the CAIR-led event, which took place in 2016, seems at odds with statements over the past few days from associates of his campaign saying that Gillum opposes the BDS movement.
A CAIR-Florida press release from February 12, 2016, documents that Gillum delivered a “personal welcome” to attendees of that year’s annual Florida Muslim Capitol Day event, which was held at the Islamic Center of Tallahassee, the city where Gillum serves as mayor.
Florida Muslim Capitol Day is organized by CAIR. CAIR employees are listed as the contacts for the event on flyers and promotional material, and Florida Muslim Capital Day’s website is hosted by CAIR-Florida’s main website. The Facebook page for the event says it is hosted by CAIR-Florida.
The CAIR-Florida release relates Gillum’s personal welcome was “inspiring” to the group:
Attendees of the event were honored by a personal welcome from Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum on the Wednesday evening before the event at the Islamic Center of Tallahassee. The mayor’s words were inspiring as he applauded the Muslim community’s participation in this civic engagement event that stressed the importance of political involvement in a political climate that is, unfortunately, filled with xenophobic rhetoric.
The release documents that one of the two main agenda items for that year’s event was opposition to legislation that seeks to bar state funds from going to businesses that support the BDS movement against Israel. In other words, the event sought to galvanize opposition to anti-BDS legislation.
The release states:
Two main concerns of the Muslim community were addressed in face-to-face meetings between the participants and their legislators. CAIR-Florida remains troubled about the legislature’s willingness to support an anti-democratic bill, SB 86/HB 527, which would punish businesses for their constitutionally-protected free speech rights to boycott human rights concerns in Israel and Palestine.
This bill would set a very dangerous precedent that is not befitting a democracy. The second important issue, Representative Ray’s anti-refugee Bill, HB 1095/SB 1712, does not take into account that Syrian refugees are the most scrutinized individuals that enter the United States.
Wilfredo A. Ruiz, a spokesperson for CAIR-Florida, refused to comment to Breitbart Jerusalem when asked for more information on Gillum’s welcome speech at the event, including whether CAIR could provide Gillum’s specific quotes.
Gillum’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
In 2016, the Florida legislature nearly unanimously passed anti-BDS legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, who possesses the office that Gillum is currently seeking.
A campaign position paper was shared last week with Orlando Weekly outlining, as the publication put it, “endorsement of strong anti-BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) policies that go as far as to include a bill preventing Florida ‘from investing in or doing business with’ companies that protest Israel.” The report came after news media outlets including Breitbart News spotlighted comments by Gillum that are critical toward Israel.
David Singer, a campaign adviser to Gillum, confirmed the authenticity of the platform document to Orlando Weekly and said that Gillum “came to the conclusion” that he doesn’t support BDS.
“This is an extremely nuanced issue, and through his own personal experience and his own ideals, he has come to the conclusion that he is not a supporter of the BDS movement,” Singer stated.
Gillum, however, has been associated with Dream Defenders, a radical movement aligned with Black Lives Matter that was part of a progressive coalition that reportedly committed $3.5 million to help Gillum win the Democratic primary against Gwen Graham. Dream Defenders strongly supports the BDS movement and refers to the entire state of Israel as the “continued settler colonial project.”
The Washington Free Beacon reported on a video of Gillum saying he is “pleased and proud” with the work of Dream Defenders.
Last week, Breitbart Jerusalem reported that Gillum called Donald Trump’s historic decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem “unnecessary” and a “provocation” that has “incited more violence.”
In the same audio interview with an obscure website, Gillum also accused Israel of using Gaza terror rockets to “justify” purported “actions” against Palestinians.
In the audio, Gillum defined those purported “actions” as including alleged Israeli “outsized response” against Palestinian threats while claiming alleged Israeli disproportionate “firepower” and “pushback” are primary causes of regional instability.
Gillum’s Jerusalem remarks came during an interview with far-left podcast host, Jamarlin Martin, who repeatedly made anti-Israel statements during the exchanges. Gillum’s comments were recorded in Miami on June 27, according to Martin’s podcast on GHOGH (Go Hard or Go Home), which is hosted on Moguldom.com, the domain name for Nubai Ventures, a company founded by Martin that produces editorial and video content. GHOH describes itself as providing “programming content for a Black Economic Revolution.”
Gillum’s comments on Israel could become an issue for him in the Florida election where Jewish voters have long been a key component of the state’s electorate. Gillum, whose views on Israel are largely unknown, is running against staunch Israel supporter Ron DeSantis.
Hurricane Florence makes landfall in North Carolina, slamming state with ‘life-threatening’ rainfall
By Mark Berman, Antonia Noori Farzan and Kyle Swenson
September 14 at 10:11 AM
Hurricane Florence continued sweeping across part of the southeastern United States on Friday, making landfall in North Carolina and bringing with it powerful winds along with forecasts warning of “life-threatening” storm surge and rainfall.
Collapsed roofs and other structures were already reported in the Morehead City and New Bern areas of North Carolina. New Bern was particularly hard hit, with reports of more than 100 people stranded in their homes or cars in need of rescue. The large and dangerous storm is expected to keep battering parts of North and South Carolina on Friday.
Poll: Overwhelming 85% of British Jews Consider Corbyn Antisemitic
A huge majority — 85.9% — of British Jews believe Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is an antisemite, a poll conducted by The Jewish Chronicle revealed.
Only 39% of the general British public believed Corbyn is antisemitic.
British Jews also expressed an extremely low opinion of the Labour Party in general. The poll showed that 85.6% believed Labour suffered from “very high” levels of antisemitism.
Corbyn and his party have been beset with a series of high-profile antisemitism scandals for several years, which has resulted in the resignation and suspension of several prominent officials. Corbyn himself was recently caught on video saying that “Zionists” did not understand “English irony” despite “having lived in this country for a very long time.”
Former UK Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks blasted this statement, comparing it to politician Enoch Powell’s infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech from the 1960s which led to a surge in racist invective and violence in England.
Corbyn was also caught endorsing the Palestinian “right of return” to Israel, which would destroy the Jewish state by weight of demography, as well as taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the terrorists who committed the 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.
Masada-Armour comes up with a unique solution to prevent school shootings by unveiling a bulletproof backpack that has ability to transform into a vest; company says product can block handgun bullets and even rifle fire.
Associated Press|Published: 09.14.18 , 17:41
An Israeli company says it has come up with a unique item to protect against the threat of school shootings—a bulletproof backpack that transforms into a bulletproof vest.
Masada-Armour says its backpack also deploys a protective vest in less than two seconds by flipping out an armored plate from a concealed compartment. The standard protection claims to stop handgun bullets while upgraded versions can block rifle fire.
Co-owner Yair Rosenberg says the product, with its front and back protection, was designed to provide schoolchildren defenses against mass-shooting attacks. He says “people are looking for solutions and this is very beneficial.”
He says in an era when schools have become war zones, his company has seen increased interest in the product.
The basic version weighs three kilograms (6.6 pounds) and sells for $500. The upgraded version, weighing 4.2 kilograms (nine pounds) costs $750.
It Looked Like Armageddon:’ Gas Explosions Destroy Homes
LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) – A series of gas explosions one official described as “Armageddon” left at least six people injured and ignited fires in at least 39 homes in three communities north of Boston on Thursday, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and turn off gas and electric lines to prevent further damage.
Massachusetts State Police urged all residents with homes serviced by Columbia Gas in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover to evacuate, snarling traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening.
“It looked like Armageddon, it really did,” Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield told reporters. “There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me. I could see pillars of smoke in front of me from the town of Andover.”
Gov. Charlie Baker said state and local authorities are investigating but that it could take days or weeks before they turn up answers.
“This is still very much an active scene,” he said. “There will be plenty of time later tonight, tomorrow morning and into the next day to do some of the work around determining exactly what happened and why.”
Hours after the explosions, the utility’s parent company issued a brief statement saying its crews were still performing safety checks in the area.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s incident,” Indiana-based NiSource said in a statement. “The first priority for our crews at the scene is to ensure the safety of our customers and the community.”
Baker previously said authorities hadn’t heard directly from Columbia Gas, but later called the company’s response “adequate.”
By late Thursday, all of the fires had been doused but many areas remained silent and dark after residents fled and after power companies cut electricity to prevent further fires. Schools in all three communities were canceled for Friday, and some schools were being used as shelters for residents.
Lawrence resident Bruce Razin was among the evacuees standing outside the Colonial Heights neighborhood near the city’s high school trying to decide what to do next late Thursday.
Officials had cut power in the area and the streets were pitch black, save for emergency vehicle lights. Razin said he arrived just as residents were being evacuated, and immediately saw the house two doors down was leveled from an explosion.
“I couldn’t imagine if that was my house,” said Razin, who purchased his home nearly two years ago. “It’s total destruction. I’d be completely devastated.”
With a backpack filled with personal items he had hastily grabbed, he said he’d head to his mother’s home a few towns over for the night.
In Lawrence, a man whose neighborhood was among dozens that erupted in fire says he ran into his basement to find that the room was glowing. Resident Ra Nam says he was in his yard when the smoke detector in his basement went off around 4:30 p.m. EDT Thursday.
When he ran downstairs and saw the boiler on fire, he quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out. Minutes later, Nam said he heard a loud boom from his neighbor’s house and the ground shook. Nam said a woman and two kids had made it out of the house but the basement was on fire.
Lawrence General Hospital said it was treating six victims with injuries related to the fires, including two in critical condition.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become over-pressurized but said investigators were still examining what happened.
Columbia had announced earlier Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighborhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions happened. It was not clear whether work was happening there Thursday, and a spokeswoman did not return calls.
Reached by phone, some local officials described scenes of panic as residents rushed to evacuate, many wondering if their homes would be next to erupt in flames. In North Andover, town selectman Phil Decologero said his entire neighborhood had gathered in the street, afraid to enter their homes. Just a few streets down, he said, homes were burning.
“It’s definitely a scary situation at the moment,” he said. “It’s pretty severe.”
Aerial footage of the area showed some homes that appeared to be torn apart by blasts. At one, the upper portion of a brick chimney crushed an SUV parked in the driveway.
Soon after the first fires, Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante was warning residents in the Colonial Heights neighborhood to evacuate but said traffic had become a problem.
“People need to get out of this area safely,” he said at the time. “It’s really difficult because the traffic right now is horrendous.”
Joseph Solomon, the police chief in nearby Methuen, said 20 to 25 homes were on fire in Lawrence when he responded to help. He said there are so many fires “you can’t even see the sky.”
The three communities house more than 146,000 residents about 26 miles (40 kilometers) north of Boston, near the New Hampshire border. Lawrence, the largest of them, is a majority Latino city with a population of about 80,000.
“Lawrence is a very resilient community. We’re going to get through this together,” Mayor Dan Rivera told reporters as emergency lights illuminated smoke in the night sky nearby.
Gas explosions have claimed lives and destroyed property around the U.S. in recent years.
A buildup of natural gas triggered an explosion and fire that killed seven people in apartments in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2016.
In 2014, a gas explosion in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood killed eight people and injured about 50. Consolidated Edison later agreed to pay $153 million to settle charges after the state’s Public Service Commission found Con Ed violated state safety regulations. A gas leak had been reported before that blast.
A 2011 natural gas explosion killed five people in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and that state’s largest gas utility was fined by regulators who called the company’s safety record “downright alarming.”
IDF To Close “Good Neighbor” Program That Aided Injured Syrians
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday that it officially closed its specialized program aimed at helping Syrian refugees from the civil war that has been raging in its the neighboring country since 2011. The program titled, “Operation Good Neighbor” saw Israel provide five years of humanitarian assistance to the people of southern Syria.
“The large and long-running humanitarian effort has come to an end with the return of the Syrian regime to southern Syria,” the IDF said in a statement.
At the beginning of 2013, the IDF began allowing injured Syrians who were brought to the border in order to escape the carnage of the war into Israel for medical care. The IDF began treating the injured Syrians in field hospitals and then transporting them for further care to regular hospitals in the northern parts of the country.
In addition to the IDF, a select group of Israeli non-governmental organizations were allowed to transfer humanitarian aid across the border.
The official beginning of the Operation commenced in 2016 and saw a sharp rise in the amount of materials being transported into Syria. In addition, the IDF set up an official day-clinic at the border and allowed ill Syrians suffering from ailments that were not battle related to enter into Israel to receive medical care.
According to an IDF report, close to 5,000 Syrians have been brought to Israeli hospitals for treatment since 2013, among them were some 1,300 children. The day clinic, known as Mazor Ladach – “relief for the suffering”, treated 7,000 people.
In addition, Israel transported 1,700 tons of food; 1.1 million liters of fuel; 26,000 cases of medical equipment and medication; 20 generators; 40 vehicles; 630 tents; 350 tons of clothing; 8,200 packages of diapers; and 49,000 cases of baby food into Syria in order to alleviate the shortages suffered by the population in the southern reaches of the country.
The IDF also received numerous letter from thankful Syrians who received aid. They released these testimonials without revealing the identity of those who wrote the letters for the protection of the individuals.
“I wish you the best and want to thank you greatly for the help and for standing beside us. God-willing, this thing will not be forgotten and we will tell our sons what you did.”
The reason given for the cessation of the program by the IDF at this point is due to Bashir al-Assad’s regime taking over the area.
“The IDF sees in the Syrian regime the responsible party for all that transpires in Syrian territory.” the IDF said in a statement last week.
Hurricane Florence begins lashing North Carolina with punishing rain, wind
By Mark Berman
September 13 at 1:50 PM
Hurricane Florence continues barreling toward the southeastern United States on Thursday, bringing with it lashing winds, powerful rains and the threat of “catastrophic” flooding. The large and dangerous storm is expected to crash into the coast of the Carolinas and could impact millions with rainfall measured in feet, not inches, warnings of flash flooding and the potential for extended power outages.
1:49 p.m.: Forecasters warn that ‘conditions will deteriorate’
Hurricane Florence brought rain and wind to North Carolina on Thursday morning, but what will happen next? According to the Capital Weather Gang, nothing good:
Conditions will deteriorate through Thursday: Starting along the coast, winds will accelerate, the rain will intensify, and the angry, agitated ocean will surge ashore. The storm’s center is expected to make landfall Friday in southeast North Carolina, which will coincide with the most severe effects. Storm surge, the rise in seawater above normally dry land at the coast, could rise a story high. On top of that, a disastrous amount of rain — 20 inches, possibly even as many as 40 — is expected to fall.
1:16 p.m.: Punishing winds likely to sweep across Southeast
Forecasters warned Thursday afternoon that “dangerous” flooding and “life-threatening storm surge” were still expected, with large swaths of coastal North Carolina likely to see between 20 and 30 inches of rain — and possibly more in some places.
Powerful winds were also still projected to sweep across the southeastern United States in the coming days, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical-storm-force winds could stretch as far inland as Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama in the coming days, the center said.
National Hurricane Center
Damaging hurricane-force winds are likely along portions of the
coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina as soon as this evening,
and a Hurricane Warning is in effect. Strong winds could also spread
inland into portions of the Carolinas from #Florence.
— Mark Berman
12:43 p.m.: North Carolina’s governor warns residents: “Don’t relax”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) sought to remind people in his state Thursday not to be lulled into a false sense of calm because the storm’s wind speed had declined and its forecast track had shifted south, warning that Florence still posed a mortal threat to residents.
“Don’t relax,” he said at a briefing. “Don’t get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. Today, the threat becomes a reality.”
Cooper spoke as the first bands from Florence began to lash the Outer Banks and elsewhere, describing a “massive storm” that he said would spread heavy rainfall across the state for days to come. Even if the storm does make landfall in South Carolina, he noted: “We’re on the wrong side of this thing. This storm will bring destruction to North Carolina.”
Cooper pointed to the state’s history with Hurricane Matthew, a destructive storm that marched up the coast and caused heavy flooding in North Carolina.
“Remember that Hurricane Matthew didn’t even make landfall in North Carolina, and look what it did to us,” he said.
The storm has ground much of life across North Carolina to a halt, closing dozens of school districts as well as nearly all schools in the University of North Carolina system, officials said. Cooper said that about 7,000 people in the state have headed to 108 open shelters, with additional facilities expected to follow.
