The Palestinian Authority (PA) is confused and at loss over the lack of Israel’s response to its most recent threat to annul all agreements with Israel, a source in Ramallah told TPS.
PA head Mahmoud Abbas on Friday declared an end to all the signed agreements with Israel following Israel’s demolition of 10 illegally- built structure in the Arab neighborhood of Sur Baher in Jerusalem.
However, “Israel’s silence is making Abbas lose his mind,” the source said.
The source further related that despite Abbas’ threats, all cooperation between Israel and the PA continues as usual.
He added that the committee established to implement Abbas’ threat is insignificant, as such a committee was established three years ago, but has done nothing.
Professional elements within the PA believe that any cessation of the agreements with Israel would cause severe damage to the PA’s economy.
In the meantime, several Gazan factions, including the Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are demanding that Abbas abide by his pledges and cut all ties with Israel, including the security coordination with the IDF.
Hamas, through its media organs, has ridiculed Abbas for his repeated threat to annul all the agreements with Israel, statements he has not actualized, partially because of the PA’s inability to detach itself from the Israeli economy.
Hamas commentators in the media have told Abbas to “first build a strategic backing of the Arab and Islamic countries and gain their support before disengaging from Israel. they noted the PA’s complete dependence on Israel’s and its lack of air, ground or seaports, a reality which has rendered it a hostage in Israel’s hands.
Sources within the PA told TPS that Abbas tried to make a point and show force, but failed.
“These repeated threats make the PA look ridiculous,” the officials say.
TPS has also learned that a behind-the-scenes plan to save the PA’s failing economy has so far failed. TPS learned earlier this month that Israel is considering waiving NIS 200 million a month of PA tax payments to Israel for fuel in order to alleviate the PA financial crisis.
However, an array of technical issues has still not been agreed upon, as the PA announced this week that it will be paying only 60% of its employees’ salaries.
The IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) refused to comment on its cooperation with the PA.
Statistics show eight out of 10 people will experience low back pain at some point during their life. Seeking medical treatment for back pain is very common. Typically back pain is fleeting and can be easily resolved with rest, heat and an occasional Anti-Inflammatory like ibuprofen. However, once the damage is done, the recurrence of back pain can be as high as 50 percent. Part of this is because as we age, things like muscles and tendons become less flexible and pliable. It is also very well known in the United States, people are too sedentary and this leads to excess weight gain that can create added pressure on the body, especially the low back.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a medical system that dates back nearly 3,000 years. But despite its age, TCM has a lot of validity to offer in the age of modern medicine. Thousands of studies have proven Acupuncture, just one of the modalities used in TCM, can be very beneficial in the treatment of low back pain. Here are five reasons why someone should consider getting Acupuncture to treat Low Back Pain.
Acupuncture has no harmful side effects
In comparison to most Western medical approaches to treating Low Back Pain, Acupuncture is the clear winner! There are no real negative side effects associated with Acupuncture treatments. There can be a bruise or a little tenderness after the treatments, but that pales in comparison to the side effects from most pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures. Even regular ingestion of ibuprofen can deteriorate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, eventually leading to ulceration.
Acupuncture is personalized healthcare
One thing truly different about TCM is every patient is treated differently. There could be 10 people with the exact same Western medical diagnosis in an Acupuncturist’s office, but they may all be treated differently. This is because not everybody’s root cause of the ailment is the same. This makes Acupuncture treatments very personalized.
Acupuncture reduces inflammation
Back pain is frequently accompanied by joint inflammation in the spinal column. Acupuncture promotes the release of vascular and immune-mediating factors that actually decrease inflammation. Usually when inflammation is decreased, so is pain.
Acupuncture improves sleep
Low back pain can frequently disrupt sleep. With regular Acupuncture treatments, not only is the pain and inflammation of back pain decreased, but so is the sleep interruptions due to the aforementioned pain. This is just one of the positive side effects of Acupuncture.
Get your life back
Regular Acupuncture treatments can improve a person’s overall well-being. And when it comes to Low Back Pain, life can be changed dramatically. People sometimes have to miss work due to the pain and lack of sleep caused by the pain. But Acupuncture can change all of that, allowing people to resume regular everyday activities.
For anybody who has ongoing low back pain, the five reasons listed above should give you hope Acupuncture can provide relief. Let me help you along your path to wellness.
Dr. Mindy Boxer is a holistic practitioner who has grown into her specialties in an organic way. Understanding a range of disciplines allows her to integrate the wisdom of Ancient healing in combination with the most recent innovations in Scientific research. This dynamic blend has enabled Dr. Boxer to help patients in the prevention and treatment of disease for over 25 years.
Dr. Boxer has a particularly keen understanding of Women’s Health issues including Gynecological irregularity, PMS, Fertility, IUI & UVF support, Healthy Pregnancy & Delivery, and Menopausal issues. Her interest in the human body as a dynamic system has given her the understanding to deal with such problems as improper Digestion and elimination, Cancer Support, Allergies, back pain, tight neck and shoulders, carpal tunnel syndrome, respiratory distress, chronic fatigue, Insomnia, Stress, Anxiety and Depression.
She has also studied the art and science of Homeopathy, earning her Diplomate in Homeopathy from the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy in 1995. This allows her to treat the whole person — physically, mentally, emotionally.
Proper Nutrition, Herbs, Acupuncture, and Homeopathic remedies are the tools Dr. Boxer utilizes to allow the body to heal itself and find its way back to balance. She is dedicated to helping her patients find “Radiant Health and Well-Being.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday was at the Ben Gurion Airport to welcome 121 new Olim (immigrants) from Ukraine at a special reception ceremony held at the foot of their plane.
The Olim, who arrived on a special flight organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, known in Israel as the Keren L’Yedidut, were deeply moved by the welcoming committee, which included Absorption Minister Yoav Gallant and IFCJ president Yael Eckstein.
The 121 new immigrants were the first of 308 new immigrants from Ukraine who are arriving in Israel during the summer.
Netanyahu, who ascended the plane and took time to shake hands and speak with the newcomers, said at the ceremony that he was “especially pleased to see the children who moved to Israel today. These children have a wonderful future here in Israel.”
“Here is your home, and here is your place. I invite you to share with me any details about your absorption process, and if you have any problems, I am here at your service,” he told the Olim.
Netanyahu also lauded the IFCJ’s actions, saying that “bringing the Jewish people to the Jewish state is a great mitzvah (Jewish commandment) and anybody who does that is doing a great thing for the Jewish future. Thank you.”
The Olim said that the deteriorating economic situation in Ukraine and the prevalence of anti-Semitism are the two primary factors motivating them to move to Israel.
Olga Chinui, a former resident of Kiev who moved to Israel with her husband and son, shared that her son was asked by his teacher to remove the Star of David from around his neck. Olga and her family are expected to settle in Katzrin in the Golan Heights.”
Eckstein touched on the uniqueness of our times.
“We live in a complex reality. On the one hand, manifestations of anti-Semitism are increasing in Europe. On the other hand, as the prophets said, the children (Jews) shall return to their borders and the people of Israel have returned to their homes in Zion,” she said.
Gallant stated that the absorption of new Olim from all over the world in the State of Israel “is an important goal in and of itself and is an essential need to fortify the State of Israel and strengthen the Jewish people.”
From the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has absorbed more than 17,000 new Olim from all over the world, an increase of 25% compared to 2018. This summer, thousands of additional Olim from all over the world are expected to arrive.
The coastal city of Haifa will absorb 24 of the Olim. The age range among the Olim spans from a 9-month-old infant to one of 78 years of age. 40of the Olim are under the age of 18.
“As the Olim get off the plane and land safely, we are filled with joy and celebration at the opportunity of bringing new Olim to Israel who are included among the more than 19,000 Olim that The Fellowship has brought to Israel over the last four years,” Eckstein added. “We share the celebrations of joy with our overseas friends who generously donate to help us continue with this special undertaking.”
Google has honored the late Japanese diplomat Chiune Sempo Sugihara, who worked to save Jews fleeing the Nazis in the Holocaust, by dedicating Monday’s Doodle to him.
A Google Doodle is a logo or picture that appears temporarily on special occasions in place of Google’s permanent logo on the homepage and is intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures.
As vice-consul at the Japanese Consulate in Kovno, Lithuania’s capital, Sugihara risked his life to save thousands of Jews. He issued between 2,100 and 3,500 transit visas and saved some 6,000 Jews, papers which later came to be known as “visas for life.”
In 1984, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, recognized Sugihara as Righteous Among the Nations.
In 2016, Israel named a street in the coastal city of Netanya after the late Japanese diplomat to mark 30 years since his death. Many of those saved by Sugihara ultimately came to reside in Netanya.
GILROY, Calif. (AP) – A gunman cut through a fence to avoid security and opened fire at a Northern California’s festival, killing three and wounding at least 15 before police fatally shot him as terrified people and performers ran for cover.
Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said the gunman was armed with a rifle and sneaked in through a fence that borders a parking lot next to a creek. He appeared to randomly target people when he opened fire just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the conclusion of the three-day festival that attracts more than 100,000 people to the city.
Police responded within a minute, engaged the suspect and killed him, Smithee said.
Some witnesses reported a second suspect, Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person was armed or simply provided assistance. A manhunt continued late into the night.
Smithee called the scene at the festival a “nightmare you hope you never have to live.”
The wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some in surgery Sunday night. At least five were treated and released.
The Gilroy Garlic Festival features food, cooking contests and music. It’s a decades-old staple in the agricultural city of 50,000 about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco, and normally a sea of tranquility for families. Security is tight — festival-goers pass through metal detectors and their bags are searched.
In a tweet, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the bloodshed “nothing short of horrific” and expressed appreciation for the police response. President Donald Trump tweeted before authorities confirmed the gunman was dead and urged people to “be careful and safe!”
NEW YORK – Kenover Marketing Corp., one of the world’s largest distributor of Kosher foods, announced they have reached an understanding to acquire of The Manischewitz Company, one of the largest manufacturers of kosher foods. The companies look forward to concluding the transaction in the near future and will then issue a public announcement with further details. The transaction will exclude the Season brand of products that Manischewitz had acquired many years ago.
The B. Manischewitz Company was founded in 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio by Rabbi Dov Ber Manischewitz, who immigrated to the U.S. from Prussia. The original producers of machine Matzoh in America, Manischewitz became a household staple in Jewish homes for generations. In 1932, the company built a second production site in Jersey City, New Jersey, and the Cincinnati facility was closed in 1958.
The Manischewitz family took the company public in 1923, and it remained a public corporation until it was taken private by Kohlberg & Company in 1990. In 1998, Richard A. Bernstein purchased the company, and in 2004 its name was changed to the R.A.B. Food Group, LLC. Other well-known kosher brands associated with R.A.B. include Carmel, Elite, Mother’s, Rokeach, Mrs. Adler’s, and Tradition. Many of these were acquired by R.A.B. after successful runs as independent kosher labels. Today, the B. Manischewitz Company is known as The Manischewitz Company, operating out of Bayonne, N.J.
Kenover Marketing Corp., also known as Kayco, is owned by the Herzog family, owners of The Royal Wine Company and Kedem Wine Corp., the largest producer and distributor of wines in the U.S. The Herzog family produced wine in Czechoslovakia for over a century, and they were renowned as the wine supplier to the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Emperor Franz Joseph. Eugene Herzog, the founder of Kedem, arrived in the United States in 1948, and his successful Kedem brand went on to become a household name.
Eventually Kedem branched out to producing and distributing other lines of foods, leading up to the creation of Kayco, one of the world’s largest distributor of Kosher foods. With the acquisition of The Manischewitz Company, Kayco is expanding its hold over the manufacture and distribution of kosher food.
Alexander Rappaport, Executive Director of Masbia Soup Kitchen Network, told Hamodia that in this past month of July, his network received record numbers of kosher food donations from both KayCo and Manischewitz. “It’s nice to see them merging into one big company. Their merit of tzedakah and feeding the needy should help their food empire grow to new levels and continue revolutionizing the kosher food world.”
Although several American companies have focused on targeting proteins in the blood to identify TBI, Medicortex’s ProbTBI kit focuses instead on saliva and urine.
BY EYTAN HALON JULY 29, 2019 22:54
More than 50 million people worldwide suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI) ever year, often caused by falls, being struck by or against an object, traffic accidents and contact sports.
While 90% of cases are mild injuries, TBI is a major cause of death and severe disability, and can worsen rapidly without treatment. Diagnosis, however, can be problematic with conventional diagnostic tests – including head CT and MRI – often failing to detect mild concussions in the hours following injury.
Inspired by the BRAIN Initiative, a $300-million program launched by the Obama administration in 2013 to drive global brain research, veteran neurobiologist Dr. Adrian Harel set out to improve the diagnostics and treatment of TBI.
Harel, who earned his PhD in Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University, utilized financial assistance for research and development offered by the Finnish government and the bioincubator in the city of Turku to establish Medicortex Finland Oy, a company developing a biomarker diagnostics kit that can rapidly detect TBI and concussions.
“I took all the available money that I had in Israel and that was matched by the Finnish government,” Harel, the CEO of the company, told The Jerusalem Post. “This is the money that I used to start running the company. The first thing was to try to prove my hypothesis that, following brain injury, there is a specific biomarker that is released and can be found in the bodily fluids.”
Medicortex Finland founder & CEO Dr. Adrian Harel (Courtesy)
Although several American companies have focused on targeting proteins in the blood to identify TBI, Medicortex’s ProbTBI kit focuses instead on saliva and urine, which can be obtained without professional expertise.
The company targets glycans and cellular enzyme products, which are exposed to each other as a result of cell damage caused by TBI. Medicortex’s first clinical trial, completed in March 2017 with 24 patients, showed statistically significant differences between injured and healthy subjects based on glycan profiling. The results of a second clinical trial, conducted with 69 patients at three Finnish hospitals, are expected later this year.
“CT and MRI are not always capable of showing mild concussion in the first hours, unless there is active bleeding, deformation of the brain or intracranial pressure,” said Harel. “Our kit will detect those cases that are considered undetectable or overlooked by the medical team. Currently the idea is to have a urine test for adults, similar to a pregnancy test which will change the color of the kit. For children, we thought to focus on a lollipop-like kit that a child can put in his mouth and saliva will trigger the same reaction.”
Recognizing the importance of rapidly and accurately identifying trauma on the battlefield, Medicortex announced the award of a $1.1 million grant from the US Department of Defense earlier this month. The grant was awarded by the US Army Medical Research and Material Command through the Combat Casualty Care Research Program, which supports the development of diagnostics with potential to have a strong impact on patient care.
Medicortex, the only Finnish company in the last 12 years to receive a Department of Defense grant, will use the funds to develop a prototype, hand-held kit that can be used by military personnel, first responders and health-care professionals.
Whether on the battlefield or any emergency setting, identifying TBI is especially critical when caring for a patient with multiple injuries, Harel said, as medication or treatment for other problems can lead to a severe deterioration in the brain injury.
The successful development of Medicortex’s diagnostic tool, he added, will also assist the company’s next ambitious project: advancing a drug for brain injury. “As of today, there is no real treatment for brain injury. Without an objective test, how can you develop a drug?” he asked. “These projects are related. It is cheaper, easier and quicker to develop a diagnostic tool than a drug, but we will get there.”
New Right Party chair Ayelet Shaked joins with another party to broaden the political home for a range of views that lean their way. It also boosts her chances of re-entering the Knesset.
BY DOV LIPMAN
(July 29, 2019 / JNS) Israel’s politics got another major shakeup in recent days—this time on the right, with the announcement of the merger between Ayelet Shaked’s New Right Party and Jewish Home. Like similar moves on the left last week, the latest union seeks to boost the election fortunes of the smaller parties on the right in order to cross the electoral threshold and have a stronger hand in coalition negotiations as the September elections approach.
“From the beginning, I have said that the person who leads this bloc must be the one who brings the most votes, regardless of their background, and all of the polls have shown that I will bring the list the most votes,” Ayelet Shaked, former justice minister and new head of the United Right, told JNS.
Shaked, who took over last week as the chairperson of the New Right Party from political partner Naftali Bennett, gained the position on top of the right-wing union after former Israel Defense Forces’ Chief Rabbi and current Education Minister Rafi Peretz, leader of the Jewish Home Party, stepped aside.
The merger will likely ensure that the two larger parties to the right of the Likud cross the threshold and enter the Knesset. New Right fell 1,400 votes short of entering the Knesset after the April elections, effectively causing three mandates to be lost.
Jeremy Saltan, director of English Operations for New Right, tells JNS that “Shaked in the No. 1 slot brings a new energy that is already resonating with voters.”
“We will make the most of unity efforts until the last minute.”
The deal between New Right and Jewish Home did not come easy. New Right was demanding four spots in the top nine slots on the list—more than Jewish Home wanted to give them. Jewish Home demanded that Shaked and Bennet commit to declaring Netanyahu their candidate for prime minister. New Right was reluctant to do, in case Netanyahu cannot form a government after the elections and they want to suggest someone else for the job. In the end, both sides gave in to the demands of the other, and they signed the deal.
Nevertheless, Shaked and former New Right chairman Naftali Bennet have emphasized that this is a “technical bloc” to make sure that no right-wing votes are wasted; it doesn’t mean that all members of this new list have to agree on the issues.
Saltan told JNS that the “technical bloc” means that “the party will break off after the elections and act as an individual faction in the next Knesset that promotes the values of the New Right.”
In the party announcement, Shaked also said that she would reach out to the far-right Otzma Yehudit and libertarian-learning right-wing Zehut parties to join the coalition. “We all need to be in one big party,” she said. “We will make the most of unity efforts until the last minute.”
The news of the right-wing merger also caps off a remarkable political comeback for Shaked, who grew up secular in Tel Aviv and worked in the high-tech world prior joining public service in 2006, eventually rising through the political ranks under Netanyahu to join Bennett in the Jewish Home Party in 2012.
After the 2015 election, Shaked gained the powerful justice minister portfolio. She held that position for four years, implementing her right-wing ideology, including the appointment of conservative judges to the bench, and creating a legal structure for settlements in Judea and Samaria. She also commandeered legislation requiring transparency from NGOs receiving a majority of their budget from “foreign entities.”
Prior to the April 9 elections, Shaked and Bennett broke off from Jewish Home and formed the New Right. However, the new political alliance yielded poor results, not even crossing the election threshold.
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked hold a press conference of the New Right Party in Tel Aviv on March 17, 2019. Photo by Flash90.
‘It’s not too late to fix this dangerous mistake’
While the new merger potentially boosts Shaked’s chances of re-entering the Knesset, it also rehashes old divisions within Jewish Home that led to Bennett and Shaked splitting off in the first place.
The Jewish Home is considerably more conservative on religion and state issues than New Right, and many question how someone secular like Shaked can lead a list with members who disagree with her about the numerous religious issues involved in running a Jewish state.
Shaked dismissed such criticism, saying that the new party can be a home for a wide range of views.
“Just like the Republican Party in the United States has a wide range from the party’s mainstream to the Tea Party, we can also create a large list that will include right-wing secular, modern religious and the ultra-religious,” Shaked told JNS.
Political commentator Yaakov Bardugo said the merger can go one of two ways.
“We will make the most of unity efforts until the last minute.”
On the one hand, it has potential to reach double digits with the five seats that Jewish Home won last election, the nearly four won by New Right, coupled with remnants of Kulanu, which joined with Likud, and perhaps some seats from Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut Party, which did not pass the threshold and has not joined with any other parties. On the other hand, secular voters who supported Shaked and Bennett but are unhappy with the merger with more extreme religious parties may go to Likud or Avigdor Lieberman’s party, Yisrael Beiteinu, which has come out strongly against the religious extreme.
The Likud has reacted negatively to the new merger, releasing an official statement that the parties must work to include additional fringe right-wing parties or else this merger will be for nothing.
“If this is the end of the merging process on the right while all the Arab parties have united, the right-wing bloc will be at risk. Bennett, Shaked and Smotrich intentionally left out five to six mandates on the right—and they are knowingly jeopardizing the continuation of a right-wing government. It’s not too late to fix this dangerous mistake,” the Likud statement read.
Regardless, the current merger has breathed new life into the right-wing on the political map. And Shaked, as the leader of this list, has the potential to either draw in more voters or push supporters away.
One way or another, this development has the potential to be a game-changer come Sept. 17.
Washington – Today, President Donald J. Trump commuted the prison sentence of Ronen Nahmani, an action strongly supported by many notable leaders from across the political spectrum, like Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Mark Meadows.
Mr. Nahmani, an Israeli-born father of 5, was sentenced in 2015 to a maximum 20 years in prison for conspiring to distribute a synthetic drug commonly known as Spice and K2 that he bought from suppliers in China.Advertisement:
Mr. Nahmani is a non-violent, first-time offender with no criminal history. He has five young children at home and his wife is suffering from terminal cancer. These extenuating circumstances underscore the urgency of his request for clemency.
Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community have expressed support for clemency for Mr. Nahmani. These include several distinguished senior Department of Justice officials, numerous prosecutors and judges, and many reputable legal scholars. Among his supporters are former United States Attorneys General Edwin Meese and Michael Mukasey, former Solicitor General Seth Waxman, former Senator Orrin Hatch, Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, Representatives Mark Meadows, Matt Gaetz, Anthony Brown, Bradley Schneider, Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eliot Engel, Frederica Wilson, Hakeem Jeffries, Lois Frankel, Ted Lieu, Tom McClintock, and many others.
Quebec – Canada is not changing the date of its national elections, even though they fall on a Jewish holiday.
Chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault announced Monday that he would not recommend changing the date, which coincides with the last days of Sukkot. Last week the country’s federal court ordered him to review a prior decision.
The government responded to a lawsuit filed by an Orthodox Jewish candidate in Canada’s federal election and a Jewish voter. They claimed that holding elections on Oct. 21, which is Shemini Atzeret, one of the last days of the Sukkot holiday, discriminates against observant Canadian Jews.
Of the four advance polling days, three are on other Jewish holidays or Shabbat, when observant Jews are prohibited from working, traveling, actively using electricity or performing a variety of workaday tasks. A special ballot can be sent by mail.Advertisement:
Perrault said he is committed to working with the Jewish community to “maximize voting options.”
Chani Aryeh-Bain, the Conservative Party candidate for the Toronto-area district of Eglington-Lawrence, is an observant Jew and therefore will not be able to campaign on Election Day, nor have members of her community campaign for her outside of polling stations.
Since 2007, Canadian law has mandated that national elections be held on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following the previous election. Canada’s 2008 federal election fell on the first day of Sukkot.
