Plan "B"

Rejecting Despair and Confronting the Challenges

I will not add to the flow of articles that have more than adequately analyzed the horrendous long-term consequences of US President Barack Obama’s capitulation to the Iranian ayatollah, who to this day explicitly identifies the destruction of Israel as a primary objective and endorses calls of death to America and Israel by his followers.

Iran is an Islamic global counterpart to Hitler’s dictatorship in its fiendish denial of human rights. Yet the U.S. is effectively rewarding and reinforcing the leading global promoter of terrorism for its ongoing commitment and fanatic determination to undermine the democratic world. Beyond transforming Iran into a threshold nuclear state, Obama has provided Tehran with $150 billion to intensify its global terrorist activities, in addition to the removal of embargoes of conventional arms and ballistic missiles, thus bringing European and North American cities into the range of Iranian missiles.

It has repeatedly been described as “the worst agreement in U.S. diplomatic history” and will be recorded as an act of infamy that not merely threatens the survival of Israel and the moderate Arab regimes in the region but capitulates to a fanatic Islamic terrorist state, some of whose leaders would be willing to facilitate a premature paradise for its citizens by engaging in suicidal initiatives in order to bring forward the “end of days.”

The U.S. has demeaned itself as a world power and lost the confidence of its traditional friends who have witnessed Obama’s lies, his repudiation of crucial assurances initially made in relation to Iran and his betrayal and abandonment of longstanding allies while groveling to rogue states and dictatorships.

To his credit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu performed an invaluable service over the past decade by singlehandedly fighting valiantly to prevent what would have been an automatic global acceptance of Iran as a full-fledged nuclear power. Without Netanyahu’s efforts, the sanctions would never have been imposed. Indeed, the civilized world was close to forcing the Iranians to back down — had it not been for Obama’s inexplicable obsession to engage with the ayatollahs.

We must now strategize a new approach. In the short-term, our efforts must be directed toward convincing Congress and the American people of the diabolical global consequences if this agreement is consummated.
 

The prospects of reversing, or at least introducing additional control or supervisory mechanisms instead of blindly trusting the duplicitous Iranians, are not good. However, we must do all possible to persuade Congress to reject the deal, and if necessary achieve a two-thirds majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate in order to override the president’s veto. That would require a substantial number of Democrats to join the majority Republicans in opposing their president and places special pressure on the 28 Jewish legislators, especially Senator Chuck Schumer who represents a major Jewish constituency but also seeks to become the Senate Democratic leader.

Such action necessitates Israeli politicians to urgently set aside their narrow politics and speak out with one voice in order to neutralize claims that it is only right-wing elements in Israeli society that oppose the Iranian deal.

To his credit, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog has already fully endorsed Netanyahu’s efforts in opposing the current deal. He has bitterly condemned the agreement and stated that he would visit the U.S. and warn the Americans that, if consummated, it “will unleash a lion from the cage” and enable an “empire of hate and evil” to undermine Israel’s security as well as global stability.

More than ever, the time is now opportune for Herzog to override the radicals is his own camp and join a unity government. Were he to assume the role of foreign minister, Israel would be speaking with one voice which would make an enormous impact on global public opinion. Rumors suggest that negotiations are taking place to bring this about, which would be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens.

Israel’s challenge is to persuade congressional Democrats to stand up and if necessary repudiate their own president, not merely because he is endangering Israel but because he is undermining the standing and security of the United States and paving the way for the emergence of an evil global power that could unleash a blight on mankind for future generations.

The relatively feeble response to date by the traditionally robust American Jewish leadership has been a significant factor in failing to inhibit Obama from implementing anti-Israeli policies — at total variance with the inclinations of the majority of Americans and their congressional leaders.

Belatedly, there is now some movement. Howard Kohr, executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has launched a major campaign to persuade Congress to reject the deal. Malcolm Hoenlein expressed his personal opposition when he recently visited Israel with the newly elected head of the President’s Conference. But that umbrella body, operating by consensus, has yet to make a clear-cut condemnatory statement.

To his credit, Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, in what was possibly his last major public statement prior to his retirement, outrightly condemned the Obama administration.

Many smaller organizations led by the Zionist Organization of America have bitterly protested against Obama’s betrayal but most American groups responded in a tepid manner, even after Herzog forthrightly condemned the deal.

The American Jewish Committee headed by David Harris expressed concern but avoided calling on members to lobby Congress to veto the deal.

To their shame, the leadership bodies of the Conservative and Reform movements responded with deafening silence, at best, but many of their “progressive” rabbis are actively supporting Obama.

Needless to say, J Street, the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization, boasts that it is spending millions of dollars to lobby Congress to support the bill.

Unless AIPAC succeeds in reversing these trends, the likelihood of convincing sufficient Democratic congressmen and senators to form a two thirds majority to veto Obama’s deal is slim. Obama’s despicable decision to bypass Congress and have the deal ratified by the United Nations Security Council before the 60-day review period has led to bipartisan outrage from legislators, with Senator Bob Corker describing the act as “an affront to the American people … an affront to Congress and the House of Representatives.” Pursuing such a provocative path suggests that Obama still has concerns about the response of Congress.

This will be a tough battle but we must resist defeatism. We must remind ourselves that even if this catastrophic agreement is consummated, we are not a powerless nation. The majority of Iranians are not all deranged Islamists seeking an early paradise and will be deterred by the knowledge that we have the capacity to wipe them off the face of the earth should they, God forbid, ever employ nuclear weapons against us.

In the past, Israel’s impressive ingenuity succeeded in thwarting threatening challenges. The Israeli citizen is not privy to all strategy but we should remain confident and assured that the government is currently formulating Plan B — a tactic that will continue to safeguard the security of the Jewish nation, even should this catastrophic deal be consummated.

We should also be relieved that Obama’s term of office expires in less than 18 months and hopefully he will soon become a lame-duck president. Of course, during that time he may attempt to introduce further harmful policies which could create serious difficulties for us. But we must remain optimistic: Whoever replaces him will hopefully be a major improvement and may seek to quickly initiate measures to prevent the mullahs from broadening the scope of their global terrorist campaigns, restore equilibrium in the region and regain the confidence of the United States’ traditional allies, including Israel.

In the meantime, Israel should unite and remain confident in our ability to deter our enemies, defend ourselves and overcome challenges in the future as we have in the past.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

Rabbi Yaakov Deutsch, who was convicted of sexually assaulting young boys and girls, was sent to prison for nine years....

Prison for rabbi who sexually assaulted youths

Rabbi Yaakov Deutsch was convicted of sexual offenses against young boys and girls, and received 9 years in prison and will pay compensation to the victims.

 In 2012, an indictment was filed against Deutsch for sexual offenses against boys and girls aged 13-15.  Although Deutsch pleaded not guilty, the Nazareth District Court convicted him last year and said that he took advantage of his religious status. Among other things, the indictment detailed a case in which he ordered a 15 year old girl to touch him, claiming that in this way “energy would be transferred from his body to hers”, which he claimed would heal an illness that she was dealing with.  After she recovered, the two resumed their relationship and had sex.  According to the indictment, one of their meetings was held in the synagogue.

 

 

Rabbi Yaakov Deutsch, who was convicted of sexually assaulting young boys and girls, was sent to prison for nine years.  Judge Teofik Katili from the Nazareth District Court also sentenced Deutsch to three years probation.  Deutsch, who served as a congregational rabbi in Afula and was charged three years ago for serious offenses, will also be required to compensate the victims. 

In another case, Deutsch took advantage of his authority as a rabbi and forced a minor to expose his genitals to him.  When the defendant tried to touch him, he distanced himself and did not allow him to carry out his scheme.  Another incident described in the indictment occurred when Deutsch was requested to bless a young boy to find a new framework of study.  He asked to stay in the family’s home over Sukkot and one of the nights, he sexually assaulted the boy. 

The parents of one of the youths who fell victim to Deutsch expressed their shock at his behavior:  “These are very difficult things for children, members of communities in Afula and around the country.  I support the ruling and it turns out that he sexually abused children and committed misdeeds.” 

“We are shocked that a person like this is responsible for offenses against the holy Torah.  He destroyed families and accused us all of being mentally ill,” added the parents.  “Anyone who has been hurt, especially in the ultra-orthodox and religious community, should not be ashamed, but instead should stand up and complain.”

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/prison-for-rabbi-who-sexually-assaulted-youths-14774

Scrupulosity is a disorder characterized by severe religious and moral guilt. It is often accompanied by acute anxiety, poor social functioning, and can even include what appears to be paranoid thought patterns....Abuse can come in many different forms....

Losing My Religion

 

Michael J. Salamon - Dr Michael Salamon, a fellow of the American Psychological Association, is the founder and director of ADC Psychological Services in … [More]
 

He is just 12 years old. He is a  healthy pre-teen with a  serious problem. He is afraid that he has lost his “olam habah” his portion in the world to come, a concern people four times his age rarely have. He says things like “I look at all those other people, the ones who spend their time playing or reading secular books I am so glad that I am not like them. At least I still have a chance to make it into the world to come.”

His very concerned mother, father and pediatrician asked him to see a therapist. He has been to three therapists. He rejected all of them. None of them were good enough for him because he judged them as irreligious. He consented to see me, albeit briefly. 

After introductions I asked him what his plans were for the summer vacation. His response was quick and chilling:  “I will learn at least six hours but probably more every day with my rabbi.”

I asked him if he enjoyed sports. His response was terse. “That’s for people who don’t care about the next world.”

I asked him if he ever played any sports or even board games. “I used to play basketball but I can’t waste my time on that now. If I want to be successful in what I want I can’t spend more than a few minutes wasting time.”

“But, you need physical exercise to stay healthy,” I told him. He just scoffed.

He is so scrupulous that he often refuses to eat at home. He doesn’t always trust that his mother will serve him food that is kosher despite the fact that the home is completely kosher.

I ask him about friends. He reassures me that he has many. Does he spend any time with them? “Yes, in learning.” He replies.  He goes on to say “But they learn about two hours I spend much more time. Sometimes I play basketball with them for a few minutes.”

He admits to me that he is “very anxious inside” and attributes that exclusively to a concern about being a religiously pure person.

“Does your rabbi know that you have such anxieties?” I ask.

“Sure he does. He gave me a book to read and a video to watch.” He responds.

“What type of book?”

“A book of mussar.” He goes on to describe what he has read there, clearly misinterpreting large parts to fit his very scrupulous worldview.

“Tell me about the video.”

“It teaches that all the cures come from god and the more you learn the more god will help you.” He is energetic in his narrative.

I notice that he is secretly texting while we speak. I ask him who he is writing to. “My rabbi.”

“May I speak with him?” I ask.

“Sure.”

I obtain a release from him and his parents and the next day I call his rabbi.

The rabbi seems affable,  happy to communicate with me. He says he is concerned about the boy and is attempting to work with him to help calm his fears. He also tells me that despite the young man’s many hours at learning he seems stuck. He repeats what he learns for many hours and has a hard time moving on. I get the impression that the rabbi is withholding but it is not immediately clear what it could be.

After speaking with the rabbi, I phoned the young man’s mother. I asked her about the rabbi. She says she was trying to reach him for over three months to ask him to help her get help for her son. She said he never called her back.

At our next session, the session that would be our last, the boy starts off in an angry, agitated attack at me for not understanding him. He is crying. I ask him what is so hard for him. He raises his voice and tells me he will never make it to the world to come and it is because of me. I tell him that it is an article of faith that it is possible for someone to acquire the world to come in an instant. I tell him that it is a mitzvah to take care of one’s health. He is increasingly agitated and begins flailing his arms.  I am suddenly aware – I ask if I can call his rabbi right then and there. He says “Please call him.”

I get the rabbi on the phone and explain what is going on, asking him to be an ally in helping me treat this young man. The rabbi raises his voice telling me it is unprofessional for me to call him. We hang up. I ask the boy if the rabbi wants him to be in therapy. He replies “No!”

Scrupulosity is a disorder characterized by severe religious and moral guilt. It is often accompanied by acute anxiety, poor social functioning, and can even include what appears to be paranoid thought patterns.

This boy’s rabbi thinks intense devotion is healthy and is encouraging it in this boy. His parents object as do I and every other health and mental health professional he has seen. The boy has a severe anxiety disorder that is made worse by obsessive devotion. Many clerical leaders understand the problem and the correct way to interact with health care providers to treat the issue. Some not. While this rabbi sees the anxiety in the boy he is unaware of the pathological side of it.

Abuse can come in many different forms. The tenacity of religious fervor accompanied by a disregard for normal, healthy development can cause one to lose their health, well-being even their religion.

Or perhaps just lose their belief in those few who misrepresent religion.

Significant personal details have been altered.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/losing-my-religion-3/

"It’s not hard to draw a line between this view and the tens of thousands of young men and women in Israel and the United States who are living lives of desperation and poverty in order to fulfill an ideal of piety and scholarship that is presented as an age-old ideal but is in fact a recent invention" - A Community of Scholars?

Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History
By Marc B. Shapiro
The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 360 pages, $39.95

Orthodox Jews — especially Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox Jews — like to think of their religious practice as the most authentic form of Judaism. “We traditionally observant Jews… seek to observe the Torah’s mandate, as it has been preserved by the traditional Jewish transmitters over the ages” wrote Avi Shafran, director of public affairs for the Orthodox umbrella group Agudath Israel of America, in a 2012 article for the Forward. “Our differentness reflects only our fealty to the Judaism of the Ages,” he wrote in another piece last year. That was a public relations professional in the Forward; similar and stronger language is ubiquitous in Orthodox media.

In fact, historians and sociologists have long debunked the changelessness of Haredi life; differences in dress, lifestyle and ritual practice between contemporary and historical orthodoxies are well documented. Like other forms of fundamentalist religion, Haredi Judaism isn’t a strict continuation of the past, but a reaction against modernity. Its belief in its own authenticity is a theological self-conception, not a historical reality.

But there is a good reason that observant Jews feel so deeply connected to historical Judaism. As Marc Shapiro writes in his new book, “Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History,” the Orthodox community is a “community of scholars” for whom “the written word is central.” Familiarity with traditional texts fosters an intimacy with tradition; the study of rabbinic literature creates a feeling of continuity with the Jewish past, whatever caveats might apply.

But what if those texts are not the unchanging repositories of wisdom their readers assume them to be? What if they have been changed — censored, even — in order to reflect the needs of the present? This is the question underlying “Changing the Immutable.” And Shapiro shows, through an impressive accumulation of evidence, that Orthodox censorship is not an exception, but a rule.

Shapiro, chair of the Judaic studies department at The University of Scranton, has long been a thorn in the side of the ultra-Orthodox establishment. His first book, “Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, 1884–1966,” published in 1999, examined a complex rabbinic figure whose acceptance as a halachic authority belied his more idiosyncratic views and associations. Even more significantly, Shapiro’s 2004 book “The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles Reappraised,” argued that Maimonides’s principles of faith, commonly understood to be the underlying dogmas of traditional Judaism, were never universally accepted. Rather, Shapiro contended, different versions of Jewish belief have always been possible, even within a traditional framework.

Shapiro’s scholarship has been so important, in part because of Orthodoxy’s own success at covering up inconvenient aspects of its past. And in his latest book, Shapiro shows how far Orthodoxy has gone to make its textual legacy consistent with its present culture. Granted, the number of texts that have been overtly censored is relatively small in comparison with the overall corpus of rabbinic writing. But even a relatively small number turns out, on the whole, to be rather large. And what Shapiro demonstrates is that this kind of censorship is programmatic, intentional and has a history going back to the Bible itself.

Consider, for example, a change made to the Shulhan Arukh , Yosef Karo’s authoritative 16th-century code of Jewish law. In discussing the pre-Yom Kippur ritual of kaparot , in which one’s sins are symbolically transferred to a chicken, Karo refers to the practice as a “foolish custom.” (Other authorities went further, calling it a pagan practice.) Although that comment appeared in the first 18 printings of the work, it disappeared in the 18th century and is still generally omitted — a decision based on the fact that kaparot is now a normative Jewish observance. But should this change in practice justify distorting the historical text of the Shulhan Arukh ? The goal, seemingly, is to give the false impression that one of the most important legal authorities in Jewish history had no problem with a now-commonplace ceremony. And “If Karo is not safe from censorship,” Shapiro writes, ”I daresay that no text is safe.”

This observation was borne out a few months ago, when Shapiro pointed out on The Seforim Blog that the Orthodox publisher ArtScroll had deleted a passage from the 12th-century commentator Shmuel ben Meir, or Rashbam, in a new printing of the Mikraot Gedolot Bible. The problem? The Rashbam had interpreted Genesis 1:5 — “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” — to mean that the day ends (and thus begins) in the morning, rather than according to the talmudic interpretation that the day begins (and also ends) at night.

In its defense, ArtScroll argued that those passages of the Rashbam were of dubious authorship and had been condemned as the work of heretics by Abraham ibn Ezra, another medieval commentator. Yet ArtScroll’s failure to alert readers to the omission (whose justification was not as clear-cut as they claimed) made it seem as though 21st-century editors had censored a medieval rabbi for arguing with the Talmud. In an even more egregious example, raised by Shapiro in “Changing the Immutable,” ArtScroll removed a comment by Rashi, one implying that the talmudic rabbis had themselves engaged in editing of the Bible — another verboten belief according to contemporary Orthodoxy.

Such instances of censorship are not limited to obscure legal or theological matters, either. Recent years have seen bans, censorship, and suppression of books and other documents that have challenged an increasingly extreme status quo. Shapiro points to the now-notorious practice of Photoshopping women out of news photos, as well as to the censoring of historical pictures of prominent religious women who are not dressed according to present-day standards of “modesty.” “That perhaps these ‘ chosheve’ [important] people had different views of tseniut [modesty] matters is not even considered,” he notes dryly.

Shapiro pays particular attention to shifts in religious politics, and to the treatment of figures like Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Abraham Isaac Kook, who, though widely admired in their lifetimes, have fallen out of favor since their deaths. In the case of Kook, who is considered to be the ideological father of religious Zionism, hundreds of books have been censored in order to remove his approbations from the books’ front pages, despite the fact that the authors of those works desired to include them. “The fear of associating with Kook… is a reflection of the extremism that has taken root in Haredi Judaism,” Shapiro writes. As a result, he argues, Kook “has been the victim of more censorship and simple omission of facts for the sake of Haredi ideology than any other figure.”

All this could make for a hearty polemic against the Orthodox scholars, publishers and editors who are more concerned with enforcing ideological conformity than with dealing with historical truth. Yet for all his provocative material, Shapiro is no polemicist. Although he compares Orthodox censorship with the Soviet kind — “what was accepted as fact one day could be entirely rewritten the next” — he also shows how its practice is consistent with classical and medieval conceptions of historical truth that predate contemporary notions of academic scholarship.

So, too, Shapiro goes out of his way to show that censorship of Jewish texts isn’t just an Orthodox practice. In many cases, non-Haredi publishers have been guilty of similar distortions, sometimes out of concern for what liberal readers might think. Finally, in the last chapter of the book, Shapiro examines the concept of lying in Jewish law, and shows how some authorities believed it permissible to lie in order to encourage obedience to rabbinic leadership. Shapiro warns us that these examples might be shocking, but he often seems to be defending Orthodox censorship by showing its consistency with traditional practice. Maimonides himself warns, in the introduction to his “The Guide for the Perplexed,” that not everything he wrote was the pure truth, but was still a “necessary belief” for the masses.

Shapiro’s evenhanded, evidence-heavy approach will perhaps make the book more convincing to its detractors. But his argument could also have benefited from a more critical thrust. Although he claims that censorship has increased in recent decades, he does little to analyze the causes or consequences of this phenomenon. In a recent interview with radio host Zev Brenner, he noted that part of the rise in censorship is due to so many more books being published and to older books being reset, and in “Changing the Immutable” he notes the rise in Orthodox publishing for a nonscholarly readership, including many works of biography and history.

But he doesn’t go far enough in examining what role Haredi fundamentalism may have to play, and whether current Orthodoxy is more or less inclined to censor texts than Jewish communities of the past were. The phrase “ da’as Torah ” — an arguably contemporary notion that implies obedience to rabbinic authority independent of halachic justification — appears just once in the book, and is explained only in a footnote. And although Shapiro does address the particular role translation plays in censorship, he does little to address the phenomenon of increased Haredi literacy, whether through access to yeshiva education, English translations by publishers like ArtScroll or the return of Hebrew as a vernacular language in the State of Israel. Most noticeably lacking is any consideration of the effect that censorship has had on the Orthodox community itself. If Orthodox censorship is comparable to the Soviet variety, what does that say about the intellectual conditions of Orthodox life?

Still, if Shapiro is not himself a polemicist, polemics can be written based on his research. This is especially true when it comes to the Orthodox tendency of presenting itself as historically authentic, and of appealing to that authenticity as a source of authority, while simultaneously rewriting history to suit its own purposes. Indeed, this approach was explicitly recommended by Shimon Schwab, a prominent 20th-century German Jewish rabbi who argued that “a realistic historic picture” is good for “nothing but the satisfaction of curiosity.” Rather, he claimed, “every generation has to put a veil over the human failings of its elders and glorify all the rest which is great and beautiful.” If that means doing without factually accurate knowledge, he continued, “We can do without.”

It’s not hard to draw a line between this view and the tens of thousands of young men and women in Israel and the United States who are living lives of desperation and poverty in order to fulfill an ideal of piety and scholarship that is presented as an age-old ideal but is in fact a recent invention. Covering up some minor deviation from theological dogma may not be of interest to more than a few academics, but the wholesale rewriting of history is a basic social concern. And as Shapiro writes in his introduction, “The acts of censorship… and telling a story which one knows to be false are simply different stops along the same continuum….” Here we have not just isolated examples of textual tampering or censorship, but also an entire ideology built on historical misrepresentations and half-truths. The consequences are already devastating.

Read more: http://forward.com/culture/311651/orthodoxys-inconvenient-truths/#ixzz3gUuAiIb8

STOP IRAN RALLY COALITION, more than 100 organizations spanning the nation's political, religious and social spectrum will participate!

"STOP IRAN" PROTEST IN TIMES SQUARE

 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, AT 5:30 p.m

Times Square, at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue

Thousands of Americans Rally to Demand Congress Vote Down Iran Nuke Deal

July 22, 2015 – New York City – The "STOP IRAN RALLY," the largest, grassroots bipartisan American protest against the deal granting Iran a fast track to a nuclear bomb, will be held in Times Square on Wednesday, July 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thousands of Americans from all faith traditions, political interests and communities, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, registered Democrats and Republicans, Iranian-Americans, and others will demand that Congress vote down the Iran deal.


Under the umbrella of the STOP IRAN RALLY COALITION, more than 100 organizations spanning the nation's political, religious and social spectrum will participate. A roster of preeminent experts from senior levels of the military, government, academic, and media establishments will speak at the rally.

"Strip away the administration's rhetoric and it's clear this deal gives the Mullahs – the world's foremost sponsors of terrorism, $150 billion in return for effectively nothing: no dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program; no anytime or anywhere inspections; no eradication of Iran's ballistic missile program; no maintenance of the arms embargo; and no halt to Iran's sponsorship of terror," said Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, STOP IRAN RALLY's co-organizer.

Wiesenfeld added, "Washington is prepared to give Iran virtually all that it needs to get to the bomb. To release $150 billion to Iran will result in the expansion of worldwide terror. New York Senator Charles Schumer has the votes as presumptive leader to override this deal if he wants. To do anything less is cynical and disgraceful, and the public will not be fooled this time. Americans will not stand for another North Korea. If this deal is not stopped, New York voters will know whom to blame."

"The Administration uses scare tactics in falsely claiming that the alternative to this deal is war," said Steve Emerson, Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism and a speaker at the STOP IRAN RALLY. "This deal would actually lead to more war, many more deaths of Americans and our allies and much more international terrorism."

"This is a bipartisan issue, not a political one," said Richard Allen, a local activist leading the STOP IRAN RALLY volunteers. "Now, Congress must rise to the occasion and expose evisceration of U.S. national security and pass a resolution of disapproval. Congress must also override President Obama's threatened veto, and return America's Iran policy to dealing from a position of strength rather than appeasement. We are mobilizing nationwide to let our lawmakers know we will hold each and every one of them to account for the consequences of this dangerous deal being foisted on the American people."

SPEAKERS AT THE "STOP IRAN" RALLY WILL INCLUDE:

• James Woolsey, Former Director of the CIA and Chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Gov. George Pataki, Former Three-Term Governor of New York
• Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan District Attorney from 1975 to 2009, and Of Counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
• Allen West, Former Congressman and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel
• Prof. Alan Dershowitz, Attorney and Professor at the Harvard School of Law
• Pete Hoekstra, Former U.S. Congressman and Chair of the House Intelligence Committee
• U.S. Navy Admiral James A. "Ace" Lyons, Former Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Senior U.S. Military Representative to the United Nations
• General Paul E. Vallely, Former U.S. Army Major General and Chairman of Stand Up America
• Mortimer Zuckerman, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News & World Report and the publisher of the New York Daily News and former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
• John Batchelor, Radio Talk Host, WABC-AM
• Steven Emerson, Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism
• David Brog, Executive Director, Christians United for Israel
• Frank Gaffney, Founder of the Center for Security Policy
• Caroline Glick, Deputy Managing Editor of The Jerusalem Post
• Kasim Hafeez, Founder of "The Israel Campaign" and Christians United for Israel's Outreach Coordinator
• Tony LoBianco, Actor and Activist
• Clare M. Lopez, Former CIA officer, Terrorism and Iran Expert at Center for Security Policy
• Herbert I. London, President Emeritus of Hudson Institute and former Dean of New York University
• Colonel Richard Kemp, Former Commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan
• Genevieve Wood, Senior Fellow, The Heritage Foundation

SUPPORTING QUOTES:
"Whatever happened to the President's claim that 'No (Iran) deal is better than a bad deal?' Well, this is a bad deal. Now is the time for the American Congress to stand up and protect the security of the American people and our future generations. This is a pivotal moment in American history. Will our leaders rise above politics and demonstrate the courage to do what is right for our country?" – Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, co-organizer of the STOP IRAN RALLY

"The President publicly asserts that the U. S. 'will maintain our own sanctions related to Iran's support for terrorism, its ballistic missile program, and its human rights violations.' In reality, this deal removes the most severe terrorist sanctions in place against Iran for years; it removes the embargo on weapons sales to Iran against the explicit warnings of our own Secretary of Defense and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; it allows for Iran to continue developing its intercontinental ballistic missile program that can only have one mission – attaching nuclear warheads; it provides Iran with billions of unfrozen assets that Iran will surely pour into worldwide terrorism as it has done for 30 years; and it shamefully decouples any linkage to Iran's continuing imprisonment of an American Marine and four other American civilians not to mention its brutal suppression and execution of its own dissidents.

This deal would enable Iran to spend tens of billions of new dollars on its vast state supported terrorist apparatus: from its Iranian Revolutionary Guards who have been responsible for killing hundreds of Americans to supplying their Hezbollah terrorist proxies with vast amounts of sophisticated weapons to threaten American interest and allies throughout the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Latin America." – Steve Emerson, Executive Director, Investigative Project on Terrorism, Speaker at Stop Iran Rally

"This is a good deal for Iran. Not the American people. This deal abandons every red line the administration said was essential for any acceptable deal to block all pathways to an Iranian bomb. 

If Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, wants to be treated with 'respect,' let them earn it by agreeing to robust spot inspections, ending their missile programs and proving to us that they mean no harm." – Richard Allen, Co-organizer, STOP IRAN RALLY

ABOUT STOP IRAN RALLY ORGANIZERS:

The STOP IRAN RALLY is coordinated by the STOP IRAN RALLY COALITION, a grassroots movement of volunteer citizens, in partnership with more than 100 organizations spanning the entire political, religious and social spectrum. More information can be found at www.stopiranrally.org. Follow updates about the rally on Twitter @stopiranrally and #stopiranrally.

LOCATION AND TIME:

Wednesday, July 22, 2015 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Times Square, at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue

MEDIA INQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWS CONTACT:

Eve Epstein, 516-343-0543516-343-0543; [email protected]

Sakura Amend, 917-355-3531917-355-3531; [email protected]

A Must as an American, Jewish or Otherwise! Worse than we could have imagined!

Urge Your Member of Congress to Reject the Nuclear Agreement with Iran!

 

After more than 20 months of negotiations, the United States and its negotiating partners announced a nuclear agreement with Iran. Throughout the negotiations, AIPAC outlined five critical criteria for a good deal. Unfortunately, the proposed agreement is fundamentally flawed in each of these vital areas. Urge your senators and representative to oppose the agreement.


CLICK PLEASE: http://cqrcengage.com/aipac/app/write-a-letter…


If anybody is interested in reading the 159 page Iran Deal - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action a pdf of the document can be found here:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2165388-iran-deal-text.html  
 

In addition, a rally in Times Square is scheduled for next Wednesday, July 22 from 5:30-7:30PM per the flyer below or visit http://stopiranrally.org/ for a lot more details. "

WORSE THAN WE COULD HAVE IMAGINED!

By Charles Krauthammer

 

When you write a column, as did I two weeks ago, headlined “The worst agreement in U.S. diplomatic history,” you don’t expect to revisit the issue. We had hit bottom. Or so I thought. Then on Tuesday the final terms of the Iranian nuclear deal were published. I was wrong.

Who would have imagined we would be giving up the conventional arms and ballistic missile embargoes on Iran? In nuclear negotiations? 

When asked Wednesday at his news conference why there is nothing in the deal about the American hostages being held by Iran, President Obama explained that this is a separate issue, not part of nuclear talks. 

Are conventional weapons not a separate issue? After all, conventional, by definition, means non-nuclear. Why are we giving up the embargoes?

Because Iran, joined by Russia — our “reset” partner — sprung the demand at the last minute, calculating that Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were so desperate for a deal that they would cave. They did.

And have convinced themselves that they scored a victory by delaying the lifting by five to eight years. (Ostensibly. The language is murky. The interval could be considerably shorter.) 

Obama claimed in his news conference that it really doesn’t matter, because we can always intercept Iranian arms shipments to, say, Hezbollah.

But wait. Obama has insisted throughout that we are pursuing this Iranian diplomacy to avoid the use of force, yet now blithely discards a previous diplomatic achievement — the arms embargo — by suggesting, no matter, we can just shoot our way to interdiction.

Moreover, the most serious issue is not Iranian exports but Iranian imports — of sophisticated Russian and Chinese weapons. These are untouchable. We are not going to attack Russian and Chinese transports. 

 

The net effect of this capitulation will be not only to endanger our Middle East allies now under threat from Iran and its proxies, but also to endanger our own naval forces in the Persian Gulf. Imagine how Iran’s acquisition of the most advanced anti-ship missiles would threaten our control over the gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, waterways we have kept open for international commerce for a half-century.

The other major shock in the final deal is what happened to our insistence on “anytime, anywhere” inspections. Under the final agreement, Iran has the right to deny international inspectors access to any undeclared nuclear site. The denial is then adjudicated by a committee — on which Iran sits. It then goes through several other bodies, on all of which Iran sits. Even if the inspectors’ request prevails, the approval process can take 24 days.

And what do you think will be left to be found, left unscrubbed, after 24 days? The whole process is farcical.

The action now shifts to Congress. The debate is being hailed as momentous. It is not. It’s irrelevant. 

Congress won’t get to vote on the deal until September. But Obama is taking the agreement to the U.N. Security Council for approval within days . Approval there will cancel all previous U.N. resolutions outlawing and sanctioning Iran’s nuclear activities.

Meaning: Whatever Congress ultimately does, it won’t matter because the legal underpinning for the entire international sanctions regime against Iran will have been dismantled at the Security Council. Ten years of painstakingly constructed international sanctions will vanish overnight, irretrievably. 

Even if Congress rejects the agreement, do you think the Europeans, the Chinese or the Russians will reinstate sanctions? The result: The United States is left isolated while the rest of the world does thriving business with Iran. 

Should Congress then give up? No. 

Congress needs to act in order to rob this deal of, at least, its domestic legitimacy. Rejection will make little difference on the ground. But it will make it easier for a successor president to legitimately reconsider an executive agreement (Obama dare not call it a treaty — it would be instantly rejected by the Senate) that garnered such pathetically little backing in either house of Congress.

It’s a future hope, but amid dire circumstances. By then, Iran will be flush with cash, legitimized as a normal international actor in good standing, recognized (as Obama once said) as “a very successful regional power.” Stopping Iran from going nuclear at that point will be infinitely more difficult and risky.

Which is Obama’s triumph. He has locked in his folly. He has laid down his legacy, and we will have to live with the consequences for decades.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/worse-than-we-could-have-imagined/2015/07/16/aa320b42-2bf0-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html

The dirty details of the agreement that the Obama is trying to hide...

 

Obama's Iran Nuke Deal Lies

The dirty details of the agreement that the president is trying to hide.

The United States and its five negotiating partners (Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany) reached an agreement July 14^th on the final terms of a deal with Iran, under which Iran would curb its nuclear program for a period of time in return for sanctions relief.

The agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (or JCPOA for short), will go into effect on what is called “Adoption Day” -  the date 90 days after the endorsement of the JCPOA by the UN Security Council, or such earlier date as may be determined by mutual consent of the JCPOA participants. The Security Council is expected to act within days to endorse the deal.

During his victory lap announcing that a final deal had been reached with Iran, President Obama warned that he would veto any congressional legislation blocking his legacy foreign policy achievement. The president declared that the agreement was "built on verification," not trust.  In this regard, Obama claimed that international inspectors will have 24/7 access to Iran’s key nuclear facilities to ensure Iran is fulfilling its commitments. “[Inspectors] will have access to Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain – its uranium mines and mills, its conversion facility, and its centrifuge manufacturing and storage facilities,” he said. “This ensures that Iran will not be able to divert materials from known facilities to covert ones.”

A so-called “fact sheet” issued by the White House assures the public that “Iran won’t garner any new sanctions relief until the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] confirms that Iran has followed through with its end of the deal.” If Iran violates the deal, any lifted sanctions can be snapped “back in place,” according to the White House.

Looking down the road long after he has left office, Obama said that “I have no doubt 10 or 15 years from now the person who holds this office will be in a far stronger position with Iran further away from a weapon and with the inspections and transparency that allow us to monitor the Iranian program. For this reason I believe it would be irresponsible to walk away from this deal.” He added that "no deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East."

As is so often the case, President Obama is misleading the American people. The fact is there will be no 24/7 "anywhere, anytime" inspections allowed of undeclared suspicious sites. The fine print of the final JCPOA agreement provides Iran with the means to delay any inspections of undeclared suspected sites requested by the IAEA. Iran is empowered to raise objections to inspections of suspected sites, which would then have to be assessed by a commission that includes Iran itself as a member. Iran will thus have opportunities to exploit the mechanisms for international verification inspections, allowing it to rotate its covert nuclear arms activities from secret site to secret site during a protracted dispute resolution process:

If the absence of undeclared nuclear materials and activities or activities inconsistent with the JCPOA cannot be verified after the implementation of the alternative arrangements agreed by Iran and the IAEA, or if the two sides are unable to reach satisfactory arrangements to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear materials and activities or activities inconsistent with the JCPOA at the specified locations within 14 days of the IAEA’s original request for access, Iran, in consultation with the members of the Joint Commission, would resolve the IAEA’s concerns through necessary means agreed between Iran and the IAEA. In the absence of an agreement, the members of the Joint Commission, by consensus or by a vote of 5 or more of its 8 members, would advise on the necessary means to resolve the IAEA's concerns. The process of consultation with, and any action by, the members of the Joint Commission would not exceed 7 days, and Iran would implement the necessary means within 3 additional days.

Russia and China (who are sympathetic to Iran’s positions on a number of issues, including sanctions relief) and Iran itself will be members of the Joint Commission, along with the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union. Masters at deception, the Iranian regime will be able to play for time and conduct a shell game, while the inspectors struggle to catch up and the Joint Commission tries to reach some sort of resolution. Undisclosed underground sites can easily hide work on developing nuclear warhead technologies, for example.  

Sanctions relief will not be linked solely to verifiable proof of Iran’s compliance with each of its specific commitments, such as reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium, de-commissioning thousands of its centrifuges, and redesigning its Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor so it cannot produce any weapons-grade plutonium. An estimated $100 billion in frozen assets could be made available to Iran reasonably soon, with no restrictions on Iran’s spending to sponsor more global terrorism.

The money can be used to buy conventional arms including missiles, since the JCPOA contemplates the removal of sanctions on the import and export of conventional arms. And again, one needs to look at the fine print. Buried in the JCPOA text is a provision that would appear to allow for the removal of certain sanctions 8 years after the JCPOA goes into effect (Adoption Day) or the date on which the Director General of the IAEA submits a report stating that the IAEA has reached the “Broader Conclusion” that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities, whichever is earlier. This means Iran can obtain sanctions relief even if it does not prove to the IAEA’s satisfaction that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful as Iran has claimed all along that it is.

There is also some confusion as to whether sanctions will be lifted against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Maj. General Qasem Soleimani, who has American blood on his hands. The Obama administration is saying no at least as to non-nuclear related sanctions, but the Iranians are claiming that under the terms of the agreement “Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani will be taken off sanctions lists.”

In any event, once the unraveling of the sanctions regime begins to take place, it will be practically impossible to put the genie back into the bottle with some sort of “snap back.” Russia and China, eyeing lucrative arms deals, can be expected to take Iran’s side against any snap back. France, protecting its business interests in Iran developed after the lifting of sanctions, would most likely be reluctant to reverse course absent compelling evidence of widespread violations that present an imminent threat.

Longer term, the deal as presently structured will put our children and grandchildren under the threat of an Iranian nuclear mushroom cloud even if Iran were to abide by the temporary restrictions in place for the next decade or so. Iran will be able to reach a breakout time (the time it would take to amass enough nuclear material to produce a nuclear bomb) of near zero after the expiration of those restrictions, because its core nuclear enrichment infrastructure and research program to develop advanced centrifuges will not have been dismantled. Obama admitted last April that Iran could have near zero breakout time starting in Year 13 when Iran would have “advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly.” However, he said nothing about this overhang in his praise of the final deal.

As for President Obama’s claim that "no deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East," a bad deal will inevitably set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. And based on the details we know so far, the negotiated JCPOA is a bad deal that Congress should overwhelmingly reject. Despite Obama’s pro-forma calls of reassurance to the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia after the deal was announced, Obama has pivoted away from them towards a policy of rapprochement with the Iranian regime. He has done so against the drumbeat of continued cries by Iran’s leaders for "Death to America" and their holding of four Americans hostage.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259469/obamas-iran-nuke-deal-lies-joseph-klein

"We have husbands, children, families," she continued. "You trampled on our dignity."

Victim Pens Open Letter to Rabbi - EZRA SHEINBERG - Accused of Sexual Abuse

Complainant in sexual assault case against well-known northern Rabbi throws his threats back at him in letter sent to Arutz Sheva.

Rabbi accused of sexual assault - EZRA SHEINBERG

One of the complainants alleging she was sexually abused by a well-known - but yet-unnamed - rabbi in Tzfat (Safed) has written to Arutz Sheva on Monday, before the rabbi is due in court, in an open letter to the defendant.

"I read the things you said to reporters, that you do not know us and want to look us in the eyes," she began. "The truth this time is that you're right for a change."

"You really do not know us, you know just know our bodies; you never saw us," she wrote. "You did not see our souls."

"We have husbands, children, families," she continued. "You trampled on our dignity."

"Thank God we were released from you, you are in prison and probably will stay there for many years to come."

"Thanks to your arrest, we can lift our heads high," she added. "We know you are evil and we're fine, that you are bent and we are straight, that you are unclean and despicable and we are your victims of that."

"You should know that after all these years that you have scared us we are no longer afraid, your scare tactics no longer work on us," the complainant fired. "The community is with us. The public feels our pain. The Yeshiva leaders explained to their students how much of an abomination you are and how much you have hurt us."

"The people you have managed to mislead initially now understand just how much of a hypocrite you are," she added. "Your books were thrown away. Your lessons have been deleted."

"You expect to look us in the eyes," she reflected. "We also expect that. Now we have power. Besides the popular support we also hold each other and support each other."

"Get ready," she threatened. "We will look you in the eye, to humiliate you."

"If you had a bit of honesty, of justice, of truth, you would ask us for forgiveness. But your heart was always a heart of stone. "

The rabbi, who still remains unnamed due to legal entanglements, has been accused by no fewer than eight women of sexual abuse.

On Friday, Arutz Sheva exposed several damning details about the case, including the fact that the rabbi allegedly admitted his offenses to Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu - but then has claimed over and over again that the allegations are "nonsense." The rabbi's defense attorney also accused the women of lying, stating at one point, "who remembers this stuff 13 years later?"

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/198086?fb_action_ids=820983814683220&fb_action_types=og.comments#.VaU64rVinzI

*BOOM!* 50 MILLION! WE DID IT! INCREDIBLE!

 CLICK: https://plus.google.com/106580239978263655484/posts

For the first time ever, the Senate has approved legislation that prohibits the outrageous practice of ‘passing the trash' and bans schools from helping a child-predator employee land a job in another school.

Toomey’s Measure to Ban “Passing the Trash” Clears Senate

Bipartisan Amendment Helps Protect Kids from Pedophiles in Schools

---

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate unanimously agreed today with U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that schools receiving federal funds cannot help a child molester obtain a job at another school and move onto other victims.

The horrible practice of schools quietly letting pedophile teachers leave and helping them find school jobs elsewhere is so common it has its own moniker -- "passing the trash." The Every Child Achieves Act was amended with Toomey's language prohibiting federal funds to schools that help an employee get a new job when there is credible information that the school employee engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.

"For the first time ever, the Senate has approved legislation that prohibits the outrageous practice of ‘passing the trash' and bans schools from helping a child-predator employee land a job in another school. It's a huge victory for children in Pennsylvania and across the country," said Sen. Toomey. "Tragically, ‘passing the trash' is a serious problem that Pennsylvanians are all too familiar with, and I am pleased that we were able to bridge our differences across the aisle to agree on a real solution. And while we were not able to also pass legislation requiring background checks for all school employees, I will continue fighting for this commonsense policy to ensure that our schools are safer. Our children deserve it."

Under the Toomey amendment, a school district that receives federal funds shall not assist a school employee in obtaining a new job if it knows, or recklessly disregards credible information indicating, that such school employee engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.

The cosponsors of the amendment are Sens. Manchin, McConnell, Alexander, Capito, Cotton, Gardner, Heller, McCain, Vitter, Roberts, and Wicker.

###

http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=news&id=1578

In a private class he gave at his yeshiva, which was recorded and played on Israel Radio,Rabbi Melamed can be heard recommending that the “Rabbi from the North” (EZRA SHEINBERG) should commit suicide!

Rabbi Zalman Melamed: Tsfat Rabbi Accused of Molestation (EZRA SHEINBERG) Should Have Committed Suicide

By: JNi.Media

Rabbi Zalman Melamed

(JNi.media) The dean of Beit El Yeshiva, Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, has harsh things to say against the “Rabbi from the North,” a National-Religious yeshiva dean accused of rape, indecent assault and threats against women who came to him for spiritual advice.

EZRA SHEINBERG - "RABBI FROM THE NORTH"

 The accused, who on Wednesday was remanded to 8 days in prison, insists on keeping his name out of the media, and has appealed to Israel’s supreme court to extend the gag order against revealing his identity.

In a private class he gave at his yeshiva, which was recorded and played on Israel Radio, Rabbi Melamed can be heard recommending that the “Rabbi from the North” should commit suicide.

“If someone feels he has a weakness, such a man—if he had a willingness inside himself to confront it—first thing, he should have sought counsel.” But if “a person cannot resist the evil inclination? Let him kill himself rather than sin. He can’t do such wicked things! Why destroy people, hurt women?” Rabbi Melamed told his students.

Rabbi Melamed was one of the closest students of the late Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, son of Chief Rabbi Avraham Izthak Kook, and dean of the Merkaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, the prime institution of religious Zionism. He leads the yeshiva in Beit El, in Benjamin Region, near Ramallah, and is regarded as the authoritative leader in the town of Beit El, as well.

In 1988, Rabbi Melamed was involved in launching a pirate radio station, named Arutz Sheva, on a boat outside Israeli territorial water, at a time when broadcasting not authorized by the state was prohibited. After the radio boat was raided by Israeli police, Melamed turned it into one of the most popular Jewish websites.

“It’s like a murder,” Rabbi Melamed continued his teaching regarding the “Rabbi from the North,” noting that “a person who is driven by his murderous nature, and cannot control himself, we must kill him. He must kill himself, commit suicide. He has become a ‘rodef’ (Heb: predator), you must kill the rodef.” Jewish law sanctions the killing of a person who is clearly in pursuit of another human being with the unmistakable intent of killing them.

At a meeting for the students of the Northern Rabbi, held Thursday in his yeshiva in Tsfat the city’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, shared with the audience how hard it had been for him to reach a decision to share the scandalous news with students.

“We concluded that we had no choice but to expose the story to the yeshiva,” Rabbi Eliahu said. “We must not allow this malignant tumor to stay inside us, we must eradicate it.”

Meet Rabbi Bill Cosby - Attorney Damari also called the accumulation of evidence mounting against the rabbi "delusional."

 Ezra "Bill Cosby" Sheinberg

'Public Learned a Lesson' with Rabbi Accused of Sexual Abuse

 

What happened before a northern Israeli rabbi was accused of abusing several women? How is the community coping?

The case of the rabbi from northern Israel who has been accused by at least eight women of sexual abuse has captured the attention of the Israeli public, with the rumor mills swirling after the press has declined to publish the rabbi's identity.

On Friday, Arutz Sheva spoke to a number of experts involved with the rabbi's yeshiva and the case on the issue to understand the full extent of the investigation and its ramifications.

Shabbat Shalom - I double As The Babysitter and Shabbat Goy!

 "A woman called me and asked if it was true that rabbis are allowed to do things that are forbidden according to the Shulchan Aruch," Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat (Safed) said, citing a fundamenal Jewish legal text. "The answer is 'of course not' - and to the contrary, rabbis must be even more careful in areas of Jewish law." 

"The woman did not say who it was, but in the end we realized it was him," he continued. "I asked Rabbi Haim Bazaq to be the mediator in a hearing in Tzfat over the issue and together we heard her witness testimony. She said other women may have been affected. We called him [the rabbi - ed.] and he admitted these things to me and to Rabbi Bazaq."

Rabbi Eliyahu said that the rabbi tried to cover up his actions, refusing to join support groups and to talk to police. Both rabbis pressured the offender to leave his teaching post and to give them a list of the women that were affected.

"He gave us a list that turned out to be a very partial list," Rabbi Eliyahu noted. The rabbi continued to be in contact with some of the women and he was asked to leave Tzfat."

"He left the city, but we found out that he continued to contact women and others, and was actually trying to create a power center from the outside," Rabbi Eliyahu said. "At that point we asked him to give us a more updated list of women that he assaulted. He gave a longer list, but we found out later that this list, too, was not complete."

The rabbis understood at this stage there was no choice but to reveal the news to the public. The response: shock. 

Rabbi Eliyahu was asked by Arutz Sheva how the news is affecting the perception of the rabbinical institutions and the religious public at large.

"I have met with many people hurt by this, in our city and all over the country," he said, noting that he has spoken about the issue with both religious and secular Israelis. "I was amazed to see how, on the one hand, people are handling the facts well and understand that this is indeed what happened - and that people are not reacting by saying, 'we do not believe in God because of so and so."
 
"The public has learned a lesson and did not lose its head," he praised, noting that this one incident - while major - demonstrates the principle of not throwing away the rabbi with the proverbial mikveh (ritual bath) water.

"It's not because of these sins that we lose confidence in all the rabbis, just as we don't lose faith in the IDF because one military officer did something wrong," Rabbi Eliyahu reflected. He particularly praised the yeshiva students at the institution where the offending rabbi teaches for refusing to give up their faith despite the incidents.

Rabbi's defense attorney: witness testimony is 'delusional'

The rabbi, who was the dean of a yeshiva, was arrested while trying to flee Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport last week. On Friday, soon after his arrest, he was admitted to Ziv Hospital in Tzfat after feeling unwell; he was released Tuesday afternoon in apparent good health. 

He was due to be identified by the press on Wednesday afternoon following a decision by the Nazareth District Court to choose public interest over the rabbi's personal considerations - but the decision was postponed after his legal team filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the rabbi has vehemently denied the allegations against him, calling them "nonsense." 

Mr. Ephraim Damari, the rabbi's lawyer, has agreed - and he told Arutz Sheva that he is convinced that at the end of the story, it will turn out that there is no truth in the accusations leveled against his client. 

"According to the rabbi, this is all nonsense, all nonsense," he said. "This began with great fanfare but will end with a whimper."

"In my conversations with him [the accused rabbi - ed.], he denied the allegations of the acts attributed to him," he added. "I guess the police will collect testimonies and then he will be confronted with the evidence. The rabbi looks forward to confronting the evidence and the women - whom he said, regarding almost all of them, he does not even know."

Damari also called the accumulation of evidence mounting against the rabbi "delusional."

''The complaints received are from the distant past," he claimed. "Why would a woman remember this after 13 years?"

However, Mr. Damari did not purport to answer for the charges against him from the moral and halakhic (Jewish law) perspective.

"I am hired to represent him in judicial and legal aspects," he dodged. "The halachic aspect and moral values ​​I leave to the rabbis and those bigger than me."

"We know how much disagreement there is between rabbis on Jewish law," he added. "I believe this business is nothing. The rabbi has a good testimony, which is strong, robust and reliable."

Attorney Damari has denied media reports according to which the rabbi tried to flee abroad - although the rabbi was arrested while attempting to leave Ben-Gurion Airport.

"This error is in the media's hands," he claimed. "The rabbi did not try to escape abroad."

"The rabbi underwent a catheterization a few days ago, and following pressure from the media [...] his doctors advised him to go and get better care somewhere overseas," he claimed. "At that point he was trying to travel abroad and did not have anything filed against him." (How do you know a lawyer is lying? When they move their lips)

"The police are trying to create a media storm claiming he tried to flee, but that's not true. No one told him he should be questioned, that there was nothing to investigate. The first complaint was filed on Thursday evening and he drove to the airport earlier on Thursday."

Attempting to return to normal

Despite the difficulty, teachers in the yeshiva are now trying to restore normal life, and increase Torah study and diligence.

Rabbi Avraham Engel, who serves as instructor and spiritual overseer in the yeshiva, told Arutz Sheva that students have more or less bounced back.

"We are in a situation where it is already clear to everyone that all the masks were removed, and that we serve God and no one else," he said. "Almost all of them have returned to full function, and those who still are having a hard time we are helping with the assistance of appropriate professionals."

Rabbi Engel added that the return to routine is accompanied by preparations for the next academic year, both in terms of recruiting students and practical preparations, and in terms of finding a new head of yeshiva, a move which is expected to reach a conclusion in the coming days.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197958#.VZ_nT7VinzJ

America Under O-B-A-M-A ---- and he's got 18 MORE MONTHS!

 

Have you noticed anything odd going on this morning? Oh yes. Let us be the first to tell you that the time to panic is upon us. 

ITEM: The New York City subway system suffered an atrocious commute today, with some trains being inexplicably stranded in stations for long periods of time. 

ITEM: The website “The Dissolve” folded today.

ITEM: United Airlines was forced to ground all of its flights after its computer system mysteriously stopped working.

ITEM: The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading today after its computerized trading system mysteriously stopped working. 

ITEM: Immediately after, the Wall Street Journal’s website mysteriously stopped working. 

ITEM: More than 2,500 people in Washington, DC mysteriously lost power. 

It seems our nation’s centers of powers are facing a mysterious and spreading collapse. 

http://gawker.com/ladies-and-gentlemen-its-time-to-panic-1716514222?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Allegations That Orthodox Rabbi's Wife Knew Her Husband Ezra Sheinberg Was Raping Women - Possibly Directly Involved & Present In The Room While Rapes Transpired According To Police!

NEW ALLEGATIONS THAT EZRA SHEINBERG'S WIFE  WAS PRESENT DURING "TREATMENT" OF WOMEN

חשד: אשת "הרב מהצפון" נכחה בביצוע העבירות

התפתחות בחקירת הפרשה שבה חשוד רב מוכר בביצוע עבירות מין נגד נשים: אשתו נחקרה בחשד שידעה על מעשיו ובמקרים מסוימים אף נכחה, לכאורה, בחדר שבו העניק "טיפול" לנשים. סנגורה: היא מכחישה

http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4677233,00.html