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Friday, Jan. 15 '16, Shevat 5, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. FATHER OF MURDERED GIRL DIES DAY AFTER DEDICATING SYNAGOGUE
2. NETANYAHU SLAMS SWEDISH FM'S 'FOOLISH AND IMMORAL' COMMENTS
3. ADL DEMANDS SWEDISH PM 'RESPECT' ISRAEL
4. US ACADEMICS DEAL BDS A CRITICAL BLOW
5. 'I ACCEPTED I WOULD BE GUNNED DOWN, BUT I WAS GIVEN NEW LIFE'
6. AMERICANS GET IT, OBAMA DOESN'T - JUST LIKE PHARAOH
7. POWERBALL WINNER BOUGHT BY JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST FOR EMPLOYEE
8. WATCH: A 1,500 POUND BEAR HUG - DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
1. FATHER OF MURDERED GIRL DIES DAY AFTER DEDICATING SYNAGOGUE
by Uzi Baruch
Shmuel Rada, the bereaved father of Tair Rada who was murdered in 2006 at the age of 13 at her school in Katzrin on the Golan Heights, passed away on Friday after an extended battle with cancer.
Rada passed away just one day after attending the dedication of a synagogue in his daughter's honor in Katzrin. The synagogue was named "Tair Shevet Achim" (Tair dwells amongst her people), a name that her father came up with two years ago.
The bereaved father was allowed to leave Poriya Hospital in Tiberias to take part in the dedication, which he was brought to by Magen David Adom's "wishing ambulance."
"I'm happy that I succeeded in realizing my dream ever since the murder - to establish a 'miniature Holy Temple' in memory of Tair," he said during the visit.
"I made efforts for this moment, it isn't easy. It's a Yemenite synagogue but it is for all of the nation of Israel," emphasized the father, calling on Jews "to come from all ends of the rainbow to pray here in this synagogue for all."
Rada's funeral will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Katzrin's cemetery.
Late last month the Supreme Court dismissed the petition of Roman Zadorov in the case of Rada's murder, finding him guilty. However, one of the three judges called to acquit the school contractor, and the case will apparently be further probed.
There are heavy question marks surrounding the murder of the eighth-grader, after her body was found in a bathroom stall in the Nofei Golan school in Katzrin in late 2006.
Suspicions point to the possibility that other students in fact stabbed her to death, based on various evidence from the scene including the hair of another girl found in Rada's hand, and the fact that she had become a social outcast among her peers.
Ilana Rada, the bereaved mother of Tair, said following the decision in December that "it's still in doubt that he's the murderer. Until the end of my life I will continue to pursue the murderers."
2. NETANYAHU SLAMS SWEDISH FM'S 'FOOLISH AND IMMORAL' COMMENTS
by Nitsan Keidar
[youtube:2011539]
Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu on Thursday night responded for the first time to the latest inflammatory comments of Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom against Israel, which were made on Tuesday.
Wallstrom called to investigate the Jewish state for "executing" Palestinian Arabs, in an attempt to delegitimize the actions of security forces killing Arab terrorists as they conduct an attack. Killing the terrorists is often a matter of life or death in preventing further victims, as in many cases the terrorists continue attacking after being shot.
"This is a scandalous statement, it is immoral and wrong," Netanyahu said in response, speaking at a press conference for foreign journalists in Israel.
"Someone defends themselves from an attacker who wants to murder them with a knife, and shoots him," he described. "This is an absurd and foolish statement."
In response to Wallstrom's statements, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely announced on Wednesday that Swedish officials are no longer welcome to visit Israel. Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman went a step further, calling on Israelis to boycott the Swedish international furniture chain IKEA.
Later on Wednesday, Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned Swedish ambassador to Israel Carl Magnus to be reprimanded over Wallstrom's comments.
"EU is changing the political reality"
In his session with the foreign journalists on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that Israel is maintaining good relations with Europe, despite the steps the European Union (EU) has taken against the Jewish state, such as labeling Jewish goods from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights.
"There is an intolerable situation here in which the (European) Union labels our goods. The Union is encouraging illegal Palestinian construction in the territories in order to change the political reality."
Netanyahu also spoke about Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's (Jewish Home) new NGO transparency law targeting foreign funded radical leftist groups, saying, "this is a very reasonable demand in a democratic state."
"In the United States the laws on this topic are even firmer. The vote that came up in Israel is connected to transparency, and that is the heart of democracy," he said.
"This is a logical matter, and it's too bad there are those who hold a double or triple standard against us. That isn't acceptable to us."
Netanyahu in his remarks also noted for the first time on the appointment of Dani Dayan as ambassador to Brazil. Brazil has refused to accept the appointment given that Dayan lives in Samaria and formerly was head of the Yesha Council.
"Dayan is still my candidate for the role, and he is definitely fitting," concluded Netanyahu.
3. ADL DEMANDS SWEDISH PM 'RESPECT' ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Friday sent a letter to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, asking that he ensure a greater level of respect for Israel after Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom's latest inflammatory comments on Tuesday.
ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt complained over the way Wallstrom called for an investigation of Israel for "executing" Palestinian Arabs, in an attempt to delegitimize security forces defending civilians from Arab terrorists.
"We urge you to ensure that official Swedish statements demonstrate respect for, and knowledge of, Israel's proven commitment to the rule of law, support for its security challenges, even as it faces armed threats on a scale which Sweden is fortunate not to know," wrote Greenblatt.
"Surely if such attacks were occurring with regularity on the streets of Stockholm, there would be a comprehensive effort to ensure the security of city streets and to stop the perpetrators from carrying out their attacks," he said.
"Swedish government officials should take the time to educate themselves about legitimate Israeli defense against terrorists."
Sounding a warning note about the rising level of anti-Semitism in the Nordic country, Greenblatt added, "Sweden, which served as a place of refuge for Danish and Norwegian Jews during World War II, now has a reputation as a place where Jews are fleeing from due to anti-Semitism, specifically in Malmo. Swedish media further inflame both anti-Israel bias and anti-Semitism with comparisons of Israel to Nazis and blood libels."
Wallstrom's comments have led to a backlash in Israel, with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday calling the statements "foolish" and "immoral," a day after Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely announced that Swedish officials are no longer welcome to visit Israel.
4. US ACADEMICS DEAL BDS A CRITICAL BLOW
by Nitsan Keidar
In yet another blow to the BDS movement seeking to economically assault the Jewish state with international boycotts, the Association of American Universities (AAU) on Thursday issued a statement affirming it rejects academic boycotts of Israel.
The statement began by noting how the American Anthropological Association in November approved a resolution calling to boycott Israeli academic institutions, paving the way for a vote on the resolution this year.
"In light of these developments, the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities reaffirms the Board's opposition to such boycotts and today reissues the 2013 statement on this subject by the then-Executive Committee of the association," read the statement.
Quoting its 2013 rejection of the boycott, the AAU wrote: "any such boycott of academic institutions directly violates academic freedom, which is a fundamental principle of AAU universities and of American higher education in general."
The statement also added that the AAU "strongly opposes a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Three U.S. scholarly organizations have now expressed support for such a boycott. Any such boycott of academic institutions directly violates academic freedom, which is a fundamental principle of AAU universities and of American higher education in general."
"The boycott of Israeli academic institutions...clearly violates the academic freedom not only of Israeli scholars but also of American scholars who might be pressured to comply with it. We urge American scholars and scholars around the world who believe in academic freedom to oppose this and other such academic boycotts," concluded the statement.
AAU represents 60 American and two Canadian research universities, both public and private. The US universities in the association award nearly half of all American doctoral degrees.
Thursday's rebuff to the BDS movement follows on the heels of the American Historical Association (AHA) decision last Saturday to reject a resolution criticizing Israel.
However, on Tuesday the United Methodist Church announced its pension board will no longer invest in five Israeli banks doing business in Judea and Samaria.
5. 'I ACCEPTED I WOULD BE GUNNED DOWN, BUT I WAS GIVEN NEW LIFE'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Two weeks ago Hadar Klein was sitting at Hasimta bar on busy Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, celebrating a friend's birthday and excited over her imminent plans to open her own pilates studio - then suddenly, Arab Israeli terrorist Nashat Milhem filled the air with gunshots.
Klein told Yedioth Aharonoth on Friday that despite being shot in the leg by the terrorist during the lethal attack, she still plans to open the studio in Ramat Hahayal in northern Tel Aviv: "it will take several days, maybe weeks, but in the end it will happen."
The 25-year-old was sitting at the pub celebrating her friend Ariel's birthday, but within moments that seemed to last an eternity, everything changed and she saw Shimon Ruimi murdered before her eyes.
"They called to him and he didn't respond. I looked for blood, I thought maybe the blood on me was his blood and I didn't see anything," she recalled.
Aside from Ruimi, Alon Bakal was also murdered at the pub; an hour later the body of taxi driver Amin Shaban was found in northern Tel Aviv, after Milhem murdered him as well. Police suspect the terrorist had help from many Arab citizens living in his hometown of Arara in the north.
Reliving the horrific moments of the attack, Klein said, "my friend Nir pushed me inside and apparently that's what saved me, because my instinct was to turn and see what happened. The bullets hit me and I felt pain in my leg. I lifted my dress and saw a hole in my leg and lots of blood. I tried to move inside because we feared there were more terrorists. We were afraid that they were going to gun us all down."
"At some place I already made peace with the fact I was going to die. I accepted it. I remember thinking that I will close my eyes and it will all end."
"I received my life anew"
Klein recalls that "many thoughts flashed through my head," including the fate of her leg upon which her career is based, her friends, and the other people in the bar.
"I understood that I truly received my life anew," she said.
After being evacuated to the hospital, doctors clarified the extent of her wounds which prevented her from even lifting her leg. According to the medical staff, the bullet miraculously missed the main artery - if it had hit, she might have died.
"I asked everyone I met about my foot because I need it and it's important to me that it be okay," she said. "It was really hard for me to lie in the room and not be able to lift my leg. Even now I don't feel it, I had nerves hit (by the bullet), and it's hard when your work is to feel your body and know what it needs. It's like something inside me disappeared."
Klein noted how happy it makes her to teach pilates "and see satisfied students. The amount of love I received is incredible. While it hurts, from the love for the profession you find the strength to stand and give the class properly. Sometimes I need a bit more rest and there's a chair in the room if I feel that I need to sit, but I live for this. I like seeing the girls go out satisfied after the class."
Regarding the opening of her own studio, which was all prepared and ready before the shooting, she remains determined that in the coming days and weeks she will realize her dreams and launch the studio, not letting the attack stop her.
6. AMERICANS GET IT, OBAMA DOESN'T - JUST LIKE PHARAOH
by Dr. Joseph Frager
"Hashem granted the people favor in the eyes of Egypt; moreover, the man Moshe was very great in the Land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and in the eyes of the people."
The Ramban divides this Posuk into two separate parts. The fist part relates to the fact, "that the people of Egypt did not hate (the Children of Israel) because of the plagues they suffered upon Israel's account." The Ramban goes further and says the Egyptians were saying, "We are the evil ones, perpetrating violence against you and it is only right that G-d would show you favor."
In other words the Egyptian people unlike their leader, Pharaoh, recognized G-d's supremacy, his might, his awesomeness and his operating system. They were repentant, and essentially said "Al Chet" before the Final Plague of the Firstborn. It was Pharaoh who resisted and not his people. Because their leader was stubborn, arrogant, and lacking in fear of G-d Almighty, the Egyptian people suffered the Plague of the Firstborn.
The second half of the Posuk, "the man Moshe was very great in the land of Egypt..." The Ramban relates "in the eyes of the people" to the Jewish people. Most commentators do not divide the Posuk this way. They keep it consistent by saying the whole Posuk is referring to the Egyptian people. However, the Ramban must use the words, "the man Moshe was very Great in the land of Egypt" to relate to the Egyptian people and the words, "in the eyes of the people" to the Jewish People.
Till now we are not yet told that the Jewish people had recognized the greatness of Moshe. The last we were told (5:21) "They said to them, 'May Hashem look upon you and judge, if you have made our very scent to be abhorrent in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants to be a sword in their hands to murder us.'" The Posuk in Parshat Bo (11:3) was according to the Ramban written to correct that initial misconception. The Ramban writes, "For now Moshe became exceedingly Great in Israel's eyes through their seeing he was faithful as a prophet to Hashem."
There are many examples in the modern era of G-d's control over the nations of the world and their attitude to the Jewish people. The concept expressed in this Posuk (11:3) "Hashem granted the People favor..." of a nation waking up to G-d's ways and recognizing the greatness of the Jewish People and finding favor in the Children of Israel has been actualized in modern times. When the American people and President Truman helped grant Statehood to Israel in 1948 is one such example. Even the fact that the Russians voted in the United Nations for the establishment of the State of Israel is another example. There may have been separate agendas at work but the fact is that the State of Israel came into being able this way. Even the Germans offer of reparations to the Jews is an example (I am not of the opinion that this even comes close to what the Germans must do. This is the subject of a much longer piece and it will stir many passions. Suffice it to say that it is impossible to forgive or forget what the Nazis did to the Jews).
Closer to home, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on March 3, 2015 to Congress against the terrible Iran deal, this was another example of, "Hashem granted the people favor...". The majority of Americans opposed the Iran deal and accepted the Prime Minister's words over and above those of their own President. The American people are unfortunately suffering because their leader stubbornly persisted to make the foolhardy deal just as the Egyptian people suffered because of Pharaoh. There is a lot to be learned from the Torah. Shabbat Shalom
7. POWERBALL WINNER BOUGHT BY JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST FOR EMPLOYEE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
An American Jewish philanthropist reportedly bought one of the winning tickets in the Powerball lottery for one of his employees at a California nursing home.
According to reports on Thursday, a nurse from Pomona who won a split of the record-breaking $1.59 billion Powerball jackpot was given the ticket by her boss, nursing home owner Shlomo Reichnitz.
The 62-year-old woman is a senior registered nurse at Park Avenue Health Care and Wellness Center in Pomona, a spokesperson for Reichnitz told ABC7 in Los Angeles.
The other two winning tickets were sold in Tennessee and Florida, where no winners have been identified as of yet.
Managers at Reichnitz's California nursing home told The New York Post he bought 18,000 Powerball tickets for employees and patients at 80 nursing homes across California, one of which was a winner.
The California Lottery has not confirmed the ticket from the Pomona nursing home is the winning ticket, noted ABC7, adding that lottery officials said no one has come forward to claim the prize.
Workers at the nursing home, with the exception of the winner, gathered around a television to watch the live drawing while clutching the tickets purchased for them by Rechnitz, according to David Levy, senior manager for the center, who spoke with The New York Post.
About 30 minutes later, the big winner's kids called and told her to check her numbers.
"Her reaction was that she didn't believe it. She then pulled out her ticket and reviewed it with two other nurses — number by number," said Levy. "And then she freaked out."
Reichnitz's spokesperson told ABC7 that, even though the nurse knew she'd won, she still finished her shift before going home.
The nurse is married and has seven children, six of whom are also nurses, according to the news station.
Reichnitz is prone to acts of random and eccentric kindness, reported The New York Post, which noted that he ran into 400 American servicemen in the airport in Shannon, Ireland, this past November and handed each one of them $50 to buy themselves a warm meal.
Reichnitz himself was out of the country and unavailable for comment on Thursday.
8. WATCH: A 1,500 POUND BEAR HUG - DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jimbo, a 21-year-old Kodiak bear weighing in at nearly 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) and standing almost ten feet (three meters) tall on his hind legs, was caught on film this week showing his playful side, giving a human friend a cuddly hug that would likely terrorize most people.
[youtube:2011543]
The massive bear hug was a friendly moment with Jim Kowalczik, a retired corrections officer who serves as director of the Orphaned Wildlife Center that Jimbo calls home.
Staff at the Center explained on Facebook that Jimbo "doesn't do any performing or tricks. He has been with us since a cub."
Noting that the bear had his birthday turning 21-years-old this month, the staff added that Jimbo was born in captivity and "had no skills to be released back into the wild."
Orphaned Wildlife is a non-profit rescue center in New York.
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