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Friday, Jul. 29 '16, כ"ג בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
by Ido Ben Porat
The Jerusalem District Attorney's office today (Friday) filed an indictment in the city's Magistrate Court against Rabbi Eliezer Berland on charges of indecent acts without consent, indecent acts towards a minor by exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship, and aggravated assault.
In the indictment, Rabbi Berland is named as having served as the Rabbi and leader of the "Shuvu Banim" community and Yeshiva in Jerusalem, many of whose members were concentrated near his residences in Jerusalem and Beitar Ilit.
As part of the obligations associated with his position, he held meetings for purposes of religious and spiritual guidance and instruction with male and female members of his community, and others, in his house and other places.
The indictment states that Rabbi Berland took advantage of these meetings and his status on numerous occasions to commit sexual acts - without consent and while exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship - with women and female minors.
Following the exposure of some of his deeds by a man who had discovered them, the indictment says, Rabbi Berland ordered two of his followers to assault the man.
As has been reported on Arutz Sheva, the extradition process of Rabbi Berland from South Africa was recently completed, involving the Israel Police, the International Division of the State Attorney's office, and Foreign Ministry elements.
The prosecution has requested that Rabbi Berland remain in custody until trial.
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
by JTA
The French education ministry has begun investigating a Parisian high school teacher who allegedly shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with her pupils on Facebook.
CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, complained to the ministry about the teacher earlier this week, according to a report Thursday in the group's newsletter.
It did not name the female teacher in question but said she teaches at the prestigious Janson-de-Sailly school, a post high-school preparatory course, and that she invited the course's students to follow her Facebook page.
The CRIF report was based on original reporting by the Le Canard Enchainé, a satirical weekly, which, alongside cartoons and satirical articles, also features investigative journalism items and news.
On the teacher's Facebook page, she wrote, according to Le Canard Enchainé, against "the American Jewish lobby" that she said supports Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She also wrote that French President Francois Hollande "is a Jew who benefited from his belonging to that community to ascend in politics and who now denies this," pretending to have a 'Catholic' father on Wikipedia. Hollande "is Jewish and denies it. Backpedaling will begin all over, now that it is less beneficial for Jewry," the teacher also wrote, according to the CRIF newsletter.
On the Holocaust, she wrote: "The Shoah was designed and organized by Jews."
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
by AFP
Pope Francis was set to meet Holocaust survivors at the former Auschwitz death camp in Poland Friday, as well as people who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis.
The Argentine will lead prayers for the 1.1 million mostly Jewish victims and has said that rather than making a speech he will stand in silent contemplation of the horrors committed and let his tears flow.
As he arrived on Wednesday in Poland -- the heartland of Nazi Germany's World War II atrocities -- the pontiff warned that the world had been plunged into a piecemeal Third World War.
He has repeatedly denounced those committing crimes in the name of religion, after Europe suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
[youtube:2017651]
Francis will walk through the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) gate at Auschwitz, before meeting the survivors in front of the death wall where the Nazis summarily shot thousands of inmates.
The pontiff, who has forged ever-closer ties between the Catholic Church and Jews since his election in 2013, will meet 12 survivors, including a 101-year-old woman, at the site which is now a memorial and museum.
He will pray in the cell where Polish priest and saint Maximilian Kolbe died after taking the place of a condemned man.
The visit falls on the 75th anniversary of the day Kolbe was sentenced to death.
'Scream against injustice'
Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich welcomed the pontiff's intention to remain silent during his visit to the camp, saying "often people go to Auschwitz... and they are silent (about the horrors) for the rest of their lives".
"Instead, once we leave Birkenau we must spend the rest of our lives screaming, yelling and fighting all kinds of injustices," he said Thursday.
The pope will travel the two miles (three kilometers) to Birkenau, the main extermination site, and be driven along tracks laid in 1944 to allow trains of prisoners to be transported right to the gas chambers and crematoria.
There, some 25 Christian Poles who risked their lives during the war to help hide and protects Jews - a group recognized by Israel's Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" - will recount their stories to the pope.
The Holocaust is an extremely delicate subject in Poland, where locals fueled by anti-Semitism were accused, often accurately, of butchering Jews or delivering them to the Nazis. Polish society has been struggling with its role in the Holocaust ever since.
Those righteous Poles who stood up against the Nazi evil to help the Jews sometimes paid the ultimate price.
A Hebrew prayer for the dead will be read aloud in Polish by Stanislaw Ruszala, Catholic parish priest of the town of Markowa, where a family was wiped out after they were discovered to be sheltering Jews. Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children were butchered. Wiktoria, who was seven months pregnant at the time, had started giving birth before she was executed, according to the Vatican.
More than 100,000 non-Jewish Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, homosexuals and anti-Nazi partisans also died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in occupied Poland. The Soviet Red Army liberated it in 1945.
Two of the pope's predecessors also visited the camp: John Paul II - a former archbishop of Krakow - in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2006.
Arutz Sheva contributed to this report
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
by AFP
Aid agencies called today (Friday) on Syria's government to end its encirclement of rebel-held east Aleppo as a handful of civilians managed to use humanitarian corridors to flee the ruined city.
Pro-regime forces have surrounded Aleppo's eastern districts since July 17, leaving an estimated 250,000 trapped without reliable access to food or medical aid.
Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday announced the opening of humanitarian passages for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit the city's rebel-held eastern neighbourhoods.
The Red Cross welcomed the corridors but said Russia and pro-government forces had an obligation to protect everyone in Aleppo, once Syria's economic hub and a battleground city seen as key in its five-year-old conflict.
"Those who decide, for whatever reason, to stay in Eastern Aleppo must be protected, and all sides must allow humanitarian agencies to reach and assess their well-being and needs," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.
Residents have reported food shortages and spiraling prices in rebel-held districts since regime forces cut off the opposition's main supply route into the northern city.
The US-based International Rescue Committee said those left behind in east Aleppo risked starvation and called for a humanitarian pause in fighting.
"The people of Aleppo should not be forced to choose between fleeing their homes and remaining under attack in a besieged area," said IRC's acting Middle East director Zoe Daniels.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday that three humanitarian corridors were being opened "to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for fighters wishing to lay down their arms".
But only a few Aleppo residents were able to leave eastern neighborhoods through the passages before rebels prevented them from fleeing, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"Around 12 people managed to use the Bustan al-Qasr corridor before rebel groups reinforced security measures and prevented families from approaching the corridors," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The UN has warned that any corridors must be used voluntarily and protection be guaranteed.
An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty on Friday morning, with residents holed up indoors. Shops were shuttered and generators in several neighbourhoods had stopped after their fuel ran out.
Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia and the regime of forcing civilians to flee through continued bombing raids. "What is happening now is not battles, but the complete and systematic destruction of the city and its residents, whether they are civilians or
fighters," he told AFP.
Regime aircraft bombed eastern areas of Aleppo overnight, the Observatory said, without specifying casualties.
Civilian deaths mount
Analysts say that losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the armed opposition and could signal a turning point in the conflict, which began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
More than 280,000 have been killed in a devastating war that has seen the spread of jihadist groups and dragged in world powers seeking to stem their growth.
A US-led coalition is conducting an aerial campaign against the Islamic State group, which despite battlefield losses still controls areas of north and northeastern Syria.
The Observatory said that the death toll from coalition strikes Thursday on the IS-controlled town of Ghandoura had risen to 28 civilians, including children.
The town is near Manbij, a strategic point on the road between Turkey and the IS bastion of Raqa, and came after the coalition opened a formal investigation to determine whether nearby air strikes last week claimed dozens of civilian lives.
ISIS meanwhile executed 24 civilians in a village close to Manbij, after seizing Buyir from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Observatory said.
ISIS's main jihadist rival Al-Nusra Front announced Thursday it was splitting from its parent organisation, Al-Qaeda.
A video showing its leader Abu Mohamad al-Jolani for the first time announced the break with the global terror network, although the US responded by saying it still considers Al-Nusra a security threat.
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
by Shimon Cohen
Hamas has conducted a self-defense and weapons course for the wives of their officials, apparently due to fear of Israeli assassination attempts.
In a report by the Palestinian SAFA news agency, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, head of the security and defense apparatus in the Gaza Strip, General Bahjat Abu Sultan is quoted speaking about the training program, in which hundreds of female family members of Hamas ministers, deputy ministers, and security and defense commanders were instructed theoretically and practically, including in field exercises.
Abu Sultan further described the content of the course as including instruction in the methods of Israeli intelligence agencies in sending Palestinian collaborators to infiltrate Hamas, and raising awareness of the social and political situation in the Gaza Strip while emphasizing the importance of protecting Hamas officials and their households from harm by "the enemy," Israel.
As for the field training, the Hamas General explained that they are geared towards "preparing them to defend themselves and to cope with the genuine danger that these officials and their homes will be targeted by the enemies."
The whole course took eight days, and included 40 hours of training and study, ending last Sunday.
A different Palestinian media source quoted Abu-Sultan describing plans for a similar course for the children of Hamas officials.
'Abd Al-Karim Al-Sha'er, director of the instruction department of the security and defense apparatus, explained further that the training of the women had included: "Israeli methods of causing Palestinians to collaborate with Israel and how to protect oneself from them; securing houses; cyber-security; dealing with suspicious objects; psychological warfare; first aid; weapon assembly, disassembly, and use; and visiting an exhibit of various explosive devices in order to recognize suspicious objects and different types of explosives."
MEMRI also gathered some reactions from Palestinians to this training program, with many complaining that this shows how much Hamas worry only about the safety of their officials, and not about the rest of the population.
Others remarked that this training for the wives of the officials is entirely unnecessary, as the moment Israel attacks, the officials will flee with their families to their previously prepared and stocked underground hiding places.
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Chacham" Yom Tov Yedid, the oldest Rabbi in the Syrian Jewish community in the US, died on Wednesday night in New York. He was 93.
In his younger years, Rabbi Yedid served as the chief Rabbi of the famed and ancient Jewish community in Aleppo Syria, while it was still thriving and growing, before pogroms and persecutions led to the emigration of the vast majority of the community to Israel and, primarily, the United States, and before the ongoing Syrian civil war ravaged the remaining testaments to its glory. Leading the Sephardic community with a firm hand, never compromising on matters of Jewish law, the "Chacham" - wise man (a title given to great Rabbis among Sephardic Jews) was nevertheless beloved by his community, in Aleppo and later on in New York.
After arriving in New York, he continued to serve as an inspirational figure for the Syrian community and the Jewish community at large, but did not take an official public position, devoting his time to Torah study and writing a series of books of commentary on the Hebrew Bible.
He developed a relationship with the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of Sephardic Jewry in Israel, through correspondence discussing Chacham Yedid's books. Later on, a personal relationship was established with Rabbi Yosef's son, current Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzchak Yosef.
Chief Rabbi Yosef commented on Rabbi Yedid's passing:
"The Sephardic Torah world has lost today one of its foremost Rabbanim, one of the last [connections] to the previous generation and the golden age of Sephardic Jewry."
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
by Haim Lev
MK Eliezer Menachem Moses (United Torah Judaism) sent a letter to Religious Services Minister David Azulai (Shas) describing a violent atmosphere in the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (a sage of Tannaitic times known by his acronym Rashbi) in the Galilee mountain town of Meron.
"Every Shabbat, people who have come to pray at Rashbi's grave are subjected to serious deed of violent bullying, and there's no one to turn to! There's no one in charge there, no one to keep the public order!" wrote Moses to Azulai.
In the letter, MK Moses describes the events that occurred last Saturday at the Shabbat prayers in Meron.
"During the morning prayers, some people walked into one of the synagogues and started acting in a very violent manner that scared the worshipers. They cursed, yelled, pushed, physically assaulted people, and threatened to stab them with a knife. The worshipers fled with their Torah scroll from one synagogue room to the other, with these thugs pursuing them. The thugs continued pushing and shoving and even threatened a hassidic Rabbi who was there. This behavior continued throughout Shabbat."
Moses wrote that the events of the last Shabbat are typical of repeated incidents of this type that happen every week at Rashbi's grave. "One week, bullies came up from the Meron river area, stole all the milk and cakes that were donated for the visiting public, and took them for themselves into the forests.
"As is known, the site is crowded, thousands of visitors arrive weekly to stay in the town and pray at Rashbi's grave. All these people are subjected to these acts of violence, and there's no one to turn to! Incident follows incident and complaints are piled upon older complaints while nothing is done," he continued, also noting that the site suffers frequent technical issues with air-conditioning and electricity often failing.
MK Moses ended his letter with an urgent call to action: "I beseech you, as the Minister in authority over the site, to act immediately and appoint someone to be in charge of the site in order to deal with whatever problems may arise, whether in terms of maintenance of in terms of the security of the visitors and worshipers, and as soon as possible."
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017650]
The Democratic party officially nominated Hillary Clinton as their nominee for President of the United States at the party's national convention in Philadelphia this week, extending the decades-long Clinton visibility and viability in American politics.
Former President Bill Clinton gave an emotional speech telling the story of his romance with Hillary on Tuesday, weaving an emotional tale of decades spent "talking and laughing together."
Some were skeptical of this picture, remembering the scandals that marred the late years of the Clinton presidency.
All this added to the already-intense scrutiny of Bill's conduct as wife Hillary accepted the nomination in a speech last night (Thursday).
While nominee Hillary Clinton was pledging to triumph over ISIS efforts to "reach and radicalize young people in our country" through online propaganda, former President Bill Clinton was caught on camera dozing off, while sitting next to a pointedly nodding Tim Kaine, nominee for Vice President.
As Donald Trump's continued bombastic statements will no doubt feed into the perception of him being an unstable character, Hillary Clinton's inability to hold the attention of her husband enough to keep him awake will no doubt play into the hands of those who portray her as boring and robotic.
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