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Monday, Sep. 26 '16, כ"ג באלול תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF FRANCE LAID TO REST
2. CHUCK SCHUMER: ANTI-SEMITISM IN TOO MANY EUROPEAN HOMES
3. TRUMP LEADS IN COLORADO AND OHIO, NEARLY TIED IN PENNSYLVANIA
4. 'INVITE ME TO HOLIDAY TOAST OR I'LL SHUT DOWN CITY SCHOOLS'
5. 'LEADERSHIP BY BUREACRATS ENDANGERS DEMOCRACY, NOT AMONA LAW'
6. JORDANIAN WRITER WHO 'INSULTED ISLAM' SHOT DEAD
7. CLINTON: I'LL OPPOSE UNILATERAL INITIATIVES AGAINST ISRAEL
8. MUSLIMS SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISLAMIC EXTREMISM
1. WATCH: FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF FRANCE LAID TO REST
by Eliran Aharon
The former Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Joseph Haim Sitruk, was brought to his final resting place Monday morning in Jerusalem.
After a service in France yesterday evening, Rabbi Sitruk's remains were flown to Israel early Monday morning.
Born in Tunis, Rabbi Sitruk immigrated with his family to France, where he later served as Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg and Marseille. From 1987 to 2008, Rabbi Sitruk served as Chief Rabbi of France, a position he held even after suffering a stroke in 2001.
On Sunday Rabbi Sitruk passed away at the age of 71, leaving behind his wife and nine children.
Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar eulogized Sitruk, saying that "All of the great rabbis valued and admired him. He exemplified the expression 'anyone who fears God is heard.'"
A statement released by the Shas party said Rabbi Sitruk "He "elevated French Jewry in the manner and tradition received from previous generations, worked with pleasantness and charm to bring people to love of God and maintained strong connections with the French government in order to promote the needs of the French Jewish community."
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2. CHUCK SCHUMER: ANTI-SEMITISM IN TOO MANY EUROPEAN HOMES
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2019550]
Speaking at the Israeli American Council's 2016 National Israeli American Conference, New York Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat) lambasted efforts to delegitimize and boycott the Jewish state, slamming the BDS movement as "a modern form of anti-Semitism."
"Those who call for boycotts of Israel… are practicing whether they know it or not - a modern form of anti-Semitism."
Schumer compared the BDS movement to the radical Students for a Democratic Society, which in the 1960s launched mass demonstrations against the US government on campuses across the country.
"They ultimately don't believe there should be a Jewish state in the Middle East and are guilty of the same anti-Semitism. We need to make that argument loudly and strongly and go against the BDS movement and call it for what it is, an anti-Semitic and not just anti-Israel movement."
"I applaud the governors of New York and California for" passing anti-BDS legislation, Schumer added.
While anti-Semitism is enjoying a renaissance on American college campuses, Schumer said, the problem is far worse in Europe.
"Unfortunately anti-Semitism seems to be in far too many European homes."
Schumer noted that the hatred of Israel and correlating anti-Semitism is on the rise on both the fringe right and far-left in Europe, citing the UK Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn as an example.
"Europe has shown how anti-Israel and anti-Semitic the BDS movement really is. Far-right parties are experiencing a rebirth, and far-left parties... like the Labour party under Corbyn are increasingly anti-Israel.
"Terrorism and violence against Jews is on the rise, from vandalizing synagogues to the horrible attack on a Jewish grocery in Paris. It is no wonder that last year in France, home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, set a record for the migration of Jews to Israel.
"The Jewish people can never put the fate of Israel in the hands of Europe in any way."
3. TRUMP LEADS IN COLORADO AND OHIO, NEARLY TIED IN PENNSYLVANIA
by David Rosenberg
With just hours to go until Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off at Hofstra University in New York for the first of three presidential debates, the Republican nominee continues to climb in state polling, gaining ground in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, and retaining his lead in Ohio.
In national polling, Clinton leads on average by roughly 2 points – 1.9% according to FiveThirtyEight, and 2.4% according to the RealClearPolitics average. In both cases, her lead is within the margin of error.
Battleground states drifting towards Trump
On the state-level, however, polling shows a slow but steady slide towards Trump.
Trump now leads in states worth 266 electoral votes, compared to 272 that lean towards Hillary, just two more than she needs to win the White House. But gains in battleground states suggest the trajectory is towards Trump and away from Hillary – albeit at a modest pace.
In Ohio, the latest Gravis poll shows Trump up by 1 point, though the RCP average shows him with a 1.8% lead in the must-win Buckeye state.
More significantly, the latest polls in Colorado show Trump finally gaining traction in a state with a large proportion of both college-educated whites and Hispanics – two demographics that hitherto have favored Clinton.
A new Gravis poll shows Trump up by four points in Colorado. A Quinnipiac poll gives Clinton a two-point lead – down from eight points in mid-August, representing a six-point swing towards Trump. A YouGov poll also shows a virtual tie, with Clinton leading by just one point – 40% to 39%. The RCP average now puts Colorado as a virtual tie, with Clinton holding on to the narrowest of leads: just 0.4%.
In Missouri, which once appeared vulnerable earlier in the cycle, Trump has opened up a significant lead, with the latest YouGov poll giving him a nine-point lead there.
Even in Maine, a state which has voted Democrat in every election since 1992, Trump has narrowed Clinton's lead to just four-points – 36% to Clinton's 40%. With so many undecided voters, that could potentially put the state in play. Trump leads in the state's 2nd Congressional District, which awards its electoral vote separately from the state, by a whopping 14 points, 48% to 34%.
Also encouraging for Trump is the six-point swing in Pennsylvania. With 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania has voted consistently Democrat since 1992 and is a must-win state for Clinton. The latest Morning Call survey, however, shows Trump gaining six points on Clinton in just the last week, rising from 32% to 38%, as Clinton remains steady at 40%.
Debate opportunities for Trump – and Clinton
With the election essentially tied – or with a razor-thin Clinton lead – Monday night's debate offers Trump the opportunity to gain momentum to propel him past the former Secretary of State and gain a decisive lead.
Much like Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election's single debate, the GOP nominee's primary goal is to diffuse questions regarding his disposition, and reassure college-educated white voters – particularly college-educated suburban white women – who typically lean Republican that he is temperamentally fit to serve.
Ironically, Clinton's efforts for months to paint her opponent as unstable has in some ways aided him, lowering the bar significantly and providing him the opportunity to win over moderates with a steady debate performance.
On the other hand, the debate could also prove decisive for Mrs. Clinton in regaining a commanding lead in the election.
If Clinton manages to provoke Trump into making the kind of personal attacks that characterized many of the Republican debates in 2015 and early 2016, marginally Republican voters could again abandon Trump and give Clinton an edge.
4. 'INVITE ME TO HOLIDAY TOAST OR I'LL SHUT DOWN CITY SCHOOLS'
by David Rosenberg
One man's wounded pride nearly shut down schools across an Israeli town, leaving parents scrambling to make arrangements.
The city of Rosh Ha'Ayin in central Israel narrowly averted a school strike Monday morning, after the mayor met with the head of a labor union representing employees of the municipality.
The strike had originally been called on Sunday by local union chief Yehiel Vahev after he failed to receive an invitation to a toast by the mayor in honor of the holiday season, Israel Hayom reported.
On Sunday Vahev explained the reasoning for the planned strike, calling the lack of an invite a "provocation against the workers' union that intentionally created needless shock in the system."
Had the strike been implemented, it would have affected all public preschools and kindergartens in the city.
According to Vahev, the mayor's unwillingness to invite him to the toast "leaves the workers' union with no choice but to use what legal tools it has."
Parents protested the decision to strike, and the city filed a request in the district labor court to bar the strike.
Following the uproar, the mayor and union leader agreed Sunday night to meet to discuss workers' issues in Rosh Ha'Ayin. After the agreement was reached, Vahev nixed the planned strike.
"I agreed to concede and cancel" the strike, said Vahev, "so as not to harm the parents and students. The mayor promised [to hold a meeting with me], let's see how things turn out."
5. 'LEADERSHIP BY BUREACRATS ENDANGERS DEMOCRACY, NOT AMONA LAW'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Shuli Mualem (Jewish Home), responded to a harsh statement made by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit regarding the proposed bill to normalize the town of Amona in Samaria.
MK Mualem issued a scathing critique of Mandelblit's warning that proposed bills to end questions of the legality of Amona would undermine democracy.
"What is dangerous for Israeli democracy is the leadership of bureaucratic clerks," said Mualem.
"The public wants a certain public policy and, in accordance, determines who will be its leaders but the clerks are meant to advise the chosen representatives," Mualem said.
Mualem stated that, "in addition to that, the bill that would normalize the status of settlements is a national issue, and is the greatest response against the Arab claim over Judea and Samaria."
According to a report by Channel 10, the Attorney General privately warned that such an amendment to the Absentee Property law would constitute "a mortal blow to the foundations of the rule of law," adding that it would mark, in effect, an "end to democracy" in Israel.
Mandelblit noted the Supreme Court's own criticism of such proposals, which the Court has in the past said would seriously harm ownership and property rights in Israel.
Mandelblit was IDF Chief Legal Military Advocate General when the "disengagement" from Gaza and northern Samaria took place.
6. JORDANIAN WRITER WHO 'INSULTED ISLAM' SHOT DEAD
by Ben Ariel
A prominent and outspoken Jordanian writer was shot dead on Sunday in front of the courthouse where he had been on trial for posting a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam on social media, The Associated Press reported.
A Jordanian security official said the shooter was a former imam at a local mosque, and said the man had been motivated by his anger over the cartoon posted to Facebook by writer Nahed Hattar.
The shooting was the latest in a string of deadly security lapses in Jordan, noted AP.
Witnesses and police said Hattar, 56, was preparing to enter the courthouse for a hearing when the gunman shot him at close range.
The witness said the shooter, who was immediately arrested, was wearing a long grey robe and long beard characteristic of conservative Muslims.
Jordanian media identified the shooter as Riad Abdullah, 49, a former imam in northern Hashmi, a poor neighborhood in Amman.
The reports said Abdullah had recently returned from a trip abroad, but gave no further details.
A security official who spoke to AP declined to confirm the suspect's name, but said he had confessed to the shooting and claimed he had acted alone and had no connections to any militant group.
Prosecutors charged the man with premeditated murder, committing a deadly terrorist act and possession of an unlicensed weapon. The suspect was detained for 15 days while the case was referred to the State Security Court.
According to AP, the cartoon posted by Hattar depicted a bearded man – assumed to be the Muslim Prohpet Mohammed – smoking and in bed with two women, asking God to bring him wine and cashews.
Insulting the Prophet Mohammed is viewed upon sternly in the Muslim world. Cartoons of the prophet deemed to be insulting to him have already enraged Muslims around the world on several occasions and are linked to several terrorist attacks in recent years.
Last January, gunmen killed 12 people at the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in anger at the magazine's cartoons featuring the Prophet. The magazine had previously been targeted over its portrayal of Mohammed.
In another incident, a competition featuring Mohammed cartoons in a suburb of Dallas, Texas came under attack by two gunmen. Police in Arizona later stepped up security near a mosque in Phoenix, where protesters from an anti-Islam group planned to draw cartoons of the prophet.
In 2012, the "Innocence of Muslims" film, which depicted the Muslim prophet as a thuggish deviant, triggered a wave of violent protests in the Muslim world that left dozens dead.
Joranian government spokesman Mohammad Momani condemned Hattar's killing as a "heinous crime", saying, according to AP, "The government will strike with an iron hand all those who exploit this crime to broadcast speeches of hatred to our community."
Hattar has long been a controversial figure in Jordan, the news agency noted. Years ago, he claimed that the late King Hussein had arrested and tortured him many times for his critical writings and vowed not to mourn the king, who died in 1999.
While born a Christian, he considered himself an atheist. He was a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and an outspoken critic of the Islamic State group and of Al-Qaeda.
Hattar was detained in August after sharing the cartoon on Facebook. Relatives said the cartoon was meant to illustrate what Hattar viewed as the twisted religious views of Islamic State extremists.
The post was quickly deleted after it resulted in many angry responses.
7. CLINTON: I'LL OPPOSE UNILATERAL INITIATIVES AGAINST ISRAEL
by Elad Benari
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met on Sunday evening in New York with Democratic Presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The meeting was held at the W hotel and lasted for nearly an hour, the Prime Minister's Office said.
Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer and Jake Sullivan, senior policy advisor also participated in the meeting.
Netanyahu discussed with Clinton a broad range of issues relating to advancing peace and stability in the Middle East as well as the potential for economic growth through technological innovation.
Netanyahu also thanked Clinton for her friendship and support for Israel, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
Clinton's campaign said in a statement following the meeting that a "strong and secure Israel" is vital to the United States.
Clinton "reaffirmed her unwavering commitment" to the U.S.-Israel relationship and stressed her support for the new military aid agreement reached earlier in September and her commitment to countering efforts to boycott Israel, added the statement.
The meeting followed Netanyahu's earlier meeting with the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, which lasted about 90 minutes and took place at the Trump Tower.
Trump told Netanyahu during the meeting that if elected president, he would recognize Jerusalem as the "undivided capital" of Israel, ending a long-standing U.S. policy which has kept the American embassy in Tel Aviv.
Other topics of discussion included the Iran nuclear deal and the regional turmoil caused by the rise of the ISIS terror organization.
8. MUSLIMS SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISLAMIC EXTREMISM
by Emily Rose
[youtube:2019554]
"We are the forefront of a major national campaign," Rabbi Marc Schneier, Founder and President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, told Arutz Sheva at the Israeli American Council National Conference, describing the MASO movement, an acronym for "Muslims Are Speaking Out".
The movement was founded by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and is trying to show the world that there are Muslims condemning extremism. The two-year national campaign aims at empowering moderate Muslims and non-Muslims alike to speak out against terrorism and extremism.
Major American Muslim organizations have already backed the initiative, including the Iranian Students' News Agency and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Rabbi Schneier said that he is at the forefront of a major national campaign this year and that the goal of the campaign is to refute the popular opinion that Muslims don't speak out against Islamic extremism and terrorism.
The latest initiative by Rabbi Schneier is to create a coalition of the most prominent American Muslim leaders to reach out to Hamas leaders, asking them to release the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014 during Operation Brother's Keeper that are still being held hostage by Hamas.
Rabbi Schneier today announced the release of an "open letter signed by 10 prominent American Muslim political and religious leaders – including the two Muslim members of the U.S. House of Representatives – which calls on Hamas leader Khaled Meshal to release the remains of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul."
"People who fight for their rights are only honorable when they fight for the rights of all people," Schneier told Arutz Sheva.
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