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Friday, Oct. 28 '16, כ"ו בתשרי תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. REJOICING IN BROOKLYN AS STOLEN TORAH SCROLLS RECOVERED INTACT
2. GUSH ETZION MAYOR RESIGNS AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS
3. HAARETZ WRITER ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING US JOURNALIST
4. IVANKA: MY FATHER ALWAYS SUPPORTED MY DECISION TO CONVERT
5. TRUMP GAINS ON CLINTON AS ELECTION DAY NEARS
6. TEENS BREAK INTO ISRAELI SCHOOL, TORTURE AND KILL CLASSROOM PETS
7. WHEN GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE
8. FLIGHTS CANCELLED AND ROADS CLOSED AS EILAT HIT BY FLOODS
1. REJOICING IN BROOKLYN AS STOLEN TORAH SCROLLS RECOVERED INTACT
by David Rosenberg
Worshippers at a Brooklyn synagogue rejoiced Friday morning when it was discovered that four Torah scrolls which had been recently stolen were returned.
The four scrolls, valued at some $240,000, were stolen during the Simchat Torah holiday earlier this week from the Avenue O Synagogue in Flatbush.
Security cameras showed the suspected thief, a man in his 20s wearing a kippah, entering the synagogue and making off with the scrolls.
Synagogue officials say the building was locked at the time and it is unclear how the man was able to enter.
But after extensive efforts by the New York Police Department and local Jewish officials, it appears the thief had a change of heart, perhaps feeling the pressure of the ongoing investigation.
At 1:30 a.m. local time, a member of the synagogue participating in late-night study session discovered four large bags placed outside of the building entrance. Upon inspection, they were found to contain the four stolen Torah scrolls.
Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition chairman Josh Mehlman welcomed the return of the scrolls and praised the investigators who had worked towards their recovery.
"Thanks to the coordinated community efforts working in tandem with the NYPD and Flatbush Shomrim, it seems that the enormous pressure has thank G-d forced the late night return of the Torahs" said Mehlman.
Returned Torah scrolls Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition
2. GUSH ETZION MAYOR RESIGNS AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Gush Etzion Regional Council chief Davidi Perl announced Friday morning his intentions to step down from his position, after allegations that he sexually harassed a woman.
"After long deliberations regarding the matter, I have decided to step down as Regional Council head," Perl declared.
"This decision was not an easy one given my obligations to serve you [the residents of Gush Etzion] and the wide support I received from you recently, and given the findings of the council investigatory committee." The Regional Council had appointed a committee consisting of representatives of the council communities who found that there was no way to prove the allegations either way and allowed for Perl to complete his term.
Perl's decision to quit comes following more information regarding a non-disclosure agreement with his accuser, to whom Perl paid hundreds of thousands of shekels to prevent her from going public.
In September, Perl penned an open letter, admitting and explaining his payment to the accuser and defending himself from her claims, which in a sense can be seen as blackmail.
"I estimated that the mere publication of the matter would harm my family," he wrote, adding that he "preferred to pay rather than see my wife and family cry."
"In hindsight, I regret the decision I made to pay," he said. The timing was the reason, he explained, as the woman accused him right before his daughter's wedding and he knew that there would be no time to clear himself before the accusation would ruin the family occasion.
The young woman in question initially brought her complaint to Takana, a forum of prominent religious Zionist figures which is meant to fight sexual abuse in the religious Zionist community, investigate and deal with complaints in a discreet manner, but has no legal status and can only request to meet with parties to a complaint.
After Perl refused to appear before the Takana committee, hoping to settle the matter of an accusation which he denies without any publicity, someone leaked the story to Channel 10, which aired the accusations. It is not known who went to the media with the story, which was known only to Takana members, the woman and Perl.
3. HAARETZ WRITER ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING US JOURNALIST
by David Rosenberg
Earlier this month American Jewish journalist Danielle Berrin accused an unnamed Israeli author of sexual assault, saying he had grabbed her by the head and tried to force her towards him.
On Thursday, Haaretz writer Ari Shavit acknowledged that he was the subject of Ms. Berrin's accusations, but downplayed the incident, calling it an attempt at courtship gone awry.
Writing in the Jewish Journal, Berrin recounted a late-night interview with Shavit in 2014, who was in the US promoting his new book, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel.
After asking Berrin a series of probing personal questions, she claims, Shavit got physical.
"[H]e lurched at me like a barnyard animal, grabbing the back of my head, pulling me toward him. I turned my face to the left and bowed my head to avoid his mouth."
Berrin pointed out that Shavit was married with children, facts that did not seem of much concern to him.
"Last night, in front of everybody, you spoke so lovingly about your wife," Berrin said as he lunged at her.
"We have an arrangement," he reportedly replied.
"Don't you have children?" Berrin asked, to which he responded, "Yes, and I'm not done yet."
Shavit then reportedly suggested the two go up to his hotel room.
In a statement published in Haaretz on Thursday, Shavit admitted he had made advances on Ms. Berrin, but denied they constituted sexual assault.
"I completely misunderstood our interaction in that meeting," wrote Shavit. "Until I read this week the article she published, I felt that we had a friendly meeting that included, among other things, elements of dalliance. I did not for a moment think that sexual harassment had occurred. But what I saw as courtship, Berrin saw as inappropriate behavior and even harassment from me."
Shavit also apologized to Berrin for "this misunderstanding."
4. IVANKA: MY FATHER ALWAYS SUPPORTED MY DECISION TO CONVERT
by JTA
[youtube:2020367]
JTA - Speaking at a synagogue in Florida, Ivanka Trump assured Jewish voters that her father would "100 percent" move the US embassy to Jerusalem if he is elected president.
Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism in 2010 and is married to a Jewish man, called her father, the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, an "unbelievable champion" for the State of Israel and for the Jewish people during a talk on Thursday at The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida, the Jewish Insider reported. "You won't be disappointed," she told the audience during the talk, which was filmed in part.
In addition to saying Donald Trump will move the embassy to Jerusalem, which she called "the eternal capital," she also said he supported her conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner.
"I so respect the fact that he supported me from day one," she said. "There was no question, there was no argument. He was very supportive."
Asked how Judaism has inspired her to be what she is today, Ivanka Trump said, "I feel like Judaism helps your moral compass." Judaism "has been a great blessing in my life," she added.
Ivanka Trump and her sister Tiffany also made campaign stops in Jupiter and Riviera Beach, according to the Trump campaign.
Jewish voters represent 3 to 6 percent of the electorate in the key battleground state of Florida. Clinton is ahead by 1.6 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics average. A recent poll showed Clinton leading Trump by 43 points among Jewish voters in the Sunshine State.
Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating the move of the embassy to Jerusalem, but allowed the president a waiver. Each president since then has routinely exercised the waiver, citing the national security interests of the United States.
In December, while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition, Donald Trump refused to commit to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital. But by January, he said it was "the eternal capital" of Israel and that he was "100 percent for" moving the embassy there.
5. TRUMP GAINS ON CLINTON AS ELECTION DAY NEARS
by David Rosenberg
With less than two weeks left till Election Day November 8th, polls show Donald Trump gaining back some of the strength his campaign lost earlier this month, following the release of an
11-year old recording of Trump speaking off the record regarding his treatment of women.
Now, as Wikileaks releases leaks by FBI agents frustrated with bureau chief James Comey's decision not to recommend an indictment of Hillary Clinton, and documents released under the Freedom of Information Act fuel renewed criticism of the former Secretary of State, her seven-point lead is in decline.
According to the latest Fox News poll, Clinton's honest and trustworthy ratings have hit a new all-time low. Just 30% of voters now say they believe the former Secretary of State is honest and trustworthy, compared to 67% who believe she is not.
Just 10 days ago many in the media declared the election over, as Mrs. Clinton had accumulated a 7.1 point lead over Mr. Trump in the RealClearPolitics average of polling, with some polls giving her a double-digit advantage.
Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight analysis and prediction website placed the odds of a Trump victory at just over 14% in mid-October.
Over the past two weeks, however, it appears that Republican voters who abandoned Trump following the third debate and scandal sparked by Trump's lewd 2005 comments are now returning to the fold and signaling their support for their party's standard bearer.
In the course of 10 days, Clinton's lead in the average of polls has been cut from 7.1 points to 5.4.
This comes despite the late entrance of conservative independent candidate Evan McMullin, who, polls show is garnering a significant share of the vote in some GOP-leaning states like his native Utah.
Even polls which hitherto showed a significant lead for Clinton have shifted towards Trump.
The ABC/Washington Post poll, which earlier this month showed Clinton ahead by 12, 50 to 38, has now shrunk to a 6 point lead.
Gravis gives Clinton just a one-point advantage, while CVOTER International shows a two-point lead for the Democrat.
Trump's improved position also extends to battleground states, handing him leads in Iowa and Ohio.
In Florida, Clinton's lead in the average of polls has been cut since mid-October from a four-point lead to just one point six. Two of the most recent polls, ESA/Pulse Opinion Research and Dixie Strategies, show Trump ahead by a margin of three and four points respectively.
While Clinton still leads in North Carolina, three of the latest polls show a virtual dead-heat. The Democratic Public Policy Polling firm shows Clinton head by three, while the Republican firm Remington Research, gives Trump a lead of the same size. Monmouth shows Clinton ahead by just one point – well within the margin of error.
Monmouth shows Trump ahead by a single point in Arizona – a traditionally red state with a significant Hispanic population that Mrs. Clinton hopes will propel her to victory there in November.
6. TEENS BREAK INTO ISRAELI SCHOOL, TORTURE AND KILL CLASSROOM PETS
by Reut Hadar
[video:2020362]
Police arrested two youths Thursday evening, on suspicion they were involved the killing of small animals belonging to a school in Yavneh, near Ashdod.
The two teens, both 16-years old, were allegedly part of a group that broke into the school earlier this week.
Members of the group found a small petting zoo in the school, and proceeded to torture small animals kept in the zoo. Several of the animals died from the injuries they sustained during the incident.
One of the arrested youths was brought before a district court Petah Tikva Friday morning, which extended his arrest by three days.
Local police are continuing their investigation into the break-in, and are considering bringing charges of breaking and entering, animal abuse, the unwarranted killing of animals, property damage, and illegal possession of a knife.
7. WHEN GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE
by Judy Simon
Learn what did God create on each of the six days of creation - and how did God count days?
Plus: Neuro-science professor Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky shares some of the current thoughts about how the Torah's description of creation and scientific theories of evolution can be understood together.
[audio:2020363]
Click here to download the podcast
8. FLIGHTS CANCELLED AND ROADS CLOSED AS EILAT HIT BY FLOODS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[video:2020360]
Israel's southern-most town, Eilat, was pummeled by heavy rains Thursday night and Friday morning, leading to flooding across large parts of the city and the closure of major transportation arteries.
After a runway at the Eilat Airport became swamped, flights to and from the airport were redirected to the nearby Ovda Airport.
[video:2020361]
Police also announced the closure of a number of roads in and around Eilat due to the flooding, including a stretch of Route 90. Several roads servicing local hotels were also flooded.
The rains dumped more than 1.25 inches (32 millimeters) of rain over night – more than the southern town receives on average in an entire year.
According to the weather forecast Israelis can expect additional local rains from the northern Negev to the Galilee. Temperatures are expected to continue to drop significantly.
Partially cloudy weather is expected for Saturday, with no further change in temperature.
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