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Friday, Sep. 09 '16, ו' באלול תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. 'HE WHO ASCENDS THE TEMPLE MOUNT NEEDS TO REPENT'
2. CIA CHIEF: ISIS WILL REMAIN A THREAT FOR QUITE A WHILE
3. KNESSET TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF ISRAEL SPACE PROGRAM
4. ANOTHER BODY FOUND FROM PARKING GARAGE COLLAPSE
5. CORRELATION BETWEEN JEWISH HOLIDAYS AND TWITTER FAUX PAS?
6. NORTH KOREA CONDUCTS LARGEST EVER NUCLEAR TEST
7. STUDENT DRESSED AS HITLER WINS PRIZE IN AUSTRALIA
8. SAMARIAN COUNCIL TAKES FIGHT AGAINST BDS TO WASHINGTON
1. 'HE WHO ASCENDS THE TEMPLE MOUNT NEEDS TO REPENT'
by Hezki Baruch
Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef participated last night in a night of Torah study held near the gravesite of Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook, on the anniversary of Rabbi Kook's passing.
Rabbi Kook was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi in Israel during the British Mandate. His thought has provided the basis for "Religious Zionist" ideology within Israel.
At the event, Rabbi Yosef addressed a number of issues pertaining to the application of Jewish law in modern Israeli society, and invoked Rabbi Kook to support his views.
Rabbi Yosef addressed the issue of "agunot" – women whose husbands will not or cannot grant them a Jewish bill of divorce, and criticized rabbis who "make noise" and are lenient in freeing agunot from their married status. "Rabbi Kook didn't jump to be lenient like rabbis today. Files of "agunim" [the male counterpart of "agunot"] and agunot come to me, there are a lot of agunim which the press doesn't talk about – they only talk about agunot.
"Men come to me and tell me that their wives are extorting them, and I sign for them and they take another wife. By us Sephardim, it is allowed to take another wife when a religious court allows it; this allowance comes from Rabbi Kook," he said.
Rabbi Yosef also addressed the question of conversions, saying: "I had an argument with one of the head politicians who was trying to get me to be lenient in conversions. Rabbi Kook fought against this."
Addressing the issue of religious youth groups in which males and females participate together, Rabbi Yosef said: "Rabbi Kook demanded separation between males and females in youth groups and at school."
Rabbi Yosef also opposed Jews ascending the Temple Mount, invoking Rabbi Kook in the process: "How often did Rabbi Kook say not to ascend the Temple Mount; the rabbis as a whole, too, strongly opposed this practice. In a judgment on the matter by the Rabbinical Committee it was decided that most Rabbinical Authorities of the generation oppose Jews ascending the Temple Mount.
"There are some who allow it, but majority rules. It is a serious prohibition. He who ascends the Temple Mount – now is the time [before the High Holidays of repentance] – he needs to repent," Rabbi Yosef said.
2. CIA CHIEF: ISIS WILL REMAIN A THREAT FOR QUITE A WHILE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Iraq and Syria have been so thoroughly damaged by warfare, sectarian conflict and killing that it is unclear they "can be put back together again," CIA Director John Brennan says.
In an interview with the CTC Sentinel, a publication from the West Point military academy's Combating Terrorism Center, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency said the current system of governance in the two countries might change altogether.
"I don't know whether or not Syria and Iraq can be put back together again. There's been so much bloodletting, so much destruction, so many continued, seething tensions and sectarian divisions," Brennan said in the interview, which was quoted by AFP.
"I question whether we will see, in my lifetime, the creation of a central government in both of those countries that's going to have the ability to govern fairly," he added, noting that he could envision some type of a federal structure governing autonomous regions.
In northern Iraq and parts of Syria, for instance, Kurdish populations already have established de-facto states.
Brennan also described how the Islamic State group (ISIS) is now collaborating in Yemen with rivals Al-Qaeda to fight common enemies, such as the Houthi rebels and Arab coalition-backed government forces.
"The farther away you get from that (ISIS) heartland of Syria and Iraq, the more likely you're going to see collaboration between Al-Qaeda elements, (ISIS) elements, and others," he said.
"We see it right now in Yemen.... There are indications that, in fact, they're working together," added Brennan.
On Thursday, speaking at a conference in Washington and quoted by Reuters, Brennan predicted ISIS will remain a presence inside Syria and Iraq for "quite a while to come" despite the battlefield defeats it has suffered.
"I do think a number of them are going to remain a challenge for the United States as well for other governments for a number of years to come," he said.
Speaking at the same conference and quoted by The Associated Press, FBI Director James Comey made the same assertion.
"The threat that I think will dominate the next five years for the FBI will be the impact of the crushing of the caliphate, which will happen," he said, adding, "Through the fingers of that crush are going to come hundreds of hardened killers, who are not going to die on the battlefield. They are going to flow out."
Comey predicted that many will head into western Europe and will try to duplicate recent attacks in Paris and Brussels to maintain ISIS' credibility in the militant world. Others will try to bring the fight to the United States, making it imperative for the U.S. to help its European allies share intelligence better among themselves and with the United States, Comey predicted.
3. KNESSET TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF ISRAEL SPACE PROGRAM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2018743]The Knesset Committee of Science and Technology is to discuss on Sunday the consequences of the explosion of Israel's Amos-6 Satellite, and its implications for the future of the Israeli space industry.
The meeting will include the Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis (Likud) as well as the head of the Israeli Space Agency Yitzhak Ben-Yisrael.
The meeting comes after questions were raised about the strength of the Israeli space program in the wake of the explosion. Previously, MK Nahman Shai (Zionist Union) had said: "The destruction of the Amos-6 satellite revealed the Israeli space program for what it is. Despite lofty and inflated words, the Israeli space program is standing on shifting sand. It is built on improvisations and on [a miniscule] available budget.
"Together with Amos-6, damage has been caused to the long-term security of Israel, and there is currently no way to rehabilitate it. Israel, as usual, is living from hand to mouth but, in this case, such an admission has direct implications for Israel's security."
The Israeli Amos-6 communications satellite exploded at launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The explosion put a question-mark on the future of the Israeli space program, which was already being threatened with budget cuts.
4. ANOTHER BODY FOUND FROM PARKING GARAGE COLLAPSE
by Ido ben Porat
[youtube:2018826]Rescue teams of Home Front Command extricated this morning (Friday) another body from the rubble of the Tel Aviv parking garage collapse.
There are still two people missing under the rubble, and forces continue their searches for them.
Yesterday, the funeral of Oleg Yakobov (60), killed in the collapse, was held. "He was a wall of stability for me," his wife Galina said of him at his funeral in Ramle. "I don't know what I will do now."
The tragedy also claimed the deaths of Ahad Al-Hajj (34) of Beit Rima and Dennis Dechenko (28), a resident of the Ukraine who was employed at the site.
Some 300 IDF rescue workers worked this week at the scene non-stop to find additional missing people.
23 people were injured from the collapse that happened on Monday.
It will be remembered that, four hours after the collapse, rescue workers succeeded in making contact with two of those trapped under the rubble and heard their shouts from their cellphones, but afterwards lost contact.
5. CORRELATION BETWEEN JEWISH HOLIDAYS AND TWITTER FAUX PAS?
by Arutz Sheva Staff
According to an article in Highline about US Presidential candidate Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, a friend of Ivanka's noted a correlation between the occurrence of the Jewish Sabbath and holidays and Donald Trump's more outstanding Twitter faux pas.
The friend attributed the correlation to the fact that Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are not available on Shabbat and holidays – Jewish law forbids the use of electronic devices on these days – to manage Trump's virtual public relations campaign, and therefore cannot provide a "filter" for Trump's unfiltered style.
The friend noted, for example, that the holiday of Shavuot coincided with the Orlando nightclub massacre and Trump's ensuing Tweet: "Appreciate the congrats for being right on Islamic terrorism." Similarly, a few weeks later, Trump tweeted a six-pointed star [resembling a Star of David] above an image of Hillary Clinton, a pile of cash and the words "most corrupt candidate ever" – on Shabbat.
"It could be a big problem if the people who make our president not crazy aren't available one day a week," this friend asserted.
Ivanka converted to Orthodox Judaism when she married Kushner.
6. NORTH KOREA CONDUCTS LARGEST EVER NUCLEAR TEST
by Arutz Sheva Staff
North Korea has apparently carried out its fifth - and largest ever - nuclear test, South Korean officials say.
The report comes after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake was detected by North Korea's main nuclear site.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye described the test as "self-destruction" and "maniacal recklessness" on the part of North Korea.
In the wake of the test, North Korea state TV declared: "We've improved our ability to produce standardized and miniaturized nuclear warheads so we can produce as many as we want.
"This is our response to hostile powers, including the US. We sent out a message that if the enemies attack us, we can counterattack.
"The measures to protect our dignity and our right to exist from the US threat will continue."
7. STUDENT DRESSED AS HITLER WINS PRIZE IN AUSTRALIA
by AFP
(AFP) - A student dressed as Hitler has won a prize at an assembly in front of visiting Jewish children at an Australian school, which Friday called it "an innocent mistake".
The boy turned up at the private St Philip's College in Alice Springs, which teaches 12-18 year-olds, kitted out as the Nazi leader this week after being given permission to do so by a teacher.
His outfit was deemed so good, he won one of the "best dressed" awards, which were handed out at an assembly in front of Jewish exchange students who were visiting from a school in Melbourne, national radio reported.
St Philip's College principal Roger Herbert said it was an error in judgment and apologies had been made to the exchange students.
"We got them together and apologized and they were fantastic, absolutely fantastic, and accepting," Herbert told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"We also contacted the school to say look, this had happened, please understand."
In a statement, St Philip's College said it was "an innocent mistake" and "a very distressing lesson for all concerned".
"The student involved has an interest in history and politics and did the right thing by getting permission for his 'Book Week' costume," it said.
"The school apologizes unreservedly for any offence that has been caused. We are reviewing our policies on these kind of events to ensure that nothing like this can happen again."
Herbert said the teacher who gave the boy permission to dress as Hitler was "shattered" by her decision.
"Now she is absolutely shattered that she said that, and I'm really concerned about her wellbeing," he said.
Jeremy Stowe-Lindner, the principal of Melbourne's Bialik College, where the children were visiting from, described the incident as a "learning opportunity for the community".
"I understand that no malice was intended," he told the ABC.
8. SAMARIAN COUNCIL TAKES FIGHT AGAINST BDS TO WASHINGTON
by Ido ben Porat
[video:2018989]
This week, the Samarian Regional Council successfully held a conference with American congressmen in Washington on the subject of support for Samarian communities and the fight against BDS ["boycott, divestment, and sanctions" against Israel]. The conference was the first of its kind.
Over 100 people were in attendance of the conference, which was organized with the intent of explaining why BDS is anti-Semitic, absurd, and harms the State of Israel.
American congressmen participated in the conference, as did a Palestinian youth from Shechem who asserted that BDS mainly harms Palestinians who enjoy the economic conditions that Israeli businesses in Judea and Samaria bring.
The conference was made possible after two years of quiet diplomatic efforts between the Samarian Regional Council and American congressmen, who had been invited to Samaria and became convinced that Jews living in Judea and Samaria do not pose an obstacle to peace – rather, could actually be the key to peace.
Congressmen at the conference, such as Colorado Republican Doug Lamborn, spoke out strongly against BDS.
"I'm both saddened and enraged by the widespread movement known as BDS […] Many would have liked to believe that anti-Semitism died after World War Two but, unfortunately, anti-Semitism is again rearing its ugly head in the form of BDS," Lamborn said.
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