Reported in error

This week CAMERA reported, "Following CAMERA's communication yesterday with Agence France Presse and Al Jazeera concerning news reports which falsely alleged that Israel had caused flooding in the Gaza Strip by opening dams, the French wire service has pulled its video from several Web site, and both news outlets have issued updated reports casting the false Palestinian charges as a "he said/she said" dispute, as if the facts could not be determined."
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=9999&x_article=


Today AFP had to offer apologies due to a reporting error. (Perhaps Martin Bouyges experienced techiyat hameitim).


French conglomerate Bouygues denied on Saturday the death of its CEO Martin Bouygues as reported in error by AFP. AFP immediately withdrew its erroneous report when the mistake was realised.

"We take this incident very seriously and are carrying out an investigation among editorial staff to understand how such an error could have been made," AFP's global news director Michele Leridon said.

"We offer our humblest apologies to Martin Bouygues, his loved ones, his group and all our clients," she added.
http://news.yahoo.com/billionaire-french-industrialist-martin-bouygues-dies-62-140912416.html


Leonard Nimoy On Mr. Spock's Jewish Heritage
Clink on the link above to listen to two interesting videos in which Leonard Nimoy discusses his Jewish background.

Parshas Tetzaveh/Zachor

Parshas Tetzaveh/Zachor - Winning the Lottery!


The Chofetz Chaim Video: The Rosetta Stone


Appeal to help family of Golders Green M1 crash victim


Al Jazeera Retracts Gaza Flood Article, Publishes Correction


S.S.S.S. Nesivos Shalom Parshas Tetzaveh – Zachor

Acts of kindness

Mezakim announces a mishloach Manos camppaign.


Send Mishloach Manos to IDF Soldiers

Hiring a Rabbi – A Halachic Analysis

The Way of Loving-Kindness

Murgen vet zain gur andresh

VIDEO: Lakewood Resident asks Rav Chaim Kanievsky about Moving to Eretz Yisroel before Moshiach Comes - See more at: http://www.thelakewoodscoop.com/news/2015/02/video-lakewood-resident-asks-rav-chaim-kanievsky-about-moving-to-eretz-yisroel-before-moshiach-comes.html#sthash.9hEHZXQv.dpuf


Click here to read an inspiring last exchange of emails between a brother and siter in a post titled Ariel Left Me With Hope.

A coalition air strike near the Iraqi border town of al-Qaim killed at least 17 Islamic State militants and nine civilians overnight, a hospital source said.

...Separately, coalition planes bombed al-Rutba district, 385 km west of Baghdad, killing six Islamic State militants and 11 civilians, according to a source in the local hospital. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2970018/Air-strike-near-kills-17-Islamic-State-militants-nine-civilians-Iraq.html#ixzz3SqNLEENO


Why isn't anyone decrying the civilian casulaties? I guess because Israel wasn't involved in the strikes.


Germany's top Jewish leader suggested on Thursday that Jews shouldn't wear the traditional skullcap, or kippa, in areas with large Muslim populations but also said that hiding isn't the right approach to concerns about anti-Semitism.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-jewish-leader-wear-kippa-muslim-areas-29238539

Two and a half

Kosher food-cart vendor says he‘s blocked by ‘halal mafia’ in NYC


And the dimensions of the Aaron should be - two and half Amos its length, one and a half Amos its width, and one and a half Amos its height. Why are the dimensions of the Aaron in half Amos (by the Shulchan the dimensions are 2 Amos x 1 Amah)?

The Baal HaTurim says, Chazal teach that the Aaron represents Torah. The significance of halves is to teach us, one must break himself (half) over the Torah. In order to reach a high level in Torah, one can not sit back and relax. Rather, he must be "Maymis Atzmo Aleha" - kill himself over toiling in Torah.

Kli Yakar offers a different answer. Since the Aaron represents Torah, halves are representing the fact that even an accomplished Talmid Chachom is never finished learning. There is always more to learn and understand. A person is never more than a fraction of the way to completing the Torah.
http://www.thejewisheye.com/rev_ptrumah.html


A 2014 Jewish Press article begins with the words, "Secretary of State James A. Baker is surely one of the most reviled public figures both in Israel and among American Jews. "
http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/feautures-on-jewish-world/george-bush-james-baker-and-the-jews/2014/10/31/


The Algeminer reports that Secretary Baker will be a speaker at the J Street Conference to be held in March.


Below is an excerpt from a daily email I received from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation.

Generally speaking, unless one is certain that a given statement is not in the category of forbidden speech, he should not utter it. Even if he is inclined to think that it is a mitzvah to utter the statement and that he will receive reward in the World to Come for it, nevertheless, he should refrain from doing so. In this way, he will be saved from Divine retribution.

For example, if in fact one was obligated to speak critically of a certain individual and did not do so out of uncertainty, he will be able to come before the Heavenly Court and say, “I was not sure whether or not I was permitted to criticize him to others; therefore I chose to remain silent.’’ Conversely, if he will speak critically of the person when in fact this was wrong, or if he will mistakenly initiate a quarrel out of the conviction that it is a mitzvah to do so — how will he exonerate himself before the Heavenly Court? How will he excuse his having spoken the forbidden and having been the cause of strife? He will not be able to say that his uncertainty impelled him to speak, for if he was uncertain he should not have spoken.

 

The trumped up kosher sandwich

Oy, gevalt!
An orthodox Jewish man is suing the Trump Soho after he allegedly spent $146 to get a special hot kosher meal there — and was served a cold non-kosher turkey sandwich instead.
Continue reading: http://nypost.com/2015/02/13/man-sues-trump-hotel-after-being-served-non-kosher-sandwich/


Couple's Wedding Had Deep Effect


A college student who claimed she was threatened by a gunman on campus — adding that it may have been because she’s Muslim — admitted to police that she lied about the whole thing, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Continue reading: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02/14/college-student-said-reason-gunman-threatened-her-could-be-because-shes-muslim-but-there-was-one-big-problem/

Paying tithes

A North Carolina mother of four who recently quit her jobs at Walmart and McDonalds to care for her four young children is believed to be one of the winners of the $188 million Powerball jackpot — and it’s what she’s planning to do first with her millions that’s surprising.

Marie Holmes, 26, told WECT-TV that she’s planning to donate money to church after she receives her payout.

“First I’m going to pay my tithes, because I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for God,” she said. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02/13/the-surprising-thing-this-struggling-single-mother-of-four-plans-to-do-after-she-turns-in-her-winning-powerball-jackpot-ticket/#

Joshua Bonehill arrested and banned from London

The Archbishop of Canterbury last night issued an extraordinary apology for the British bombing of Dresden during the Second World War.

In what was immediately criticised as an insult to the young men who gave their lives to defeat the Nazis, the Most Rev Justin Welby told the German people of his ‘profound feeling of regret and deep sorrow’ over the attack.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2952945/Archbishop-says-sorry-bombing-Nazis-Justin-Welby-attacked-bizarre-apology-Dresden-raids-makes-no-reference-RAF-heroes-killed-Hitler.html#ixzz3RkglTeFq

Apologies

As anger mounts over their demand that Jewish students supporting the State of Israel be expelled, Durban University of Technology student leaders on Thursday backed down and apologised. Continue reading: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/dut-src-sorry-for-jewish-call-1.1817916#.VN36Y5VATIW

A True Friend

Dr. Ben Carson scrubbed from SPLC’s extremist watch list, issued apology

If and when

In this week's portion we are taught the laws regarding lending money: "If (im) you shall lend money to any of My people. . .do not act towards him as a creditor; do not lay interest upon him" (Exodus 22:24). Rashi, the great medieval commentator, states that although the verse uses the Hebrew word "im - if" which would usually imply a voluntary act - and therefore no obligation to lend money to a poor person in the first place - it is in fact one of three places in the Torah where that word instead means "when", suggesting an actual command to lend money. The question still remains, however, that if Hashem intended to teach the obligation of lending money to a poor person, why does the Torah use the terminology of choice?
Read more: http://shortvort.com/mishpatim-parasha/11661-if-a-when


WATCH! EXCLUSIVE! CREEPY: Mayor of Tel Aviv Warned Bob Simon He Could Be Killed In “Car Accident in New York”

As we read in this week's parsha about the laws Hashem set forth for the nation of Israel, "And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them," it is ironic that a CNN co-host declared, "Our laws do not come from G-d, your honor, and you know that. They come from man."
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/12/cnns-cuomo-our-rights-do-not-come-from-god/

Jewishness

Gotnews reports, "One of the Chapel Hill shooting victim’s tweets reveal anti-Semitic, anti-white, anti-Israel, and anti-Zionist views."
http://linkis.com/gotnews.com/O5jpI

Bob Simon, the award-winning ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent who stoked controversy with a 2012 piece about Israel, died Wednesday night in a car crash in New York City, CBS said.
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/214621/bob-simon-stoked-israel-controversy-on--minutes/#ixzz3RVR7i48P

Below is an excerpt from a 1991 JTA article.

CBS News correspondent Bob Simon was worried that his Jewishness might cost him his life during the six weeks he and three colleagues were prisoners of the Iraqis while the Persian Gulf war raged.

“I thought my number was up when they started accusing me of being a member of Mossad,” the Israeli intelligence service, said Simon, who is normally based in Tel Aviv.

He said his captors “kept shouting ‘Yehudi, Yehudi’ at me.
http://www.jta.org/1991/03/06/archive/cbs-newsman-bob-simon-tells-of-ordeal-as-captured-jew

Bipartisan criticism of President Barack Obama's proposed authorization of force against ISIS mostly has to do with the use of U.S. troops and limits on the commander-in-chief. But one Republican lawmaker noticed something else that he calls quite troubling - omission of the word "Jews."

Freshman Lee Zeldin is the only Republican Jewish member of Congress, and says it immediately leapt off the page that the President's proposed resolution specifically singles out several ethnic groups threatened by ISIS: Iraqi Christians, Yezidis and Turkmens, but says nothing about Jews. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/11/politics/white-house-isis-jewish/

Austrian prosecutor: Call to kill Jews is legal criticism of Israel

A group of students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa are calling on all Jews to be deregistered from the college.
Read more: http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/south-african-university-student-council-demands-jews-be-expelled

Vehicles

In the latest of a string of attacks, a vehicle in which a Hassidic rebbe was riding in on Wednesday on its way to the Mount of Olives was hit by heavy rocks, as rioting Arabs attacked the vehicle. The Rebbe of Koznitz was on his way to say memorial prayers on the Mount when Arabs in the Wadi Joz area of Jerusalem set upon the vehicle, nearly turning it over.
Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/191225#.VNuwCpVATIU

Video: ‘Top Gear’ Tries to Outrace Hatzalah

Op-Ed: Who Was Kayla Mueller?

The random attack

Dad Saw Text on Son’s Phone Reminding Him to Complete Islam Assignment. Then He Opened Up the Textbook…


Real Clear Politics has a video of Jonathan Karl asking White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest about President Obama's remarks regarding the shooting at the kosher deli in Paris.


JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: Well, back to the question Jim was asking about his description of the shooting at the kosher deli in Paris as being a bunch of -- "randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris." I mean, this was not a random shooting of a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris. This was an attack on a kosher deli. Does the president have any doubt that those terrorists attacked that deli because there would be Jews in that deli?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE: Jon, it is clear from the terrorists, some of the writings they put up afterwards what their motivation was. The adverb that the president chose was used to indicate that the individuals who were killed in there terrible tragic incident were killed not because of who they were, but because of where they randomly happened to be.

KARL: They weren't killed because they were in a Jewish deli, though, they were in a kosher deli?

EARNEST: Jon, they were not targeted by name. This is the point.

KARL: Not by name but by religion, were they not?

EARNEST: Well, Jon, there were people other than just Jews who were in that deli.

KARL: Is there any doubt that that deli was attacked because it was a kosher deli?

EARNEST: No, Jon.

KARL: This was not any random deli, it was a kosher deli.
EARNEST: I answered the question once, no.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/02/10/earnest_when_obama_said_attack_on_jewish_deli_was_random_he_was_talking_about_location_not_victims.html


State Dept. spox refuses to say Jews were targeted during kosher deli attack…then tweets this hours later


In the same briefing, Ms. Psaki was asked the following question.


QUESTION: All right. Secondly, there was a report yesterday about a group of people – Arab-Israeli mayors or Arab-Israeli officials – who are actively promoting the “Anyone but Netanyahu” campaign or involved in it somehow, who were given some kind of a special audience at the consulate and is it – what can you say about that?
MS. PSAKI: Well, I’ve seen the reports. The article is filled with inaccuracies. We are firmly committed to the principle of nonintervention in Israeli elections. The details on this particular case – or the accurate details, I should say, are that some of the members of this group were coming to the embassy to receive their visas, something that we do on a regular basis. While they were at the embassy, they had a courtesy meeting with some embassy staff members. That kind of meeting is very common for community leaders like mayors as part of normal, ongoing embassy efforts to engage with the widest variety – widest range, I should say, of Israelis possible.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/02/237365.htm#MIDDLEEASTPEACE

The scheme of things

Dovid Winiarz – My Brother, My Keeper

Overcoming NIMBY


Parashat Mishpatim: The Greater Scheme Of Things

The JewishPress has an article describing J Street's anti-Netanyahu ad, "No, Mr. Netanyahu, You Do Not Speak For Me."


Comments posted under the article include;
 "You J Street's Ben-Ami don't speak for me! I am proud to be a Netanyahu supporter who protects each and every Jew even you!"

No J Street and Jeremy Ben-Ami you do not speak for me.

As J Street links to a petition, would anyone care to start a petition, J Street doesn't speak for me?


IsraelMatzav details some more of Brian William's words over the past few years. At least we can trust him with the truth in the opening words of the interview below;