Scott Walker visits the Kosel on first day of Israel trip

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in Israel for the first time, where he hopes to boost his foreign policy credentials in advance of formally launching his presidential campaign. The Governor went to at the Kosel, laid a wreath at Yad Vashem, and then flew up north to the Golan heights where he was briefed on the challenges with Syria and other strategic areas.

Scott Walker in Israel Photo credit: Matt Brooks RJC

VIDEO: Avodes hakodesh awardees at Agudath Yisrael 93rd Dinner

Senator Cory Booker no show at Agudah Dinner

Senator Cory Booker who was the featured guest speaker at the 2015 Agudah Dinner had to cancel at the last moment. The Senator had to fly off to be with his grandma who was not feeling well as her health took on a serious turn. Instead they showed a short pre recorded video speech by the senator.

Photos: Novominsker Rebbe @ the 93rd annual Dinner of Agudath yisrael of America

Novominsker Rebbe speaking at the Agudah dinner

FJJ: Rav Gabi Sassoon with weekly tribute on one of his 7 children A'H

A weekly series posted in the FJJ

Article: Mixed dancing is taboo at Wedding of Rabbi N.D Herman- Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1929

An Article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle dated June 29, 1929 writes about the Marriage of Rabbi Nochum Dovid Herman son of Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman who the book All for the boss was written about. The article points out a "strange thing"  there was no mixed dancing while the jazz music was played.  Men and Maids dine apart at the wedding. Rav Baruch Ber Lebowitz who was in the US was mesader kiddushin at the wedding.

 Premier Palace, 505 Suiter ave. when Norman Davis Herman, a 20-year-old rabbi of Manhattan, married 18-year-old Harriet Horowitz of Brooklyn. Grand rabbi Baruch Behr Leibo-witz of the Kamenetz Yeshivah in Poland offlciated at the ceremony, while 20 other Jewish ministers, some "( them visiting America from Poland and Lithuania, attended. mixed Dancing Barred. Perhaps one of the straigest
features of the wedding was that while there music, and jazz music, too, young men and women were not permitted to dance together. Members of the same sex were allowed to trip the light fantastic, but

93rd anniversary dinner of Agudath Israel of America, this Sunday, May 10th- eyes of the world are upon us"

Dear Friends:
We are only a few days away from the 93rd anniversary dinner of Agudath Israel of America, which will take place beH this coming Sunday, May 10, 2015 in the New York Hilton. If you havent already done so, please reserve your place at this important once-a-year gathering.
By participating in the dinner, you will not only be showing your support for Agudath Israel and your appreciation of our worthy honorees, you will also be showing the outside world the strength of our growing Torah society.
Make no mistake: the eyes of the world are upon us. Just last year, when the Novominsker Rebbe spoke at Agudath Israels 92nd anniversary dinner, his speech was covered by The New York Times and numerous other media outlets. Mayor de Blasios speech was attended by numerous government officials.

VIDEO: Historic video of Lag B'omer in Miron 75 years ago

Interesting  historic video of   Lag Baomer in Miron in 1940 (no sound) with the previous Boyaner Rebbe lighting the Madurah in Har Miron. The Rizhiner  rebbe had a chazaka going back 180 years to light the madurah at the kever of Rav Shimom bar Yochai. The right to light was passed on to the Boyaner rebbes. Video is courtesy of Israel state archives. view Video below

Video: in English words of chizuk and mussar from Rav Gabi Sassoon

Watch MIRON LIVE Lag Baomer 2015 live broadcast live hookup

For Miron 2016 Live hook up click to watch HERE

Watch Miron Live stream 2015 - Live broadcast from Lag Baomer in Miron

MIRON LIVE FEED 2016 HERE Lag B'aomer 5776
Miron Live feed HERE   live hookup meron  in HD HERE 
Broadcasts will begin 8:00 pm Israeli time HERE 
courtesy of   Hidabroot   HERE and 
 Bhol HERE see the hadlaka on the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai. Lag B'omer Israel

Do we have to censor the frum papers too?

The frum newspapers copy and paste articles from the secular media. Much of the content comes from other national media outlets. This past week a frum paper reporting on the Nepal earthquake posted a graphic with the following caption 

Nepal is prone to earthquakes because it is at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Himalayas were created when the plates collided millions of years ago, and the still-moving Indian plate pushes the mountains a few millimeters higher every year.

   Mistakes happen, however it is happening way to often with the frum publications that things have been slipping through. A few months ago a free weekly in a large frum community printed a picture that was not tznius to say the least. It unfortunately slipped through people were outraged for having their children and themselves exposed to it.The editor refused to apologize they ignore it and move on. We would like to trust the editors that all is kosher when we bring papers into our homes, we dont want to start censoring the kosher ones too.

My hashgacha is better than yours, another low of sinas chinom in the yemei hasefira

Another ridiculous perhaps highly inappropriate article was posted on cross currents and on Matzav. The author, without any proof, targets chasidishe and other hashgachos as not being up to par, or on the same level in kashrus standards, as the OU.  Here is a quote:

Unfortunately, while no kashrus agency has a perfect record, the stories I’ve heard about some of the smaller operators leave me even more committed to the OU. These include the selection of personnel by some of the other agencies on the basis of beard length and nusach davened, rather than competence. Or, when faced with the really intractable problems, having to go elsewhere for advice and for important ingredients – usually to the OU!

The author attacks a chasiddishe youngerman who all he wanted was a hechsher he felt more comfortable with on a jar of baby food for his baby. He ends off his article by poking fun at this youngerman, that his Ill fated strange request must have been because he was having a bad day, must have been something he ate. 

How many recalls have their been on products that bear an unauthorized OU. How many kulos are they somech on that others dont rely on. There is no One hashgocha that is the gold standard at least in the US. To attack entire segments of klal yisrael on inuendo and ignorance specially during the yemei hasefira is far worse than eating from a heimisher hechsher according to the author. The comments add insult to injury with lies, sinas chinom lashon hora and rechilus.
Perhaps the question should be asked what did the author have for breakfast?

FJJ: Rav Gabi Sassoon with weekly tribute on one of his 7 children A'H

A weekly series posted in the FJJ

Agudath Israel Welcomes release of half-day PRE-K RFP

The New York City Department of Education has released a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for half-day pre-kindergarten programs for the coming school year.  This long-awaited development was hailed by Agudath Israel of America as "welcome news for many Orthodox Jewish children, parents and schools."  This will give families and providers who wish to participate in the city's heralded "UPK" program an option other than the full-day, 6 hour and 20 minutes program, which many in the religious school community and others found unacceptable.

Frum papers challenged on printing picture of Hillary Clinton

The frum newspapers have figured a way of publishing a picture of Hillary Clinton. While the policy is not to show any picture of ladies, its a bit challenging now, as Hillary is currently in the presidential race for the Democratic nomination. Instead of a real life picture, they printed cartoons of the former first lady. A few years ago a Frum publication apologized after it photo shopped a picture and deleted Hillary Clinton from it. The  current frum weekly newspapers and magazines printed various caricatures of Mrs. Clinton which appears will be the way she is covered in the frum media.

The question remains if the policy will change in the event she is elected. It could mean we will not see a picture of the president for the next 8 years!! oy gevald!

Hate graffiti at Mir Yeshiva Flatbush

JPupdates  The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating anti-Semitic graffiti discovered at the Mir Yeshiva in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn as a hate crime, Police said.
The hate graffiti was discovered by a security guard at around 1:15pm on Saturday, Police said. The statements included “Hitler is alive and well”, “Hiel Hitler” and “Jews are all …s”, all written on paper notes at the entrance of the building.

A police report was filed Saturday night after sunset. The Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident.

A community alert to the frum residents of the five towns

If he was told to publicize why not name the individual, also why not mention the names of the five gedolim who ruled that this information be disseminated to the public on the internet? how many people will be wrongly accused if they dont know who the 'right' person is  because this alert does not say who the person is. Hoffman should be up front if its that big of an issue.

Community Alert
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman on http://5tjt.com/community-alert/
The following is a grave warning to young women and their parents:
There is an individual loose in our community who presents himself as an activist fighting against the dangers of internet porn addiction. He gives public lectures and speeches in various venues presenting himself as an expert in the field. He has spoken in shuls, Yeshivos, and Bais Yaakovs. He warns young men and young women to stay clear of potential sites and predators. This speaker is eloquent, articulate, and reassuring. He cites facts and figures authoritatively. Yet he has a pattern of eventually getting involved in biblically forbidden ways with young ladies that reach out to him. These young ladies may be single or even married.

Baltimore Shomrim Arranges For Private Security Officers To Patrol During Shabbos

Baltimore, MD - May 1, 2015 - In order to enhance the security of our community the Baltimore Shomrim Safety Patrol (BSSP) has arranged for private security officers to patrol the neighborhood from the beginning of Shabbos throughout the night. The BSSP is grateful to Project Ezra/The Chesed Fund for sponsoring this initiative and for their concern for the community's safety. In the event of an emergency, please call 911, and the Shomrim hotline at 410-358-9999 immediately.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake , the Baltimore City Police and the Baltimore County Police Departments for their tireless efforts during this challenging and unprecedented State of Emergency.

Video Star-K Baltimore: Halachos of security a

04-29-2015 Baltimore Security Updates and Halachos of Security from STAR-K KOSHER CERTIFICATION on Vimeo.