A New Jersey school district has hired an outside law firm to investigate how and why a Jewish student group was erased from the high school yearbook, with the members’ names omitted from the page and their photo replaced with a picture of a group of Muslim students. East Brunswick Public Schools said the independent review by Brisman Law began Friday and will seek to determine who was responsible, as well as whether it was malicious or a mistake. East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen condemned the incident as a “blatant Anti-Semitic act.” “Hate has no place in East Brunswick and antisemitism will not be tolerated,” Cohen said. Members of the Jewish Student Union at the school told People magazine that the incident was just the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents which according to Abigail, a junior, “have not been dealt with.” The students said that although they spoke to the administration about their fears, nothing was done to make them feel safe. “It’s a very hostile environment where we’re scared to be ourselves,” says Stephanie, a junior. “The school does not take us seriously when we talk about what we’ve experienced. I want them to care.” “I’m supposed to be a kid, I’m supposed to be having a high school experience and I feel like I’ve grown up to be such an adult,” another junior said. “I’m confident the independent counsel investigation will reveal the truth,” Superintendent Victor Valeski said. “They’ve been given complete authority to investigate whatever they need to investigate.” “Above all, I personally, along with the entire East Brunswick Board of Education, sincerely apologize for the hurt, pain and anguish this event has caused our Jewish students, their families and the impact this continues to have on the entire EB community,” Valeski said. “East Brunswick Public Schools has been a pillar educational organization, thriving on our diversity. We do not tolerate bias and we investigate all reported antisemitism.” The situation came to light Tuesday after about 375 yearbooks were distributed at East Brunswick High. Valeski said a new photo of the Jewish Student Union was taken this week and will be included, along with the members’ names, in corrected versions of the yearbook that will be distributed next week. Discipline could be warranted depending on the outcome of the probe, and a corrective plan will be developed for the yearbook, Valeski said. The New Jersey office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for a “transparent and fair investigation.” The yearbook incident “has triggered heinous backlash against some Muslim students who had no knowledge on their photo being misused,” spokesperson Aya Elamroussi said in a statement. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)
A lawsuit filed against Columbia University by an unnamed Jewish student in her second year has resulted in an agreement to expand security to students who feel unsafe on campus.
As part of a June 4 settlement, Columbia agreed to hire a “safe passage liaison” to manage a safety escort program available 24 hours a day to coordinate security to walk with students. The program will run at least through Dec. 31 and provide a “designated point of contact” for those interested in the service.
The school will also address other points from the lawsuit, such as providing a process for students to pick up items when they cannot safely enter campus and an appeals process for those whose academic performance is negatively impacted by the antisemitic environment.
The changes satisfied the complainant, who agreed to withdraw the suit.
A university spokesperson wrote in a statement to the student-run daily paper, Columbia Spectator, that the school was “pleased we’ve been able to come to a resolution and remain committed to our No. 1 priority: the safety of our campus so that all of our students can successfully pursue their academic goals.”
{Matzav.com}
Pictures of President Joe Biden’s son with drug paraphernalia and bare-chested in a bubble bath. Text messages between Hunter Biden and drug dealers. Testimony from Hunter’s exes about relationships destroyed by his drug use. Hunter Biden’s trial on gun charges brought by his father’s Justice Department has put on full display tawdry and embarrassing details about the president’s son, all while first lady Jill Biden watches from the courtroom in Wilmington, Delaware. Prosecutors on Friday rested their case accusing Hunter Biden of lying when he swore that he was not a drug user on a federal form to buy a gun in October 2018. The defense could call at least one more witness when the trial resumes on Monday before lawyers make their closing arguments. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty and has accused the Justice Department of bending to political pressure from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to bring the case and separate tax charges after a deal with prosecutors fell apart last year. Hunter Biden has said he has been sober since 2019. Here are some key takeaways from the first week of the trial: BIDEN FAMILY TURNS OUT IN COURT Jill Biden sat through the proceedings at the federal courthouse almost every day since the trial began June 3. She missed Thursday’s testimony because she was in France attending D-Day anniversary events with the president. She flew back to be in court on Friday. She sat quietly in the first row of the courtroom behind Hunter Biden and listened intently without showing emotion as prosecutors painted him as deceptive and driven by addiction. During breaks in testimony, Jill Biden occasionally spoke briefly with Hunter, leaning over a railing in the courtroom to hug and kiss him on the cheek. Other family members who showed up throughout the week to show support included Hunter Biden’s sister Ashley, the president’s sister Valerie Biden and Jill Biden’s sister Bonny Jacobs. HUNTER’S OWN WORDS Hunter Biden hasn’t taken the witness stand and it is not clear whether he will. Jurors have already heard his own words about the depths of his drug and alcohol addiction after his brother, Beau, died in 2015. A central piece of the prosecution’s case is Hunter Biden’s memoir “Beautiful Things,” in which the president’s son opened up about his crack cocaine addiction, stints in rehab and struggles to get sober. Jurors have heard Hunter Biden detail at length seeking out crack in different places and learning how to smoke it. In one long excerpt played in the courtroom, he described driving to a treatment center and seeing an enormous barn owl, which may have been a hallucination, swoop over his windshield. In another excerpt played in court, Hunter Biden described at one point accidently leaving in a rental car his wallet, which contained his late brother’s Delaware attorney general badge and a Secret Service business card. A rental car employee found that, along with paraphernalia and white-powder residue on the armrest. A manager called police, who called the Secret Service, who called Joe Biden, Hunter wrote. No charges were brought over that. In his book, Hunter Biden wrote: “Despite the speculation in the right-wing media to the contrary, the cops weren’t strong-armed into dropping the case.” THREE EXES Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and two other […]
Chaim Ramon, former justice minister, published a post on Thursday that belied the current narrative that the IDF is desperately in need of Chareidi soldiers. Ramon wrote. “About two months ago, the Knesset’s Research and Information Center published a document with data on recruitment rates according to population groups.” “Of all the fascinating data, there was one in particular that made my jaw drop.” “In the five months after October 7th, about 4,000 Chareidi youth submitted applications to the IDF on their own initiative. Want to know what the IDF, who constantly talk about the ‘urgent’ need for manpower after October 7th, did with them?” “3,120 Chareidi youth were found ‘unfit,’ mostly due to medical incompetence. Has the IDF stopped recruiting low-profile soldiers for combat support units, intelligence, training, computers, and the Home Front Command? And that’s not even the worst thing.” “Out of 880 Chareidim who were found eligible, only 540 were recruited. In other words, out of the 4,000 Chareidim who asked to enlist, the IDF recruited only 13.5%, and even out of the Chareidim determined to be fit for service, only 61% were recruited.” “These numbers strengthen the claim that the IDF is not prepared to recruit masses of Chareidim and in fact, does not want to do so.” Channel 14 journalist Shimon Riklin responded to the report by stating: “The IDF never wanted to draft Chareidim. There is not one senior IDF official in the past or present who doesn’t say this in personal conversations. But senior IDF officials will not interfere with the campaign of the left/Supreme Court to topple the right-wing government using this argument. The moment a left-wing government would arise, no one would say a word about recruiting Chareidim.” Chareidi journalist Sari Roth wrote that after the Attorney-General and Supreme Court ruled that Chareidim must be enlisted and yeshivah budgets revoked, a Chareidi avreich called the enlistment center and asked what he should do since he no longer has an exemption to the army. The soldier who answered the phone said he shouldn’t do anything and should just wait until he receives an order to enlist. The avreich responded: “I shouldn’t come now to enlist?” The soldier responded that that’s not possible and he has to wait until he’s called in to be evaluated. Meanwhile, despite the fact that he’s hasn’t received any order and no order seems imminent, he hasn’t received a kollel stipend in two months. And this is not an isolated story. Right now there are about 66,000 avreichim and yeshivah bochurim who no longer have army exemptions but haven’t received any orders from the IDF. Despite this, their stipends have been halted. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Israeli media reports revealed on Sunday that rescued hostage Noa Argamani may have been held in the home of Palestinian journalist Abdallah Aljamal. His father, a doctor, also lived in the home, located in the Nuseirat “refugee camp.” In fact, it was the EuroMedHR group, an NGO that ‘monitors’ freedom in Europe and the Middle East, that revealed the story, complaining! that IDF forces stormed the home and killed the family members. [The facts have not been confirmed by the IDF.] Aljamal wrote for Al Jazeera in the past and was most recently writing for the Palestine Chronicle, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the US. Only 24 hours before his death, Aljamal wrote an article about the supposed Israeli “massacre” in a UNWRA school, where at least 17 Hamas terrorists were killed. Due to his strict ethical standards at work and home, YWN readers can feel confident that Abdallah’s article was unbiased, completely factual and adhered to the highest journalistic standards. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The weeklong heat wave that baked most of the U.S. Southwest in temperatures well into triple digits is on its last legs, but forecasters are still urging people to be cautious as there will be little relief from the warm weather until monsoon thunderstorms begin to kick in, likely in July. A slight easing of temperatures is expected through the weekend, with Phoenix and Las Vegas falling short of besting any new records. Still, an excessive heat warning continues through Saturday in Las Vegas, where it’s never been hotter this time of year. It was a record-high 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) in Las Vegas on Friday, 113 F (45 C) in Phoenix and 100 F (37.8 C) in Albuquerque. Even in Florida, forecasters with the National Weather Service on Saturday warned that heat indices would be well into the triple digits for Miami and other areas. That measurement reflects what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. Record high temperatures also were expected through the weekend for central Florida, where many communities just wrapped up their warmest May on record as temperatures for the month were between 3 and 4 degrees above normal. Forecasters also issued heat advisories in far West Texas and along the U.S.-Mexico border, but they noted that the highs would be a bit cooler than the past couple days. The heat arrived weeks earlier than usual even in places at higher elevations — areas typically a dozen degrees cooler. That includes Reno, Nevada, where the normal high of 81 F (27 C) for this time of year soared to a record 98 F (37 C) on Thursday and hit 98 F again Friday — but was short of the daily record 100 F (37.7 C). John Adair, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, said it’s not unusual for parts of the Southwest to heat up pretty quickly, especially in the second half of June. “So this is a hot time of year before we start to get some moisture and cloud cover from the monsoon thunderstorms that come around,” he said. “Even for next weekend, we’re forecast to hover around 105, 106, which is just slightly above normal at that point.” In the Southwest, monsoon thunderstorms typically ramp up during the first week in July. There have been no reports of any heat-related deaths or serious injuries in the region, but a 68-year-old man was hospitalized in stable condition in Phoenix on Friday after he was overcome with heat exhaustion while hiking on a mountain trail and rescued by fire crews. In Nevada, the Clark County Fire Department reported Friday that it logged 20 calls classified as heat exposure over a three-day period, with 12 of those resulting in trips to local hospitals. Eight of the calls came on Friday. Cooling centers, including community centers and libraries, remained open Saturday for people looking for relief from the heat, the fire department said. With heat records already being broken in May and June, this year could end up being more deadly than last when it comes to heat-related deaths. The death certificates of more than 2,300 people who died in the United States last summer mention the effects of excessive heat, […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman Why is Shavuos called Shavuos? What follows is an inspiring answer to this question given by one of my Rebbeim, Rav Dovid Kviat zichron tzaddik v’Kadosh livracha. Rav Kviat was an Alter Mirrer who lived through the most difficult times imaginable and demonstrated remarkable yegi’ah in Torah. He lived in anti-Semitic Poland, survived German Nazis, Russian Communists, the Japanese, and the sweltering heat of Shnghai China. His seforim have enlightened the Torah world for many decades and are called, “Sukkas Dovid.” Rav Kviat was a long-time Magid Shiur in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn and Morah D’asra of Agudas Yisroel of 18th Avenue in Boro Park. This essay on yegi’ah in Torah is better appreciated and most inspiring when one understands and reflects upon Rav Kviat’s personal history. On Yom Tov we are enjoined to visit our Rebbeim. Learning his Torah is perhaps teh next best thing. Shavuos – literally “weeks” is the Yom Tov in which we received the Torah – so why is it called “Shavuos – weeks?” How does this name correlate with the fact that on this day we received the Torah? Furthermore, the wording of the pasuk in BaMidbar (28:26) uses the possessive form for weeks – “On the day of the first fruits, when you offer up a new meal offering to Hashem, on your weeks..” How exactly is it “their weeks?” The reference is to the seven weeks you shall count for yourselves – that is that Klal Yisroel prepares for Matan Torah in purifying themselves from their contamination and that they should prepare themselves o be a kli, a vessel, that is worthy of receiving the Torah. This is the meaning of “your weeks” that you have fought valiantly and succeeded in purifying yourselves for Torah. This is a praise of Klal Yisroel – that they struggled so much amd succeeded in achieving this self-purification to receive the Torah. Hashem wished to publicize this remarkable praise of Klal Yisroel and therefore called it Shavuos – weeks. We, however, call it “Matan Torah” to convey the praise of Hashem who gave us the Torah. The term “weeks” also carries within it the idea that the underlying mechanism of meriting the Torah is through yegi’ah the effort made in Torah. This is what they did – they immersed themselves in it and struggled and made the preparations for Matan Torah. This is the requisite fee in order to acquire Torah, as Chazal tell us in Megillah 6a. [If a person says:] “I struggled in Torah and I succeeded” – believe him. “I did not struggle, but I succeeded” – do not believe him. The effort and the yearning for Torah are the essence. This is the meaning of the first bracha in Birchas HaTorah – to immerse in the study of Torah – immersion is with self-sacrifice just as one extends himself greatly for one’s personal needs. Afterward we make the blessing, “Please Hashem sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all of Your people, the House of Israel..Blessed are You, Hashem, Who teaches Torah to His people, Israel” that is that the effect of the Torah lasts each and every day. The translator can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com
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The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has clarified that its humanitarian aid pier in Gaza was not utilized during the Israeli operation that successfully freed four hostages yesterday morning.
“The humanitarian pier facility, including its equipment, personnel, and assets were not used in the operation to rescue hostages today in Gaza. An area south of the facility was used by the Israelis to safely return the hostages to Israel,” CENTCOM stated on X.
They emphasized, “Any such claim to the contrary is false. The temporary pier on the coast of Gaza was put in place for one purpose only, to help move additional, urgently needed lifesaving assistance into Gaza.”
This statement follows the US’s resumption of aid deliveries via the temporary pier yesterday, after the structure was repaired due to storm damage at a nearby port.
“Today at approximately 10:30 am (Gaza time) US Central Command (USCENTCOM) began delivery of humanitarian assistance ashore in Gaza. Today, a total of approximately 492 metric tons (~1.1 million pounds) of much-needed humanitarian assistance was delivered to the people of Gaza,” CENTCOM detailed in a separate post on X.
The pier underwent repairs at the Israeli port of Ashdod before being transported back to the Gaza coast and reestablished on Friday.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hailed the operation to rescue four hostages from the Gaza Strip as “one of the most heroic and extraordinary operations I have witnessed over the course of 47 years serving in Israel’s defense establishment.”
“IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam, as well as the supporting forces, have executed an unprecedented operation – daring in nature, planned brilliantly, and executed in an extraordinary fashion. The various security agencies cooperated closely — the IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam — acting as one single unit,” Gallant stated, expressing gratitude to all involved.
He specifically commended IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi for his leadership, alongside the heads of Shin Bet and Yamam, underlining their role in navigating complex conditions. “I would especially like to express my appreciation to the IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who is leading the military. I would like to express my appreciation to the head of the Shin Bet and to the commander of Yamam for their leadership in these complex conditions,” Gallant remarked, emphasizing the nation’s pride and reliance on such leaders.
Gallant also noted that the military chief’s actions were in the best interest of the country, despite some political criticisms. “This morning not only did we have a successful operation, but also an opportunity to fulfill the goals of this war,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com Israel}
#51 דברים נוקבים חדרי בטןמאת הרה”ק מצאנז קלויזענבורג זי”ע‘על חובת הזעקה והתפילה אל הבעת הזאת על כלל ישראלשה פזורה בין שבעים זאבים אין לנו להישען אלא על אבינו שבשמיםמתוך שיעור חומש רש”י פרשת אמור תשמ”א צו הערן קליקט דא
Israel’s military operation to rescue four hostages from Hamas in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp will not influence the existing prisoner-hostage exchange agreement, according to the deputy leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization.
In an interview with Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Mohammad Al-Hindi stated that the terms of the deal remain unchanged.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a partner of Hamas in Gaza.
Yesterday, Israeli forces executed a bold daylight mission in the central Gaza Strip, successfully liberating four individuals from Hamas captivity.
Last week, US President Joe Biden revealed what he termed an Israeli proposal for a hostage-ceasefire arrangement. Although Hamas has not formally responded, its officials have reiterated that any agreement must include a cessation of hostilities, a condition that Israel has consistently rejected.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Noa Argamani, one of the four hostages rescued by the IDF from Gaza, has shared her experiences during her time in captivity with her loved ones. According to Channel 12, Argamani revealed that she was held by a relatively wealthy Gaza family, who provided her with food when she requested it, but initially hesitated to let her shower. Argamani reported that she had limited exposure to daylight and learned some Arabic during her captivity, even conversing with her captors in Arabic. The family’s father told her she was “blessed by God” to be held by them. Relatives and friends have described Argamani as being in good physical and mental health, with a smile “from ear to ear.” Channel 13 reports that Argamani confirmed to her family that she was held alongside fellow hostages Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky for part of her captivity. Tragically, Sharabi and Svirsky lost their lives in captivity. An IDF investigation concluded that Sharabi was likely accidentally killed in an IDF strike, which may have been corroborated by Argamani, who recounted witnessing a missile strike on the building where she was being held, and thought she would die. She also said she was moved between homes several times but was not held in tunnels. Meanwhile, another of the rescued hostages, Almog Meir Jan, shared his experiences during his time in captivity directly with Channel 12. Jan revealed that he, along with fellow hostages Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, were held together in a total of four different homes throughout their eight-month ordeal. He was asleep in bed when IDF forces arrived to free him, he recalled. During his captivity, Jan occasionally saw television broadcasts, including footage from rallies urging his release and that of the other hostages. He was deeply moved by the support and solidarity shown by the public. Jan also shared that a few weeks ago, on his birthday, he was filmed by Hamas for a planned propaganda video intended to be screened in Israel. However, the video was never published. Upon his release, Jan asked his family if they had seen the video, indicating that he was unaware of what happened to it. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The commander who led the hostage rescue force in the daring operation which freed 4 hostages on Shabbos morning, Yamam Squad Commander Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, passed away over Shabbos from wounds sustained during the operation.
Yamam is Israel’s National Counterterrorism Unit.
The IDF said: “Arnon Zamora, 36, a brave and valuable officer, left behind a wife and two children. On October 7th, he led the battle at the Yad Mordechai Junction, eliminating dozens of terrorists and preventing the terrorists from infiltrating northwards. He then went on to fight in the battle at Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Be’eri.”
“Arnon was part of the force that broke into the apartment where the hostages were being held, was severely injured during a battle, and later died in the hospital.”
“The IDF mourns the fallen Israel Police Yamam Squad Commander Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora,” said the IDF.
“Arnon is an Israeli hero, who loved and protected his country. He led the force that rescued the four hostages from the central Gaza Strip and returned them to Israel. The IDF salutes his memory.
“The IDF expresses its deepest condolences to Arnon’s family at this difficult time. May his memory be a blessing.”
Later in the day, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, spoke with the commander of the Yamam Unit, Assistant Commissioner “H,” at the end of the complex operation. Halevi expressed his great appreciation for the brave and determined action of the unit’s forces in the rescue operation and throughout the war.
Halevi and H. decided that the resue operation will now be called “Operation Arnon” by the IDF, in recognition of the unit’s performance throughout the war and the sacrifice of Yamam Squad Commander Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora.
{Matzav.com}
By the time Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi boarded his window seat on a helicopter ferrying him, the foreign minister and six others, thick clouds already had begun forming around the mountaintops along the Azerbaijan-Iran border. Despite the worsening weather, the helicopter lifted off for a trip about 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest to a new oil pipeline near Tabriz. Within an hour, the Bell 212 helicopter had crashed into a cloud-covered mountainside. While the cause of the May 19 crash remains unknown, the sudden death of the hard-line protégé of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei exposed the contradictions and challenges facing the country’s Shiite theocracy. The Iranian military investigators probing the crash have previously faced international criticism over their report on troops shooting down a Ukrainian airliner in 2020. The hourslong desperate rescue attempt after the helicopter crash saw Tehran even reach out to the United States for help, just weeks after launching an unprecedented attack on Israel and as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Even the type of helicopter that crashed links back to Iranian history, both before and after the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Iran is a culture of dualities,” said Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy who studies Iran’s military. “Some aspects, they seem so good and well-managed, well-oiled and very capable. … In many levels, it’s quite lacking.” Iranian military investigators have released two statements on the crash, largely ruling out possibilities rather than offering a suspected cause. They’ve rejected the possibility of an onboard “explosion caused by sabotage” or a “cyberattack” targeting the Bell 212, a two-blade, twin-engine helicopter more widely known as the Huey for its use by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War. “The recorded conversations between the flight crew show that the last contact with the pilots up to the time of the incident and when they stopped responding lasted 69 seconds,” the investigators said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. “No emergency declaration was recorded during that time.” In conspiracy-minded Iran, some officials still insist foul play could have caused the crash. However, some other officials have begun to ask why the helicopter took off from the site of the new Giz Galasi Dam when the weather had started to turn. Mostafa Mirsalim, a member of the country’s Expediency Council, wrote on the social platform X that he had asked prosecutors to “address the mistakes that led to the loss of the president and his delegation,” without elaborating. Abbas Abdi, a prominent journalist, also wrote on X that the flight path taken by Raisi’s helicopter suggested the pilot didn’t follow a standard Iranian practice of shadowing main roads in rural areas. That can both help navigation and provide a safe landing area in an emergency. Former Iranian Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Abolhassan Banisadr both survived helicopter crashes while in office. The helicopter involved in the crash, nearly 30 years old, came directly from a Bell manufacturing plant in Montreal, Canada, to the Iranian air force, according to data from the firm Cirium. It counts 12 Bell 212 aircraft registered in Iran that are still in service. Bell Textron Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas, said it “does not conduct any business in Iran or support their helicopter fleet, […]
A soaring demand for food delivered fast has spawned small armies of couriers — and increasing alarm — in big cities where scooters, motorcycles and mopeds zip in and out of traffic and hop onto pedestrian-filled sidewalks as their drivers race to drop off salads and sandwiches. Officials in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., have started cracking down on delivery companies by issuing warning letters, seizing illegally registered or driven vehicles, and launching special street patrols to enforce speed limits. The pushback is not limited to the U.S.: There have also been a series of crackdowns in London and other British cities. For their part, the delivery companies have pledged to work with city officials to ensure that all of their drivers operate both legally and safely. In a letter this week to food delivery companies DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber, Boston officials cited an “alarming increase in unlawful and dangerous operation of motorcycles, mopeds and motorized scooters” that they said put the drivers, other motorists and pedestrians “in imminent danger.” The letter alleged that some drivers were operating unregistered vehicles and breaking traffic laws, and warned of an imminent crackdown on the vehicles. It also demanded that the companies explain how they can ensure their drivers are operating safely. The Massachusetts State Police said they identified dozens of mopeds and scooters that were improperly registered or being operated by unlicensed drivers. Fourteen illegal mopeds and scooters were seized Wednesday in one Boston neighborhood alone. In New York City, authorities have seized 13,000 scooters and mopeds so far this year; on Wednesday, they crushed more than 200 illegal mopeds and other delivery vehicles. Authorities in Washington, D.C., meanwhile, launched a program Wednesday called Operation Ride Right to ensure drivers of two-wheeled vehicles are complying with the law. Since it began, authorities have made five arrests and impounded 17 mopeds. “They have terrorized many of our pedestrians, particularly our senior and older adults,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday at an event in which motorized two-wheeled delivery vehicles were destroyed. “Riders who think the rules don’t apply to them, they’re going to see an aggressive enforcement policy that’s in place.” When food delivery services had their major resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, most drivers used cars to deliver their fare. That led to increased traffic congestion, prompting a shift to motorcycles and other two-wheeled modes of transportation. The drivers, many of them immigrants from Latin American countries but also from West Africa and South Asia, say they are just trying to earn a living and are providing a service that gets customers their food fast. “We’re not all bad,” said Luis López, a delivery driver from the Dominican Republic who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday from his motorcycle in an area of multiple fast-food restaurants near the Boston Public Library. “We come to work, to earn a living, pay the rent and send something to our families.” López, who came to the U.S. about three years ago, acknowledged that some drivers are unlicensed or driving unregistered vehicles, and he’s seen them running red lights and onto sidewalks, menacing pedestrians. Some people are so reckless that they’re also putting other delivery drivers at risk, he said. He said he was among a group of 10 delivery drivers outside […]
New details have emerged about how the IDF carried out the daring hostage rescue operation in Gaza. The first soldiers who entered the Nuseirat “refugee camp” in Gaza on Shabbos morning were from the forward forces of the Yamam and Shin Bet. The operation rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv.
According to Kan 11 News quoting Arab sources, the forces entered Gaza in civilian trucks, and within a few minutes, reached the buildings in which the hostages were held. The forces and entered the buildings with open fire. Only at this point did additional Yamam and IDF soldiers, including tanks from the Birgade 7 of the Armored Corps, in addition to paratroopers and Kfir soldiers, enter the fight. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force conduced wide scale airstrikes in Nuseirat.
Heavy fire was opened towards the rescue vehicle holding three hostages. Paratroopers arriving at the scene helped extract the hostages, and the forces returned back into Israeli territory.
The hostages were held under heavy security in a densely populated civilian area of Nuseirat. They were held in three- or four-story buildings, with 200 meters separating the buildings from each other. The male hostages were held in one building, while Noa Argamani was held in another. The rescue forces split into two groups which worked in parallel and worked parallel to each other, with the understanding that if they worked together at one location, the hostages at the second location would be in danger.
The operation was conducted in broad daylight. From within the buildings, the terrorists opened fire at the rescue vehicle where Yamam officers were waiting, popping the tires. After the terrorists were eliminated, the forces succeeded in rescuing Noa and the other three hostages.
Yamam commander Arnon Zamora was killed during the operation, which will be named “Operation Arnon” in his honor. Commander Arnon led the team that broke into the apartment where the three male hostages were held. He battled with the terrorist who was in the room, and was evacuated to a hospital, where he later passed away.
Responding to rumors, an IDF spokesman confirmed: “The special forces did not enter Gaza via humanitarian aid trucks, and did not use the US’ humanitarian pier.”
{Matzav.com}
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