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25 Questions To Ask About the Ahuvya Sandak Case

Murder Most Foul: 25 QUESTIONS

That Will Determine the Truth Behind the Planned Take-down of Ahuvya Sandak & His Friends

Dean MaughvetFeb 7

Today’s GUEST POST courtesy our Legal Correspondent, F.S. Zulatow

This entire affair is so riddled with contradictions, mendacity and dissembling, it’s hard to know where to begin.

So let’s just start with the following –

  1. How do police justify withholding medical attention to the survivors of a car accident for over an hour?
  2. And why did they refuse to allow ZAKA responders to remove Ahuvya’s body from the scene for at least FOUR HOURS after that.
  3. And why all the foregoing against the repeated pleadings of the boys to save their friend who was trapped beneath the car?
  4. How do police justify a charge of ‘reckless driving’ resulting in death against a dead man and his friends – who were rammed from behind by a police vehicle at high speed?
  5. How do they justify their (2nd, altered) account of the ‘accident’ as one in which the boys’ car slammed into them – the police vehicle – thereby causing the boys’ car to catapult wildly and roll off the road?
  6. How do they explain the initial account that specified there was NO CONTACT between the vehicles – that the boys’ car spontaneously lost control and flipped repeatedly, landing 30 meters from the highway?
  7. Who was the officer who – according to the boys’ testimony – arrived at the overturned car and yelled, “wow, wow, you really messed up their vehicle.”  Has he been identified?  Has he denied making the statement?  Did he, indeed, witness the event?  Has he been questioned under caution regarding what he saw and said?

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  8. Why was there such a manic necessity to keep a high-profile member of Knesset (Bezalel Smotrich) so far from the crash scene?
  9. Why was assistance from a group of well-trained IDF soldiers with medical expertise who arrived minutes after the crash rebuffed!?
  10. Why was there a need to handcuff the injured youths, one to the next, before they were extricated from their overturned vehicle!?
  11. What happened to the police dash-cam that recorded the entire chase, and pre-chase maneuverings?
  12. What happened to the nearby Mekorot Water cameras that also captured the entire event, and why were IDF security cameras in the area tampered with?
  13. What happened to cameras from the Arab village of Taibeh, which point directly from their high mountings on the community’s chicken coops directly toward the area of the crash?  Why were they not immediately sequestered and scanned for evidence?  Where are they now, and who had access to them in the interim?
  14. Why were the officers’ mobile phones not immediately collected?
  15. Why were their call logs not accessed?
  16. Why was this trove of evidence not immediately sought – or, more to the point, why did it remain in the public domain for so long, where anyone might have done as he pleased with it – including tampering with or even destroying it?
  17. Separately, where is the Arab who supposedly called police to report the boys’ alleged rock-throwing?

Continue reading…

From Save the Hilltop Youth!, here.

Who Are the Hilltop Youth & What Do They Want?

Third Temple Culture: The Ethos of The Hilltop Youth

A vigorous new worldview that moves beyond the State of Israel

Dean MaughvetFeb 15

“We are post-zionist, yes; but also adamantly halachic.”

The Hilltop Youth are not the same young fellows you read about in the mainstream media.

There, you’ll find endless stories about dropouts, vandals and ‘messianic zealots’.

And in the burgeoning academic literature, too, where every manner of anthropologist, sociologist and criminologist is tripping over himself to develop a convincing typology for the group, or to formulate some original model the better to render them, like Eliot’s butterfly, “sprawled and wriggling on a pin” – the target is missed altogether.

In the case of the journalists, it’s mostly laziness.

If you’re a secular reporter, what, after all, is your motivation to get ‘inside’ and really understand the heart of a movement that will eventually upend the course of modern Jewish history?

And besides, in contemporary journalism an agenda has to be pushed, so it’s easier to just stigmatize (or demonize) the group in order to advance your career, rather than run up against some woke editor who’ll consign you to proofreading the social page if you don’t conform.

As for the ‘academics’, it’s too often the case that papers are written in order to make policy proposals for politicians and law enforcement (alongside making a name for themselves as good students of these very bad Jews).

Ultimately, that means finding vulnerabilities in the group that can be exploited by well-meaning government types who just want to make the ‘problem’ go away.

In short, almost no one writing today about the Hilltop Youth is doing so in an honest, intelligent manner, or with a view toward knowing what truly animates them.

Very simply, the Hilltop Youth possess a single-minded yearning for the Third Temple – a desire so consuming and uncompromising that it has de facto created a separate and exclusive Hilltop culture – not only distinct from the shallow, mainstream zeitgeist of the Israeli sh’fela, but also from the spirit of those ‘settlers’ in whose midst they dwell.

Now, that’s a lot to parse, I know, so let’s try to unpack it.

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Hilltop Bullet Points

We’ll start with this: the Hilltop Youth is not ‘Israeli’, in the normative cultural sense of the term.  They possess Israeli citizenship, yes, but…

  • They care nothing for the politics that enlivens the average Israeli. 
  • They care less for TzaHaL, over which most of the country still fawns.
  • High tech is the least of their ambitions.
  • And as for a life of ease – in the most vulgar, western understanding of the phrase (gadgets and holidays) – it’s nothing they pine for.
  • All of which places them in an entirely different galaxy from the average citizen of the so-called Jewish State.

Rather, the weltanschauung of the Hilltop Youth group is one of pure spirit.

Know, too, that there’s no organization here.

This is an entirely generational mindset that was absorbed via a number of disparate historical processes and phenomena that began in 1967.

It includes, among others – Rabbi Kahane, Oslo, Gush Katif, the broader settlement enterprise (and especially its conflict with the Minhal Ezrachi), Israeli judicial overreach, increasing police malfeasance, and a wholesale rejection of the statist politics of their elders.

Throw in an overwhelming love of the Land and People of Israel and you come up with a product that the state and its institutions truly regard as a mortal threat to their existence.

And they’re right.

But for the wrong reasons.

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A New Vision

The dream of the Hilltop Youth is to lead a life of mesirut nefesh for the sake of the Land of Israel and the Jewish remnant that believes, as they do, that nothing short of the messianic vision of the prophets will suffice for them – or for G-d.

And so, in an unceasing effort to occupy the space that’s bound by their convictions, they have moved into that ‘place’ that is wholly Third Temple.

That is, they have dispensed with anything that does not comport with life as it is meant to be lived in Temple times, and have filled their days exclusively with the necessities of learning about and preparing for the temple sacrifice ritual as explained in the Mishna.

All else is superfluous.

Life is led as if the Temple might appear tomorrow, and the group will simply walk undisturbed into that new reality without so much as a blink.

What that means…

1.      It means that animals and crops are raised in a natural, organic manner for both sustenance and sacrifice.

2.      That the Israeli state as a political concept (and reality) is rejected in favor of a King and Sanhedrin that are now in their emergent stages.

3.      That the state, moreover, is considered to be the single biggest roadblock on the road to a Third Temple reality.

4.      That a complete repudiation of, and disengagement from the institutions and processes of the State of Israel — and all those who work for and support them — is therefore a categorical necessity.

5.      That economically, the abiding focus is on agriculture, artisanry and crafts that will eventually contribute to a full Third Temple existence – to the exclusion of all other occupations.

6.      Submission to an overall ‘primitivism’ (they’ve certainly been called worse), that considers trapping, gathering, preserving, spinning, dyeing, and excelling at all the fiber, metal- and wood-working arts as activities of the highest value — to be learned, taught and thoroughly promoted.

Third Temple Economy

The group is now engaged in developing a Third Temple economic infrastructure that is Torah and agriculture based.  The laws of shmittah and yovel are studied and implemented with great stricture.

The group sees guilds and apprentice-style learning groups emerging for crafts and tradesmen, along with

A barter system with designated weights and measures, and set locations for the effective commercial transfer of goods, based on the original Mishnaic Monday/Thursday market-day protocol.

A group of learned and trustworthy rabbis without any state affiliation – itinerant teachers of sorts – is now active across Yehuda and Shomron, visiting the various hilltops to teach the relevant laws of agriculture and trade and to ensure they’re adhered to.

Sympathetic legal experts have also been engaged to coach the group and instruct them in the methods of Erev Rav state trickery – and how to defend themselves against it.

Continue reading…

From Save the Hilltop Youth!, here.

‘Food: A Halachic Analysis’ by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz, Review by Rabbi R. C. Klein

Food: A Halachic Analysis

Food: A Halachic Analysis by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz (Mosaica Press, 2021)

Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

A prominent Talmid Chacham recently said to me that one-third of all sources cited in contemporary seforim are either non-existent or misquoted. Many authors simply copy out lists of sources from other seforim, but don’t actually bother to look up the sources that they cite. But—Rabbi Yehuda Spitz is different. He is a meticulous scholar who always checks up his sources and goes well beyond that as well. After years of in-depth research and writing, Rabbi Spitz has finally presented us with his first English book. The bulk of this masterpiece of Torah scholarship comprises of updated versions of various essays that Rabbi Spitz published over the years in major Jewish publications all over the world, plus new never-before-published articles on additional topics.

The first few chapters of this 31-chapter book discuss the laws of Basar B’Chalav (“Meat & Milk”), focusing on various details like how long one ought to wait between eating food of one disposition and the other, plus additional safeguards put in place to distance a person from — God forbid! — violating the Torah’s prohibition of Basar B’Chalav. Rabbi Spitz devotes a chapter to the requirement of waiting six hours between eating hard cheese and meat, elaborating on what exactly constitutes “hard cheese” vis-à-vis this Halacha. In a later chapter, Rabbi Spitz clarifies the Halachic status of genetically-engineered meat, demonstrating a fairly impressive understanding of the scientific processes used in its production and offering the most comprehensive analysis of the issue to date.

Rabbi Spitz also offers expositions that cover various historic Halachic controversies over the Kashrus status of the Buffalo and Zebu (whether they should be classified as a chayah or behemah), the stincus Marinus (whether it serves as an exception to the Talmud’s assumption that every fish with scales also has fins), and gid hanashe (whether the sciatic nerve is only on male animals or even on female animals). Rabbi Spitz’s pop culture references, humorous subtitles, and particular predilection for alliteration make reading this book entertaining, and his historical tidbits and interesting side points make it all the more informative.

In one his most entertaining and informative essays, Rabbi Spitz also provides us with a history of the Kashrus supervision over Coca Cola, explaining all the possible concerns and how they were addressed, while also managing to make references to all of Coca Cola’s various slogans. He also devotes much attention to Barton’s Candy and Jello-O, teaching us about the various ways of producing gelatin and which ones are considered Halachically-acceptable. In these chapters, Rabbi Spitz not only wears the black hat of a Torah Scholar investigating Halachic conundrums, but also dons his biologist belt and chemist goggles.

For those who think about Pesach year-round, Rabbi Spitz offers much food for thought concerning the ban on kitniyos (“legumes”) and whether it applies to such relatively new products as potatoes, corn, cottonseed oil, and quinoa. Like all of his other essays, Rabbi Spitz quotes from the leading Halachic authorities of our generation and even corresponded with various Kashrus agencies around the globe.

Of course, no contemporary Halachic work on food would be complete without chapters on Chalav Yisrael, Pas Yisrael, and Chadash. Have no fear, Rabbi Spitz’s respective chapters on those topics do not disappoint! He does not shy away from controversy, but tackles these topics head on, offering an honest look at the relevant sources. Other chapters in this book discuss various intricacies of the rules of bittul (“nullification”), kashering, pasteurization, and even mayim acharonim.

Rabbi Spitz consistently presents multiple sides to every issue, yet one can often discern his own final opinion on the matter. He generally presents his own conclusions with a soft tone and does not typically discredit those with whom he ultimately disagrees—a rare sign of humility in our combative times. Rabbi Spitz further shows his humility and openness to learning from others by mentioning the random people who provided him with the various sources or pieces of information that he adduces. At the same time, when accepted works like the Badei HaShulchan or Chelkas Binyamin come to mistaken conclusions, Rabbi Spitz is not afraid to point out their mistakes.

If I had to criticize Rabbi Spitz’s work, I would make an issue of him using technical terms or quotes from Halachic works transliterated from Hebrew without always clearly defining them. He doesn’t do this too often, but in some ways, it still makes the book a bit too complicated for the novice reader who is not already familiar with the various Halachic principles in play. Additionally, Rabbi Spitz’s carefully-crafted footnotes sometimes contain long lists of sources and authorities that read like name-dropping and do not really offer anything extra. That said, most of the time, his lists of sources do add to the discussion at hand.

Rabbi Spitz was clearly influenced by his illustrious rebbeim. For instance, his use of humor in helping his readers and students digest the loads of information that he presents mirrors the inimitable teaching methods of his mentor, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Lerner (author of Shemiras HaGuf VeHaNefesh). Rabbi Spitz’s inquisitive methodology follows that of his teacher Rabbi Yonason Wiener (posek for Yeshivas Ohr Somayach and member of Badatz She’aris Yisrael), who has scientific inquiry in his blood. And finally, Rabbi Spitz’s impatience for excessive stringencies and unjustified leniencies matches that of his rebbi, Rabbi Yaakov Blau (a prominent dayan on the Badatz Eidah Chareidis), who always provided a balanced voice on any subject he weighed in. Needless to say, Rabbi Yehuda Spitz is also influenced by his esteemed father, renowned Kashrus expert, Rabbi Manish Spitz, whose opinions and insights are quoted on a variety of topics.

As Rosh Chaburah of the Ohr LaGolah program at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yehuda Spitz helped trained a generation of frontline professionals involved in kiruv, chinuch, rabbonus, and kashrus. He is often consulted as an expert in various Halachic topics, and has been interviewed as an authority on such radio shows as Kashrus on the Air with Rabbi Yosef Wikler and Halacha Headlines with Mr. Dovid Lichtenstein. This reviewer looks forward to seeing future books by Rabbi Spitz on the rest of Yoreh Deah, Orach Chaim, Even HaEzer, and other areas of Halacha.

From Rachak Review, here.

The Media Clowns BELIEVE [Some of] Their Lies!

When Fools Rule

The Z Man

May 10, 2021

It is axiomatic that uninformed people are the easiest to deceive. A corollary to this rule is that people are most certain about the things they understand the least. Scientists are well aware of the gaps in their knowledge, but the evangelist is absolutely certain about the truth of whatever he is peddling. Taken together, intelligence and experience lead to prudence, while stupidity and ignorance lead to foolhardiness.

Working backward from this understanding, we can begin to understand why the American ruling class is going insane. The defining feature of this age is that the people in charge are certain about things that are imaginary. The government, for example, has denied Christians a permit to assemble for the National Day of Prayer, because they fear invisible White Nationalists will launch a revolution.

They think this because they are sure the January protest at the Capitol was part of a plot to overthrow the government. The nation saw mostly flag-waving boomers taking selfies and laughing with the cops. The political class is told it was cover for an invisible army of white supremacists. These white supremacists are lurking out there on the other side of the razor wire, waiting for the chance to pounce.

“The defining feature of this age is that the people in charge are certain about things that are imaginary.”

There is no question that the country is at odds with itself and its ruling class over a long list of issues. The race issue remains as troublesome as it was when Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. Our politics are a disaster of fraud and corruption. These are true things, but the ruling class talks about them from a position of ignorance. They sound so weird, because they have no idea what life is like for the rest of us.

This starts with Joe Biden, a man who has spent his adult life in government. His “private sector experience” was at a political law firm for a year fifty years ago. Now, of course, his brain is scrambled eggs, but even if he were still in control of his faculties, he would have no reason to question the claims about invisible Nazis hiding around the capital. Why would he? Everything he knows comes from government.

His second-in-command and future leader of the free world (stop laughing) is Kamala Harris, who has never sullied herself in the dreaded private sector. She spent the first four years of her “work life” making sure Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown was feeling groovy. Then she ran for office and it has been twenty years of uninterrupted life in one elected office after another.

Arguably, the third most powerful person in America is Nancy Pelosi. Under the section titled “Private Sector” on her Wikipedia page is nothing but a string of emoticons to indicate hilarious laughter. Pelosi has never had a real job. In fact, she comes from a family of taxeaters. Her father was a lifelong politician. Her brother was also a lifelong taxeater, largely credited with ruining Baltimore while mayor.

The second banana in the House is the octogenarian Steny Hoyer, who, like his boss, has avoided the private sector his entire life. According to his bio, he was a mediocre student, so he naturally chose politics. He was a Senate staffer while attending law school and then ran for an open seat upon graduation. He has spent 55 years without ever having worked a real job.

It is not just Democrats who are allergic to honest labor. The top Republican in the House is Kevin McCarthy. His first job out of college was as a staffer for Congressman Bill Thomas of California. Then he was chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 2002 and then won a House seat in 2006. He has been in Congress ever since.

The GOP’s second-in-command in the House is Steve Scalise, a man who appears to have started out in life with the hope of making himself a productive citizen. He majored in computer science at LSU. He must have fallen in with a bad crowd along the way, as he never made it to the dreaded private sector. Instead, it was time in the Louisiana state legislature and then off to his current spot in Washington.

The No. 3 Republican is the most amusing. Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, is the Republican Conference Chair. Unlike her bosses, she technically had a job in the dreaded private sector. She worked at a law firm that is called White & Case LLP. Granted, it is just a cat’s paw for the American empire, but it technically counts as the private sector. After that short run, she was on the dole in one government job after another before landing in Congress.

Of course, these people are surrounded by an army of staffers and consultants who have also avoided real work. The people who occupy the staff spots for elected officials and the congressional committees are just as committed to avoiding honest labor as their bosses. They start as interns, get a staff job out of college, then maybe a trip to law school and then it is back on the government payroll.

This is why these people sound so weird. How could Liz Cheney know anything about the concerns of the people she is supposed to represent? Wyoming is just a place she has read about and visited on vacation. The people of the state would be better off hiring a Frenchman who once went on holiday to Jackson Hole. That Frenchman would know he knows nothing about Wyoming and would maybe hire some locals to help him out. Liz Cheney’s staff is all pod people from the Washington hack-a-rama.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to politics. The media is stocked with carnies who maybe waited tables once, but otherwise have no contact with present reality. Their life is on stage, playing the role written for them by equally obtuse and ignorant people. The mass media is a circus, but the audience is out of sight from the performers. The media carnies cannot hear the laughter and jeering. It is nothing but piped-in applause, which they assume is the real thing.

This brings us back to those axioms of life. The people in charge are running around spouting crackpot conspiracy theories because they know little about the people they govern. They are easily fooled, because they are so ignorant. Why would they question the Russian conspiracy? Everyone they know thinks it is true. Those ants they see through their telescope, the people the rest of us call neighbors, sure seem to be doing what the Russian experts have claimed.

This is why they are so certain of these crackpot theories. They have barricaded themselves behind razor wire and armed men because they are absolutely sure the crackpot theories are true. Again, people are most certain of the things they least understand. The Cloud People know so little of the Dirt People, they will believe anything about them, because they have no way to know otherwise. It is why we find ourselves ruled by increasingly foreign fanatics spouting bizarre conspiracy theories.

History says that when the gap between the reality of the ruling class and actual reality gets too wide, there is a break. The French Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution are two examples. The ruling class became detached from the people they ruled, so they could not see what was coming. Similarly, the credentialed naïfs of the managerial class are blind to present reality. They do not know what they do not know, but they are absolutely certain of it and it will not end well.

From Taki Mag, here.