By Gordon Dale, Ph.D.
On the evening of the 18th of Nissan 5779 (April 22, 2019), the Modzitz community of Brooklyn celebrated Pesach with musical joy befitting the holiday. The annual Pesach kumzitz was held in the home of R’ Aron Orlander, a devoted student of R’ Ben Zion Shenker, zt’l, and was co-led by R’ Dovid Bick, a close friend and student of Rabbi Shenker. Featuring lively singing of Modzitz classics, as well as treats from lesser-known corners of the canon, the event showcased the breadth and depth of the Modzitz repertoire. A highlight of the evening was surely the musical offerings of R’ Andy Statman, whose virtuosic clarinet playing demonstrated his attention to musical nuance and decades of close study of the repertoire.

When a gunman opened fire in a shul in California yesterday, killing one and injuring three others, Lori Kaye jumped between the shooter and the rabbi. Kaye, 60, was shot at the shul and died at a nearby hospital. In addition to Kaye, at least three others were wounded in the shooting at Congregation Chabad in Poway, north of San Diego. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 57, was shot in the hand  and suffered what looked like defensive wounds to both of his index fingers, a doctor at the Palomar Medical Center said.
In the following sudio, Rabbi Goldstein recounts what occurred:

http://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VIDEO-2019-04-28-10-17-55.mp4
-Reel of News

Washington DC-based law firm Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP announced that it is filing a $360 million lawsuit against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic for the countries’ support of the 2015 murders of members of the Henkin family. The suit also targets Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security; Bank Markazi Jomhouri, the Central Bank of Iran; Bank Melli Iran; and Bank Saderat Iran for their involvement.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of the Kaliver Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Taub zt”l. He was 96.
The Rebbe was the seventh in a direct paternal line to the founder of the Kaliver dynasty, Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Kaliv, a disciple of Rav Elimelech of Lizensk.
Seven years ago, at age 89, the rebbe married Mrs. Shaindel Malnick, then 55, from Kiryat Herzog in Bnei Brak.
The Rebbe was a son of the Rozler Rov. His first wife, Rebbetzin Chana Sara Shifra, passed away about eight years ago at the age of 94. She was a daughter of Rav Pinchas Shapiro of Kechnia and was a descendant of Rav Meir Premishlaner.

President Trump slammed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Saturday at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, calling her “Pocahontas” and saying her presidential campaign was “finished.”
He also took aim at Warren for releasing DNA results last year that showed she had a Native American ancestor from between six to 10 generations ago.
“Pocahontas she’s finished, she’s out. She’s gone. When it was found that I had more Indian blood in me than she did, then it was determined I had none, but I still had more, that was the end of her 32 year scam,” Trump said.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}

A federal judge sentenced Russian gun rights activist Maria Butina to 18 months in prison Friday after calling her plot to penetrate conservative U.S. political circles without disclosing she was working as a foreign agent for the Kremlin “dangerous” and “a threat to our democracy.”
Butina, 30, pleaded guilty in December to conspiring with a senior Russian official to access the National Rifle Association and other groups without registering with the U.S. Justice Department from 2015 until she was arrested and detained in July.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of Washington credited Butina with the more than nine months she already has served in jail and granted a request to expedite her deportation after she completes her sentence.

By Rabbi Elchanan Poupko
Just recently, two pregnant women in Brooklyn were found to have the measles with the disease hitting a shocking 390 victims in New York City alone. While many debate the topic of vaccines, there is a group of victims that cannot speak up on the topic: babies and unborn children. The primary risk antivaxxers pose, is to pregnant women’s health, and newborns.

Chometz may be purchased immediately after Pesach 2019 at the following stores, as per information provided by the Star-K:
Aldi’s
BJ’s
Coffee Bean
Colonial Liquors
Costco
CVS
Dugan’s Liquor
Food Lion
Market Maven
Petco
Petsmart
Rite-Aid
Royal Farms
Sam’s Club
Save-A-Lot
Savings Center 4003 Seven Mile Lane
Seven Mile Market
Shoppers Food Warehouse
Shoprite 37 Aylesbury Road, Timonium
Trader Joe’s
Walgreens
Walmart
Wegmans
Whole Foods
Wine Loft
Due to issues regarding possible Jewish owned distributors, in general, it is commendable not to purchase chometz from Target until the Sunday after May 26.

President Donald Trump was asked by reporters outside the White House on Friday how old was too old to be president.
“Well,” Trump said, “I think that – I just feel like a young man. I’m so young. I can’t believe it. I’m the youngest person. I am a young, vibrant man.”
He compared himself to former vice president Joe Biden, who declared his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday.
“I look at Joe? I don’t know about him. I don’t know.”
Was Biden too old?, Trump was asked.
“I would never say anyone is too old,” he replied, “but I know they’re all making me look very young, both in terms of age and I think in terms of energy.”
Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” Biden waved off Trump’s comments.