(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com) It is a sad reality that very often, lawyers win cases not on the evidence per se, but rather upon their ability to speak more passionately and more convincingly than the lawyer representing the other side. Recently, a Rav of a Flatbush shul delivered a deeply passionate resignation speech.  Listening to the speech strikes an emotional cord within us.  It was a plea for Tefilah, a plea to hear the sweet sounds of tinokos shel bais Raban. What yid with a heart listening to this powerful presentation would not empathize with this Rav? Who cannot be taken by his passion? His genuine pain?  The power of an emotional speech is most convincing.

It started with a tweet by NY Governor Cuomo: #BREAKING: New York State will extend the moratorium on evictions for those facing COVID-related hardship for an additional 60 days – until August 20. Cuomo then said he is banning late fees on rent, and he’s allowing tenants to use their security deposit as a rent payment. Ok. Fair. It’s hard times. But then NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio put his ultra progressive hat on, and tweeted the following: YES! Yes! Yes! Yes! From putting security deposits towards rent to expanding eviction bans, we’ve been pushing Albany to take bold action for tenants. Thank you @NYGovCuomo for heeding the call. But wait! You think THAT was progressive? Look at what the super dee duper socialist Mayor from NYC then tweeted: Now’s the time to go even further.

(Dr Bennett is a Board Certified Emergency Room Physician, NY Hospital of Queens, and also private practice in Queens) This is Ellie Bennett. You all know who I am and where I work. I just feel that I have to go on record. It is my medical opinion, and the same of all the infectious disease experts, that these minyamin are going to kill people. I know it is very difficult for you all to understand it because it seems like an innocuous gathering of 15 to 20 people. I will happily take any of you on a 5-minute tour of what is going on in my hospital right now. As of this past Thursday we had seven patients sick enough to be admitted. As of yesterday it was 30 and as of today it’s 50. Elderly people from our neighborhood are on ventilators in the ICU because of these minyanim.

Your grocery shopping experience is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to onerous new regulations imposed by New York State lawmakers. Particularly for large families, a typical grocery visit can cost hundreds of dollars. These costs are only growing to grow, as the “plastic bag ban”/”paper bag tax” takes effect on March 1st. This is going to impact your life in a very real way. Aside from a few minor exceptions, all plastic single-use carryout bags will be banned. (Notable exemptions: restaurant bags, pre-packaged bags {like trash bags}, and produce bags.) Paper bags will be offered as a disposable option, but each bag will cost the consumer at least five cents, with larger sizes costing as much as twenty cents – meaning that families will see their grocery charges rising.

(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com) Last week a measure was brought up in the New Jersey legislature to remove personal and religious exemptions regarding vaccination requirements. The measure was quashed, according to the New York Times, due to the efforts of various groups. One of those groups that advocated for the measure to be quashed was Agudath Israel of America. Sometimes, an issue arises where one must choose between two important values. Do we help promote the general welfare of the population? Or do we take steps to avoid any possible future curtailment of religious freedoms? This quandary is complicated, and recently came up in New Jersey where a law was proposed to remove the supposed “religious exemptions” to vaccination requirements. Vaccinations are important.

January 7, 2020 Dear Mayor de Blasio, We took these liberties for granted- to live, work, worship and safely walk the streets of our neighborhoods. Freedom used to be a hallmark of this great democracy we call home. Now no place is sacred, no place is safe; Houses of worship, schools, grocery stores, subways and city buses, parks, populated city streets, the list goes on and on. Now, men, women and children live in fear of daily violence and the next act of terror. They have a choice: stay locked in their homes or take a grave risk. We are in the throes of a surging wave of hate crime, encompassing acts of murder, assault, intimidation, vandalism and property damage.

Let’s get straight to the heart of it all: Bottom line, what is our takeaway? What do we walk away with? The Siyum itself is over, yet its effect lingers on. Its afterglow continues to shine brightly. The impeccable program. The immense Kiddush Hashem. Over 90,000 Yidden joined together in a unifying display of Kavod HaTorah. And, yes, who can forget the bone-chilling cold. All true, but what is the takeaway? What are we walking home with? On a superficial level, one cannot help but feel a sense of admiration and appreciation for the gargantuan efforts invested by Agudas Yisroel. A wise colleague once posit-ed, that the risk of flawless implementation is the perception of effortlessness and simplicity.

We were lulled into complacency; Now, the question begs: who knew what and when. Monsey, NY – In the days following the November 20th vicious stabbing of a 29-year-old man on his way to shul in Monsey, NY, the community heard one message from the Ramapo Police Chief, Brad Weidel: there is no evidence that it was a hate crime. While not totally outruling that it was a hate crime, Chief Veidel took great pains to say that there is no evidence that that attacked was antisemitic by nature. It fueled speculations that law enforcement has some information directing them elsewhere, and some in the community took solace in this message, interpreting it that this was an isolated incident targeting an individual.

Today’s Unity rally was created to show Jewish solidarity, to bring Americans together for a common cause – the fight against anti-Semitism. The need for the event is obvious: visibly Jewish people in the New York metropolitan area are attacked for their religious identity on a near daily basis, sometimes resulting in death, רח”ל. Americans must unite to help destroy the bane of our society. Americans should march together to show our commitment to Religious Freedom. Our community has a diverse spectrum of political beliefs. The progressive Jew is no less Jewish than the conservative one and vice versa. Political views do not define us. Although we have different opinions about some very important issues, we all agree that attacking orthodox Jews for their religious identity is wrong.

As the horrifying events of Monsey are still so fresh in our minds, coupled with other over manifestations of anti-Semitism in the New York area, it behooves all of us to rethink our preparations for the great convocation of Jews on Wednesday in Met-Life Stadium. As so many of us are involved in our frantic […]
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