NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Thursday commended Israel for its attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon, even though the Beresheet spacecraft failed to land on the moon.
“While NASA regrets the end of the SpaceIL mission without a successful lunar landing of the Beresheet lander, we congratulate SpaceIL, the Israel Aerospace Industries and the state of Israel on the incredible accomplishment of sending the first privately funded mission into lunar orbit,” Bridenstine said in a statement.
“Every attempt to reach new milestones holds opportunities for us to learn, adjust and progress. I have no doubt that Israel and SpaceIL will continue to explore and I look forward to celebrating their future achievements,” he added.

Recent visitors to Woodbury Common may have been exposed to the measles after a New York City resident with a confirmed case of measles visited the mega shopping area, according to the Orange County Health Department.
The infected person visited the shopping area between the hours of 4 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 31, the department said in a news release.
Areas the person visited included Nike Factory Store and Sayki Men’s Fashion Store, they added.
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{Matzav.com}

Yahadut HaTorah (UTJ), which was celebrating its growth to eight Knesset seats in the elections this week, is now feeling pressure as the latest count appears to move its eighth seat to the Meretz party.
UTJ is now just a few dozen votes shy of that eighth seat, which had previously seemed safe, as the Central Elections Committee is coping with a spate of irregularities in the reported votes.
The party which is benefiting at UTJ’s expense is the far-left Meretz party, the Kikar Hashabbat website reported.

A lawyer is poised to sue New York City for ordering mandatory measles vaccinations in the toughest action against the virus in US history, with refusals to vaccinate facing fines of up to $1,000 or six months in jail, according to New York Senate emergency laws.
Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, which, he said, gave him the power to require vaccinations in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, where more than 250 measles cases have been reported since September, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Michael Sussman, a civil rights lawyer, says there are not enough cases to warrant a state of emergency, he believes the move unlawfully targets religious groups, and he plans to have a case filed against the city by Friday.

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