US President Joe Biden met with a 15-year-old leukemia patient during his recent trip to Israel. After hearing about Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel, leukemia patient Omer Yosef had repeatedly expressed his interest in meeting Biden to Shimi Gesheid, the CEO of Rachashei Lev, the Children’s Cancer Support Center Organization. Gesheid arranged the meeting, Biden’s last before leaving Israel. Omer, accompanied by Gesheid, met with Biden at the King David Hotel. Biden asked Omer about his hobbies and spoke about his son Beau, who died of cancer. Biden stressed that his administration is investing a significant amount of resources in cancer research and medical technology development.

A notorious female New York City shoplifter who was repeatedly released without bail has finally landed herself in prison after fighting with cops during her 101st arrest. Michelle McKelley, a self-described “professional” shoplifter, swiped paper towels from a Duane Reade at W. 125th Street and Lenox Ave. in the Bronx on Friday night. When police officers attempted to arrest her, McKelley fought back, “kicking, biting, scratching, and spitting” at the cops. Two officers were injured during the altercation and were taken to St. Luke’s hospital for treatment. McKelley has now been charged with two counts of second degree assault, petit larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property. Bail has been set at $5,000,and McKelley is now holed up on Riker’s Island.

Mayor Eric Adams was questioned on Monday by veteran Hamodia reporter Reuvain Borschardt over soaring crime in New York City, noting that the mayor’s campaign platform placed an overarching focus on combatting the Big Apple’s crime crisis. “When can we expect crime to drop?” Borschardt asked. “You have been in office for seven months, you ran on a platform of lowering crime. When can we expect to see those decreases in crime?” “When we get all our partners on board,” Adams responded, insisting that “we’re doing our job.” “The NYPD is taking thousands of guns off the streets. We are making arrests – a high level of arrests for violent crimes… What is in our control we are doing the maximum,” he asserted. “What we need to do: judges, lawmakers, prosecutors.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said on Wednesday evening that he is seeking an Ashkenazi candidate for the Shas party ahead of the elections for the 25th Knesset. Speaking in an interview with Kol B’Ramah, Deri said: “I receive hundreds of inquiries from people from the Ashkenazi public who tell me: ‘You’re the ones who represent me, we feel a part of you,'” Deri said. “That’s why I think that there’s a place for an Ashkenazi representative in Shas. I’m definitely looking for someone suitable for the position.” Deri added that he thinks that Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael won’t end up splitting up. “I believe that Degel and Agudah will not take the risk of splitting up. Gedolei Yisrael will sit down and reach an agreement.

In his upcoming memoir, Jared Kushner alleges that former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly “shoved” his wife, Ivanka Trump, after a contentious meeting. Kushner says Kelly exhibited multiple personalities over the meeting, flashes of unrestrained anger, and says that Kelly was “consistently duplicitous.” “One day he had just marched out of a contentious meeting in the Oval Office,” Kushner writes in his book. “Ivanka was walking down the main hallway in the West Wing when she passed him. Unaware of his heated state of mind, she said, ‘Hello, chief.’ Kelly shoved her out of the way and stormed by.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com It is called, “B’Ikvei HaGalus”, and its over 700 pages makes it, in all probability, the most comprehensive Torah work on the Churban and subsequent galus  – ever printed. Written by Rabbi Yaakov Beer an Avreich in BMG and a grandson of Rav Mordechai Gifter zt”l, the sefer is structured as a running and deep commentary on Perek HaNizakin in tractate Gittin.  Rabbi Beer shlita cites the questions, he explores the responses in the rishonim and acharonim, and he contrasts the different views with his very powerful analytic skills.

Several members of Congress, including anti-semite Rep. Ilhan Omar, were arrested Tuesday by Capitol Police as they protested against the overturning of Roe v. Wade outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Another lightning rod, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, seemingly tried to get arrested but was instead escorted away from the area while looking very pleased with herself. The protesters were blocking traffic and had received ample warning from police that they would be arrested if they didn’t move. “It is against the law to block traffic, so officers are going to give our standard three warnings before they start making arrests,” Capitol Police tweeted.

Let’s face it, the city stinks. And now, the numbers prove it. A New York Post analysis of 311 calls found that odor complaints in New York City are at an all-time high, rising by 54% (over 5,700 calls this year alone) since the same time span in 2021. “It stinks… we are the best city, but at the same time we are the dirtiest,” one New Yorker said. A recent ranking also placed New York City as the second-dirtiest city in the world, behind just Rome, Italy. But Mayor Eric Adams says he doesn’t understand all the complaints. “Folks see our investment in sanitation, the city has to be clean and I’m seeing the city get cleaner and cleaner,” Adams said. “Maybe I have a New York nose – I’m not smelling the filth.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com Today, the 15th of Tammuz is the yahrtzeit of Rabbeinu Chaim Ben-Attar (1696-1743), better known as the “Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh.” He was one the greatest biblical commentators of the Acharonim, a mekubal, a Talmudic commentator, and a posek. For most of his life, he lived in Morocco and was primarily known amongst Moroccan Jewry. He ascended to Eretz Yisroel at the age of 43.  His remarkable work was printed as he passed through Italy.  Eventually, he settled in Yerushalayim, where he established his yeshivah, Midrash Knesset Yisrael. The entire spectrum of the Torah community, from Litvish Roshei Yeshiva, to Chassidic Rebbes to Sefardic luminaries focus on every word of the holy Ohr HaChaim.

The father of Jaoquin Oliver, a victim of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, heckled President Biden during remarks Monday celebrating the passage of a bipartisan gun bill. “You have to do more than this!” Manuel Oliver yelled at the president. His son Joaquin was a 17-year-old student at the Parkland, Florida, high school when he was gunned down on February 18, 2018. “You have to open an office in the White House!” “I’ve been trying to tell you this for years and years!” he added. Oliver was escorted from the event, which was held on the South Lawn of the White House, by security after yelling at the president. The president attempted to get Oliver to quiet down before security took him out. “Sit down! You’ll hear what I have to say,” Biden said. “We have one.