The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Thursday extended the arrest of Rabbi Eliezer Berland for eight days. During the court hearing, Berland’s lawyer complained that his client isn’t feeling well because he just underwent a catheterization. In response, the judge said: “Give him Mentos or Tic Tacs!,” a barb to Berland since news reports said that police discovered that some of the “medications” provided by Berland’s followers to patients and their families were Mentos candies. Berland and his underlings were arrested this week on charges of exploitation, money laundering and tax evasion, an ongoing intrigue that was originally revealed by a Channel 13 News investigation. Israel Police has collected over 200 testimonies against the suspects.

The excitement of Tiveria residents is rising along with the Kinneret water level, as it reaches a level last seen in 1992. Israel’s Water Authority announced on Wednesday morning that the Kinneret rose another 2.5 centimeters in the last 24 hours and the water level is now 209,995 meters below sea level, a level last reached in 2013. Regardless of the fact that if the Kinneret’s water level continues to rise, Tiveria will be at risk of flooding, locals are happy to be worrying about flooding rather than the drought they’ve become accustomed to. In any case, if flooding seems imminent, Israel’s Water Authority will open the dam at Kibbutz Degania, which will allow the water to flow into the Yarden, which is exactly what they did in 1992. ים כנרת.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued an official request to Japan on Wednesday to release the 15 Israeli passengers quarantined on the Japanese cruise ship Diamond Princess on which passengers were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Israel’s request came after Japan’s Health Ministry informed Israel’s Health Ministry that the Israeli passengers are slated to be released next week when the 14-day quarantine period ends. Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that there will be a meeting on Thursday in the ministry regarding the necessary preparations to bring the Israelis passengers back to Israel. Due to the chance that the Israeli passengers could contract the virus after leaving the ship, they will have to be quarantined again upon arrival in Israel.

A parcel containing Matzos, Tefillin, a Tallis, Sefarim, and Mezuzas were sent by Yad L’Achim to a Jewish man living in an enemy state. The operation was carried out via a third country that would receive a package from Israel and could also send packages to the enemy state. The Jewish man in question relayed in a letter to Yad L’Achim that he wanted other Jewish children in the country to see him act like a Jew and perform the mitzvos like a Jew.

Mohsen Rezaee, former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, an advisory body to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said in an interview earlier this week that if the United States attacks Iran, Iran will raze Tel Aviv to the ground. The host of the interview, which was aired on Lebanese TV, questioned Rezaee about the IRGC commander’s threat to attack Israel if Iran is attacked by the US. “Have you really made that decision?” the interviewer asked. “If the US attacks you, will you really strike Israel?” “You should have no doubt about this,” Rezaee replied. “We would definitely raze Tel Aviv to the ground. We have been looking for an excuse.

As part of a First Lego Competition held at Woodmere Middle School on February 9, children were working on projects related to local buildings. In the video below you will see and hear a student relaying information about one local building which she says was “purchased by the United Hebrew Community of New York.” Without skipping a beat, one anti-Semite teacher/judge turns to the other and says “G-d (expletive removed) Jews” and carries on as though her commentary was necessary. In a statement to YWN, Dov Hikind, the Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism says they are “calling on the school to have this teacher disciplined immediately. It’s unconscionable that we would allow “educators” with such hate ready to spew around impressionable children.

A blaze inside a Louisiana refinery that turned the night sky a shade of orange and sent a large plume of smoke into the air over Baton Rouge has been extinguished, ExxonMobil officials say. The fire erupted at the facility in Baton Rouge around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte told reporters. No injuries were reported, he said. “We’ve seen reports of people saying explosion. I can tell you there was no explosion,” Monte told reporters at an early morning news conference Wednesday. “We want the people to know that there has not been any off-site impact and we’re going to continue to be out here as long as it takes to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” he added.

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The man who is alleged to be the vicious anti-semite behind the recently shutdown “Rise Up Ocean COunty” Facebook page is headed to prison. Richard Ciullo was sentenced to 60 days in jail for check fraud. It appears the 60 days will be served by weekends. Cioullo allegedly used his Facebook page to sow hatred and bash Jews for all types of fraud they never committed – including the very crimes he is now doing time for. In 2014 he was arrested for deceiving customers and passing bad checks at his advertising businesses out of $3,000. Just last week YWN reported that Facebook finally removed the hate page. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and former Prime Minister and convict Ehud Olmert held a joint press conference in New York on Tuesday where they denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan. The televised address came just hours after Abbas said the U.S. initiative strengthens “the apartheid regime” during a fiery speech at the United Nations Security Council. Olmert and Abbas held negotiations during the former’s term as prime minister. Olmert was forced to resign a decade ago ahead of a corruption indictment that later sent him to prison for 16 months. In a nothing but laughable statement, Abbas said he “wishes to resume negotiations with you, Mr. Olmert, under the umbrella of the International Quartet.” Perhaps Mr. Abbas needs to be reminded, that Mr.