Rav Yehuda Fatiyah (1859-1942), the foremost student of the Ben Ish Chai, who said that he was the reincarnation of the “Noda B’Yehuda.” He said that he had to come back to the earth for although in his last lifetime, he was a tzaddik, he did not fulfill his Torah obligation to study Kabbalah. So in this life, the study of Kabbalah was his main focus and tikkun. Born in Baghdad, he eventually moved to Eretz Yisrael, where he was niftar. His most famous sefer, Minchas Yehuda, is one of the most revelatory works about demons, how they act and deceive people. He was an expert in exposing these demons and casting them out. He also authored Beis Lechem Yehuda.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) prayed for regime change in Venezuela and thus help for its citizens at the Western Wall in Jerusalem while on a trip this week to Israel.
“Today, I visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem to pray for an end to Nicolás Maduro’s evil regime and genocide in #Venezuela,” tweeted the freshman senator on Wednesday.
Scott’s tweet came as Maduro said he wants to meet with US President Donald Trump amid the economic and diplomatic pressure on Venezuela from the United States, which, along with more than 50 countries, recognize the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the country’s interim president.
Officials from the United States and Maduro’s administration have reportedly held talks.

President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that first lady Melania Trump has “gotten to know” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, prompting the White House to clarify that the two have never met.
Trump made the comment at a news conference at the Group of 7 summit in Biarritz, France. While answering a question about Iran, the president took a detour to discuss the country’s real estate potential, then pivoted to North Korea.
“I also say that, by the way, with respect to North Korea, Kim Jong Un – who I’ve gotten to know extremely well; the first lady had gotten to know Kim Jong Un, and I think she’d agree with me – he is a man with a country that has tremendous potential,” Trump said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday spoke to Vice President Mike Pence, who said that the US backs Israel’s right to self defense, as tensions skyrocket in the Middle East.
“Had a great conversation with Prime Minister @netanyahu this morning. The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself from imminent threats. Under President @realDonaldTrump, America will always stand with Israel!” Pence wrote on Twitter.
The statement of support comes amid reports of Israeli airstrikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and a war of words between Israeli officials and leaders in neighboring countries, heightening fears of further violence in the region.

The pilot episode of SHMUZIK featuring popular sephardic singer Uri Davidi, the renowned lubavitch singer Benny Friedman, and the Chassidic powerhouse vocalist Levy Falkowitz.

The hachtarah of Rav Bentzion Kook, a longtime talmid of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l, as rov of the Avi Ezri kehillah of Petach Tikvah was held at the home of Rav Chaim Kanievsky.
The event was attended by such luminaries as Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rashbi; Rav Yitzchok Grodzensky, rosh kollel of Kollel Toras Avrohom and father-in-law of Rav Kook; Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Kook, rosh yeshiva of Meor HaTalmud; and others.

US prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Robert Bowers, the man accused of bursting into a Pittsburgh synagogue last year with a semi-automatic rifle and shooting 11 people to death, according to court papers filed on Monday.
Bowers, 46, shouted, “All Jews must die,” as he fired on congregants gathered for a Sabbath service at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, authorities said.
Bowers has pleaded not guilty in US District Court in Pittsburgh to a 63-count indictment.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday made her first public appearance since completing radiation treatment for her latest bout with cancer, saying it was “both a joy and a sorrow” to appear at an event organized by a college friend who died late last year.
The 86-year-old justice received an honorary degree in the morning and regaled a packed performing arts hall in the evening.
She was invited last year by Wayne Wisbaum, a friend from her undergraduate days at Cornell. Wisbaum died in December, but not before making sure Ginsburg could still attend the event, which included an honorary degree at the University at Buffalo law school.

Many of the millions of people who shop on Amazon.com see it as if it were an American big-box store, a retailer with goods deemed safe enough for customers. In practice, Amazon has increasingly evolved like a flea market. It exercises limited oversight over items listed by millions of third-party sellers, many of them anonymous, many in China, some offering scant information.