Spurred on by President Donald Trump’s demand to pull troops out of Germany, the U.S. will bring about 6,400 forces home and shift about 5,600 to other countries in Europe, U.S. defense leaders said Wednesday, detailing a Pentagon plan that will cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. The decision fulfills Trump’s announced desire to withdraw troops from Germany, largely due to its failure to spend enough on defense. A number of forces will go to Italy, and a major move would shift U.S. European Command headquarters and Special Operations Command Europe from Stuttgart, Germany, to Belgium. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said some moves will begin in months and will leave about 24,000 troops in Germany.

Having endured what was surely a record-shattering slump last quarter, the U.S. economy faces a dim outlook as a resurgent coronavirus intensifies doubts about any sustained recovery the rest of the year. A huge plunge in consumer spending as people stayed home and avoided shopping, traveling or gathering in crowds as the virus raged is estimated to have sent the economy sinking at a roughly 32% annual rate in the April-June quarter. That would be more than triple the previous worst quarterly economic fall, a 10% drop set in 1958. Depressed activity in such areas as business investment, home construction and government spending also likely contributed to the worst quarterly contraction on records dating to 1947.

Following the Six Day War Concerning the rejoicing taking place at the Kosel Hamaaravi דרשת יום א’ דסליחות תשכ”זבקיץ של שנת תשכ”ז שוחרר ירושלים העתיקה מידי הערבים ושוב התאפשר ליהודים לגשת אל הכותל המערביולשפוך שיח ליד שריד בית מקדשנו בעת ההוא דיבר בקדשוכ”ק מרן הגה”ק מצאנז קלויזענבורג זי”עובכה מאין הפוגות באמרו שלעת כזאתרבתה צער גלותנו פי כמה וכמה משל לבן מלך שסרח וגורש מעל פני אביו ולאחר שנות עינוי וסבל  נתן לו אביו רשות לשוב עד איזה חורבה בסמוך לפלטרין של מלך אך אל ביתו לא יבוא ופניו לא יראה…   נ.ב. להשיג שאר הקלטות, ווידיאו’ס, מד”ת של רבינו מצאנז קלויזענבורג זי”ע, שנערכו וי”ל על ידינו נא לשלוח אימייל לכתובת: באוצר החיים: oitzerchaim@gmail.com     קורצע שטיקלעךמדרשת יום א’ דסליחות תשכ”ז צו זעהן קליקט דא

Prof. Ronni Gamzi, Israel’s newly appointed coronavirus czar, presented his new “Magen Yisrael” plan to reign in the continuously rising coronavirus infection rate in Israel in a press conference on Tuesday evening. Gamzu said that the country’s contact tracing program is “at the heart of stopping the pandemic” and will now be transferred to the IDF which has “the technology, the tools and the ability” to carry the program out efficiently. Gamzu reassured Israelis that his plan will forge a “new contract” between the government and Israeli citizens and there will be an end to the implementation of illogical restrictions that harm the economy.

Some say that one of the most painful parts of a loved one battling cancer is the suspense. “How long will the treatments take? Will they be effective? Will the person I love be here with me in a year? A month? A week?” For the Kahana family of Bnei Brak, however, there was no suspense. Though their mother Rivka fought cancer for 4 long years, she did not tell any of them she was sick. They knew her only as ‘weak.’ In what seems impossibly heroic, Rivka continued to raise her 12 children without any mention of her own cancer or pain for four years. She worked as a teacher in a high school for girls, and she even went in to work on the day she died. Though she spared her children the pain of knowing her diagnosis, her passing was a monumental shock.

Civil liberties groups are asking a state court to block New York election officials from enforcing a requirement that voters register 25 days before an election. Representatives of the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday that they have filed a request for a preliminary injunction in their ongoing lawsuit first filed in November 2018 against the New York state Board of Elections. The civil liberties groups’ leaders argues that the 25-day cut-off left about 93,000 New Yorkers unable to vote in the 2016 presidential election because they registered after the deadline.

Hundreds of left-wing Israelis protested once again on Tuesday night in Jerusalem outside the Prime Minister’s Residence and in Tel Aviv outside Public Security Minister Amir Ohana’s apartment building. The demonstrations outside Ohana’s apartment were in response to a leaked recording of Ohana exhorting the Jerusalem police district commander to crack down on the anti-Netanyahu protests, saying that the protests involve “vandalism that shouldn’t be tolerated.” The “black flag” protesters stood outside Ohana’s building yelling anti-police chants. The protestors blocked major roads twice during the demonstrations, which lasted until 4 a.m., before they were evacuated by the police, which led to violence. Four protestors were arrested for assault and disturbing public order.

Spirit of Survival by Project Witness. Don’t Miss It.For the past 8 years, Project Witness has organized major events during the Nine Days featuring each year’s new documentary. Blockbusters such as In One Split Second, Once Upon a Family, Rosja, and Giant are among the famed collection. Each year, thousands of people flock to these Nine Day showings, which faithfully echo the spirit of the calendar. This year, due to Covid-19, public showings are not possible. Yet, despite that knowledge, Project Witness forged ahead to create Spirit of Survival, yet another, if not the greatest, masterpiece thus far. You can still watch this documentary during the Nine Days, but this year you can do so in the privacy of your home on our website, projectwitness.org.

Shimi was raised in a home of abuse and neglect. Although he lived in what looked like a frum household, as a child, he was physically beaten and repeatedly threatened to be murdered by his own father. School was not a safe haven for him either, as he had ADD and was unable to concentrate in class, causing the teachers to berate him and the other kids to bully him. PLEASE HELP SHIMI TODAY Physically and emotionally battered and disillusioned, and with no one to show him the true beauty of a Torah lifestyle, Shimi turned away from Judaism. He made a plan to escape his home and religion as soon as he could, but was forced to stay in school through high school, as he had no other place to go.

One of the nation’s largest teachers unions is authorizing its members to strike if their schools plan to reopen without proper safety measures in the middle of the global pandemic. The American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.7 million school employees, issued a resolution on Tuesday saying it will support any local chapter that decides to strike over reopening plans. In providing its blessing, the union is also offering local chapters access to its financial and legal resources as they navigate a return to the classroom. Union officials said they will provide legal support, communications support and staffing to local chapters that vote to strike.