National

evening at the local Chabad center before taking off for Turkey the next morning.

“They wanted to try us with treason and missionary work,” Rochman said. “They were clearly trying to silence this project and send a message that no one should be documenting the Igbos.”

He observed, “We came out there to tell a story, and unfortunately we became the story. This is just a fraction and a taste of what Igbos go through daily.”

Holocaust Expert Appointed U.S. Anti-Semitism Envoy

The White House on Friday announced its appointment of Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

Lipstadt, 74, has authored several books, including, Beyond Belief: The American Press and the Coming

of the Holocaust 1933-1945; Histo-

ry on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier; The Eichmann Trial; Holocaust: An American Understanding and Antisemitism: Here and Now.

Lipstadt is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, where she was the founding director of the Institute for Jewish Studies.

Lipstadt is fluent in Hebrew. She received her BA from New York’s City College, and a MA and PhD from Brandeis University. She also fought a libel suit brought by Holocaust denier David Irving.

Previously, she served in several roles at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and represented the U.S. at the 60th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, the White House added.

Lipstadt is the fifth to be appointed to the post as envoy, but the first who requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate after Congress moved the position to ambassador level last year.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan praised the nomination, saying that “Lipstadt has dedicated her life to fighting anti-Semitism and preserving the memory of the Holocaust.”

The Zionist Organization of America was displeased with the appointment, noting that Lipstadt shows “partisan left-wing bias” and that “Lipstadt obscenely and falsely likened President Trump to Nazi murderers and propagandists; helped promote a video that wrongly did the same.”

Vaccination Proof in NYC

If you’re going to be dining or heading to the gym in New York City, make sure you have your vaccination card handy.

New York City will become the first U.S. city to require proof of vaccination for a variety of activities for workers and customers – indoor dining, gyms and performances — to put pressure on people to get vaccinated, said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday.

The program, similar to mandates issued in France and Italy last month, will start later this month, and after a transition period, enforcement will begin in mid-September.

“It’s time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” de Blasio said at a news conference.

“Not everyone is going to agree with this, I understand that,” he said. “But for so many people, this is going to be a lifesaving act, that we are putting a mandate in place that is going to guarantee a much higher level of vaccination in this city. And that is the key to protecting people, and the key to our recovery.”

De Blasio has been pushing vaccinations on New Yorkers. City workers are required to be vaccinated or face weekly testing.

About 66 percent of adults in the city are fully vaccinated, according to city data, although pockets of the city have lower rates.

For now, New York City is not requiring masks indoors, although de Blasio is encouraging New Yorkers to do so.

As part of the new program, New York City will create a health pass called the “Key to NYC Pass” to provide proof of vaccination required for workers and customers at indoor dining, gyms, entertainment and performances.

New Yorkers will be able to continue to dine outdoors without showing proof of vaccination. To enter indoor venues, they must use the city’s new digital app, the state’s Excelsior app, or a paper card to show proof of vaccination.

“If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “It’s time.”

Suni Lee Nabs the Gold

U.S. Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, 18, won the gold medal in gymnastics last week, earning the title of the women’s gymnastics all-around champion.

She is the first Hmong American to compete in the U.S. games.

In a statement after receiving her medal, Lee said, “This is such a surreal moment. I just feel like I could have never been here ever. It doesn’t even feel like real life.

“There was a point in time where I wanted to quit, and I just didn’t think I would ever get here. So there’s definitely a lot of emotions. But I’m super proud of myself for sticking with it and believing in myself because this medal would not be possible without my coaches, the medical team, my parents. It’s just so surreal, and I haven’t even let it sink in yet.”

Lee has overcome an impressive amount: She lost an aunt and uncle to COVID-19, suffered multiple inju-

ries, and in 2019, her father was left paralyzed from the waist down after he fell while helping a neighbor trim a tree.

Lee competed in the U.S. gymnastics championships, winning three medals at age 16: a gold on uneven bars, a silver in the all-around, and a bronze for floor exercise.

John Lee praised his daughter’s Olympic win, saying, “There’s no words to describe how we feel right now.”

Yeev Thoj, Suni Lee’s mother, said, “All the injuries ... she has a bad day, then she’ll come home so stressed about it and crying – that has finally paid off. She’s a gold medalist. And I’m super proud as a mom.”

Blinken to Iran: Fish or Cut Bait

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday warned that negotiations with Iran regarding the renewal of the JCPOA, or “nuclear deal,” cannot continue forever.

At a press conference in Kuwait, Blinken emphasized, “We are committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely.

“At some point, the gains achieved by the JCPOA cannot be fully recovered by a return to the JCPOA if Iran continues the activities that it’s undertaken with regard to its nuclear program activities, that, of course, are breaking ... through the constraints imposed by the JCPOA.”

The sixth round of talks adjourned in June.

On Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told Iranian state TV that Iran will not give in to the U.S.’s “stubborn” demands, claiming that “the Americans acted completely cowardly and maliciously.

“They once violated the nuclear deal at no cost by exiting it. Now they explicitly say that they cannot give guarantees that it would not happen again.”

Blinken, for his part, said, “We look to see what Iran is ready to do or not ready to do. We remain fully prepared to return to Vienna to continue negotiations, but as I said, this process cannot and will not go on indefinitely.”

He emphasized that the U.S. has engaged in “multiple conversations and negotiations in Vienna” and that “the Iranians have refused to talk directly, but with our European partners with Russia and China.”

He added, “Iran that has decisions to make, fundamental decisions to make, about whether it too wants to return to compliance, and there is no amount of deflection that can change that, that basic fact, the ball remains in Iran’s court. We will see if they are prepared to make the decisions necessary to come back into compliance.”

Texas’ Abbott Targets Covid and Illegals

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order last week targeting the transportation of migrants released from custody. The order is positioned as a public health measure to keep the numbers of COVID-19 cases low. Despite that, it has prompted the threat of a lawsuit from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Under the Texas order, state troopers would be able to stop any vehicle if there is “reasonable suspicion” that illegal migrants released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection are in the vehicle. If migrants are found in the vehicle, it will be turned back to its point of origin.

The order would also allow state troopers to impound the vehicles used for providing illegal migrants with transportation.

According to Abbott, the order is connected to a “dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings,” which he believes has led to a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the state.

If the order is implemented, only federal, state, or local authorities would be allowed to transport the migrants.

הרצ לכ לע אבת אלש

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED

CERTIFIED BARRE GRANITE

BUY DIRECT FROM MANUFACTURER

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE WE SERVICE ALL CEMETERIE S

WE REFURBISH OLD MONUMENTS LARGE SELECTION OF CANDLE BOXES

ALL SIZES - CUSTOM DESIGNS AVAILABLE

WE DUPLICATE EXISTING MONUMENTS

WE ACCOMMODATE ON TIME FOR SHIVA - העבש AND SHLOSHIM - םישולש

WE SPECIALIZE IN HEBREW/ENGLISH NAMES & TEXT - הבצמה חסונ WE DO HOUSE CALLSTExt

הביצמה חסונ

as part of

םידימעמש םויב תא םיסינכמ הבצמ ןדע ןגל רטפנה

רטפנה לש םיבורקו ול םירמוא ןדע ןגבש סנכנש ןויכו .בוט לזמ .ותוא ןיאיצומ ןיא

ר''גה םשב שדוק תרדה רפס[ ל''צז טלא באז רזעילא םהרבא ]ףראדסרעבוק ק''דבא

תובצמ

SUNDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM OR CALL ANYTIME FOR AN APPOINTMENT 1014 BROADWAY, WOODMERE, NY 11598 516.423.2477

In a statement, the Department of Public Safety said, “The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is committed to securing our border under the direction of Governor Greg Abbott and through the Executive Orders applicable to DPS. While the department does not discuss operational specifics, we will continue to monitor the situation at the border to make real-time decisions and adjust operations as necessary.”

Trump’s Title 42 Law Extended

Title 42 allows Customs and Border Protection officials to expel undocumented migrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities. Enacted by the Trump administration last year, the current administration announced on Monday that it will be extending the policy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that Title 42 “shall remain in effect until the CDC Director determines that the danger of further introduction of COVID-19 into the United States from covered noncitizens has ceased to be a serious danger to the public health, and the Order is no longer necessary to protect the public health.”

Children and some families are exempt from the policy.

The Department of Homeland Security added that “Title 42 is not an immigration authority, but a public health authority, and its continued use is dictated by CDC and governed by the CDC’s analysis of public health factors.”

On Monday, before the Biden’s administration’s announcement to extend the law, the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant rights organizations resumed a lawsuit challenging Title 42. The lawsuit came after months of negotiations to end the policy “reached an impasse,” according to the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in D.C.

As record levels of migrant children, families and adults continue to flow to the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden Administration has used Title 42 to turn away the majority of migrants. In June, CBP encountered a yearly high of migrants at 188,829.

Although some families cannot be expelled under Title 42, the Department of Homeland Security last week reinstated a policy that allows immigration authorities to remove migrant families without a hearing. The families who have gone through the expedited removal process could not be expelled under Title 42 but “do not have a legal basis to stay in the United States.” The first flights deporting those certain families began on Friday.

Lowest Vaccination Rate in Alabama

Although many have received their vaccinations protecting them against the coronavirus, there are states in which Americans are lagging behind in getting their jabs.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, vaccine hesitancy continues to be much more prevalent in some states, particularly in the South.

Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, as it has for a while, at only around 34 percent fully vaccinated. Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama has been urging her constituents to get the vaccine.

“The new cases of COVID are because of unvaccinated folks,” Ivey said. “Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks. And the deaths are certainly occurring with the unvaccinated folks. These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain.”

Despite encouraging people to get vaccinated, Ivey is not requiring her constituents to do so, allowing them to make their own decisions.

“There are those who believe that government should mandate the vaccine or that we should bribe people to take it,” Ivey wrote in The Washington Post. “That’s not going to happen in my state, no matter how many times the media ask me.”

Trailing Alabama at the bottom of the vaccination rate chart are, in descending order, Louisiana, Arkansas, Wyoming and Mississippi. All but Wyoming are located in the southern U.S.

According to the national health agency’s data, the list of states with the most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents are, in descending order, Alabama, Missouri, Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Florida’s fully vaccinated rate is a little ahead of the nationwide average of 50 percent. Still, the state’s higher population has made it the leader in overall COVID-19 cases even as it is well ahead of other Southern states in vaccinations. Florida has had over 85,000 new cases in the past week, far surpassing any other state.

Pushing a $1T Infrastructure Bill

U.S. Senators on Sunday introduced a bipartisan infrastructure bill to the tune of $1 trillion. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing to rush the bill through before the summer recess begins on August 9, urging the 100 senators to agree to start the amendment process and warning that “the longer it takes to finish the bill, the longer we’ll be here.”

“Given how bipartisan the bill is, and how much work has already been put in to get the details right, I believe the Senate can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days,” Schumer said on Sunday. “Then, I will move the Senate along the second track of our infrastructure effort and take up the budget resolution.”

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is in no rush to push it through. “Our full consideration of this bill must not be choked off by any artificial timetable that our Democratic colleagues may have penciled out for political pur-