Tag Archives: New York

Artifact in New York Confirms King David’s Life

An artifact on display in New York confirms the authenticity of King David and delivers a blow to those who want to claim that the Old Testament is false and he never existed.

“The most popular legends about David are the creation of generations who lived long after him,” wrote Jacob Wright of Emory University in an online article. “David’s slaying of Goliath, his exploits in the court of Saul, his relationship to Jonathan and Michal, his fate as a fugitive, his military triumphs abroad, his affair with Bathsheba, his civil war with Absalom, his succession by Solomon—all these colorfully depicted episodes were created by later generations of writers.”

However, the Tel Dan Stela, a 9th century B.C. stone slab with Aramaic text that is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art proves the people who want to deny the existence of King David are wrong.

“In the 19th century, the Mesha Stela (also known as the Moabite Stone) was discovered in Jordan, and references ‘the house of David,’” Henry Smith, Jr, Director of Development for the Associates for Biblical Research, stated. “This important discovery is often ignored or dismissed by liberal scholars and skeptics across the board. Further, Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen has identified an inscription in the Temple of Amun at Karnak that he believes reads ‘the heights of David.’”

“The Tel Dan Stela not only mentions the ‘house of David’ as well, but is a hostile witness to David’s historicity,” Smith added. “That is, it was inscribed by enemies of Israel from Aram. Further, it shows that kings who were enemies of Israel from later periods after David’s death recognized that the kings of Israel were of David’s lineage.”

Israeli Student Attacked In New York Synagogue

An Israeli rabbinical student is in critical condition at a New York hospital after a man yelling “kill the Jews” attacked him in a Brooklyn synagogue.

“Levi had his hands up, trying to block the individual with his arms,” Mendy Notik, 22, told the New York Daily News. “He was saying. ‘I will kill you.’ And after Levi, he went towards another young student and he said ‘I will kill the Jews!'”

Peters was approached by members of the NYPD who told him to put down his knife.  Initially, Peters put down the knife and before he picked it up again and charged toward officer Roberto Pagan.  Pagan shot Peters in the stomach.

Rosenblat, 22, was rushed to trauma unit at Kings County Hospital and initially reported in stable condition before it was revealed he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital where he was in critical condition with bleeding on the brain according to police sources.

NYPD officials were quick to dismiss the attack as an act of terrorism, saying that the attacker was only mentally ill.

“We are very, very confident it’s not a terrorist-related act at this stage,” Bratton said. “There’s no indication that the subject … had any affiliation with any terrorist organization.”

Evan Bernstein, New York director of the Anti Defamation League, told USA Headline News that anti-Semitism has been on the rise around the world.

“We have definitely seen a surge in global anti-Semitism really since Operation Protective Edge, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,” Bernstein said.  “We’ve seen a dramatic uptick, especially in Europe, where instances over previous years is incredibly high.”

The NYPD announced they will have a greater security presence around synagogues with Hanukkah approaching next week.

NY Man Forces Woman To Take Abortion Pill

A New York anesthesiologist is under arrest after police say he forced a woman to take an abortion pill.

Thomas Pfeiffer, 44, reportedly grabbed a woman by the throat, choking her until she opened her mouth.  When she did, he forced an abortion pill into her mouth and made her swallow it.

The woman had told Pfeiffer that she was pregnant because she had taken a home pregnancy test that returned a positive result.

Pfeiffer faces charges of strangulation, abortion and assault.  The strangulation and abortion charges are second degree felonies.  He was placed in county jail on $50,000 bond.

The woman was treated and released from an area hospital.  Police would not release if the woman suffered an abortion because of the drug.

Man Convicted Of Murder Of Girl Who Refused Abortion

A young girl’s decision to give life to her unborn child resulted in her losing her own.

Now a New York man will be going to prison for her killing.

A jury deliberated about an hour before convicting 22-year-old Christian Ferdinand on a second degree murder charge in the death of 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes.  Ferdinand met the girl on Facebook in 2012 and met up with her for sex.  She text messaged him a few months later saying she was pregnant with his child and would not abort the baby.

“Are you serious? Kill that [expletive],” Ferdinand texted back to her.  He then killed the teen when she met him at his cousin’s house by smothering her with a pillow.  He then stuffed the girl’s body into a suitcase, burned it and then threw it into lake.

“He intentionally smothered a 14-year-old girl to death and burned her body to get rid of the evidence,” prosecutor Robert Walsh told jurors on Monday. “He had a problem that needed solving. He didn’t want to pay child support, and Shaniesha got in the way.”

Ferdinand actually told investigators he didn’t think the killing was a big deal.  He asked them if they could just give him community service for the murder.

He faces 25 years in prison.  Ironically, the medical examiner said it was likely the girl was not pregnant in the first place.

New York Student Gets OK For Christian Club

A New York student who had been told that she could not start a Christian club called “Dare To Believe” has now been given the go ahead to start the group.

Liz Loverde was told in September that she could not start the club.  Principal Carolyn Breivogel said that the club’s existence would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

The Liberty Institute contacted the school on behalf of Loverde when her family sought help to protect the girl’s constitutional rights.  The group told the school the denial of the Christian group was a violation of the Equal Access Act of 1984.

The school then reversed its decision and approved the Christian group along with other student groups.

“It took a lot of courage for a 15-year-old girl to come forward to reveal that her principal said Christian clubs are illegal,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel of the Liberty Institute. “It is always a scary position for students to take a stand against government school authorities who hold significant power over their everyday lives. We look forward to Wantagh High School respecting Liz’s religious liberty at school.”

The school denied that they had refused to allow the group.

Seven Dead From Great Lakes Storm

At least seven people are confirmed dead from the massive snowstorm that slammed several Great Lakes states.

The storm has dumped massive amounts of snow on New York including six feet of snow on the Buffalo area.  A state of emergency exists for 10 counties in New York.

“This storm is an extraordinarily difficult situation, with snowfall that may break records. We are prepared, but we need residents to stay off the roads so that first responders can do their work and keep people safe,” New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.

“Although the sun may be shining, we are using this opening to clear roads before the snow begins falling again. This is an opportunity to be a good neighbor and check on your fellow New Yorkers to see if they need assistance, but I urge everyone to stay off the road.”

One of the deaths was a 46-year-old man found inside a buried car. A Pennsylvania man was killed when a high lift attempting to free the man’s car ended up pinning him to the car.

Forecasters say that another two to three feet of snow could hit the Buffalo area.

New York High School Prohibits Christian Student Group

A New York high school is denying a Christian student her right to form a student group on campus.

Elizabeth Loverde had proposed a “Dare To Believe” club to the principal of Wantagh High School and was reportedly told by Principal Carolyn Breivogel that the group would be rejected because it would violate the Constitution.

The Liberty Institute has stepped in to help Loverde protect her Constitutional rights.

“Once a secondary school such as yours creates a limited open forum, it cannot deny equal access to student groups on the basis of the religious content of the students’ speech,” read a letter to the school from the Institute. “We therefore demand that the school reconsider its position, approve Liz’s club proposal, and grant official recognition to Dare to Believe.”

The school has released a statement saying that they are now reviewing the request.

New York Archdiocese Plans To Merge 100 Parishes

Mergers and closures are coming to New York’s Catholic churches.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan said that 112 parishes will be marged into 55 parishes this year and as many as 33 churches will be closed.

“This time of transition in the history of the archdiocese will undoubtedly be difficult for people who live in parishes that will merge,” stated Dolan. “There will be many who are hurt and upset as they experience what will be a change in their spiritual lives, and I will be one of them.”

The steps are part of a 2010 plan implemented by the church called “Making All Things New.”  The plan was to encourage long term pastoral planning.

The New York Times reported that many congregants at churches slated to be closed were not happy about the move.

“There were gasps and tears at Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem. At Sacred Heart in Mount Vernon, congregants shared mournful embraces,” the Times’ Sharon Otterman wrote. “And at Our Lady of Peace on the East Side, parishioners pledged a fight … From Staten Island to the Catskills, there was anguish for congregations that learned that their churches would be effectively shuttered and relief among those whose parishes were spared.”

The closures are attributed to low regular attendance and fewer ordinations of Priests.

Over 350 People Under Active Ebola Monitoring In New York City

In what officials are calling “an abundance of caution,” 357 New Yorkers are under active monitoring for possible signs of the Ebola virus.

The New York Department of Health said the majority are people who entered the U.S. from Ebola impacted nations.

“The vast majority of these individuals are travelers arriving in New York City within the past 21 days from the three Ebola-affected countries who are being monitored post-arrival, as well as Bellevue Hospital staff caring for Dr. Spencer,” said a joint statement from the New York City Department of Health and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Wednesday.

“The list also includes FDNY EMS staff who transported Dr. Spencer to Bellevue and the lab workers who conducted Dr. Spencer’s blood test. All of these individuals are being monitored out of an abundance of caution, and none are showing any symptoms. The number of individuals who will be actively monitored will continue to fluctuate as people arrive or depart New York City, we learn more about people’s exposures, and 21 days of monitoring has passed.”

The NYC Department of Health also said that Dr. Spencer was “stable” and beginning to show improvement in his fight with the virus.

Officials stressed that no one under monitoring is showing any signs of Ebola.

New York Court Rules Marriage Valid Between Uncle and Niece

The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that a marriage between an uncle and niece is not a violation of restrictions against incestuous marriage.

The court ruled that “parent-child and brother-sister marriages . . . are grounded in the almost universal horror with which such marriages are viewed . . . there is no comparably strong objection to uncle-niece marriages.”

The case focused on a Vietnamese citizen who married her uncle in what the government said was an illegal marriage in an attempt to not be deported.  A judge in 2000 ruled the marriage invalid and ordered deportation.

The husband in the case was the half-brother of the girl’s mother.

“This really was an all-or-nothing issue for them,” lawyer Michael Marscalkowski commented. “If this would have been denied, she would have been deported and sent back to Vietnam.”

The lawyer argued that because they were only half-siblings, they only had at maximum 1/8th of the DNA like cousins, who are allowed to legally marry.