News Sparks: UK Elevates Terror Threat, Sen. Schumer Visits KJ

U.K. Elevates Terrorist Threat to “Severe” after Taxi Explosion

After two terrorist attacks took place in the UK in the last month, the British government increased the country’s terror threat to severe: meaning that another attack could be highly likely, G-d forbid.

Yesterday, a male taxi passenger died and a male driver was injured, as a result of an improved explosive device that was put in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital, said Russ Jackson, the head of Counterterrorism Policing in northwest England, who said the motive for the attack remains unclear.

Senator Schumer Visits Kiryas Joel, Satmar Rebbe

On Sunday Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer visited Kiryas Joel, where he ate lunch with many locals, including Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin, who expressed his gratitude for Sen. Schumer’s support of the village of 33,000 people, according to the latest census.

Sen. Schumer was happily impressed to hear that KJ is the largest municipality in Orange County, and the village has the largest growth rate in the state of New York.

After calling Szegedin, “a great man,” for how much he has done for the Satmar village, Szegedin responding by telling the senator: “Not even coming close to how much you have helped this community.”

Sen. Schumer also was zocheh to be warmly welcomed at the home of the Satmar Rebbe, shila, who gave a bracha for hatzlacha to the senator, who spoke about the certainty and the miracle of Jewish survival.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield “Deeply Moved” Yad Vashem

During the busy first day of her trip to Israel, today US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield visited Yad Vashem, where she said she “was deeply moved.”

“Thank you to all those involved in creating this institution devoted to Holocaust remembrance and education and to combating Holocaust denial and distortion,” tweeted Thomas Greenfiel, who also met with President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli at the Knesset.

 “I am encouraged to hear about the tangible progress of the Abraham Accords during my meeting with Yair Lapid,” she said. “The United States will continue to encourage countries in the region to normalize relations and expand cooperation with Israel, including at the UN.”