Akiba J. Covitz, Ph.D.

@HilzFuld @AishGlobal

I like this version better. 🇮🇱

@sidrosenberg19 💪

Just got to Washington D.C. and checked into my beautiful hotel. Big swearing in ceremony a little over 3 hours away🙏❤️

@timeswmariana Yes

@timeswmariana Yes!

@uricohenisrael 🇮🇱

Can we get 1,800 people to reply with an Israeli flag? 🇮🇱 🇮🇱🇮🇱

@VividProwess 🇮🇱

I've been followed by thousands of bots the last few days who have been mass-reporting every one of my posts and damaging my reach significantly. If you can, drop a comment to help me regain my reach.

@uricohenisrael 🇮🇱

I think I’m shadow banned😩 In the last days, my impressions went significantly down. If you see this post, please reply with an Israeli flag in the comments❤️🇮🇱👇

@MichaelRapaport If one of the hands would be giving the middle finger, it would be more realistic.

I’m doing a TWITTER spring clean up. The fake accounts,robots & sock puppets are out of control. I need some variation of a sm!ley or laughing emoji for my photo below. Anything else is block.block

@HilzFuld U.S.A.

Mind telling me in what country you are reading this? Just reply with one word, the country. (Trying to settle an argument here, so would appreciate a response.) 🙏

@YossiBenYakar Sending full Zionist support from NYC.

For those who don’t know — my reach has been massively reduced for over a month now. Pro-Palestinian activists have been mass-reporting my posts, trying to silence my voice and shut down this account. Every my post gets reported. If you can see this message — please drop a comment so I know you're still here. And don’t forget to hit Follow to help restore the reach! Thank you, 💙🇮🇱

@pinidunner @ZOA_National It is the absolute right question, Rabbi. And the absolute right answer is to Vote NOW for @ZOA_National Slate #15 👉 voteZOAcoalition.org

Why did World Mizrachi sign an agreement with non-Orthodox streams who oppose everything Religious Zionism stands for? This is shocking! Don't waste your vote on Mizrachi in the upcoming WZO election. Vote NOW for the @ZOA_National Slate #15 👉 voteZOAcoalition.org

@HilzFuld More about the tchelet tzitzit factory, please. Are they up and running?

“Hey Hillel, you always have such cool stories. How do these extraordinary things always happen to you?” They don’t “happen” to me. They happen to you too. I just don’t dismiss them as coincidence or as insignificant. Or as someone said to me this week. “With God, it’s not “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It’s “I’ll see it when I believe it.”” If you know God is all around you, then you see Him in what other people might consider trivial events. One such thing happened to me yesterday. Maybe I’m just imagining this, but yesterday, I felt like I got a crystal clear message from God. Listen to this. A few months ago, a friend of mine, Simon Toledano, who I know from about 20 years ago, reached out and told me that he made Aliyah (moved to Israel), and that he is a dentist who specializes amongst other things in Teeth Whitening. He invited me to his office to get the Teeth Whitening treatment. I started it a few weeks ago, and so far, it’s going well. Remember that story. Next. Last week, one morning I was heading to Tel Aviv for meetings like I do most mornings. But there was bad traffic that morning. Worse than usual. I left on time to make it to my meetings but given the traffic, I was barely going to make it. Usually, I get there early enough to search for parking but that day, I got there very close to my meeting, so I had to park in a lot, an expensive lot, and a lot that only takes cash. Anyway, I go into my many meetings, and when I’m done, as I’m leaving to go home, I realize I have zero cash on me to pay the lot. “No big deal” I thought. I went to the nearest, and only ATM in the area to take out money. It was out of order. Uh oh. How am I going to get my car without cash? I was literally stuck. As I walked through the Sarona Market trying to think of a solution, I am stopped by a couple. The wife tells me she follows me and loves my content. She thanked me profusely for my work. They were a Chabad couple. I proceeded to tell them some of my amazing Chabad experiences over the years, and then, as embarrassing as it was, I told them that I’m stuck and needed cash. Without hesitation, like Chabad does, they offered to help. The husband took out his wallet and handed me a 100 shekel bill. I told them I’d pay them back, but if I never see them again, I’ll donate to Chabad in their name. They made it very clear that they were happy to help. By the way, if you’re reading this and you’re the couple, please message me so I can thank you. Remember that story. Next. Here’s a little confession. One of the hardest Torah commandments for me to fulfill is the commandment to wear strings on a four cornered garment. The Tzitzit. I don’t know why, but it’s hard for me to wear them, especially in the summer when it’s extremely hot. Another layer, I just never found it to be an easy commandment to fulfill. Remember that story. Next. For years now, my friend, Eric Reiner, who organizes an afternoon prayer service at 2 pm in Sarona Tel Aviv, has been asking me to join. He even has a WhatsApp group and added me to it to remind me to come. I am embarrassed to say I have never went. Not once. I am always either in a meeting or on my way home, so despite being in this Whatsapp group for over a year, I have not once actually gone to pray with the group. Remember that story. Next. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, Marc Tobin reached out and told me that he is opening a new factory to create the blue string in the Tzitzit. It’s a very long story and complicated explanation, but according to the Torah, among the strings on the four cornered garment, there should be one blue string, called Tchelet. Long story short, my friend told me they’re opening a new factory and he sent me four pairs of tchelet. I gave one to Aviel, one to Nadav, and I decided to make myself a pair of Tzitzit and to start wearing them. So I made them, and yesterday, I told myself that in memory of the Bibas family, I was going to start wearing them. Yesterday was the first time. Again, embarrassed to say, but this is the first time I’ve worn Tzitzit in longer than I care to admit. OK, so let me tell you what happened yesterday. So I put on the Tzitizit and head out to Sarona Tel Aviv for my normal meetings. My last meeting in Sarona, after our meeting, was heading over to Eric’s office to pray. I walked him over and said to myself, “This is your chance. Just go in. Don’t be lazy.” And so I did. Not gonna lie, it made me smile when I walked in and as Eric saw me, he literally yelled and put his hands in the air, “We finally got him here!!” He gave me a hug and welcomed me. And then we prayed. Already I felt God was saying to me “You did your part and put on those Tzitizit. Now I’m going to get you to do more good, and let’s start with joining Eric to pray.” In Judaism, there is a concept of “Mitzvah goreret Mitzvah.” Which means “A good deed brings more good deeds.” So there I was wearing Tzitizit for the first time in a long time and then praying with the group for the first time ever. I had a feeling God wasn’t done. Anyway, we finished the prayers and I walked to my car and headed home. If you’ve ever driven in Tel Aviv, you are familiar with those individuals who come up to your car window begging for money. They’re all over the place. I usually don’t give them money for two reasons. One is that I rarely have any cash on me. But also, so many of them look like addicts and I don’t want to give them money to go buy some substance. Well, as I’m leaving Tel Aviv, I’m standing at a red light and one such individual approaches my car asking for money. He did not look like the rest. He genuinely looked like he needed money to live. I “happen” to have some shekels in the car, left over from the money the Chabad couple gave me, so I opened the window and handed him some money. What happened next was just strange. Instead of taking the money, saying thanks, and moving onto the next car, the man looked at me, and gave me an entire blessing. “Because of this charity, you should continue to have a successful career and be able to support your family. You should have health and happiness.” Wow. Ok. I looked at him with a big smile and thanked him. I thought that was it, that he’d now move on. He didn’t. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said “I appreciate the money. But I appreciate the smile even more.” It was a beautiful moment. Then he said something that gave me chills. He quotes the Talmud that says, “There is a quote in the Talmud that says “אמר רבי יוחנן: טוב המלבין שיניים לחברו יותר ממשקהו חלב, המקבל את חברו בסבר פנים יפות, אפילו לא נתן לו כלום - מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו נתן לו כל מתנות שבעולם" I’ll translate. “Rabbi Yochanan says, a person who shows his friend his white teeth is even greater than feeding him milk. Anyone who welcomes a friend with kindness, the Torah considers it as if he gave him all the gifts in the world.” So here I am, wearing Tzitzit for the first time in forever, after praying in the group for the first time ever, giving charity for the first time in too long, and getting this incredible blessing from a random stranger begging for money talking to me about teeth whitening. Maybe it’s just me but all I could think was that I was getting a clear message from my Creator to continue down the path of the Torah. The chain of events here from the teeth whitening to the Chabad couple to the Tzitzit to the prayers to the charity to the blessing just cannot possibly be a random chain of events. Why do these things happen to me? I think most people would take the events of yesterday and write them off as a nice coincidence or maybe they wouldn’t even string the events together. For me, since I believe “It” (God), I see It all around me. As Einstein said, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” And as the very secular Ben Gurion famously said “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” This whole story from beginning to end seemed to me, like it was clear divine intervention. Or maybe it was just a whole lot of random coincidences? There are no coincidences in this world. Nothing is random. Yesterday was special.

@MortonAKlein7 If Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization, which it has, then the people who are associated with it are, definitionally, terrorists. If you wave their flag, you are definitionally supporting terrorism.

I am disgusted by media continuing to refer to Hamas Gaza monsters merely as “ militants.” Stop it! They are “Arab Muslim terrorist murderers!!!” Were the Nazi murderers “militants .?” No! Were the KKK militants?! No! Neither are the Arab Muslim terrorist murderers!!!

@LordBrodoriqq @RabbiPoupko @yankihebrew @JonHaidt @JoshMalina @InnaVernikov @PeterHotez @NoaMagid Do the Palestinians in those videos look starved to you?

@RabbiPoupko @yankihebrew @JonHaidt @JoshMalina @InnaVernikov @PeterHotez @NoaMagid Thanks for your enlightening post. So, the Gazans - while starving themselves - even cared for her special needs regarding food. Look how she is well-fed on this picture you posted, obviously she was treated very well in captivity! Good you pointed that out!

SHE REFUSED TO EAT NON-KOSHER MEAT While Jewish law does not require eating Kosher in dangerous situations, I grew up with stories about Jews in Auschwitz and Siberia refusing to eat non-Kosher meat. This morning, I cried when I heard that Agam Berger refused to eat any non-Kosher meat throughout her time in Gaza captivity. Never forget what the barbarians of Hamas have done to our people Never forget our sisters' bravery in the face of these barbarians. Never forget the world that remained silent and even supported Hamas. Thank you @Erin_Molan for being a voice for these women.

@EliAfriatISR ❤️💪🏻

If you support them leave a heart here. 🤍💚🧡💙❤️

@almaforarizona Sending positive energy, prayers, and the deepest respect for both your father and for you.

Today at 11 AM, Dad will take his last drive home where, on his terms, he will go and fly with the angels. Send all of the positive energy and prayers our way as we prepare for the inevitable. I have so much to say, yet I have no words to say it. Everyone knows the special bond we have always had. Popa has always been the most amazing dad and husband anyone can ask for. While I am still grappling with the idea that all things come to an end. It’s never easy… for those who still have your parents; hug them tight and always tell them how much you love them. I know on a day like today I should be thankful but its tough to feel happiness on a day like this. My heart is broken into 1 million pieces… 💔😭

@MysticMack7 @HenMazzig When you allow a terrorist organization (HZB) to control part of your country and then that organization fires tens of thousands of rockets at another country, the country fired upon has the right to stop the rockets under international law or just using simple common sense.

This morning, more than 60 missiles and drones were launched at cities in northern Israel, injuring a 50 year-old woman. At noon, 8 missiles were fired at Tel Aviv and central Israel, forcing millions of civilians to seek shelter. Three civilians were lightly injured in Petah Tikvah. Just now, 30 missiles were launched at northern Israel within a span of 8 minutes. Every missile Hezbollah fires is an attempt to kill Israeli civilians.

@roslynbraun31 @ramespaulus @FarroYossi encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/art…

I did. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushner_f… My Artscroll Succot machsor has a dedication to Rae Kushner. I have no doubt she was a great strong woman, which makes it astounding that her grandson did not learn the quality of mercy based on her experience: thenation.com/article/archiv… “Still, their difficult and tortuous journey to this country seems to have stayed with Rae Kushner years after she’d put down roots, first in Brooklyn and later in New Jersey. As she lamented toward the end of the Kean College interview, during one of the rare moments her voice rises with a sense of betrayal: “For everybody [there] was a place…but for the Jews, the doors were closed. We never can understand this. Even our good President Roosevelt, how come he kept the doors so closed for us, for such a long time? How come a boat [the SS St. Louis] went for exodus on the water and returned back to be killed? This question I’ll never know, and nobody will give me the answer.” ...Mark Hetfield (HIAS) says, that he’s been startled to hear the kind of dehumanizing charges once hurled at Jews now being flung at Muslims, Mexicans, and other refugees and immigrants. “It’s heartbreaking to hear the rhetoric today,” he admits, lamenting the demonization that has cast these groups as a kind of “faceless threat” invading from the south and east."

Ray Kushner, Jared Kushner’s grandmother, was a Holocaust hero. She escaped a Nazi labor camp by digging tunnels, leading dozens of Jews to safety. Later, she joined the Bielski partisans, a resistance group that saved hundreds of Jewish lives. Her courage is an inspiration to us all. #HolocaustRemembrance #JewishHistory

@israelifihther 🇮🇱

Pray for us. If you’re praying, drop a flag in the comments. Much love ♥️

@HilzFuld Sending love, respect, power, and strength from someone whose older brother is also named Ari.

Hanging out with Ari. ❤️🇮🇱✡️💪🙏😢