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A two-minute siren echoed across Israel moments ago, bringing the country to a standstill as Yom HaZikaron’s central commemorations began.

The main state ceremony is now taking place at the Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl, attended by Isaac Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Ohana, Yitzhak Amit, and senior defense officials.

This year, Israel honors 25,648 fallen soldiers, a number that has risen in recent days amid ongoing military operations.

Commemorations began last night with a one-minute siren and a candle-lighting ceremony at the Western Wall, attended by Herzog and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Additional ceremonies will take place throughout the day, including a state memorial for victims of hostilities at Mount Herzl at 1:00 p.m., followed by a ceremony in Acre at 4:00 p.m. honoring fighters of the pre-state underground.

Yom HaZikaron will conclude this evening with the torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl at 7:45 p.m., marking the transition into Israel’s 78th Independence Day.

The Trump administration has frozen its security coordination with Baghdad until a new Iraqi government is formed and until it receives information about members of pro‑Iranian militias involved in attacks on US targets in Iraq, the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel reported.

The report added that Washington has also halted the transfer of U.S. dollars to Iraq.

Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department confirmed that pro-Iranian militias carried out two attacks targeting US diplomats and facilities in Iraq.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil, and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center have all been repeatedly targeted since the outbreak of the U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran.

The US State Department recently announced a reward of up to $3 million for information related to attacks on its diplomatic facilities in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Iran has granted its commanders greater autonomy over militias in Iraq, allowing some groups to carry out operations without Tehran’s approval, a shift driven by the pressures of the war, according to three militia members and two other officials.

Many Iran-backed militias are funded through the Iraqi state budget and embedded within the security apparatus, drawing criticism from the United States and other countries that have borne the brunt of their attacks and say Baghdad has failed to take a tougher stance.

Despite mounting pressure from the U.S., Baghdad has struggled to contain or deter the groups. The most hard-line factions now operate under Iranian advisers using a decentralized command structure, the five officials told AP, each on condition of anonymity to speak freely about sensitive matters.

“The various forces have been granted the authority to operate according to their own field assessments without referring back to a central command,” said one militia official, who didn’t have permission to speak publicly.

The war in the Middle East has exposed the fragility of Iraq’s state institutions and their limited ability to restrain these groups. A parallel confrontation between Washington and the militias has deepened the crisis, with factions acting as an extension of Iran’s regional campaign and escalating attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq before a tenuous ceasefire deal was reached in April.

Even if the ceasefire agreement holds, Washington is expected to intensify efforts against the groups militarily and politically, particularly as they gain latitude to operate more independently, officials and experts said. On Friday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on seven commanders and senior members of four hard-line Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups.

“The U.S. is still going to feel it has the freedom of action to hit Iraqi militias,” said Michael Knights, head of research for Horizon Engage, a geopolitical risk consulting firm, and an adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “That may well play out into an effort to try and guide a less militia-dominated government formation.”

Days into the war sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, an Iranian delegation arrived in Iraq’s Kurdish region and delivered a blunt message: If militia attacks escalated near U.S. military bases, commercial interests and diplomatic missions, Iraqi Kurdish authorities should not come to Tehran with complaints, as there was little they could do about it.

“They said they’ve devolved authority to regional Iranian commanders,” a senior Iraqi Kurdish government official said on condition of anonymity, citing the subject’s sensitivity.

In the past, Kurdish leaders in Iraq would call Iranian officials after attacks to ask why they had been targeted. “This time, they wanted to preempt that by saying, ‘We can’t help you with the groups in the south right now,’” the official said.

This shift reflects lessons drawn from the 12-day war in June, the official said. Militia officials corroborated the claim. During that war, operations were tightly centralized. In its aftermath, greater autonomy was granted in the field.

A spokesperson for Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, among the Iran-backed militia groups that have attacked the U.S. in Iraq, said there was “coordination” with Iran in launching attacks but didn’t give details.

“Since we are allies of the Islamic Republic, we have coordination with our brothers in the Islamic Republic,” Mahdi al-Kaabi said.

In the recent war, key Iraqi militia leaders appeared to step back from the latest phase and didn’t appear to be directly involved in operations, Knights said. U.S. strikes largely killed mid-level commanders, according to militia officials.

“None of the first-line leaders have been killed,” said a second militia official, who wasn’t authorized to brief reporters.

Rather than targeting top figures, the U.S. also focused on Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisory cells, said Knights, who tracked the attacks. In one strike in Baghdad’s upscale Jadriya neighborhood, three Guard advisers were killed at a house used as their headquarters during a meeting, according to the second militia official.

At the heart of government efforts to rein in militia groups lies a paradox: The factions the government says it cannot control are tied to political parties that brought it to power.

The Coordination Framework, an alliance of influential pro-Iran Shiite factions, helped install Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister in 2022. He now serves as caretaker premier amid a prolonged political deadlock.

Militia forces carrying out attacks on U.S. targets aren’t rogue actors; they’re part of the state’s Popular Mobilization Forces, created after the fall of Mosul in 2014 to formalize volunteer units that were critical in defeating the Islamic State.

The PMF has evolved into a powerful force that surpasses the Iraqi army, with fighters receiving state salaries and access to government resources, including weapons and intelligence. The result, critics say, is a deep contradiction: Certain state-funded groups operate in line with Iranian priorities, even when doing so undermines Iraq’s national interests.

Al-Sudani’s office didn’t respond to the AP’s requests for comment on the decentralized control of militia groups.

The U.S. is focused on curbing the power of these groups in Iraq, the senior Iraqi Kurdish official and a Western diplomat said, which will put increasing pressure on the government, still functioning in caretaker status. The diplomat also spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t permitted to brief reporters.

Last week, Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S. was summoned to Washington to hear U.S. condemnation of attacks by Iran-backed factions on American personnel and diplomatic missions, according to State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Bigot.

“The Deputy Secretary affirmed that the United States will not tolerate any attacks targeting its interests and expects the Iraqi Government to take all necessary measures immediately to dismantle Iran-aligned militia groups,” Bigot said in a statement.

Al-Sudani has taken limited steps to curb militia influence, including further institutionalizing the PMF and occasionally removing commanders who act outside state authority. The efforts have met significant resistance from militia groups.

Further institutionalizing them has deepened their entrenchment within the state. The U.S. may seek to isolate the most hard-line factions — including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada — from others more embedded in Iraq’s political system. “The bad militias from the worse militias,” the senior Iraqi Kurdish official said.

Harakat al-Nujaba spokesperson al-Kaabi offered a dual framing of the group’s position, stressing both its alignment with Iran and its claim to Iraqi state legitimacy.

“To put it bluntly, we are allies of the Islamic Republic,” he said. He described the group as part of Iran’s regional “axis” alongside Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansar Allah in Yemen.

At the same time, he insisted the group operates within Iraq’s political order, supporting the state and government when they serve national interests.

“It’s true we’re not affiliated with the government or the prime minister, but we respect the law and the constitution,” he said.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem & AP)

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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu posted a photo on Tuesday, Yom HaZikaron, showing him wearing tefillin that belonged to a fallen IDF soldier.

This is the third consecutive year that Netanyahu has donned the tefillin of a fallen soldier on Yom HaZikaron. He began doing so on the first Yom HaZikaron after the October 7 massacre, when he donned the tefillin of Moshiko (Moshe) Davino, H’yd, who fell in Operation Protective Edge, at the request of his mother, Ruchama Davino.

The following year (2025), Netanyahu put on tefillin on Yom Hazikaron in memory of Yossi Hershkovitz, H’yd, who was killed in the war in Gaza in November 2023.

This year, Netanyahu put on tefillin l’illui nishmas Sean Carmeli, H’yd, who was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Netanyahu wrote: “On Yom HaZikaron, as in years past, I lay tefillin in memory of one of our heroes who fell for our revival and our freedom.”

“This year too, I met with the Rebbe’s shaliach, Rabbi Or Ziv, who brought the tefillin with him. Each time for another warrior, another beloved son, another hero of Yisrael. Each year, a different story. A different heart. An entire world.

“This year, I merited to lay the tefillin of our hero Sean Carmeli, z”l.

“Sean, a lone soldier who came from the United States to defend Israel, chose to tie his fate to our people’s fate—out of deep faith, out of a sense of shlichus. He fell in battle in Gaza—but his ruach continues to live on in us, in the heart of the nation.

“When I lay his tefillin, I feel the deep connection between the generations. Between the mesorah of thousands of years and the heroism of our time. Between a silent tefillah and an act of ultimate mesirat nefesh.

“In this moment, with the straps wrapped around my hand and heart, I offer a quiet tefillah in his memory, in memory of all our fallen, and for the future of our people in this land.

“״וְרָאוּ כָּל־עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי שֵׁם השם נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ וְיָרְאוּ מִמֶּךָּ

Sean Carmeli, H’yd.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

An Iraqi political source told Kan News that Iran is working to coordinate with Shiite militias in the country in preparation for a possible resumption of war with the US, Kan reported on Monday evening.

As part of this effort, Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, made a dramatic visit to Baghdad in recent days—his first public appearance since the start of the war against Iran.

The purpose of Qaani’s visit was to bolster Iran’s hold in the country and coordinate with the leaders of pro-Iran militias ahead of a possible military escalation if Pakistan’s mediation efforts fail.

During the war, Iraqi militias carried out attacks against US targets within Iraq and across the region. According to the Iraqi source, officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps closely oversaw their operations.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM (VINnews)  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday paid tribute to Israel’s fallen soldiers and terror victims at a Yad LaBanim ceremony marking Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars, framing their sacrifice as the foundation of the Jewish state’s independence and resilience against existential threats.b34c4b

-Speaking at the central opening event in Jerusalem on the eve of the solemn day, Netanyahu recalled the personal pain of bereavement, including the loss of his brother Yoni Netanyahu in the 1976 Entebbe raid, while highlighting national unity and military achievements amid ongoing conflicts.

“The wound is deeper than time itself,” Netanyahu said. “Time passes, but it does not dull the memory of that moment of tidings, the most bitter of all.”

He described Remembrance Day as “soaked in heavy sorrow, yet at the same time, it is an anchor of unifying togetherness,” quoting the prophet Isaiah: “For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more.”

Netanyahu spotlighted the story of Cheli Wolfstal, a bereaved mother who carried stones from her son Ariel’s grave in Kfar Etzion to Holocaust sites in Poland during a “Witnesses in Uniform” mission with IDF officers. Wolfstal, whose son fell in the “War of Redemption,” emphasized the necessity of Israeli strength.

“I and my family paid the price of redemption, and our hearts are torn,” she said, according to Netanyahu. “This journey illustrated to me what would have happened had we not had the Israel Defense Forces.”

The prime minister linked the Holocaust to contemporary threats, stating that Israeli action prevented Iran’s nuclear sites — Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan — from becoming new death camps alongside Auschwitz, Birkenau and Treblinka.

“Iran, as in every generation, rose against us to destroy us,” he said. “It planned to destroy us with atomic bombs. Had we not acted … But we acted, and we crushed the murderous plot.”

Netanyahu noted the 25,648 fallen in Israel’s wars, including recent casualties on the Lebanese front such as Barak Kalfon and Lidor Porat, along with thousands of terror victims. He praised the “Generation of the War of Redemption” for its achievements since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

“Our flag is planted from the depths of the Gaza Strip to the crown of Mount Hermon,” he said, citing biblical imagery of Israel rising “as a great lion.”

He also highlighted the return of all hostages from Gaza, both living and fallen, and paid respects to the wounded, including Maj. Rabbi Liraz Zeira, who lost both legs but declared, “They took my legs, and gave me wings instead.”

Netanyahu concluded by bowing heads in memory of the fallen: “May their memory be blessed for generations to come.”

The ceremony, attended by senior Israeli officials, came as the country transitions from Remembrance Day to Independence Day celebrations amid a multi-front conflict that Netanyahu described as unprecedented since the 1948 War of Independence.

Rabbi Yitzchak Biton, who lost all three of his children in a direct Iranian missile strike near his home in Beit Shemesh, delivered a deeply emotional and faith-filled account in a powerful interview with Kikar HaShabbat, describing the moments of terror, loss, and the strength that has carried him forward. Matzav.com shares portions of the interview, which was conducted in Hebrew.

In the interview, Rabbi Biton recalled the day his world was shattered, when a missile struck near his home and changed everything in an instant. His children—Yaakov, Avigail, and Sarah—were killed, leaving behind a grieving family and a father determined not to fall into despair.

“We continue forward with Hashem’s help. We try to involve ourselves in good deeds, to move ahead, and not to dwell on the past,” Rabbi Biton said at the outset, his voice reflecting both profound pain and remarkable acceptance. Since the tragedy, the family has left their home. “At the moment we are in the Jewish Quarter. We are not returning to Beit Shemesh. We are simply not emotionally capable.”

Despite the devastating loss, Rabbi Biton said he remains committed to continuing his life’s work. “Of course we will continue to deliver Torah classes. I have already returned to the rabbinical court in Beit Shemesh, and it is not easy—not for me and not for my wife—but immediately after the shiva I tried to return to teaching, to giving Gemara shiurim as I have done for decades. My wife also gives classes in seminaries. We must go on—for ourselves, for the Jewish people, and for our remaining daughter. We must accept the Heavenly judgment with love.”

Recounting the moments leading up to the strike, he described a troubling intuition he could not ignore. “I had a difficult feeling in my heart,” he said. “I had just finished giving a Gemara shiur to avreichim, including my son Yaakov. I returned home, and Yaakov was delayed a bit. When he arrived, the siren sounded. At that moment I told him, ‘Yaakov, maybe you should stay here with me?’ But he, Avigail, and Sarah were somewhat afraid and decided to go down to the shelter.”

Moments later, disaster struck. “The house collapsed. Windows flew out. By open miracles I am standing here speaking—I, my wife, and our daughter were literally thrown into the air from the force of the blast. As soon as I stood up, my first thought was of the children. I was afraid to even think that they might have been harmed. My wife urged me to go to the area, and I saw black smoke rising near the shul. I understood that something very serious had happened.”

What he encountered at the scene was unbearable. “I saw complete destruction. The shul was destroyed, everything was on fire, and the shelter took a direct hit. I stood there waiting, trying not to interfere with the rescue forces, but my heart already sensed the worst. Slowly I saw that bodies were being taken out,” he said through tears. “I saw my son Yaakov. They quickly covered the bodies, saying they were being taken for treatment, but late at night, when the notification team arrived, we already understood where things were heading.”

When asked where he finds the strength to go on, Rabbi Biton pointed to a perspective rooted in Torah and faith. “If a person understands that he is in good hands, that Hashem runs the world, he understands that we are all loyal soldiers. The eye cries bitterly, but the heart rejoices in knowing that the children are in a very high place.”

He rejected the notion that the tragedy represents unjust suffering. “This is not ‘the righteous who suffer.’ The moment I understand that my children were chosen to be the most elite unit, in the sense of offerings of Israel, I understand that this has supreme value. We are guests in this world. These children accomplished in a short time what others do not accomplish in a long time. These are special souls who came to sanctify Hashem’s name in their lives and in their deaths.”

Concluding his remarks, Rabbi Biton expressed a message of unwavering belief. “In the end I came to understand the meaning that the passing of the righteous leaves an impact. The children completed their mission in this world, and in their lives and in their deaths they were not separated. They merited to be buried on Har Hazeisim. There is pain that a human being cannot comprehend, a very difficult test, but Hashem did what is best for us and for them. He wants to lead us to a better reality, and we must accept things with faith.”

{Matzav.com}

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sparked a political storm Monday after outlining a series of positions on religion and state that drew strong reactions across Israel’s political spectrum, with left-wing figures welcoming his remarks and chareidi parties responding with sharp criticism.

In what some observers described as an effort to regain political support amid declining poll numbers, Bennett—who currently leads the “Bennett 2026” party and is positioning himself for a potential return to leadership—made comments addressing public transportation on Shabbos and the issue of marriage in Israel.

Speaking in an interview with Army Radio, Bennett said, “It is necessary to allow cities to choose whether they want to operate public transportation on Shabbos.” He also expressed support for broader access to marriage, stating that he supports marriage “for anyone who wants.” He added, “My compass on this issue is common sense and fairness.”

Expanding on his position regarding transportation, Bennett said, “I am in favor of every Israeli being able to get where they need to go. I think we should allow each city to decide its character. For example, in a chareidi city like Bnei Brak there will not be public transportation, and in a city like Tel Aviv it will be decided that there will be public transportation—that is respect.”

His remarks were quickly embraced by Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, who wrote in response: “Bennett, welcome. Civil marriage in a liberal democratic state is something that is required. This is our Judaism, and we will demand it in the guiding principles of the next government. You have come a long way from the Jewish Home to here. It is nice to see that even in politics there are positive surprises and that even on the right they understand that only a strong liberal Israel will prevail.”

Golan added, “I hope Bennett’s journey continues one more step toward the necessary understanding that diplomatic moves, separation from annexation fantasies, and courageous decisions are the right and only path to real security.”

Chareidi parties responded forcefully, accusing Bennett of abandoning core Jewish values for political gain. The Shas party stated: “Someone who, for the sake of politics, is willing to sell the Jewish identity of the state—the holy Shabbos and marriage according to the law of Moshe and Israel—it will not be long before he also sells the Land of Israel and the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria.”

Yitzchak Goldknopf, chairman of United Torah Judaism, also dismissed Bennett’s statements, saying: “I would not be impressed by Bennett’s promises of civil marriage and Shabbos desecration. He also promised not to sit with Mansour Abbas and signed on air that he would not allow Lapid to become prime minister. Even on the left they know that this is someone who misleads the public and votes.”

{Matzav.com}

The urgent search continues for Jeanne Rus Litvin, a 78 year old woman who vanished in Los Angeles, prompting a large scale response led by Hatzolah and now reinforced by Chaverim volunteers from Rockland county.

Litvin was last seen leaving her home in the La Brea area at 7:30 AM on April 15th without her phone or wallet. Authorities have classified her as a “critical missing” person, noting that she suffers from dementia, which increases concern for her safety. Her family says she normally stays at home and under close care, making her disappearance especially alarming. She was later reportedly spotted near Union Station, but has not been seen since. Searchers believe she may be riding Metro buses and trains throughout Los Angeles in an attempt to get home.

SILVER ALERT – Los Angeles County
Last seen: Alta Vista Boulevard and West 2nd Street, Los Angeles@LAPDHQ

IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/UzuBQiT13V

— CHP – Alerts (@CHPAlerts) April 15, 2026

From the moment she was reported missing, Hatzolah of Los Angeles has taken a leading role in coordinating the search, working alongside law enforcement and mobilizing community resources on the ground. But as the situation dragged on, reinforcements were called in. In a remarkable display of chesed,Chaverim of Rockland deployed approximately 30 highly trained search and rescue volunteers, who left New York in the early hours of the morning and traveled across the country to assist in the operation. Chaverim brought with them advanced search technology, including drones, surveillance systems, and specialized equipment designed to cover large areas and locate missing persons efficiently. After landing in Los Angeles, the volunteers immediately joined the effort, working alongside Hatzolah and local police to expand the search area and bring additional expertise to the table.

Organizations like Chaverim are known for their rapid response and trained volunteer units and they have become a critical force in missing person searches, often working closely with law enforcement.

Family members are pleading for help, asking the public to remain aware and report any sightings. At the same time, calls for Tehillim have spread widely, with many davening for her safe return.

Her name for tehillim is : Shayna Rochel bas Binya.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Hatzolah immediately.

Rav Yitzchak Yosef, the former Rishon LeZion, issued a powerful letter to yeshiva bochurim at the opening of the summer zman, urging them to remain strong in their Torah study despite mounting external pressures and internal challenges.

The message comes at a sensitive time, as a ceasefire in the war with Iran holds, tensions continue along Israel’s northern border, and legal battles and government actions affecting yeshiva bochurim remain ongoing.

In his letter, Rav Yosef emphasized the tremendous privilege of being part of the yeshiva world, describing bochurim as soldiers in Hashem’s army who carry the banner of Torah. He stressed that even those who feel they are not succeeding in their studies are still part of this mission and play a vital role.

He warned that the yetzer hara seeks to weaken bochurim, especially during uncertain times, including the current security situation. Nonetheless, he called on them to strengthen themselves and recognize the immense value of every individual who dedicates himself to Torah study, even when progress feels limited.

Addressing the growing criticism directed at yeshiva bochurim, Rav Yosef wrote: “We have many enemies from within and without, and there are those who spread contempt and hatred against yeshiva students out of a lack of understanding of their eternal greatness. Those unfortunate individuals have not merited to see the light, and deep down they know they are in darkness.”

He urged bochurim to appreciate the importance of Torah learning, particularly during difficult times, and called on those studying abroad to return to Israel. “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Torah is the greatest protection,” he wrote, encouraging them to return to the study halls as soon as possible.

Citing the Rambam, Rav Yosef explained that those who dedicate themselves to Torah are comparable to Shevet Levi, who were set apart for spiritual service and exempt from military duty. He quoted: “All the tribe of Levi is warned not to inherit… because they are set aside to serve Hashem… therefore they are separated from the ways of the world; they do not wage war like the rest of Israel.”

He added that this concept extends beyond that tribe, applying to anyone who chooses to devote his life to serving Hashem through Torah study, thereby attaining a uniquely elevated status.

To illustrate the impact of Torah learning, Rav Yosef shared a well-known story about the Chofetz Chaim. At a fundraising event for a hospital, wealthy donors pledged to sponsor beds. When asked how many beds yeshiva bochurim had contributed, the Chofetz Chaim replied that each student had donated fifty beds, explaining that through the merit of their Torah learning, they prevent illness and suffering.

Rav Yosef concluded by encouraging continued support for Torah study and praising the rabbanim who dedicate themselves to guiding bochurim with patience and care, emphasizing that the entire world exists in the merit of those who learn Torah.

Two suspects were arrested Tuesday evening in Beit Shemesh after being caught tearing down Israeli flags that had been placed throughout the city ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers.

According to a police statement, officers observed the pair in the act of removing and desecrating the flags, disrupting public order. Police units at the scene quickly identified the suspects and apprehended them.

The two were taken to the local police station for questioning, and authorities will later determine whether to request an extension of their detention in court.

Police strongly condemned the incident, describing it as “a disgraceful and despicable act,” and emphasized the severity of the offense given the timing—on the eve of Memorial Day, when citizens across Israel pause to remember those who fell in the country’s wars.

Authorities added that they will continue to act decisively against any harm to state symbols or disturbances of public order, particularly during such sensitive days.

Russian authorities briefly detained and questioned a group of roughly 40 Israeli passengers arriving in Moscow from Tel Aviv. According to reports from a Russian opposition outlet, the travelers were stopped at Domodedovo Airport and held for several hours by security officials. Those detained reportedly included both Israeli citizens and dual nationals with Russian ties.

Passengers were separated for questioning and asked to comply with security demands, including requests to access their mobile devices. While some resisted unlocking their phones, authorities ultimately required that all devices be powered down during the process.

During the questioning, some travelers were told that Iran is considered a partner of Russia, and that Moscow views Tehran’s adversaries as its own. Several passengers were also informed that their presence in the country was unwelcome, according to accounts cited in the report.

After the interviews, the group was instructed to sign documents warning against potential legal violations before being released. Despite the tense circumstances, officials conducting the process were described as calm and professional in their interactions.

An Israeli source later confirmed that an incident had taken place, though said the number of individuals involved may have been slightly lower than initially reported.

The episode prompted a response from Israel’s Foreign Ministry. A spokesperson said that once officials became aware of the situation, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar directed diplomatic staff to engage with Russian counterparts and the Israeli embassy in Moscow.

Following that intervention, the matter was resolved and the travelers were permitted to enter the country, the ministry said. Israeli officials also conveyed that the handling of the situation was unacceptable and raised concerns directly with Russian authorities.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yehoshua Betzalel HaKohen Kaplan zt”l, a longtime menahel at Yeshivas Or Somayach, who was known for his lifelong dedication to Torah, chesed, and his unwavering commitment to Birchas Kohanim. He was 88.

The niftar, who lived on Rechov Panim Meiros in the Matersdorf neighborhood of Yerushalayim, served for decades as one of the מנהלים of Yeshivas Or Somayach, where he played a key role in sustaining the mosad through tireless fundraising and devotion.

Rav Kaplan, a son of Rav Yisroel Isaac HaKohen Kaplan zt”l, was deeply connected to Torah from a young age. In his youth, he learned at Yeshivas Telz in Cleveland. Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Tzvi Yaakov HaKohen Isbee zt”l.

Throughout his life, he remained closely connected to his rabbeim from Telz Cleveland, from whom he also received semichah.

He invested tremendous effort in raising funds for Ohr Somayach with true mesirus nefesh. He was known as a rodef tzedakah v’chesed, quietly assisting many and dedicating himself to helping others.

He was particularly meticulous in his עבודת התפילה, ensuring to daven vasikin regularly. Most notably, he was known for never missing an opportunity to participate in Birkas Kohanim, traveling between multiple minyanim in order to both give and receive the brocha. For many years, he was careful that no brachah would leave his lips without others answering amein.

In recent months, his health declined, and he was hospitalized several times due to pneumonia. In his final days, his condition worsened, with increasing weakness and difficulty breathing, until he was niftar Monday morning.

He is survived by a distinguished family of children and sons-in-law who continue in the path of Torah and mitzvos. Among his sons-in-law is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Keter Torah, Rav Avrohom Moshe Ziskind.

He was also the brother of Rav Shlomo HaKohen Kaplan zt”l, a R”M at Yeshivas Aish HaTorah.

The levayah was held at his home at 5 Rechov Panim Meiros in Matersdorf, proceeding to Har Hazeisim for kevurah.

Tehei nishmaso tzerurah b’tzror hachaim.

{Matzav.com}

An antisemitic sign reportedly posted at a hotel in the city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, declaring that entry is forbidden to both animals and Jews, has drawn strong condemnation from Israeli officials.

According to a report by Ynet, the sign explicitly stated that “no entry is allowed for animals and Jews,” and included images of a dog and a Star of David crossed out.

Israel’s embassy responsible for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan issued a sharp response, denouncing the display and its offensive message.

In an official statement, the embassy described the sign as a deeply offensive and unacceptable expression that contradicts fundamental principles of human dignity, equality, and tolerance. The statement emphasized that the message contained clear antisemitic content and labeled it “a serious act that harms universal values.” Officials stressed that any form of discrimination—whether based on ethnicity, religion, or any other factor—must be met with a firm and unequivocal response.

The embassy also stated that Israel expects local authorities in Kyrgyzstan to take appropriate action to address the incident and ensure that similar occurrences do not happen again.

Osh, the country’s second-largest city, has a predominantly Muslim population. Israel does not maintain a permanent embassy in Kyrgyzstan, with diplomatic relations handled through its embassy in Kazakhstan.

{Matzav.com}

On a Tuesday morning in March, 22 girls from Ahavas Bais Yaakov of Monsey stepped off a coach bus at the New York State Capitol. By the end of the day, they had sat in on a live Senate session, eaten lunch in a reserved Capitol room where several elected officials stopped by, received a tour of the Senate chambers, and been introduced from the floor by their district’s senator as the session opened.

It was not a typical school trip.

The man behind it is Shmulie Hartstein, an askan from Monsey who has been building a civic engagement operation largely under the radar.

Through his organization Kol Yisroel, Hartstein has taken groups to Albany six times since January, with a seventh trip scheduled for Tuesday. He has developed a civics curriculum now running in at least two yeshivos, and has been pushing a state assembly bill to create a 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship — a bill that has picked up 13 co-sponsors in the assembly, including members from districts that rarely intersect with frum community concerns.
“My goal when I started this was that if next year I could get yeshivas and schools to buy into the education part of it, that’s a win,” Hartstein said. “But baruch Hashem, it happened way sooner.”

The education component, which Hartstein considers the foundation of everything else, began in earnest this winter when he started teaching a civics course to 12th-grade girls at Ahavas Bais Yaakov. The curriculum covers local and state government, the legislative process in Albany, and the history of civic engagement in America.

The students came in knowing little about how government works — and left with something more than information.

“I explained to them that if their husbands want to go into klal work or elected office or any type of public service, a supportive wife makes a very strong husband,” he said. “The girls really got it.”
The March trip to Albany tested the theory. Senators and assembly members didn’t just greet the class — they engaged it. Senator Jessica Scarcella-Stanton of Staten Island told the girls they held “a very special place” in her heart.

Assembly Member Nily Rozic, who was born in Jerusalem and represents a district in Queens, urged several of the students to consider summer internships in political offices. Two of them expressed serious interest.

Then there was the moment in the Senate chamber. Senator Bill Weber, who represents Rockland County, introduced the class from the floor as the session opened. Every senator in the chamber applauded. The girls stood.
“It was a very special moment,” Hartstein said simply.

The second school now running the program is Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, where Hartstein has hosted four classes. The guest lecturers have included former State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder and Maury Litwack of Jewish Voters Unite. On Monday, the class was addressed by Anthony D’Esposito, the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor and a former congressman. A third yeshiva, in Monsey, is now in conversations to join the program.

On Monday’s class, Hartstein said D’Esposito’s visit was a “great finale.”

“He spoke to the class his experience in the United States Congress; about the importance of advocacy, relationships, being a mentsch, and showing up. He spoke about his time in the NYPD and the boys asked him really good questions; it was great. He was there for an hour.”

The civics program is the part Hartstein talks about most, but the legislative piece has developed faster than he expected.

For months, Hartstein and his groups had been pressing Albany for legislation that would establish a 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship — protecting houses of worship from protesters and harassment. The ask was considered a long shot. A competing bill already existed in the Senate, sponsored by Senator Sam Sutton, but it covered only 25 feet and was bundled with protections for health care clinics as well.

Hartstein kept showing up. January 20. February 4. Trip after trip to the office of Assemblyman George Alvarez, a Democrat from the Bronx’s 78th District who has no shuls in his constituency but carries a deep personal faith.

“We met with his chief of staff,” Hartstein recalled. “We didn’t even get to the member himself. But his chief of staff came back to him and said: these guys keep showing up. They mean it. It’s a good thing.”

On March 13 — five weeks after that February visit — Alvarez’s office called. The assemblyman was introducing a House of Worship Protection bill. No healthcare facilities. No 25-foot compromise. A clean, 100-foot buffer, the language Hartstein had been pushing for.
“This is a total House of Worship bill,” Hartstein said. “Straight what it is. It’s a prayer bill.”

Within days, Hartstein’s Albany trips shifted from relationship-building to co-sponsor recruitment. Within two weeks, the bill had picked up 13 assembly co-sponsors — stretching from District 4 on Long Island’s South Shore to District 127 in the Syracuse suburbs, including Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine and the Assembly Republican Assistant Minority Leader.

Assemblyman David Weprin, who represents Orthodox communities in Queens, is also on the bill.
“We have people from Schenectady, from Syracuse — regular people who were just compassionate to the cause,” Hartstein said. “People that the frum community would have never targeted.”

The assembly picture is now strong enough that Hartstein has stopped chasing additional co-sponsors there. The remaining obstacle is the Senate, where he needs a Democratic moderate willing to introduce a companion bill. Senator Sam Sutton, the author of the earlier 25-foot measure, has declined to shift his position. With roughly six weeks remaining in the legislative session, Hartstein’s group has lined up ten meetings with senators across the state for next week’s trip.

“You’re never going to get a progressive senator to put this bill in,” he said. “You’ve got to go to a moderate, and it’s got to be a Democrat, otherwise the bill doesn’t move. So we have many meetings. We’re very hopeful.”

Some of the most memorable encounters on these trips have had nothing to do with the buffer zone bill at all. On a recent visit, Hartstein’s group sat down with Assemblyman Al Stirpe, a veteran legislator from District 127 who represents farm towns in Onondaga County. Stirpe had questions about the bill, and the meeting was getting tense. Then he pivoted.
“He turns to the boys and says: How do you guys feel about supermarkets being able to sell liquor?” Hartstein recalled. “They all said, great idea, why not?”

What followed was a 15-minute back-and-forth on New York’s liquor licensing laws and the small business owners who depend on them. By the end, the boys had changed their minds. Stirpe came on to the buffer zone bill.

“This is a guy who’s probably never seen a yarmulke before in his life, just schmoozing with the boys about worldly affairs,” Hartstein said. “And this is what happens every time.”

The buffer zone bill in New York City — pushed by Council Speaker Julie Menin — was watered down under pressure from progressive groups before it could pass, ending up with no specific distance requirement at all.

“The DSA wing of the Democratic Party knows how to fight. They know how to stay focused on what they want,” Hartstein said. “The frum community knows how to give money. And what they don’t realize is that in today’s day and age, you have to show up for things to happen.” He called the city council’s toothless version “a joke and a loss.” The state bill, by contrast, would preempt any local weakening: under New York law, localities can pass stricter measures than the state, but cannot dilute them.

The activity has been expanding beyond what Hartstein originally planned. Men in their 40s, unaffiliated with any advocacy organization, have been calling to join upcoming trips. A large Orthodox summer camp has reached out about organizing a delegation to Washington.

“I never did Washington before,” he said. “So I have to see. But there’s a tremendous amount of momentum.”

The seventh Albany trip is Tuesday.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) delivered an impassioned speech in Detroit over the weekend, warning of what he described as a “storm” facing the nation and calling on supporters to take action ahead of upcoming elections.

Speaking at the Michigan Democratic Women’s Caucus Legacy Luncheon, Booker sought to energize Democrats ahead of the midterm cycle, portraying the current moment as a critical test for the country.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there is a storm in our nation!” Booker yelled. “There is darkness and wind! People are getting hurt!”

He then emphasized the need for grassroots political engagement rather than outside intervention. “What we need is not from on high!” the Democrat continued, pointing his finger upward toward the sky. “We need foot soldiers of our democracy, who, in times of trial, are willing to stand up.”

Booker continued by urging the audience to mobilize and take an active role in the political process. “Will you stand for our democracy? Will you stand to get out the vote? Will you stand for our children? Will you stand up for our elders? And will you stand together, unified, strong. Be the hope that people need. We are Democrats. It’s time for a new deal, it’s time to redeem the dream of America.,” he said, adding, “God bless you” after essentially admitting that he believes Democrats do not need God’s help.

Booker, who has served in the U.S. Senate and previously ran for president in 2020, has continued to draw attention with his high-profile appearances and political messaging. Last year, he made headlines for delivering a marathon Senate speech that lasted 25 hours and 5 minutes.

His extended address raised concerns among family members about his health and safety during the ordeal. His wife, Alexis Booker, spoke about the experience in a TikTok video.

“It’s not super safe to stand for 25 hours,” Alexis Booker, whom he wed last year, said in a TikTok video. “Like, your body kind of just like breaks down. And if you fall over, you could hit your head. So those are the things that were going through our head.”

“Like, yes, I wanted him to break the record, but I also wanted him to not die or like get injured,” she continued.

“He wasn’t going to eat for a really long period of time — just being dehydrated alone was worrying me,” she said, explaining that she and Booker’s mother could not be there, so she would call his mother because “everybody was just nervous.”

“At that point, I was living in L.A. and I was preparing to move to live with Cory. And so I didn’t want to bother him, but I would send cute messages or I made a cartoon with my face on it,” she added.

{Matzav.com}

CENTRAL VALLEY, N.Y. — Police say four suspects stole about $30,000 worth of designer handbags from a Gucci outlet at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets before fleeing toward New Jersey.

Authorities said the group — three men and one woman — smashed a display case, grabbed more than a dozen handbags and ran from the store during the afternoon hours.

GUCCI HEIST: Police say 4 suspects stole $30K in designer handbags from the Gucci store at Woodbury Common, then fled into NJ and led police on a chase. What we’ve learned about the heist and suspects — tonight at 5 on @News12HV. (🎥 Riya Mariya) pic.twitter.com/6jn7Or6MCk

— Blaise Gomez (@BlaiseGomez12) April 20, 2026

Investigators say the suspects drove off and were later spotted by police in Newark, where they allegedly led officers on a pursuit lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at times driving onto sidewalks.

The vehicle, believed to be a rental, was later found abandoned near a residence in Irvington, authorities said.

Police said the female suspect has been identified and is believed to be connected to multiple similar thefts across the tri-state area. Warrants have been issued for her arrest, though her name has not been released.

No arrests have been made.

The Trump administration has begun re-evaluating immigration cases approved under President Joe Biden, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now reviewing individuals who were granted green cards, asylum, and other benefits, according to agency leadership.

USCIS Director Joe Edlow said over the weekend that the agency has significantly ramped up its fraud investigations, focusing in particular on cases processed during the previous administration.

“In terms of the people that are perpetrating fraud: Stop, because we are going to find you,” Edlow said during an interview with One America News, which he later posted on X.

“And even if you’ve already [committed fraud], and you think you’ve gotten away with it, we’re going back,” Edlow said. “As you noted earlier, we are looking at old cases, we are going back and re-vetting cases for people who were granted green cards and granted other benefits during the Biden administration, when there was no vetting. There’s vetting now, and we’re looking at these old cases, so be prepared to face the consequences.”

Edlow had previously told lawmakers in February that investigators were finding high rates of fraud in the cases they reviewed.

“Since January 20, 2025, USCIS officers have made nearly 33,000 fraud referrals to our Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate — a 138% increase compared to the average yearly referrals of the previous administration,” Edlow said.

“Our Fraud Detection and National Security team completed investigations into more than 21,000 cases, identifying fraud in 65% of them,” he revealed. “Our officers conducted over 7,000 site visits and more than 26,000 social media checks to identify national security, public safety, fraud, and anti-American concerns.”

Earlier this year, the agency also launched Operation PARRIS, a targeted effort to reexamine refugee cases in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, with a particular focus on applicants from Somalia, which officials have identified as a source of widespread immigration fraud.

The cost of rebuilding Gaza could reach $71 billion, the European Union’s top diplomat said Monday. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the estimate was developed over months of consultations with the World Bank and the United Nations.

“I often hear accusations of double standards,” Kallas said after meeting Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa. “Let me get this straight: Europe is the biggest supporter of the Palestinian people.”

She pointed to the EU’s longstanding role as the largest donor to the Palestinians and a key backer of the Palestinian Authority, including support for governance, policing and border management.

The reconstruction estimate comes as EU member states prepare to debate whether to increase pressure on Israel through potential trade measures. Kallas confirmed that a proposal led by Ireland, Spain and Slovenia to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement will be discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

The agreement, which governs trade and broader relations between the EU and Israel, has come under scrutiny amid concerns over settler violence in the West Bank, Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and legislation in the Israeli Knesset related to the death penalty for certain Palestinian offenders.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has gone further, calling for a full suspension of the agreement — a move that would require unanimous approval from EU member states. Kallas cautioned that while suspension is on the table, other measures requiring only a qualified majority could be pursued more quickly.

A previous push by Ireland and Spain in 2024 to review the agreement failed to secure consensus, facing opposition from countries including Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic. A later Dutch-led review concluded that Israel was “likely” in breach of the agreement’s human rights clause, though member states stopped short of recommending suspension after Israel pledged to expand humanitarian access to Gaza.

Tensions over the issue have spilled into public exchanges. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, criticized Spain’s position, accusing Madrid of hypocrisy in its foreign policy ties.

At the same time, the EU is distancing itself from a U.S.-backed proposal for post-war governance in Gaza. Kallas said the bloc would not participate in President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace,” arguing it diverges from a UN-backed framework that envisions a temporary arrangement with a central role for the Palestinian Authority.

Instead, EU officials are emphasizing parallel efforts, including a broader international initiative to advance a two-state solution. Kallas stressed that any long-term governance structure must be led by Palestinians themselves.

“For us, the role of Palestinians in building up a Palestinian state is the most important,” she said. “It has to be Palestinian-led, and Palestinian-owned.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The answer to the question asked by a reader about hashgachos on sheitels is uncomfortable, but it needs to be said.

No one in today’s global sheitel market can truly guarantee that the hair has been supervised continuously from the moment it was cut until the final production of the wig. Unlike kosher food, where there is a well-established chain of custody under hashgacha, the human hair industry operates through a complex, international supply chain that is extremely difficult to fully trace and verify at every stage.

To understand the issue, one has to look at where most of the world’s human hair comes from. A significant portion of the global supply originates in India, particularly from temples such as the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. There, millions of pilgrims participate annually in a ritual known as tonsuring — shaving their heads as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or as an act of devotion. This hair is then collected and sold in massive quantities on the international market, generating millions of dollars and becoming one of the primary sources of human hair used in wigs and extensions worldwide.

This reality is not speculative. It is well-documented and widely acknowledged within the hair industry itself.

From a halachic standpoint, this raises a serious concern of Avodah Zarah. In 2004, the issue came to the forefront when Rav Elyashiv zt”l ruled that hair originating from these Hindu rituals is assur. That psak led to widespread investigations, public burnings of wigs, and a major upheaval in the sheitel market.

Since then, various poskim and kashrus organizations have attempted to address the issue through certification systems, claiming to source hair from alternative regions such as Eastern Europe or from non-ritual contexts. However, the underlying challenge remains: the hair trade is largely unregulated, often involving multiple intermediaries, brokers, and processing facilities across different countries. Hair can be mixed, mislabeled, or resold numerous times before reaching a manufacturer.

This is why the comparison to kosher food, while understandable, is not entirely accurate. In food production, there is a controlled and inspectable chain. In the global hair market, such airtight supervision is, at best, extremely difficult — and at worst, impossible — to guarantee with full certainty.

Another critical issue is the lack of unified, authoritative consensus among Rabbanim. While some rabbanim permit wigs based on various halachic arguments — including doubts about whether the hair offering is truly considered avodah zarah, or whether it retains that status after processing — others maintain that the concern remains very real and unresolved. The absence of a clear, unified stance has created a situation where consumers are left navigating conflicting guidance, and businesses can selectively rely on more lenient opinions.

But much of the leniency today rests on assumptions — that the hair is not from avodah zarah, that it has been sufficiently transformed, or that its origin is uncertain enough to permit use. Yet given what we know about the dominance of Indian hair in the global market, those assumptions are increasingly difficult to rely on without serious verification.

That is why transparency, while important, does not fully resolve the concern. A label or certification can provide a level of comfort, but it does not necessarily solve the deeper structural problem of traceability in the supply chain.

Until there is a system that can genuinely track and supervise hair from its point of origin through every stage of processing — something that currently does not exist at scale — consumers should understand that there remains an inherent level of uncertainty in the sheitel market.

Signed,

L.A.

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.

Remembering Yonah Brief, HY”D, a beloved hero and member of the JBN family whose light continues to shine long after his passing. Yonah was a combat soldier and paramedic in the elite Duvdevan unit, a young man whose courage was matched only by his kindness, humility, and deep love for others.

Yonah Brief HY”D reporting for duty again.

Yonah was critically wounded on the morning of October 7, 2023, while fighting in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. He was the youngest child of devoted American parents who made Aliyah from San Francisco, California, raising their family in the Land of Israel with faith, sacrifice, and love.

Yonah Brief

But Yonah’s story of heroism began months earlier. In May 2023, during an operation with his unit, he was severely wounded in both legs by an explosive device thrown at him. After enduring painful rehabilitation, Yonah was given the opportunity to leave the army and complete his service another way. Most would have understood. Most would have stepped away.

Yonah Brief HY”D (Left)

Yonah chose to return.

With strength beyond his years, he fought his way back and rejoined his brothers in uniform just one month before the Swords of Iron War began.

On October 7, Yonah and his six man Duvdevan team were among the first organized forces sent into the inferno of Kfar Aza. They rescued families trapped in safe rooms while terrorists roamed outside. In the middle of that mission, they were ambushed.

Without hesitation, Yonah ran into danger to save his commander, Ben Bornstein HY”D, and his dear friend Amir Fischer HY”D. In that selfless act of love and bravery, Yonah was struck by thirteen bullets.

Even reaching him became a battle of its own, as forces fought through ongoing terrorist encounters until a helicopter could finally land and evacuate him to Tel HaShomer Hospital.

Uncle Yonah Brief HY”D

Yonah was the first wounded soldier of the war to arrive there. From that day on, he fought the hardest battle of all, one that lasted 417 days. Through pain, surgeries, and unimaginable hardship, he showed the same strength he showed on the battlefield.

On the 25th of Marcheshvan 5785, November 26, 2024, at 6:29 a.m., Yonah’s pure soul returned to Heaven. He was only 23 years old.

Yonah Brief’s Gravestone

The youngest of six siblings, Yonah was remembered as a fearless soldier, a devoted medic, and a young man of profound faith, warmth, and character.

For the first time after Yona woke up, he was asked which singer he would want to come and sing for him. Without hesitation, Yona answered: Idan Amedi. The Fauda star and singer.

During Idan’s own hospitalization in intensive care, a deep bond and special friendship had formed between the two.

Idan arrived at Har Herzl to pay his final respects to Yona on his Shloshim, marking 30 days since his passing.

He gave everything for others, and in doing so, became a symbol of courage and sacrifice for an entire people.

Ishay Ribo memorialized Yonah Brief HY”D

Yonah always said:

“Life is unpredictable, and the power to choose how to deal with it is in your hands.”

Screenshot

He chose bravery.
He chose faith.
He chose love.
And we will never forget him.

The Justice Department is demanding all ballots from the 2024 election in the Detroit area, a highly unusual move that comes shortly after prosecutors seized 2020 ballots in Georgia and obtained 2020 election records in Arizona.

The push to collect thousands of election records in swing states is part of a sweeping effort by President Donald Trump and his administration to scrutinize elections that has cast doubt on how they are run. Trump has spent more than five years stating that the 2020 election was rigged against him. In recent months, he has shifted his focus to this fall’s midterm elections by seeking to restrict voting by mail and urging Republicans to “take over” voting in “at least 15 places,” such as Detroit.

The latest demand is for ballots, ballot envelopes and ballot receipts in Wayne County, Michigan, which includes Detroit. It came from Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general who oversees the Civil Rights Division and is widely viewed as auditioning to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general. Dhillon sent her letter Tuesday, and Democratic state officials released a copy of it Sunday.

Those officials – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, state Attorney General Dana Nessel and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson – decried the demand as a baseless attempt to undermine the public’s confidence in elections.

“If this administration wants to bring this circus to our state, my office is prepared to protect the people’s right to vote,” Nessel said in a statement.

Dhillon wrote in her letter to Wayne County that DOJ wants the 2024 ballots so it can determine whether election laws were followed that year in a place with a “history of fraud convictions and other allegations.” She cited three examples of voter fraud in 2020 and a lawsuit alleging election officials did not properly process absentee ballots that year. A judge dismissed that lawsuit, finding the allegations were “not credible.”

Voting fraud is very rare, and Nessel noted it has often been caught in Michigan by election officials. Courts rejected dozens of lawsuits over the 2020 election, and independent reviews have found Trump lost that year to Joe Biden.

Dhillon asked that the ballots be produced within two weeks and said the Justice Department might sue to get them if they are not.

The Justice Department is seeking about 865,000 ballots and hundreds of thousands of other records, according to a letter Nessel sent to the Justice Department on Friday. Dhillon made her demand to the wrong place, Nessel said, because the ballots are held by 43 municipal clerks, not Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett (D).

A spokesperson for Garrett did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. A Justice Department spokesperson had no comment.

In statements, Benson called the demand the administration’s “latest attempt to interfere in our elections” and Whitmer said it was a “poorly disguised attempt to justify more doubt and misinformation about our elections.”

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Patrick Marley

Sous-vide Bath: A Kosher Path?

Continuing the technology series, we are moving on to the sous-vide and the halachic challenges that arise with it. Rabbi Dovid Cohen – Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator at the cRc, fills us in on potential kashrus issues with a sous-vide.

View it its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/sous-vide-bath-a-kosher-path

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Transcription

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Hello everyone and welcome back to Let’s Talk Kashrus presented by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Today I am joined by Rabbi David Cohen, administrative rabbinical coordinator at the Chicago Rabbinical Council. How are you Rabbi Cohen?

R’ Dovid Cohen: I’m doing fine thank you.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Today we’d like to discuss a very veryunique item, a unique machine that people use called the sous-vide and its halachic ramifications.

First let’s talk about what a sous-vide is. What is it? How would you describe it?

R’ Dovid Cohen: Okay, it’s a really unusual way to cook. Instead of taking your piece of chicken or piece of meat and sitting it in the oven at 350 degrees, you put it into this basically into a water bath. Okay, now that sounds really strange, what in the world? So before, you don’t just put it right into the water bath, you put it into a bag.

It’s called sous-vide because that bag you suck all the air out of it. It really means under vacuum. So you suck all the air out of this bag and you put it into the water. So the bag keeps it from getting waterlogged, okay, and you put the meat into the bag and dunk it into the water.

And then what you’re going to do is you’re going to heat up that water to just the right temperature to cook the meat. Which is to say is you’ve probably heard, the government will tell you when you’re cooking a piece of meat it’s ready when the meat thermometer tells you it reaches 145 degrees, 165 degrees, whatever it is. That’s the internal temperature because the cooking does something to the meat, whatever it does to make it edible. And when it’s ready, it’s gotten up to a certain temperature.

So basically you program your machine to heat the water to exactly that temperature. So that means is instead of at 350 in your oven, it’s always cooking at 150 or 160 or whatever temperature you cooked. So it’s really slow. Cooks at a really slow temperature, but you can’t burn your food because it can never get hotter than what it’s supposed to be.

And it takes really hours and hours and hours to cook the food. Instead of an hour it could take three four hours. And again the idea is to be able to cook it more accurately. More accurately, more evenly, without burning it.

And because it’s in the bag you don’t lose any of the moisture, everything stays inside of it. And it has a certain kind of cooking that people appreciate.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Have you ever tasted meat from a sous-vide?

R’ Dovid Cohen: I have not. Sorry.

Sorry, I’m just the rabbi side of it, not the chef side of it.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: I’m curious to hear what the difference between the taste between a sous-vide and a conventional oven is.

R’ Dovid Cohen: You have to ask somebody else. Sorry I’m not the guy to answer that question.

Okay, but so that’s what people do. And it’s a kind of cooking. It’s not the kind of thing like oh gosh we’re going to eat in 15 minutes. You have to be well planned in advance and it takes many hours to cook it.

Like there are things that will take a roast could take 24 hours to cook. A piece of meat might take three four hours to cook. So it’s a slow process and somehow it makes food that tastes whatever it is and some people appreciate that. Okay, so first now that we understand what that machine is, I’m sorry, I forgot to describe the main part of the machine.

There’s something called an immersion circulator. And it looks, basically when I told you put the meat into a big bucket of water, into a pot, into a container, that’s any container you want to use. But the real what makes it work is this immersion circulator. And that is it’s a rod, you could see it here in the animation, it’s a rod that sticks into the water and has in it a heating coil so it heats up the water and has a fan or an impeller on the bottom of it to circulate the water.

So it, you program it on the top, you push in I want it to be at 145 degrees for six hours. Okay, and that’s what it’ll do. It’ll heat up the water, once it gets the water to temperature, it’ll clock down from you said six hours and then after six hours it’ll turn itself off. So what it does is that circulator circulates the water and keeps all the water at exactly the right temperature.

Exactly the temperature you picked and I forgot what I said 150, that’s what it does, 150 degrees for the entire six hours. And the coil goes on and off just to you know keep it at the right temperature and this fan is spinning around keeping the water moving. And basically your meat sits there on the bottom in the bag or in the pouch and it does its cooking. Okay, so the first question people have about it is can I use it for milchigs and fleishigs? Okay, can I make in it something milchigs and then something fleishigs? Now there’s not so much that people would make milchigs, but I guess people can.

So the answer would be no they can’t do that. And the reason is because although the food is inside a pouch, the food never touches the water. But the din is that ta’am passes through a kli also. So even though it’s in a pouch, the ta’am can pass through.

So basically if I used it today for meat, then it became fleishig. And if I want to use it tomorrow for milchig, I wouldn’t be allowed to. I could use it for fish which is a very is a popular thing. People use meat and fish.

And that’s because meat and fish you just can’t cook together. But you could use the same pot as long as it’s clean. So if today I put in meat, tomorrow I empty it out and I want to put in fish I could do that. But not milchigs and fleishigs.

Now that leads to another question which people have is okay I want to use it for milchigs or more likely I want to use it for Pesach. Okay what can I do now? Can I kasher this machine? You told me okay you told me don’t use it for both, but what happens I want to kasher it? What happens if I bought one or used one from someone who doesn’t keep kosher? So now I have a treif one; okay, he used it for treif meat. Can I kasher it to be able to use it now for kosher meat? So, I’m going to give you the short version of it. We have a shiur on it, more complicated.

We’ll send people the link if they want to to hear the shiur that there is about this. But the thing is like this: at first you look at it and you say, of course I could kasher it. It’s meant to go into boiling hot water. It’s meant for hot water.

That’s the whole thing is designed for that. Right. So easy enough. Boil up water.

Boil up water and dunk it in. Okay, now you have to be a little, if I could use the word generous, which is to say is you’re supposed to go the water up till this high, you have to kasher a little more than that because water splashes around a little bit. Right. But and you can’t get the very top of it because the electronics probably wouldn’t be able to handle the water of it.

But it’s meant to be in water. So you say, easy enough, easy enough. I’ll boil up a pot of water, I’ll dunk it in and and so on, everything’s perfect. I’ll kasher it.

That sounds like the easy part. Right. But here’s the complication. Everything’s got it, you always there’s always going to be a catch, right? And the catch is that the Rema says things that have little cracks and crevices you can’t kasher.

Well, if you look at, if you pick up your sous vide, this immersion circulator, you’ll see there’s a zillion cracks and crevices. There’s the holes where the water comes into, there’s the fan, there’s a heating coil, all that all stuck all together. It’s all kinds of cracks and crevices where it’s really hard to get it clean. Okay.

So that’s the question. Can I kasher this if I can’t get it clean? The Rema says if you have things like that, you can’t _kasher_them at all. So that’s our that’s the potential issue. Okay, well what’s, so okay, what’s the other side? The other side is that wait a second, no food ever touches this machine.

Remember the food’s… It’s only ta’am, right? Yeah, the food’s in a bag. The food’s in a pouch. Okay, so I mean it happens that a pouch breaks but basically the food’s in a pouch.

So if the food’s in a pouch, how’s food ever going to get stuck in those little holes? Water is going to go in there but water’s going to go in and out. Nothing’s going to happen with the water. So on that’s one side to say, come on guys, nothing’s going to get stuck in the little holes because there’s only water passing through the holes. That’s all that’s in there.

Okay. But then there’s another side. The other side is well, people who cook food don’t cook it in a lab setup. What I mean is just because the food’s in the pouch doesn’t mean they don’t get greasy hands touching the outside of the pouch and getting food on the outside.

It doesn’t mean that there aren’t things, grease and all kinds of stuff going on in there. And there’s another side which is imagine if food actually did get caught in there. You wouldn’t even begin to be able to clean it out. It’s hopeless.

It’s totally hopeless. It’s not even like something with little holes that you could try. You can’t even try over here. So people take different approaches.

At the CRC we tell people that they could kasher it from _treif_to kosher but not for Pesach. Pesach where chametz is b’mashehu they shouldn’t, they shouldn’t do that. But others would say is, come on, even for Pesach you could do it because realistically no food gets into there. And the truth is also it’s pretty hard to think of a case where someone would make chametz in there.

It’s mainly for meat and fish. Right. We can come up with cases. You wouldn’t believe there are people who actually bake cakes in there.

Oh really? It sounds strange as it is, but yes there’s such a thing, people make cakes in there. But also, but imagine if you cut a knife, cut with a chametz-dik knife, you may cut food, cut an onion in there, so it could be chametz in there. But so CRC tells people not to do it for Pesach but for year round, we tell people they could kasher it. Okay.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Any final thought on the sous vide?

R’ Dovid Cohen: On this part of it, no. No. For the, for the kashering and these kind of thing I think I think we covered it. Okay.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Thank you so much.

New York City officials are considering huge increases to ambulance and emergency medical service fees, as the Fire Department moves to offset rising costs tied to inflation and anticipated labor agreements.

The Fire Department of the City of New York has proposed a series of rate hikes that would sharply increase what patients are billed for emergency care. Under the plan, the cost of a standard 911 ambulance transport — known as basic life support — would rise by nearly 30%, while so-called “treatment in place” services, where patients are treated on-site without transport, would jump by more than 40%.

If approved, the base price for a typical ambulance ride would increase from $1,385 to $1,793. Advanced life support services would also see substantial increases, with Level 1 and Level 2 care rising by more than 30%. Charges tied to mileage and certain treatments, such as oxygen administration, would remain unchanged.

In a statement outlining the proposal, the department said the increases are intended to reflect higher operational expenses and reduce the portion of emergency medical service costs currently absorbed by taxpayers. Officials pointed to growing personnel costs and broader inflationary pressures as key drivers behind the move.

The proposal comes as the city prepares for a new labor contract with EMTs and paramedics. While negotiations remain unresolved, the FDNY said it is factoring in expected wage increases based on patterns established in agreements with other municipal unions.

Labor leaders, however, are pushing back, arguing that higher billing rates will do little to address deeper structural issues within the EMS system. Union officials say longstanding pay disparities between EMS workers and other uniformed services, including firefighters, have fueled staffing shortages and increased response times.

A public hearing on the proposed rate increases is scheduled for May 15, where city officials are expected to gather feedback before determining whether to move forward with the changes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Federal agents arrested Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles International Airport before the Iranian national boarded a flight out of the country, for allegedly trafficking weapons for the Iranian regime, the Justice Department said.

Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and faces up to 20 years in federal prison, the department said on Monday.

“This individual came from Iran and gained legal status under the Obama administration,” stated Todd Blanche, acting U.S. attorney general. “While enjoying a life in the United States, this woman was allegedly breaking the law by brokering lethal weapons deals with Iranian adversaries. This will not stand, and anyone who breaks our laws and threatens national security will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

According to the department, Mafi, who owns and runs a company in Oman, became a lawful permanent resident in October 2016.

“In early 2025, Mafi brokered weapons deals on Iran’s behalf through her company,” including a contract worth more than $70 million “for the sale of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone from Iran’s defense ministry to Sudan’s military,” the Justice Department alleged. “She coordinated the Sudanese delegation’s travel to Iran and was paid more than $7 million.”

“She also brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan and submitted a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to purchase the bomb fuses for Sudan,” per the department. “Mafi also brokered the sale of millions of rounds of ammunition from Iran to Sudan.”

Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Americans must receive permission from the U.S. Treasury Department to do business with goods or services tied to the Iranian government, and they cannot work with people whom the federal government has blocked, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated terror group, and the Iranian defense ministry.

“At no time did Mafi apply for or obtain the required licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to engage in any transactions alleged in the complaint’s affidavit,” the Justice Department stated. “She also never registered with or applied for approval from the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to engage in brokering activities with respect to U.S. or foreign defense articles.”

The Justice Department added that records, which the federal government obtained after executing a search warrant, showed that Mafi and an Iranian intelligence officer contacted one another 62 times between December 2022 and June 2025. JNS

(AP) – Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down from the job that he inherited from the late Steve Jobs, ending a 15-year reign that saw the company’s market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era of prosperity.

Cook, 65, will turn the CEO duties over to Apple’s head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, on Sept. 1 while remaining involved with the Cupertino, California, company as executive chairman. That’s similar to the transitions made by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Netflix’s Reed Hastings after they ended their highly successful tenures as CEO.

To allow Cook to assume his new job, Arthur Levinson will relinquish his role as Apple’s non-executive chairman while remaining on its board of directors.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people.”

Ternus, 50, has been with Apple for the past quarter century, including the past five years overseeing the engineering underlying the iPhone, iPad and Mac — a role that made him a prime candidate to succeed Cook.

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a statement.

Cook and Ternus may have more to say about the changing of the guard on April 30 when Apple is scheduled to release its financial results for the first three months of the year.

The transition to a new CEO comes at a pivotal time for Apple. Artificial intelligence has unleashed the most upheaval within the industry since Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.

Earlier this year, Apple finally turned to Google — an early leader in the AI race — for help making the iPhone’s virtual assistant Siri into a more conversational and versatile helper.

“Cook created a major legacy at Apple but it was ultimately time to pass the torch to Ternus with the AI strategy now the focus,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said.

Although he never shook the perception that he lacked Jobs’ vision, Cook leveraged the popularity of the iPhone and other breakthroughs orchestrated by his predecessor to lift Apple to heights that seemed unfathomable when it was on the brink of bankruptcy during the mid-1990s.

Not long after Cook took over, Apple became the first publicly traded company to be valued at $1 trillion, then became the first to be valued at $2 trillion and $3 trillion, too.

But after Apple’s slow start in AI, chipmaker Nvidia rode the feverish demand for its processors that power that technology to be the first company to reach the $4 trillion threshold and then the first to break through the $5 trillion barrier, too. Apple is currently valued at $4 trillion, up from $350 billion when Tim Cook took over in August 2011, shortly before Jobs died after a long bout with cancer.

“Steve Jobs was never going to be an easy act to follow, yet Tim Cook took Jobs’ legacy and transformed Apple into a durable, resilient financial powerhouse,” said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee.

Besides guiding Apple to a phenomenal run of financial success, Cook also made his mark in an October 2014 essay acknowledging his homosexuality – a disclosure by the leader of a renowned company that was hailed as a breakthrough for the gay rights movement.

Before his death, Jobs spent time grooming Cook to be his successor – a move that reflected the Apple co-founder’s respect and admiration for an executive that he hired in 1998 to oversee the company’s supply chain. Knowing his successor would likely be measured against his legacy, Jobs advised Cook to be guided by his own instincts and never bother musing, “What would Steve do?”

Cook, an Alabama native who previously worked at Compaq Computer and Apple’s former nemesis, IBM, masterminded the intricacies of an international supply chain that plumbed the cheaper labor and efficiency of China’s manufacturing plants. It has played an instrumental role in the production of the Mac computers, iPods, iPhones, iPads and other products that account for most of Apple’s annual revenue of $416 billion – up from $108 billion when Cook became CEO.

But most of Apple’s best-selling devices were all conceived while Jobs was still CEO, raising questions about whether Cook was more of a logistics man than an idea man.

“While Cook has kept Apple’s growth trajectory moving at a steady clip, he has not overseen a step-change innovation that would reset Apple’s competitive position for the next two decades, as Jobs did with the iPhone,” Chatterjee said.

The company did create the two popular new product lines – the Apple Watch and wireless AirPod headphones – and a still-niche Vision Pro headset for experiencing virtual reality, but none of them have been the kind of breakthroughs that became Jobs’ trademark. Meanwhile, other ballyhooed projects such as Apple’s effort to build a self-driving car never materialized after years of research and investments.

Apple’s reliance on overseas manufacturing required Cook to master the art of political diplomacy, particularly while President Donald Trump waged trade wars with China during both his terms in the White House. After persuading Trump to exempt the iPhone and other products from Trump’s first-term tariffs, he faced a more daunting challenge during the current administration.

While insisting that Apple shift its iPhone manufacturing from China to the U.S., Trump imposed some tariffs on the device this time around. But Cook still managed to minimize the fees by shifting the production of iPhones destined for the U.S. market to India and also winning some exemptions after promising Apple would invest $600 billion in the U.S. during Trump’s second administration.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Amtrak train service in Florida was disrupted Monday because of a wildfire in the northeast part of the state, officials said.

The auto train service between Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, and Lorton, Virginia, outside Washington, was canceled for Monday, Amtrak said in a statement. The train service allows passengers to take their cars on trips.

The Silver Meteor route, which runs between Miami and New York, was starting and ending in Jacksonville instead of South Florida on Monday, and one of its two daily train trips was canceled for Tuesday.

The Floridian route, running from Miami to Chicago via Washington, was starting and ending in Savannah, Georgia, and one of its two train trips was canceled for Tuesday, Amtrak said.

Amtrak on Monday was providing some bus service between Jacksonville and Miami for passengers on the Silver Meteor and Floridian routes.

The Florida Forest Service reported a 2,700 acre (1,093 hectares) fire along the eastern border of Putnam and Clay counties, south of Jacksonville.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.

Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.

Unlike other recent Cabinet departures, Chavez-DeRemer’s exit was announced by a White House aide, not by the president on his social media account.

“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on the social media site X. “She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.”

He said Keith Sonderling, the current deputy labor secretary, would become acting labor secretary in her place. The news outlet NOTUS was the first to report Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation.

Labor chief, family members faced multiple allegations
Chavez-DeRamer’s departure follows reports that began surfacing in January that she was under a series of investigations.

A New York Times report last Wednesday revealed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing material showing Chavez-DeRemer and her top aides and family members routinely sent personal messages and requests to young staff members.

Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father exchanged text messages with young female staff members, according to the newspaper. Some of the staffers were instructed by the secretary and her former deputy chief of staff to “pay attention” to her family, people familiar with the investigation told the Times.

Those messages were uncovered as part of a broader investigation of Chavez-DeRamer’s leadership that began after the New York Post reported in January that a complaint filed with the Labor Department’s inspector general accused Chavez-DeRemer of a relationship with the subordinate.

She also faced allegations that she drank alcohol on the job, and that she tasked aides to plan official trips for primarily personal reasons.

Both the White House and the Labor Department initially said the reports of wrongdoing were baseless. But the official denials got less full-throated as more allegations emerged — and when Chavez-DeRemer might be out of a job became something of an open question in Washington.

At least four Labor Department officials have already been forced from their jobs as the investigation progressed, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, as well as a member of her security detail, with whom she was accused of having the affair, the New York Times reported.

“I think the secretary demonstrated a lot of wisdom in resigning,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Monday after her departure was made public.

She enjoyed union support — rare for a Republican
Confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet on a 67-32 vote in March 2025, Chavez-DeRemer is a former House GOP lawmaker who had represented a swing district in Oregon. She enjoyed unusual support from unions as a Republican but lost reelection in November 2024.

In her single term in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer backed legislation that would make it easier to unionize on a federal level, as well as a separate bill aimed at protecting Social Security benefits for public-sector employees.

Some prominent labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, backed Chavez-DeRemer, who is a daughter of a Teamster, for Labor Secretary. Trump’s decision to pick her was viewed by some political observers as a way to appeal to voters who are members of or affiliated with labor organizations.

But other powerful labor leaders were skeptical when she was tapped for the job, unconvinced that Chavez-DeRemer would pursue a union-friendly agenda as a part of the incoming GOP administration. In her Senate confirmation hearing, some senators questioned whether she would be able to uphold that reputation in an administration that fired thousands of federal employees.

She was a key figure in Trump’s deregulatory push
Aside from reports of wrongdoing in recent months, Chavez-DeRemer had been one of Trump’s more lower-profile Cabinet picks, but took key steps to advance the administration’s deregulatory agenda during her tenure.

For instance, the Labor Department last year moved to rewrite or repeal more than 60 workplace regulations it saw as obsolete. The rollbacks included minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities, and rules governing exposure to harmful substances and safety procedures at mines. The effort drew condemnation from union leaders and workplace safety experts.

The proposed changes also included eliminating a requirement that employers provide adequate lighting for construction sites and seat belts for agriculture workers in most employer-provided transportation.

During Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure, the Trump administration canceled millions of dollars in international grants that a Labor Department division administered to combat child labor and slave labor around the world, ending their work that had helped reduce the number of child laborers worldwide by 78 million over the last two decades.

The Labor Department has a broad mandate as it relates to the U.S. workforce, including reporting the U.S. unemployment rate, regulating workplace health and safety standards, investigating minimum wage, child labor and overtime pay disputes, and applying laws on union organizing and unlawful terminations.

FBI Director Kash Patel sued the Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick in federal court, alleging that the magazine ran a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece” against him on Friday with the intention of marring his reputation.

In the complaint, filed in federal district court in D.C. on Monday, Patel says he is seeking $250 million in damages plus any proceeds from the article.

The Atlantic’s article contained extensive reporting – attributed to anonymous people – alleging Patel engaged in “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences” while leading the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The complaint alleges that several incidents detailed in the article are defamatory. These incidents include that Patel was often intoxicated with White House and Trump administration staff, that meetings had to be rescheduled following nights on which he drank, and that staff had to use “breaching equipment” to access rooms when Patel had reportedly been unreachable.

“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,” Anna Bross, a spokeswoman for the Atlantic, said in a statement to The Washington Post.

The Post has not independently verified the Atlantic’s reporting.

Under defamation law, Patel – as a public official – would probably have to demonstrate that the Atlantic acted with “actual malice,” a legal standard established in the landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan.

To reach that standard, Patel would have to prove not only that the Atlantic’s claims were false but also that they knew they were false and published with reckless disregard for the truth. “They are so demonstrably and obviously false, or easily refuted,” the complaint said of the allegations, “that it was at best reckless to publish them.”

On Friday, Jesse R. Binnall, an attorney for Patel, posted on social media a letter sent earlier that day to Fitzpatrick and David Baumgarten, the Atlantic’s general counsel. “Should you publish these false allegations, Director Patel will take swift legal action to uphold his reputation,” Binnall wrote in the letter. In his accompanying post on X, Binnall said the Atlantic was “on notice” that its reporting was false and defamatory. “They published anyway,” he wrote. “See you in court.”

“Defamatory speech is not free speech, and it is an honor to represent Kash Patel in this lawsuit seeking accountability for The Atlantic article’s malicious falsehoods,” Binnall said in a statement to The Post on Monday.

Patel, formerly a staunch critic of the FBI, has led the bureau since February 2025.

Since taking the job, Patel has overseen a purge of dozens of career agents, many of whom were involved in investigations of President Donald Trump and his allies, and has shifted bureau resources from intelligence gathering and complex investigations of white-collar fraud toward assisting in Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts and policing violent crime.

Those efforts have at times been overshadowed by public scrutiny of Patel’s personal life. His frequent use of an agency Gulfstream jet for various trips, including to visit his girlfriend, a country music singer, and to see the 2026 Milan Olympics, has drawn public criticism.

During his Olympics trip, a video circulated showing Patel drinking beer with members of the U.S. men’s hockey team during a locker room celebration of their gold medal win.

Federal regulations require the FBI director to use government aircraft for all travel. Patel and his spokespeople have maintained that he uses the jet for personal trips far less than his predecessors. He flew to Milan for official meetings with law enforcement partners in Italy, they said, before he attended the hockey game.

Patel’s boss, Trump, has sued several news outlets following unfavorable coverage.

Trump, who has for years called the media “the enemy of the American people” has sued several news organizations for defamation over critical reporting about him, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC. Some, including ABC and CBS, have settled with Trump out of court.

Trump has long railed against the Atlantic, deriding the publication as a “failing Radical Left Magazine” and its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, as a “con man.” Last year, Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat where Defense Department officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, detailed military plans for strikes in Yemen.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Scott Nover, Jeremy Roebuck

Israeli officials are bracing for the possibility that negotiations between the United States and Iran could break down, with preparations underway for a potential return to military confrontation as the ceasefire approaches its end.

The political-security cabinet convened Monday for an urgent session, along with additional smaller consultations, amid growing concern in Jerusalem that talks may fail. While Washington is pushing toward an agreement, Israeli officials believe Iran’s conduct is making meaningful progress increasingly difficult.

A senior Israeli official, speaking to Channel 12 News, described the deep uncertainty surrounding Tehran’s intentions. “We do not have clear and solid information regarding Iran’s responses, but we find it hard to believe that the current regime, with the extremist elements in the Revolutionary Guards, will agree to a complete surrender of enriched uranium and the dismantling of its nuclear project,” the official said.

In recent days, Israel has shared detailed intelligence with U.S. officials indicating that Iran is using the ceasefire period to rebuild its military capabilities. According to Israeli assessments, Tehran is taking advantage of the pause in fighting to reposition and restore critical components. “Every day without an agreement is good in terms of pressure and economic strangulation on Iran, but bad in terms of Iran rebuilding and redeploying its military assets. That is the equation,” the senior official explained.

Israeli officials believe Iran is deliberately pursuing a strategy of delay, confusion, and deception, in part due to internal disagreements over the terms of a deal. As a result, several possible scenarios are being considered, including an extension of negotiations, incremental progress, or a return to limited hostilities.

At the same time, another Israeli source told Kan News that Israel is prepared to resume fighting against Iran “with American approval.”

So far, no agreement has been reached between Washington and Tehran on the nuclear issue. “We are all waiting for Trump, but at this stage the sides are not close to any agreements,” the senior official said.

In contrast, Al Jazeera reported that President Donald Trump indicated a deal with Iran could be signed as early as Monday in Pakistan.

Amid reports that talks could resume in Pakistan, Israeli officials told Channel 13 News that the provisions currently under discussion—and especially those not being addressed—are a major cause for concern. In Jerusalem, officials are particularly troubled that the missile issue is not part of the negotiations, a gap that could allow Iran to continue producing large numbers of ballistic missiles without restriction. The issue of enriched uranium also remains unresolved.

Earlier, Trump said in an interview with the New York Post that he would be willing to meet directly with senior Iranian officials if a breakthrough is achieved in the negotiations. His comments come at a peak moment of tension, just one day before the ceasefire is set to expire, and as Israeli officials assess that the U.S. president is still aiming to secure a deal despite increasingly forceful rhetoric. At the same time, Trump made clear that he would not hesitate to take military action if the talks collapse.

In response to a planned university student fundraiser designed to financially back the “Lebanese resistance,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon announced the launch of a federal investigation into the University of Washington’s handling of campus antisemitism.

The federal probe was triggered by an April 21 event organized by Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return University of Washington (SUPER UW). The group’s promotional materials explicitly called on supporters to “materially support” the so-called Lebanese resistance, a term widely understood to reference the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror organization.

Condemning the event and the university’s environment, Dhillon issued a forceful public statement: “Tomorrow, a student group—SUPER UW—is holding a fundraising event for the ‘Lebanese resistance.’ This group has a history of violent antisemitic activity on University of Washington’s campus. On Friday, I authorized a Civil Rights investigation of UW’s handling of antisemitism!”

The federal intervention highlights a troubling escalation of radical, terror-affiliated activities on American college campuses. The SUPER UW event, scheduled at a Seattle interfaith community center, aimed to raise funds for “mutual aid in Lebanon” alongside a screening of a documentary that openly champions armed violence against Israel.

The alarming nature of the fundraiser is compounded by the student group’s deeply entrenched ties to international terror networks. SUPER UW operates in close coordination with the Tariq El-Tahrir Student Network, the youth arm of a political group directly linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Samidoun, a known terror-funding proxy.

Recent reports indicate that SUPER UW has facilitated direct connections between Seattle university students and recognized terrorists. During a recent online seminar series co-hosted by the group, students were addressed by Osman Bilal, a reported Hamas operative linked to a lethal bombing attack, who urged attendees that “armed struggle” and “violent work” must be employed to serve their cause. Another speaker included Khaled Barakat, an alleged member of the PFLP, a US-designated foreign terror group.

Despite this documented history of coordinating with terror operatives and engaging in aggressive campus disruptions, the university administration has shown leniency toward the group’s members. Last year, SUPER UW was responsible for an estimated $1 million in property damage during a building occupation inspired by the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

While the university initially suspended 21 students and barred them from campus for their roles in the siege, officials confirmed recently that the suspended individuals have been quietly reinstated.

A local official aligned with Yemen’s Houthi movement has been accused of killing his 13-year-old daughter by throwing her down a well. The official — identified as Abdul Salam Abdo Hatem Al-Hasani — is alleged to have thrown his daughter, Zara, into a well in the Al Jabin district of Raymah governorate last week. The incident reportedly followed a dispute tied to an ongoing separation from his ex-wife.

Reports indicate the killing came shortly after a court granted the mother a divorce, a process that was allegedly expedited amid concerns that authorities linked to the Houthi movement could obstruct the proceedings. The woman had reportedly cited severe domestic abuse in her case.

Local media accounts suggest tensions within the family had escalated in the hours before the incident. The girl had expressed a desire to visit her mother, prompting a confrontation with her father. Observers say the relationship had deteriorated in recent months after the child was separated from her mother.

Initial accounts from the father denied responsibility, instead claiming that others were involved in the girl’s death — a version of events that has been widely questioned, particularly given reports that the property where the well was located was secured.

Concerns have also been raised about the integrity of the investigation. Some outlets reported fears that the accused may attempt to influence or interfere with proceedings, given his status and affiliations.

The case follows another recent incident in which a young woman in Hajjah governorate reportedly took her own life after being ordered by a court to return to her husband’s home.

There has been no official statement from Houthi authorities addressing the allegations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Jackson Township is set to launch its first-ever “Litter Free Jackson” Community Cleanup Initiative in partnership with Six Flags Great Adventure.

The initiative follows a meeting held April 19 between Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and park leadership, including the park’s president and regional public relations manager, where officials secured support for the township-wide cleanup effort.

As part of the partnership, the first 1,500 residents who participate in the kickoff event will receive a free general admission ticket to Six Flags Great Adventure, valid for any day.

Township officials say the program comes in direct response to ongoing concerns from residents about community cleanliness. The administration is aiming to take proactive steps to maintain Jackson as a clean and safe place to live.

“We have heard our residents loud and clear, and we are taking action,” Kuhn said. “This is about community pride, teamwork, and setting an example for future generations.”

The kickoff event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a youth-focused component. Children ages 12 and under who participate will be sworn in as “Deputy Litter Free Officers” and receive certificates recognizing their efforts. Snacks and refreshments will also be provided for volunteers.

Officials are encouraging residents of all ages to take part in the initiative as part of a broader push to improve community appearance and engagement.

Residents interested in participating can sign up by emailing [email protected], attention Pauline Dressler.

Township leaders say they hope the event will spark a lasting commitment to keeping Jackson clean.

President Donald Trump said he is pressing Pope Leo XIV with pointed questions over the pontiff’s continued opposition to the war with Iran, escalating a growing public disagreement between the two leaders.

In an early morning interview with The New York Post, Trump said he is seeking clarity from the pope regarding his stance on Iran’s actions and nuclear ambitions. “Why does the pope think it is fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and to kill 42,000 unarmed protesters?” Trump said.

The president voiced frustration with the criticism coming from the American-born pontiff as a two-week ceasefire in the conflict nears its expiration on Wednesday.

“This is one of the most important wars. I said to the pope you can’t allow them to have a nuclear weapon because they will use it and millions of people will be dead, including Italians and Catholics around the world,” Trump said.

“And you can’t allow a country to kill 42,000 unarmed protesters, many of which were young people who they hanged from a crane in a public square.”

The Vatican press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has argued that his strategy is aimed at securing long-term peace by weakening Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear program, while expressing irritation at repeated rebukes from the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV has called for an end to what he described as the “madness of war” and has criticized leaders who initiate armed conflict, referring to them as “arrogant.”

During a Palm Sunday mass on March 29, the pope said, “God ‘does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.’”

Trump has responded by dismissing the pope’s position as misguided, calling him naive and “terrible for foreign policy.”

The dispute has also intersected with comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who publicly invoked Christianity while expressing support for the U.S. military campaign.

As tensions between Trump and the pope intensified, the president also drew attention earlier this month by sharing an image on Truth Social that appeared to depict him as Yoshkah performing a miracle.

The image was later removed, with Trump explaining that he believed it portrayed him as a doctor.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s parliament speaker is publicly pushing back against internal opposition to negotiations with the United States, exposing deepening divisions within Tehran’s leadership as high-stakes diplomacy unfolds.

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who is involved in ongoing talks with Washington alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned that efforts to block engagement with the U.S. could have severe consequences for Iran’s future.

According to reports published Monday by the London-based outlet Iran International, Ghalibaf criticized a faction of hardline figures he described as “extremists,” accusing them of attempting to derail negotiations and inflame public opposition. Among those identified were Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, and Amir-Hossein Sabeti, a younger figure associated with the country’s hardline political camp.

The speaker reportedly argued that this faction is leveraging state media and ideological networks to mobilize resistance against talks, framing engagement with Washington as a threat rather than a strategic necessity.

The internal dispute highlights a broader struggle within Iran’s political establishment over how to approach negotiations at a moment of heightened regional tension. While some officials see diplomacy as a pathway to de-escalation, others remain deeply skeptical of U.S. intentions and oppose any concessions.

Ghalibaf has also privately raised concerns about his own political position, according to the report, amid suggestions that both he and Araghchi could face pressure or removal if talks proceed in a direction opposed by hardliners.

Jalili, a longtime figure in Iran’s conservative establishment, previously served as the country’s chief nuclear negotiator and has repeatedly run for president, most recently losing a runoff election in 2024 to Masoud Pezeshkian. Sabeti, meanwhile, represents a younger generation of post-revolution politicians who have aligned themselves with more uncompromising positions on foreign policy.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen cautioned Monday that Israel must not be lulled into complacency despite its recent military and intelligence successes against Iran, warning that Tehran’s fundamental ambitions remain unchanged.

Speaking at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, Cohen stressed that no agreement or ceasefire would alter Iran’s hostile intentions.

“We must not deceive ourselves; the Iranians will continue to lie, and we must not trust them or rest on our laurels,” Cohen said. “No agreement or ceasefire will change their fundamental ambitions. Therefore, even though the achievements of the war are significant, our battle for the State of Israel is not over.”

Cohen’s remarks come amid heightened tensions following Israel’s two recent operations targeting Iranian assets. While he acknowledged the operations’ effectiveness, the ex-intelligence chief urged continued vigilance.

The address was delivered as Israel observes Memorial Day, honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

A Ribbis Chabura led by Rav Vind recently celebrated a siyum marking the completion of a full year of intensive Ribbis shiurim.

Building on this achievement, the group is now preparing for a Heter Horaah event expected to include 25 musmachim.

The upcoming program is scheduled to take place at the Bais Havaad, in conjunction with the Bais Havaad Ribbis Division.

BOSTON (AP) — Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton finished the Boston Marathon on Monday and her parents were waiting at the finish line to congratulate her.

The 46-year-old author and the vice chair of the Clinton Foundation ran the 26.2-mile (42.195-kilometer) race in 3 hours, 40 minutes, 52 seconds. Joining former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to meet her at the finish line was 2014 champion Meb Keflezghi — the last American man to win the race.

According to athlinks.com, Chelsea Clinton has run six other marathons, including New York four times, and Monday’s run was a personal best.

Other notable participants who ran in Monday’s record-setting race included astronaut Suni Williams, who finished in 5:52:49; hockey Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara, who ran it in 3:18:00; 2018 Boston winner Des Linden, who finished second in the women’s masters division in 2:35:49; and 1968 men’s winner Amby Burfoot, who finished in 5:11:29.

Hillary and Bill Clinton greet Chelsea after she finishes the Boston Marathon pic.twitter.com/lGZPMVL7fA

— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) April 20, 2026

In an interesting diplomatic reversal, Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, first created headlines by inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit, only to then publicly state he would have him arrested, should he enter the country.

Just days ago, Magyar held what was described as a warm introductory call with Netanyahu, during which he personally invited him to Budapest for an official visit later this year for the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution, signaling continued ties between the two countries. It should be noted that the current and outgoing PM Viktor Orban is extremely close to Netanyahu and has held excellent ties with Israel.

TOPSHOT – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban waves to supporters at the Balna centre in Budapest during Hungary’s general election on April 12, 2026. Nationalist Viktor Orban, who has ruled Hungary for 16 years, on April 12, 2026 conceded defeat to conservative Peter Magyar in parliamentary elections. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu accepted the invitation, with both sides expressing interest in maintaining strong relations despite Hungary’s political transition.

But then came the dramatic twist. Magyar announced that Hungary would rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), a major policy reversal from the previous government, and made clear that his administration would enforce ICC arrest warrants, including one issued against Netanyahu.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem on April 14, 2026. Israel came to a standstill on April 14, as sirens sounded across the country in tribute to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II. This year’s commemoration comes amid a fragile two-week ceasefire with Iran after a deadly war that began on February 28, when a joint US-Israeli air attack killed Iran’s supreme leader. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images)

In blunt remarks, Magyar said that if Netanyahu were to enter Hungary, he would be arrested, as the country would be legally obligated to comply. Under Magyar, Hungary appears to be pivoting back toward alignment with European institutions and international law. even if it puts it on a collision course with Israel.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – OCTOBER 04:A protester holds a sign calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy on October 04, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The demonstration was held to mark the two year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7, 2023, and has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians while displacing most of Gaza’s population. Similar protests were held in cities around the world calling for an end to the war and increased international pressure on Israel. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Netanyahu’s travel options in Europe were already limited due to the ICC warrant, but Hungary had been a rare safe haven.

President Donald Trump’s initiative to declassify government records on unidentified flying objects could bring to light information that even U.S. defense and intelligence agencies are unable to explain, according to Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb.

Trump announced in February that federal agencies would begin identifying and releasing documents related to UFOs—also referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena—pointing to strong public interest and a push for greater transparency.

More recent remarks from the president suggest that the first batch of files could be released “very, very soon,” with officials preparing materials that may include radar readings, satellite images, and military footage.

Loeb, speaking during an appearance on Newsmax TV’s “Wake Up America,” said conversations with lawmakers, along with his own research, indicate that the government is dealing with sightings it cannot fully explain.

“We spoke for about 90 minutes, and it definitely looks like there are objects that either the intelligence agencies or the Pentagon cannot figure out,” Loeb said. “And that’s what makes life interesting.”

The forthcoming release is expected to appear on a government platform—widely believed to be Aliens.gov—as part of a broader effort to consolidate information about UFO encounters and possible extraterrestrial evidence.

Loeb cautioned, however, that not all material will be made available to the public due to national security concerns involving sensitive detection systems and defense capabilities.

“I expect only parts that relate to national security to be redacted or not released at all,” he said. “But it’s really something that all of us should have a look at.”

He stressed that any conclusions drawn from the data must be rooted in scientific analysis rather than speculation.

“It’s all about the data,” Loeb said. “It’s not a matter of belief or conviction or opinion. It’s all about looking at the data and seeing what it means.”

Loeb, who leads Harvard’s Galileo Project, said his team intends to independently examine any released information using advanced observation methods and artificial intelligence.

“We don’t just wait for the government to tell us what is out there in the sky, because we can build telescopes and observe it,” he said.

His research group uses triangulation and machine learning to calculate distances, speeds, and flight paths of unidentified objects, seeking to determine whether any surpass known human technological capabilities.

“We are still searching for something that is not human made,” Loeb said. “Anything human made is boring as far as I’m concerned.”

While speculation has long surrounded government secrecy on UFO sightings, Loeb suggested that the more likely explanation for limited disclosure is uncertainty rather than concealment of extraterrestrial life.

“The most reasonable scenario that I can imagine is there are things that the government cannot figure out,” he said, noting that officials may be reluctant to reveal gaps in knowledge or expose classified technologies.

At a minimum, Loeb argued that increased transparency could enhance national security by improving the ability to detect and analyze unidentified objects, pointing to past incidents such as the Chinese spy balloon that initially went unnoticed.

Still, the potential significance extends beyond defense considerations.

“If we find that we are not alone, that would be the biggest revelation ever made,” Loeb said. “And I think it will bring us to a better place.”

Newly released NYPD images capture several suspects — including individuals wearing keffiyehs — who are believed to have taken part in a chaotic weekend car “gathering” in Queens, as residents and local officials slammed the reckless disruption in a typically quiet neighborhood.

According to police, the crowd swarmed the intersection of Eliot Avenue and 69th Street along the Maspeth–Middle Village border, unleashing disorder around 1:50 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities are attempting to identify the group, which includes eight individuals — one woman and seven men — with three of the suspects seen wearing keffiyehs.

“We cannot tolerate this. I cannot tolerate this, not in my district, not in New York City,” Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens) fumed during a press conference Monday.

Wong emphasized the need for increased police presence in his district, adding that he plans to “make that request” during a scheduled meeting with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Tuesday.

Police also released photos of four vehicles tied to the incident — two BMWs, one silver and one white, along with a black Nissan and a blue car.
Video from the scene shows a driver waving a Palestinian flag while spinning donuts, coming dangerously close to onlookers as the car circled a ring of fire set in the street.

At one point, flames shot up from the roadway as participants crowded around, recording the spectacle on their phones.

The NYPD said Monday that two men involved in the street chaos even jumped on the hood of a marked department vehicle, causing damage and cracking the windshield, before speeding off in the black Nissan.

During his current visit to Chicago, Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Slabodka in Bnei Brak, created a memorable moment when he signed a baseball for local educator Reb Daniel Harris—the latest addition to an unconventional collection.

Rav Hirsch has been visiting Chicago to garner support for the Olam HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel. Amid the many gatherings and meetings, the brief interaction with Harris stood out, blending warmth, personality, and a touch of creativity.

The baseball that the gadol hador signed joins a growing collection that Harris has been assembling for years—baseballs bearing the signatures of various rabbonim. What began as a simple idea has evolved into a project, with Harris seeking out opportunities to have leading figures in the Torah world sign baseballs.

Those close to the rosh yeshiva noted that the gesture was entirely in character. Rav Hirsch is known for going out of his way to be mesameiach another Yid, even in the midst of a demanding schedule. Signing the baseball, while unconventional, was seen as a simple act of chesed, an opportunity to bring simcha to another person.

Harris’s collection includes signatures from various rabbinic figures, with one notable example being a baseball signed by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein bearing the inscription: “Aharon Lichtenstein, who strives for stardom in another league.”

Other Harris baseballs have been signed by Rav Gedaliah Schwartz and Rav Berel Wein.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF’s all-Chareidi Chashmonaim Brigade, held a Yom Hazikaron ceremony Monday evening at its training base in the Jordan Valley. The event took place despite earlier media reports claiming that troops in the unit would not participate in such observances.

The ceremony included the recitation of Yizkor, the lighting of a memorial flame, lowering the Israeli flag to half-mast, and the singing of the national anthem, Hatikva, the IDF said.

Col. Shemer Raviv, commander of the brigade, spoke at the ceremony.

“On this day, we pause our daily routine, bow our heads, and unite in remembrance of the fallen, those who gave their lives so that we may live here, in this land, in safety,” Raviv said. “This day expresses the deep spiritual bond between all parts of the nation, a day on which an entire people gathers around a shared memory, shared pain, and immeasurable gratitude.”

Some members of the brigade are currently deployed in Lebanon, where Yom Hazikaron ceremonies were held “in accordance with operational activity,” the military said.

Earlier in the day, Channel 13 reported that soldiers in the Chareidi unit would not participate in Yom Hazikaron or Yom Ha’atzmaut events in an effort to limit exposure to Zionist content. The IDF ceremony appears to contradict that report.

At a separate Yom Hazikaron event for fallen Chareidi soldiers, Bezalel Smotrich compared those killed in Israel’s conflicts to the students of Rabbi Akiva.

“Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students who have been joined by 25,648 students. Students of Torah and students of valor,” Smotrich said, referring to the total number of individuals who have died in service to the country since 1860.

The event was attended by several Chareidi public figures, including Aryeh Deri, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – Amazon used its market leverage to get companies such as Walmart to increase prices on their websites so the e-commerce giant would not be undercut by its competitors, according to a filing unsealed Monday in an ongoing lawsuit by California’s attorney general.

Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Amazon in San Francisco Superior Court in 2022 accusing the company of violating the state’s antitrust and unfair competition laws. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year but Bonta is asking the judge to order Amazon to cease its practices immediately.

According to the filing, the alleged price fixing scheme generally begins with the Seattle-based company demanding vendors to fix or look into prices of products on other websites and request that those prices be increased or else face penalties such as promotion restrictions or even removal of products from Amazon’s site.

For example, the filing alleges that Amazon, apparel company Levi Strauss & Co. and Walmart agreed to fix prices on khaki pants. Amazon sent the denim retailer links to pants that were priced lower on Walmart.com, saying it “hop(ed) these can get resolved over the next few days.”

The next day, Levi Strauss reported having talked to Walmart to increase prices back to $29.99, according to the filing.

“This is about protecting Californians from paying more than they should for everyday products, especially at a time when affordability feels farther and farther out of reach,” Bonta, a Democrat, said Monday at a virtual news conference.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Amazon dismissed Bonta’s motion as “a transparent attempt to distract from the weakness of its case” with “supposedly ‘new’” evidence.

“Amazon is consistently identified as America’s lowest-priced online retailer, and we’re proud of the low prices customers find when shopping in our store. Amazon looks forward to responding in court at the appropriate time,” the statement said.

A Walmart spokesperson said in an email that it does “not comment on litigation in which we are not a party. We will always work hard on behalf of our customers to keep our prices low.”

Levi Strauss did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bonta said that his office is focused on Amazon because “the unlawful conduct stems from and originates from Amazon” but reserved the right to go after other retailers and vendors in the future.

The alleged price fixing involves a wide assortment of goods, including home decor, garden products and pet care, according to the filing.

The hearing for the motion for a preliminary injunction is in July.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, visited the Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem on Monday, where he was welcomed by school leaders and hundreds of students, according to Israeli media reports.

During the visit to the prominent yeshiva in the Givat Mordechai neighborhood, Milei greeted students gathered in the study hall and acknowledged the institution’s leadership. The head of the yeshiva addressed the Argentine leader, highlighting the institution’s deep roots in Jewish learning and tradition.

Milei also introduced Shimon Axel Wahnish, Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, whom he described as a close adviser and personal rabbi, drawing applause from those in attendance.

The visit drew both praise and criticism within religious circles. Some welcomed the show of support, while others said the event disrupted regular Torah study at the yeshiva.

Milei, a vocal supporter of Israel, has made several high-profile gestures toward the country since taking office.

While walking and/or driving through Lakewood, chances are that you’ve recently encountered some visible infrastructure improvements.

Indeed, Lakewood Township officials have spent the pre-Passover period planning to take maximum advantage of the holiday – when vehicular traffic in town is unusually low.

A slew of infrastructure work was planned for this time period. During the holiday, Township crews and subcontractors went into overdrive to complete them – substantially quicker, and with less traffic disruption, than they would ordinarily entail. Similarly, Township officials worked with Ocean County and New Jersey American Water (NJAW) officials to coordinate some of their infrastructure projects during this time period as well.

“Thanks to our wonderful Engineers; Public Works and TrafficSafety Departments; among other officials; for working together so effectively as a team to plan and execute important infrastructure improvements during the Passover season,” says Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein. “We look forward to continue working together to improve safety and quality of life for Lakewood residents and motorists.”

The following infrastructure work have been completed over Passover:

Road Paving:

• Pine Street

o New Hampshire Avenue to Avenue of the States

• Avenue of the States

o Cedar Bridge Avenue to Building #1776

• Boulder Way

• Hope Terrace (NJAW)

• Rudwin Street (NJAW)

• East & West Caranetta Terrace (NJAW)

• New Central Avenue (Ocean County)

o Hope Chapel Road to Central Avenue

Concrete/Sidewalks:

• Woodland Drive, Hillridge Place, Lakeview Drive

• Private Way

o 8th to 9th Streets

• North Lake Drive

o Case Road to Lake Drive Terrace

• Prospect Street

o Lowden Ave to Woods

Road Striping:

• Pine Street

o New Hampshire Avenue to Washington Avenue

• Various intersections on Somerset Avenue

o East Kennedy Boulevard

o East County Line Road

o East 7th Street

o Linden Avenue

o Yerek Drive

• Bellinger Street

o Sims Avenue to Yesodei Court

• Astor Drive & Coleman Avenue

• East 5th Street and Ridge 4th Street Crosswalks

Active Projects with Substantial Progress over Passover:

• Pine Street

o Avenue to the States to Route 9

• Arboretum Parkway Drainage Improvements

o Major drainage crossing completed on West County Line Road

• 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, Railroad Streets & Monmouth Avenue; Paving, Concrete and/or Drainage

• Marlin Avenue Drainage Improvements Phase 2

• Lanes Mill Road & Ridge Avenue Concrete Improvements

President Donald Trump said Monday that a potential agreement now under discussion with Iran would significantly outperform the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), sharply criticizing the earlier deal while outlining expectations for the new negotiations.

“The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA,” Trump wrote, describing the 2015 agreement as “one of the Worst Deals ever made” and asserting that it created “a guaranteed Road to a Nuclear Weapon.”

He emphasized that any arrangement currently being pursued would firmly block Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. Trump said the deal currently being worked on “will not, and cannot” allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

In the same message, Trump revisited financial criticisms of the JCPOA, pointing to $1.7 billion in cash transferred to Iran and claiming that the Islamic Republic received hundreds of billions of dollars under the agreement.

He argued that had he not withdrawn from the deal, “Nuclear Weapons would have been used on Israel, and all over the Middle East, including our cherished U.S. Military Bases.”

Trump added that a deal negotiated under his leadership would “guarantee Peace, Security, and Safety, not only for Israel and the Middle East, but for Europe, America, and everywhere else.”

The statement followed comments earlier in the day in which Trump said he still expects planned negotiations with Iran in Pakistan to move ahead, despite public signals from Tehran raising doubts about participation.

“We’re supposed to have the talks,” Trump told the New York Post, expressing confidence that the process remains intact and adding that he assumes “nobody’s playing games.”

He confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner have already traveled to Islamabad in preparation for the discussions.

Trump also indicated he would consider direct engagement with top Iranian officials if talks advance, saying, “I have no problem meeting them.”

Reiterating the administration’s central demand, Trump said Iran must fully abandon its nuclear ambitions, declaring there “will be no nuclear weapon.” He added that Iran stands to benefit economically if it complies.

At the same time, Trump declined to elaborate on what actions the United States might take if negotiations collapse or Iran refuses to meet the conditions, saying only that the outcome “wouldn’t be pretty.”

A New York Post report cited earlier Monday indicated that Pakistani officials believe Iran may still join a second round of negotiations, despite earlier claims that it would not participate.

According to the report, Iran’s public position is being interpreted as a negotiating tactic aimed at gaining more favorable terms, while Pakistan is viewed by both sides as a trusted intermediary should talks proceed.

Uncertainty over Iran’s involvement persists as U.S. officials continue organizing for another round of diplomacy ahead of the approaching ceasefire deadline.

Channel 12 reported Sunday that recent discussions have centered on several possible components of a deal, including a 15-year suspension of uranium enrichment, converting existing uranium stockpiles into fuel, and establishing strict oversight of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The reported framework also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the conflict, withdrawing U.S. forces, and easing economic sanctions.

{Matzav.com}

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government on Monday confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country.

Senior U.S. State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said on Friday that American diplomats flew earlier in April to the island for the first time since 2016 in a new diplomatic push. Neither U.S. nor Cuban officials have said exactly when the meeting took place nor which U.S. officials took part.

Alejandro García del Toro, deputy director general in charge of U.S. affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that the U.S. delegation included assistant secretaries of state, and that the Cuban delegation included representatives at the level of deputy foreign minister.

The exchange was conducted “respectfully and professionally,” he said, adding that the U.S. delegation did not issue any threats or deadlines as has been reported in some U.S. media.

“The elimination of the energy embargo against the country was a top priority for our delegation,” García del Toro said. “This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment of the entire Cuban population.”

He added: “It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuel to Cuba, under the rules that govern free trade.”

Among conditions for a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Cuba, Washington is pressing the Cuban government to end political repression, release political prisoners and liberalize its ailing economy.

In late January, U.S. Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. Trump also has threatened to intervene in the country, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said last week that his country is prepared to fight if that should happen.

A protest at a StandWithUs event with Miss Israel, Noa Cochva, at Town Hall in downtown Seattle should never have happened. As Jews have learned the hard way, the organizers of the event kept the location secret.

But that just meant that Jew haters got sneakier. Hannah Saunders, editor of Seattle Antifa News, advised others to register and actually pay for the event. Then, upon learning the location, she told them to post it on their social media.

Hannah Saunders, editor of Seattle Antifa News, exposes her plot to infiltrate a Jewish event. (From a post on X)

Saunders, who also posted the address on social media, said that Israel is committing genocide. Because Cochva had served in the IDF, Saunders said she belonged to the “occupying force” and also called her a “baby killer.”

That’s how it happened that 75 protesters showed up not only to harass but also to assault Jewish attendees.

WARNING: LANGUAGE. (From a post on X)

They poured fake blood on one, tried to rip the side mirror off of another’s car, and punched yet another in the face. They yanked the flag of a fourth person right out of her hands and burned it.

This is not protected speech. It’s assault, plain and simple.

Protesters also shouted slogans such as “Death, death to the IDF” and accused Israel of genocide. One of them lay down in a pool of blood.

JNS interviewed a security guard who was hired as security for the event. He said he’d never seen a protest like this.

This video purports to show a protester lying in a pool of fake blood. (From a post on X)

“Is that what people have to deal with going to events like this every single time?” he exclaimed. “Oh, my Lord! Why? Why? You’re making life hell for everyone, including people that are not here for the event — the people that are working,” he added, which included himself.

Seattle police arrested three people.

Seattle regional director at the American Jewish Committee Regina Sassoon Friedland told JNS in an interview that the behavior of these protesters falls outside the bounds of protected speech and vowed that the Jewish people will not be intimidated.

“Disagreement is part of democracy. Violence is not,” she said. “People have every right to protest, but what’s happening here goes beyond that. The Jewish people will not be intimidated to halt our events and activities.”

Jews may have learned the hard way to keep event locations secret. The next step is thoroughly vetting every guest before disclosing the address.

Yisroel R.

A new sign appeared at the entrance of ShopRite on McDonald Avenue warning that biometric data may be collected inside the store.

The notice says the store may collect personal information such as facial features, eye scans, and voice data. It also explains that this information can be used to identify a person, but does not clearly explain how the data is kept or used.

Several shoppers said they did not notice the sign at first and only saw it after someone pointed it out. Some said the idea made them uncomfortable, saying they don’t understand why a grocery store would need that kind of information, with some calling it an invasion of privacy.

Others said they believe the move may be connected to ongoing shoplifting issues. They said stores may be trying new ways to improve security and prevent theft.

Still, many shoppers said their biggest concern is what happens to the data after it is collected. They questioned how long it is kept, whether it is shared with law enforcement, and if it could be sold to outside companies. Some also asked how this applies to children who enter the store with their families.

Shoppers also said the sign should be bigger and clearer, with more details explaining exactly what is being collected and how it is handled.

In preparation for the large turnout expected for the yahrtzeit of the Yampula Tzadik, Reb Eliezer Chaim zt”l, Rentastic Party Rental Company is setting up a massive tent at Mount Judah Cemetery in Ridgewood.

The tzion has become widely known as a place where many come to daven for yeshuos, especially for shidduchim, and large crowds are expected tonight and throughout the day.

The setup is taking place at the cemetery located at 8114 Cypress Ave, just about 45 minutes from Boro Park, to help accommodate the many visitors expected.

Rentastic continues to provide large-scale setups for major community events.

For More Information:

Visit: www.RentasticParty.com

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon on Monday eliminated terrorists who violated ceasefire understandings by approaching IDF forces within the Forward Defense Area, the military said.

In two separate incidents, IDF soldiers identified the terrorists in the Bint Jbeil and Litani areas. The terrorists had entered the zone south of the Forward Defense Line and moved toward the troops, posing an imminent threat, according to the IDF.

Israeli aircraft, directed by ground forces, struck and killed the terrorists in both cases.

“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and its soldiers,” the military said in a statement.

IDF forces continue limited operations south of the Forward Defense Line in accordance with the ceasefire understandings in order to prevent threats to Israel’s northern communities.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu denounced the actions of an IDF soldier who was photographed striking a statue of Yoshkah with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon, pledging that the individual would face serious disciplinary consequences.

The widely circulated image shows the soldier smashing a fallen depiction of Yoshkah on the cross in the Christian village of Debel, amid Israel’s military operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

According to Fadi Falfel, a priest in Debel, the cross had stood as part of a small shrine located in a family garden at the outskirts of the village.

“One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this horrible thing, this desecration of our holy symbols,” he said.

Netanyahu said the conduct was in direct conflict with Jewish values and vowed that action would be taken against the soldier responsible.

“I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms,” he posted on X.

“Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender,” he continued.

“We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world.”

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, also addressed the matter, stating that “Swift, severe, & public consequences are needed.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar likewise criticized the soldier’s behavior, describing it as disgraceful and shameful.

“We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” Saar said on X.

The IDF said it “views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that ⁠the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.

“The IDF is working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place,” the Israeli military said.

Debel has effectively remained under Israeli control since last month’s incursion into southern Lebanon, which followed Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel in support of Iran.

Earlier in the week, Israel and Lebanon reached a U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We have every kind of crisis,” Father Falfel said.

“We thought the ceasefire would bring us some relief but we’re still ⁠surrounded, unable to travel to and from the town. There are some houses on the edge of town that we’re barred from accessing.”

{Matzav.com}

It will come as no surprise that President Donald Trump aims to extend the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire in the second round of talks that will be brokered by the United States Thursday. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun is on board — but his goal is broader: End the war.

And Israel just wants to obliterate Hezbollah.

The Thursday meeting, set to take place at the State Department, will include officials from all three countries. Israel will send its ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon will send its former ambassador, Simon Karam.

Last week’s talks, which lasted about two hours and were mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marked a historic first: the first time Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks in more than three decades. It was a remarkable turn for the two countries, which have officially been at war with each other since 1948.

Hezbollah terrorists emerge from their hideouts and fire their guns to celebrate the ceasefire — and express their defiance. (From a post on X)

Aoun has indicated that he’s heartily sick of Hezbollah and of Iran using Lebanon for its own nefarious ends.

“We negotiate for ourselves,” he told the Lebanese people in a national address Friday. “We are no longer a pawn in anyone’s game, nor an arena for anyone’s wars — and we never will be again.”

Speaking again Monday, Aoun described the stark choice that Lebanon faces.

“Lebanon is facing two options: either the continuation of the war, with all its humanitarian, social, economic and sovereign repercussions, or negotiations to put an end to this war and achieve lasting stability,” he said. “I have chosen negotiations, and I am full of hope that we will be able to save Lebanon.”

Aoun stressed that these talks are not tied to the U.S.-Iran negotiations. He said that his goals are to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, end IDF presence in Lebanon and instead deploy the Lebanese army along the border. The Lebanese president said that Trump backs these goals.

Joseph Aoun, president of Lebanon. (From a post on X)

But forceful rhetoric must be backed by forceful action, and it remains to be seen if Aoun and the Lebanese army can exert not only the will but also the power to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, of course, is having none of it.

A senior Hezbollah official, Hassan Fadlallah, said in an interview with AFP that Hezbollah will defeat Israel.

“We will bring down this yellow line through the resistance,” he said. “Yellow line” means the parts of Lebanon under Israeli control, and “resistance” means military action.

“The attempt by the Israeli army to establish a buffer zone, under the title of a defensive line, a yellow line, a green line, and a red line,” he added, “all these lines will be broken, and we will not accept any of them.”

“No one in Lebanon or abroad will be able to disarm the resistance,” he vowed.

The interests of the three parties entering the talks do not align — and what will result from these misaligned interests is anybody’s guess. But an extension of the ceasefire appears to be all but certain.

President Donald Trump said he will not speed up efforts to end the ongoing war with Iran, now in its 52nd day, sharply criticizing both Democrats and Republicans who are urging him to wrap up the conflict.

In a phone interview with The New York Post, Trump argued that calls for a swift agreement are undermining the United States at a critical moment in negotiations.

“How bad is it that when you are in the middle of negotiations and you have got the Iranians in a perfect position, including being militarily defeated, and you have Democrats and some Republicans asking to settle it now?” Trump said.

He expressed frustration that pressure is coming from within his own country while talks are still ongoing. “As a negotiator — and I am a great negotiator — how bad is it when you have people from your own country trying to reach a deal?” he fumed.

Trump said such efforts only strengthen Tehran’s hand. “They are helping the other side. The other side has nothing, they have no cards, but they are using this to delay. When [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer was in, he was in Afghanistan for so long.”

He emphasized that he intends to proceed on his own timeline. “I have only been in this for five weeks. I will not be rushed,” he said.

At the outset of the conflict, Trump had predicted it would conclude quickly. He said last week that Iran had privately signaled agreement to key U.S. demands, including ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons and giving up roughly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium, even as public statements from Tehran remained less accommodating.

Following a first round of talks in Islamabad that failed to produce results, the administration moved to blockade Iranian ports. A second round of negotiations is expected to begin as soon as Monday.

Early in the conflict, Trump had estimated the war would last “four weeks or so.”

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which the White House maintains is unconstitutional, the president is required to obtain congressional authorization for military engagements that extend beyond 60 days.

Some Republican lawmakers have begun urging Trump to bring the operation to a close, especially after recent developments that included U.S. Marines seizing an Iranian tanker that attempted to breach the blockade.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said last week that the “clock is ticking” and that “I hope that we are arriving at an exit strategy here to bring this to a close to preserve our security interests and bring down the cost of gasoline.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also signaled interest in the administration’s next moves, saying, “I think our members are going to be very interested in what next steps are,” and noting that a forthcoming supplemental funding request “will be an important inflection point if and when the administration submits their request.”

Democrats in Congress have largely opposed Trump’s military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury.

The War Powers Resolution allows for an additional 30-day period to wind down hostilities after the initial 60-day limit, though enforcement of the law has historically been inconsistent.

In past conflicts, federal courts have declined to intervene to halt military operations, including during legal challenges brought against then-President Barack Obama over U.S. involvement in the Libyan Civil War.

Courts have generally ruled that questions about the duration of military engagements fall within the political sphere, leaving Congress with tools such as funding decisions to check presidential authority.

Iran has executed two men it accused of spying for Israel, the latest signal that Tehran is accelerating its use of capital punishment as part of a broader wartime crackdown.

According to the judiciary-linked outlet Mizan, the men — identified as Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi — were convicted of cooperating with Israel’s intelligence service and plotting attacks inside Iran. Authorities alleged the pair were part of a network tied to Mossad and had received training abroad, including in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The report did not specify when they were arrested.

The men were convicted on charges including “enmity against God,” a capital offense under Iranian law, and collaboration with “hostile groups and the Zionist regime.” Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences before they were carried out, Mizan said.

Iran already ranks among the world’s most prolific executioners, second only to China, according to international rights monitors. In recent weeks, that pace has intensified, with authorities increasingly framing domestic dissent and alleged espionage as wartime threats.

Earlier this month, Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, publicly instructed courts to fast-track cases tied to the conflict, including those carrying the death penalty.

“You need to speed up the issuing of sentences for executions and the confiscation of property,” Ejei said in a televised address, urging judges to use existing espionage laws to move more quickly against what he described as “agents of the aggressor enemy.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs has reached a settlement with a “transient gold buyer” following an investigation into improper business practices, officials announced.

The Division of Weights & Measures launched the investigation in 2025 after receiving a complaint about gold purchasing activity at a hotel along Route 70 near the Brick/Lakewood border. The probe focused on Tal Kalif, operating as Estate Buyers and TK Diam, Inc., with listed addresses in Robbinsville, New Jersey, and Florida.

Authorities determined the business failed to comply with New Jersey laws governing gold transactions. Specifically, officials said the company was not properly bonded with the State Office of Weights & Measures, used unregistered or uninspected scales, and issued improperly completed receipts to consumers. Investigators also seized three scales during the probe, discovering that one was not accurately registering weight in favor of customers.

As part of a Consent Agreement signed January 7, Kalif agreed to permanently cease doing business in Ocean County. The agreement was formally entered into the record on March 16 before Judge Scott Basen in Lakewood Township Municipal Court. Kalif was also assessed a $40,000 penalty.

Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace, liaison to the Department of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the importance of enforcement efforts, stating that protecting residents and ensuring fair treatment remains a top priority.

Consumer Affairs Director Ronald Heinzman noted that the case comes amid historically high gold prices, which have reached up to $3,500 per ounce, increasing the potential for fraudulent activity. He added that the Division of Weights & Measures will continue to aggressively investigate complaints involving the sale of gold and precious metals.

The case was handled by the Division of Weights & Measures with legal oversight from County Counsel Laura Comer, Esq. Officials also credited the Lakewood Township Police Detective Bureau for assisting in the investigation.

A man tied to a large-scale drug operation spanning two New Jersey counties has been sentenced to decades in prison after being convicted on multiple narcotics and weapons charges.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Jason Bacon, 43, formerly of Brick Township, was sentenced on April 17, 2026, by Judge Guy P. Ryan to a total of 32 years in New Jersey State Prison, with 12 years of parole ineligibility.

The sentence includes 16 years for maintaining a controlled dangerous substance facility, eight years for possession of a firearm during a drug offense, and eight years for financial facilitation. Those terms will run consecutively. Bacon also received additional concurrent sentences related to marijuana and hashish possession and distribution, as well as failure to file and pay income tax.

Authorities said the case dates back to December 2017, when police in Clayton Borough uncovered a suspicious greenhouse built behind a vacant home on Delsea Drive. The property was found to be consuming unusually high levels of water and electricity and receiving freight shipments tied to marijuana cultivation.

Investigators later determined the property was owned by Bacon, who also maintained a residence in Brick Township.

Search warrants executed in April 2018 at both locations led to the seizure of more than 25 pounds of marijuana, over five pounds of hashish and related products, marijuana plants, drug cultivation equipment, and a loaded .25 caliber handgun. Bacon was arrested at his Brick Township home and initially detained before being released in April 2019 under New Jersey bail reform laws.

A financial investigation further revealed that Bacon deposited more than $400,000 in proceeds from illegal drug sales between 2013 and 2018 and failed to pay taxes on that income.

Bacon’s trial began in January 2025, but he failed to appear and was tried in absentia. A jury found him guilty on all counts on January 30, 2025.

By BoroPark24 Staff

A messy and muddy situation forced the closure of 47th Street between 14th and 15th Avenues, bringing traffic to a halt as crews worked to clean up the roadway.

The spill is believed to have come from one of the few active construction sites along the block, where ongoing work has contributed to difficult conditions.

Authorities shut down the street to ensure safety while cleanup efforts were underway. 

TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — A balloon landed in a Southern California backyard — a balloon with 13 people.

The enormous hot air balloon, with a pilot and passengers in the basket, descended perfectly Saturday on a narrow area of grass at a home in Temecula. Hunter Perrin said he had no idea that he had visitors until a neighbor alerted him.

“I open the sliding glass door, and there’s a basket full of 13 people in my backyard!” Perrin told KABC-TV. “The pilot, he was masterful. … The balloon didn’t catch on anything. No one was injured.”

Brianna Avalos said the pilot informed passengers that he needed to make an emergency landing because of low fuel and weak winds. She and her husband were riding in the balloon to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

“At first I was like, ‘Oh my God! We’re in a backyard! This is crazy!’” Avalos said.

The dark blue balloon with gold stars and a crescent moon image was a spectacle as it rested on the lawn and towered over Perrin’s home. The pilot disembarked the passengers, returned aloft and landed the balloon nearby in the street, where it was dismantled.

“He was an amazing pilot,” Avalos said.

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed his energy secretary’s recent forecast that gasoline prices may stay above $3 per gallon until next year, insisting instead that Americans could see lower prices much sooner if the conflict with Iran comes to an end.

Speaking to The Hill, Trump directly challenged Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s assessment, saying, “No, I think he’s wrong on that. Totally wrong.”

Pressed on when drivers might expect prices to ease, Trump tied any relief to developments in the war, stating, “as soon as this [the war with Iran] ends.”

Wright had taken a more measured position during an appearance on CNN the previous day, pointing to uncertainty caused by instability in the Strait of Hormuz. “I don’t know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year,” Wright said, though he added that prices may have already peaked and could begin to fall. “Certainly, with a resolution of this conflict, you will see prices go down.”

The contrasting statements underscore differing expectations within the administration, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated last week that prices could drop into the $3 range as early as this summer, according to The Hill.

Oil markets have reacted sharply in recent days due to Iranian actions affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy transport. U.S. gas prices have climbed past $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022, data from AAA shows.

Crude prices also jumped after U.S. forces seized an Iranian vessel near the strait on Sunday. Brent crude, a global benchmark, reached roughly $94 per barrel on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate hovered around $88.

Washington has increased economic pressure on Tehran by enforcing a blockade targeting Iranian ports, which Trump said is taking a significant toll. “The blockade is very powerful, very strong. They lose $500 million a day with the blockade up,” Trump said. “We control it. They don’t control it.”

Vice President JD Vance is slated to head a U.S. delegation to Islamabad for discussions with Pakistani and Iranian representatives. Still, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that no final decision has been made regarding its participation in the talks.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she would demand explanations after four U.S. Embassy and Mexican officials died in an accident over the weekend, adding she had been unaware of collaboration between the U.S. and the local government in northern Chihuahua.

Sheinbaum said she wanted to ensure no laws were broken after Sunday’s deaths, which the state attorney general said occurred while the officials were returning from an operation to destroy clandestine laboratories in a rural area.

“It was not an operation that the security cabinet was aware of,” Sheinbaum told journalists. “We were not informed; it was a decision by the Chihuahua government.” She said they must have authorization from the federal government for such collaboration at the state level “as established by the Constitution.”

There has been escalating pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for the Sheinbaum administration to crack down on cartels. His government has launched joint military operations in Ecuador.

Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui said Sunday the officials died while returning from the operation to destroy labs of criminal groups that likely were used to produce drugs. The four who died were two investigative officials with the local government and two embassy instructors Jáuregui said were participating in a routine training.

Officials provided few details about the incident. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson expressed his condolences on social media but didn’t specify his colleagues’ roles.

Sheinbaum said more information would be provided once all details are gathered, but insisted that “there are no joint operations on land or in the air,” only mutual sharing of information between her government and the U.S., carried out within a “well-established” legal framework.

Sheinbaum said she intends to facilitate a meeting between Johnson and Mexico’s foreign minister on Monday.

While U.S. training of Mexican security forces is common, their presence on Mexican territory has been the subject of ongoing debate, which has intensified after Trump’s military actions in Venezuela and Iran.

The most recent controversy surfaced in January over the detention in Mexico of former Canadian athlete Ryan Wedding, one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives. While Mexican officials claim he surrendered at the U.S. Embassy, U.S. authorities have described his capture as the result of a binational operation.

Sheinbaum’s comments came as the second round of negotiations between the United States and Mexico on the North American free trade agreement, the USMCA, begins in Mexico City. The U.S. delegation is led by Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was scheduled to meet with the president on Monday.

President Donald Trump is forcefully rejecting a growing narrative that the United States was dragged into war with Iran at Israel’s urging.

In a Monday morning post on Truth Social, Trump insisted he was “never” pushed into launching the military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, pushing back on critics who argue Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played a decisive role in shaping Washington’s decision to strike.

Instead, Trump framed the war as a direct outgrowth of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed roughly 1,200 people and triggered a broader regional crisis. That event, he said, reinforced what he described as a longstanding conviction: Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“Israel never talked me into the war,” Trump wrote, adding that the attack “did” — alongside his “lifelong opinion” on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The remarks mark Trump’s most direct attempt yet to reassert ownership over a war that has divided both Washington and international allies, even as some reporting has suggested Israeli lobbying played a role in the lead-up to U.S. action.

Trump has consistently cast the conflict as both preemptive and necessary. Speaking last month, he went further, suggesting the U.S. may have acted ahead of an imminent Iranian strike. “I might’ve forced their hand,” he said at the time, arguing Tehran was preparing to attack first.

But Monday’s post went beyond defense and into offense. Trump lashed out at critics and media coverage, accusing “fake news pundits” of distorting both the motivations and results of the war. He also tied the Iran campaign to what he framed as broader geopolitical success, comparing its eventual outcome to the U.S.-backed capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

“The results in Iran will be amazing,” Trump wrote, predicting that a potential “regime change” could open the door to a “great and prosperous future” for the country.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Dear Editor,

I have noticed a recurring trend in articles concerning road safety in Lakewood: the tendency to immediately blame young drivers and yeshiva bochurim for local accidents. I find this demographic-specific blame to be disproportionate and often misplaced.

While young drivers may be less experienced, they are certainly not the only cause of safety concerns on our roads. We must also consider the prevalence of distracted driving due to smartphone use, hurried drivers rushing to school pickups, individuals running red lights, and those who obstruct traffic by parking illegally or straddling two lanes.

Furthermore, the frequent delays when traffic lights turn green suggest that the issues are widespread and not limited to any single group.

My intention is not to claim that young drivers are without fault, but rather to emphasize that road safety is a collective responsibility. Focusing solely on one group distracts us from the poor driving habits we may all need to address.

I speak not as a young driver, but as a mother of four. My children have been driving for several years without a single accident or moving violation.

I hope we can move toward a more balanced conversation about how every driver can contribute to making our streets safer.

With wishes for all to be safe,

S.W.

TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via  Whatsapp  or via email  [email protected]

LONDON (VINnews) — A driver on the London Underground — the British capital’s subway system, similar to New York City’s — has been suspended after allegedly making antisemitic remarks during a public protest, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

Video circulating online appears to show the operator, who works on the Bakerloo Line, responding to a question about whether Jewish passengers would be safe by saying they would not be while he was driving.

Transport for London, which runs the Underground, said the employee was identified and removed from duty while an investigation is conducted. The agency emphasized that its transit network — used by millions daily, much like New York’s subway — must remain safe and free from discrimination.

Advocacy groups denounced the remarks as alarming, while union officials said they oppose all forms of hate and do not condone such behavior.

The incident comes amid growing concern over antisemitism in the United Kingdom, including recent reports of attacks targeting Jewish sites in London.

Officials said the investigation remains ongoing.

🇬🇧 London, April 20, 2026: When asked at a picket line, “Is it safe for Jews to ride the Bakerloo line?”, a Bakerloo driver answered: “Not when I’m driving.” He was then suspended. The line runs through Kenton, where a synagogue was attacked days ago.
Source: @antisemitism https://t.co/7Ro62SPOAG

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) April 20, 2026

Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, Ziv Nevo Kulman, expressed outrage over a disturbing and gruesome display of antisemitism during a march on the streets of Stockholm over the weekend.

During the march, a man dressed as a Jew with a large kippah, a bloodstained butcher’s apron, and hands covered with blood, feigned the slaughtering of a Palestinian woman by putting a knife to the woman’s throat. Although not seen on the video, Ynet reported that he also feigned cutting a baby from the woman’s womb and slaughtered it while the woman “cried” in distress.

A woman was heard over the loudspeaker leading the crowd in chants of “crush Zionism” and other antisemitic slogans. Protesters carried signs stating familiar lies such as “Children are being killed in Gaza,” “Schools and hospitals are bombed,” and “End the starvation.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

“Open acts of antisemitism, week after week in the streets of Stockholm,” Nevo Kulman wrote.

“The same centuries-old stereotypes and blood libels, repackaged by replacing ‘Jews’ with ‘Zionists.’ Authorities tolerate ‘freedom of expression’ being abused to promote hate and incitement against a national minority. Too many bystanders remain silent. ‘It’s not their war.’

“This is Europe, 2026,” he concluded.

Ynet reported that hundreds of people participated in the antisemitic march.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Israeli defense officials are expressing growing concern that Iran may be able to quickly restore its ballistic missile capabilities if the matter is not included in any future diplomatic agreement.

An assessment by the IDF Intelligence Directorate, within the bounds of military censorship, indicates that Iran has the capacity to reestablish its missile systems within “very few years.”

Security sources caution that leaving the missile issue unresolved could set the stage for renewed hostilities with Iran sooner rather than later, particularly if upcoming negotiations fail to incorporate this critical element.

A senior Israeli official told Army Radio that “the missile issue is currently not on the negotiating table. That is troubling.”

{Matzav.com}

In a story that compounds tragedy with tragedy, the grieving mother of fallen soldier St.-Sgt. Oriya Ayimalk Goshen of the Givati Brigade revealed the circumstances of her son’s death.

Yafit Goshen said that her son was killed during Operation Red Heart, while participating in a mission to save the members of the Bibas family who had been taken hostage on Oct. 7: the mother, Shiri; the four-year-old, Ariel; and the nine-month-old baby, Kfir.

The mission was doomed to fail before it ever started. Unbeknownst to the IDF, the captors of the mother and two children had already brutally murdered them — forensic evidence later showed they were murdered at their captors’ bare hands.

This video shows the moment of the Bibas family’s capture by Hamas. (From a post on X)

Another Givati soldier, St.-Sgt. Ori Gerbi, was also killed in the operation.

Speaking at the Yad LaBanim Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday, Goshen called for national unity and urged Israeli society to honor the sacrifices of its soldiers and prove themselves worthy of such sacrifice.

Ofir Bibas, left; Shiri Bibas, center; and Kfir, right. (From a post on X)

“When Oriya took part in Operation Red Heart to rescue hostages, he not only defended the state’s borders, he closed a historic circle,” she said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also attended the ceremony, said that the grief from losing a loved one doesn’t shrink with time, and he tied that pain to the ongoing conflict, saying that Israel was still engaged in a multi-front war. He identified Iran as Israel’s central threat and vowed that the IDF would continue to strike against anyone who threatened the security of its citizens.

The Bibas family became one of the symbols of the Israeli hostage rescue effort — and now we know the full extent of the failure to save them.

NEW YORK (JNS) – Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday for an unveiling event of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.

The bench, named “Hostages Bench,” is also dedicated to those who fought to release the hostages, to those who lost their lives during the Hamas-led invasion into Israel and in the war that ensued since then, to the families of the hostages, and to those who survived captivity, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s U.S. Chapter said in a statement.

It is located near 106th Street and Central Park West.

Among those present were members of the hostages’ families: Moshe Lavi, brother-in-law of captivity survivor Omri Miran; Shelly Shem Tov, mother of captivity survivor Omer Shem Tov; and Morris Schneider, uncle of the late Shiri Bibas.

About 1,000 people attended the event, according to Ynet.

The ceremony included a reading of the names of all 46 hostages who were taken alive and killed in Hamas captivity.

Since the war started, all 251 hostages have returned home alive or for burial.

The NYC Hostage Families Forum gathered for the last time in Central Park and dedicated a bench to honor the hostages & the community which fought for them. Speeches by Shelly Shem Tov, @MarkLevineNYC, Hindy Poupko @UJAfedNY, @MosheELavi & Maurice Schneider, uncle of Shiri Bibas pic.twitter.com/2ZpGsrm5q5

— Gil Zussman (@gil_zussman) April 19, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington’s Tidal Basin annually. This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial were dressed in camouflage — and armed.

Eight months after President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital and called up the National Guard, more than 2,500 troops remain, in a deployment that has grown increasingly routine, with no clear end in sight.

Deployments to other cities have ended or been paused by courts in California and Illinois, while more limited operations are ongoing in cities including New Orleans. But in Washington, guard members still walk city streets and patrol metro stations, tourist attractions, neighborhoods and parks.

Even with pivotal elections looming this year, that lingering presence is barely mentioned in city council meetings or by candidates running for mayor and Congress — perhaps reflecting both competing priorities and a sense that local officials have little power to stop it. Unless the courts step in, the guard will remain at least through the end of the year, if not longer.

“Taxpayers are paying more than a million dollars a day to have them walk around,” said Phil Mendelson, chairman of the District of Columbia Council, in an emailed response to questions.

And, he said, “the presence of armed soldiers on American streets is not a good look.”

An indefinite deployment drags on
Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order in August to deal with what he called a crime emergency. The order brought the guard in, along with hundreds of additional federal law enforcement officers.

Over the months, guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped local police enforce the city’s juvenile curfew and carried out beautification projects. The D.C. Guard helped with snow removal during a major storm in January.

While the guard members do not make arrests, the Trump administration argues their support to the broader mission has helped reduce crime. The White House said 12,000 arrests have been made by the task force since operations began, including 62 known gang members, and thousands of illegal firearms were seized.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the president’s crime task force in the city has “yielded tremendous results for local communities.”

“Every local leader should want to mimic this success in their own locales,” Jackson said.

But officials disagree over how much credit the deployment can be given in Washington, a heavily Democratic city. Figures show crime was already on the decline before, although those figures are being investigated after claims arose against local police that they may have been manipulated.

A court battle over the guard deployment is ongoing, and without a judge stepping in it could go on as long as the White House wants.

Asked how long the guard deployment would continue, Jackson said in an email that there were “no announcements to make.”

The office of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, which is challenging the deployment in court, declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit. The National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon did not answer requests for comment.

Guard presence absent from public discourse
Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is not running for reelection, has walked a fine line on the guard’s deployment and the broader federal intervention, at once appearing to work with the president but also pushing back on some of his demands, like local cooperation for immigration enforcement.

Leading candidates to replace Bowser and the city’s 18-term non-voting delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, have focused on affordability, statehood and trying to hold federal agencies accountable for their role in the surge.

The District Council, which includes at least four candidates for mayor or delegate, unanimously approved a measure to increase transparency in federal law enforcement operations. While the military deployment is mentioned at times on campaign websites and in ads, it isn’t currently a central campaign issue.

Other pressures on the city, including unemployment and lost revenue tied to federal workforce cuts, have taken priority. The city’s primaries are June 16, along with a special election for an at-large city council seat.

Some residents say frustrations over the guard eased after two members of the West Virginia contingent were ambushed just blocks from the White House, killing Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and severely injuring her colleague.

Kevin Cataldo, a neighborhood commissioner who joined the local Metropolitan Police on a walkalong in his neighborhood recently, said he already treated the guard members courteously, making a point to acknowledge them because they did not choose to be in the city. The shooting ambush deepened his sympathies for them. “That was just horrible,” he said.

District Council member Brianne Nadeau said constituents continue to ask why the guard is still around but the complaints are far fewer than at the start of the deployment.

“It would be great if the federal government would use its money and resources to help the District on the things we need help with and not act like an invading army,” Nadeau said in an email.

Fellow council members and mayoral candidates Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie have raised similar issues, including the high costs.

There has been little recent public polling specifically on attitudes toward the presence of uniformed personnel in U.S. cities.

With DC’s limited autonomy, pushback is a challenge
Several groups are planning protests and other events on May 1 to oppose the federal surge, including the continuing presence of the National Guard, said Keya Chatterjay co-founder and executive director of Free DC, an advocacy group that fights for the city’s autonomy. Among the goals: “an end to the military occupation of D.C. before the June election.”

Chatterjay said normalizing the guard’s presence makes it easier to suppress dissent and “tilt the playing field” in elections.

The presence of guns and military personnel could create an intimidating atmosphere during elections, Chatterjay said. Citizens have to step in and “number one, we have to help our neighbors feel safe voting.”

Scott Michelman, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, said the situation underscores the city’s limits on self-governance.

Washington is a federal district with limited autonomy where Congress retains authority to review the city’s laws and control its budget and where the president has direct control of the D.C. Guard and can authorize an indefinite military deployment with little effective resistance from local authorities.

“We should have local control and local democratic accountability for the people who enforce our laws,” Michelman said. “D.C. is uniquely disempowered in our system in many ways.”

A public dispute broke out between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski following an incident involving an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon, triggering a broader exchange over military conduct and antisemitism.

The disagreement began when Sa’ar addressed the incident in which a Christian religious symbol was damaged by an Israeli soldier, condemning the act in strong terms as “grave and disgraceful.” He praised the IDF for promptly denouncing the behavior and initiating an investigation into what occurred.

“This shameful action is completely contrary to our values,” Sa’ar wrote, underscoring Israel’s respect for all faiths and their sacred symbols. He also expressed regret over the incident and apologized to members of the Christian community who were offended.

Sikorski responded in Polish, acknowledging Sa’ar’s swift apology while adding that “there was something to apologize for.” He called for disciplinary measures against the soldier and suggested that the episode should prompt a reassessment of military training practices. Sikorski went further, alleging that Israeli soldiers themselves have admitted to war crimes, including harm to Palestinian Arab civilians and even Israeli hostages.

Sa’ar pushed back sharply, dismissing the accusations as “unfounded” and “defamatory.” He said Sikorski’s comments demonstrated “ignorance and a deep lack of understanding.”

Expanding on the issue, Sa’ar noted that all wars involve unintended incidents, including friendly fire, and that civilian casualties can occur—especially in situations where terrorists operate among civilian populations. He stressed that the IDF conducts its operations with a level of precision and intelligence that surpasses other Western militaries and consistently works to limit harm to noncombatants.

“The IDF is a professional and ethical army,” Sa’ar stated, adding that for 78 years it has faced continuous attempts to eliminate the State of Israel by hostile states and terrorist organizations.

He also maintained that Western armies study Israel’s military experience and that European civilians ultimately benefit from the outcomes of its counterterror operations.

Sa’ar further called on Sikorski to address what he described as a “disgraceful antisemitic display” that took place in Poland’s parliament the previous week, warning against what he characterized as reckless rhetoric.

The incident referenced involved Polish lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz from the far-right Confederation party, who defaced an Israeli flag at the parliamentary podium on Holocaust Remembrance Day. He replaced the Star of David with a swastika and accused Israel of being “the new Third Reich.” The Israeli Embassy in Warsaw condemned the act as an “antisemitic atrocity,” while senior Polish officials, including the Speaker of Parliament, also denounced the behavior and called for legal consequences.

Sikorski replied that he had already condemned the antisemitic act when it occurred and pointed out that the lawmaker involved had been disciplined by the Speaker of parliament. He added that if his remarks did not lead to changes in IDF training, there was little more he could do.

In his response, Sikorski also included a Haaretz article that cited claims from soldiers alleging involvement in war crimes.

In 2021, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri slammed Naftali Bennett for establishing a unity government with the anti-religious Yair Lapid, something he had publicly vowed not to do.

Speaking at the time in an interview with Kol Chai Radio, Deri said that he now understands the words of HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl, who made harsh statements against Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi party in 2013.

In 2012, Bennett was elected as the leader of Bayit Yehudi, a Religious Zionist and far-right party originally formed by a merger of the National Religious, Moledet, and Tkuma parties. Under Bennett, the party, which ran on a religious and far-right platform, won 12 seats in the Knesset in 2013.

Deri explained that to his puzzlement, HaRav Ovadia, z’tl, spoke very harshly against the party during the elections, calling it a “Bayit shel Goyim,” calling the members “evil” and “kofrim,” and accusing them of wanting to “uproot Judaism from Am Yisrael.” In a reference to Bennett, Reb Ovadia said: “He has a small kippah on his head like his eyes, and pretends to be religious.”

At the time, considering that the party’s agenda seemed to be similar to that of the Religious Zionist party of today, HaRav Ovadia’s words seemed very harsh.

“Although I’m considered one of Rav Ovadia’s main students, I couldn’t understand why Maran said such harsh words – Bayit shel Goyim,” Deri said on Kol Chai. “Now I understand. It was divrei nevuah mamash. We see how someone behaves without daas Torah.”

Today, after Bennett publicly supported Chillul Shabbos and non-halachic marriage, Reb Ovadia’s words seem even more prescient.

A video of Reb Ovadia speaking against Bayit Yehudi during his public shiur can be seen below:

Your browser does not support the video tag.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The story is insane. A Jewish kid at Smithfield High School in Smithfield, R.I., was locked in a bathroom by five burly football players. They sprayed Lysol through the grate. They shouted antisemitic slurs. And they got away with it.

Their lawyer said the act was not antisemitic (a thousand exclamation points), and after they were banned from the football team for the rest of the year, the school superintendent, Dawn Bartz, reinstated them.

Can you imagine if this outcome happened to any other minority? You can’t, because it never would. There would be protests, and the students would get the harshest possible punishment, possibly life in prison with no hope of parole.

(Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

The Smithfield School Committee opened an investigation into the incident, which took place last November, and put Bartz on voluntary paid leave.

Now, finally, a small measure of justice has come to the high school. The town imposed several measures to make fighting antisemitism a real thing in the Smithfield public school system. Under the five-part agreement, the school district must do the following:

• Review its policies on harassment and update them as needed
• Train staff
• Teach students how to recognize antisemitism
• Develop a support system for students who suffer harassment
• Create a parent survey collecting data on parents’ views of a hostile environment to Jews at the school

The school system is finally being taken to task — but the football players still got away with their despicable behavior.

As the IDF unveils its updated security zone map in southern Lebanon, Avi Maoz is voicing sharp criticism of current policy, calling the ceasefire a major strategic mistake that undermines Israel’s long-term security goals.

In an interview on Kol Chai radio’s central news program, the Noam party chairman argued that the ceasefire disrupts Israel’s sustained effort to dismantle what he described as Iran’s regional “axis of evil.” “This ceasefire restores the Gordian knot between Tehran and Hezbollah to existence,” Maoz warned, adding that military control alone is insufficient to ensure lasting sovereignty without the complete destruction of the enemy.

Maoz dismissed attempts to pursue direct dialogue with the Lebanese government, even with American backing, describing such efforts as illusory. He contended that Israel’s conflict is not with Lebanon as a state, but with Hezbollah, which he characterized as an extension of Iranian influence that must be eliminated entirely. Referring to past Israeli leadership approaches to defeating terrorism, he emphasized: “We must destroy the terrorists completely. A peace agreement with Lebanon does not work,” arguing that the government in Beirut is either unable or unwilling to enforce its authority over Hezbollah in the south.

On the national front, Maoz pointed to the upcoming 60th anniversary of the liberation of Yerushalayim and Judea and Samaria as a milestone for completing what he called a “historic mission.” He called for full Israeli sovereignty over these areas, from Chevron to Shechem. The planned reestablishment of the community of Sa-Nur, he said, represents the beginning of correcting the 2005 disengagement from northern Samaria.

For Maoz, the struggle extends beyond territory to the broader question of Israel’s identity. “The state needs to appear as a Jewish state—that is our struggle,” he said, stressing the importance of preserving Jewish character in the public sphere.

Despite his harsh criticism of Israel’s Supreme Court interventions in matters related to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Shabbos demonstrations, Maoz expressed optimism about the future. He rejected claims that the Jewish people are experiencing a “spiritual exile,” pointing instead to the unprecedented growth of Torah study since the Holocaust.

{Matzav.com}