JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The United States has deployed a squadron of advanced F-22 Raptor fighter jets to Israel as part of a wider military buildup across the Middle East, according to regional reports.

Roughly a dozen of the stealth aircraft — widely considered among the most sophisticated air-superiority fighters in the U.S. fleet — were positioned in Israel amid escalating concerns over Iran and its nuclear program. U.S. officials have not publicly outlined operational details but have framed recent force movements as part of a broader deterrence effort.

At sea, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has moved through the eastern Mediterranean and is expected to operate alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln, strengthening the American naval presence in the region.

A squadron of 12 U.S. F-22 Raptors has officially landed in southern Israel after departing the UK. This marks a major escalation in regional airpower as the U.S. prepares for "potential offensive action" against Tehran’s regime. #IranRevolution2026 #LionandSunrevolution pic.twitter.com/V72pqDNjUy

— Faryar Firouzi (@faryarfirouzi) February 24, 2026

The deployments come at a time of heightened rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, as well as ongoing international debate over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said his country remains open to negotiations and is prepared to pursue what he described as a fair agreement, while maintaining that Iran will not abandon civilian nuclear technology.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also emphasized diplomacy, warning that further instability in the region would have broad consequences.

The parallel military deployments and diplomatic messaging reflect a period of sharp tension coupled with renewed calls for talks.

Five Israeli yeshiva bochurim were arrested and transferred to Israeli military police custody over the past 24 hours, according to the Notnim Gav organization, which assists families and provides legal support to detainees. The arrests, some of which took place late at night and involved Israel Police officers, have sparked protests in Yerushalayim.

According to the organization, a bochur from Yeshivas Ateres Yaakov in Beit Shemesh was arrested at approximately 2:00 a.m. Family members claimed that 12 military police officers arrived at the home, six of whom entered the apartment, conducted a search, and left the residence in disarray. The bochur is receiving legal assistance from the Chayei Olam organization and was sentenced to 20 days in military detention. Another yeshiva bochur was also reportedly sentenced to 20 days.

In a separate case, a bochur described as a “prosecution draft evader” was transferred at 4:00 a.m. by police to military police authorities in Beit Shemesh. Both detainees are being represented by attorneys Shlomo Hadad and Itai Cohen on behalf of the Hatzalah LaAchim organization.

Another yeshiva bochur was arrested this morning at Ben Gurion Airport and is receiving legal representation from attorney Shlomo Hadad on behalf of Notnim Gav.

In addition, a further arrest took place yesterday at the IDF induction center in Tel Hashomer. According to the organization, the bochur had arrived with exemption documents after being absent for only three days. He was also sentenced to 20 days in military detention and is being represented by attorney Shlomo Hadad on behalf of the organization.

Amid the arrests, demonstrators blocked Rechov Shivtei Yisrael in Yerushalayim in recent hours. Police forces are operating at the scene to manage traffic. As of now, no additional arrests have been reported during the protest.

{Matzav.com}

Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion began its opening hearing Tuesday, with Commissioner Virginia Bell outlining the Commission’s three primary objectives.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Royal Commission on January 8, having previously preferred an internal review. Growing pressure from the Jewish community, political leaders, and public figures in response to the Bondi Beach Massacre convinced him to authorize an independent public inquiry.

The Commission will investigate the main drivers of antisemitism in Australia, provide recommendations for law enforcement and social cohesion, and examine the circumstances of the December 14 Chanukah party terror attack.

Its first objective is to assess the prevalence and nature of antisemitism in Australian institutions and society, focusing on religious and ideological extremism and radicalization. This includes examining how extremist content spreads online and through various organizations.

The Commission will also make recommendations on how governments can respond to antisemitism effectively.

A key starting point for this term is defining antisemitism, which Commissioner Bell acknowledged “is not free of controversy.” The Commission will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, which is generally uncontroversial, though at least two of the eleven illustrative examples are disputed.

The second objective involves providing guidance to law enforcement, border control, immigration, and security agencies on addressing antisemitism.

This includes reviewing the training of officers on responding to antisemitic conduct or its risk. The Commission will also assess protective measures for Jewish places of worship, cultural and educational institutions, public events, and community leaders.

The third objective is the most comprehensive, requiring the Commission to examine the Bondi Beach attack on December 14, 2025, including its planning and lead-up, without interfering with the ongoing criminal investigation.

Commissioner Bell emphasized that hearing evidence from potential criminal witnesses could prejudice ongoing proceedings, so such testimony will not be taken.

This term also requires the Commission to study information sharing among Commonwealth, State, and Territory agencies, and with Chanukah event organizers, to evaluate Australian intelligence and law enforcement effectiveness and identify gaps in legal or regulatory frameworks.

Jewish Australians who have experienced antisemitism, whether in schools or universities, are encouraged to make submissions to the Commission.

The Commissioner must submit the final report to the Governor-General and state governors by the first anniversary of the Bondi massacre.

Richard Lancaster, senior counsel assisting the Commission, in remarks made to the Jerusalem Post, highlighted “the immense trauma [the Bondi attack] caused Jewish Australians.” He added, “Many others were seriously wounded, and their lives will never be the same. Many people have been left with serious psychological scars from that day.”

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has issued a public warning over multiple imported food products found to carry misleading or unauthorized kosher certifications, raising concerns about kashrus and consumer transparency.

In a special update, the Kashrut Fraud Division of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel detailed deficiencies involving dairy, fish, and meat products sold in major food chains.

One case involves long-life whole milk produced in Belgium by Solarec and imported by Euro Dairies Europe (Gold Frost) Ltd. of Yavne. The cartons claimed supervision by Badatz Beit Yosef and approval from the Chief Rabbinate, presenting the product as chalav Yisrael.

However, inspectors from the Rabbinate’s Import Department found that the milk was never authorized. As a result, officials ordered the product to be removed from shelves and returned to the importer.

The Rabbinate also cited serious problems with “100% smoked cod liver in fish oil,” imported by G. Willifood International Ltd.. Although the packaging displayed kosher approval and supervision by the Orthodox Union, the Import Department had rejected approval requests for production batches beginning in January 2025.

According to the Rabbinate, the rejection stemmed from missing documentation regarding parasite treatment and uncertainty over compliance with bishul Yisrael requirements.

In the meat sector, inspectors identified misleading labeling on frozen beef shank imported from Argentina and marketed by Tnuva. An on-site inspection found that outer packaging described the meat as kosher-chalak, while the stamp on the meat itself indicated only standard kosher certification.

The Rabbinate said the discrepancy could mislead consumers who rely on stricter kashrut standards.

“In light of this discrepancy, which constitutes misleading a consumer,” the agency said, the products were ordered returned to the distributor to prevent further violations.

The Kosharot organization urged shoppers and supervisors to closely examine certification notices.

“We call upon the general public and kashrus supervisors to pay attention to the details of the kashrus update,” the group said, warning against purchasing products that do not meet official standards.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Tensions between the United States and Iran are escalating rapidly as the US military deploys advanced fighter jets to Israel and the CIA launches a public digital campaign to recruit Iranian anti-regime protesters. Meanwhile, the White House remains locked in high-level deliberations over the scale of potential military action.

American F-22 fighter jets arrived at an Israeli Air Force base on Tuesday evening, signaling a hardened US military posture in the Middle East. Despite this show of force, military leadership has reportedly expressed significant reservations about the consequences of a direct conflict.

President Donald Trump is facing growing frustration regarding the limits of US military leverage against Tehran. Aides have cautioned the President that military action in Iran would be vastly different from the recent US operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Unlike the Venezuela operation, engaging Iran would require multiple strikes and could entangle the US in a protracted regional war.

Key Pentagon officials have voiced specific operational concerns:

Casualty Risks: Officials warn that a prolonged campaign could cost the lives of US troops and regional allies.

Leadership Apprehension: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine has reportedly expressed opposition to a full-scale war with Iran.

President Trump addressed reports of General Caine’s opposition on Truth Social, clarifying the general’s stance:

“[He] would [not like] to see war in Iran, but if a decision is made on going against Iran at a military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won.”

Meanwhile, the CIA has initiated a rare public appeal targeting Iranian anti-regime activists. In a Tuesday post published in Farsi on X, the intelligence agency declared that it “can hear your voice and wants to help you,” providing strict digital security protocols for citizens wishing to make contact.

The agency’s directives for secure communication emphasize bypassing state surveillance:

– Use new, disposable devices rather than personal or workplace hardware.
– Employ external browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox in Private/Incognito mode.
– Clear all device and browsing history immediately after making contact.
– Utilize Dark Web browsers or other non-native anti-filtering services provided by the CIA.
Activists who reach out are instructed to provide their location, full name, occupation, the type of information or skills they can offer the agency, and secure contact methods.

Despite the rapid military and intelligence developments, top US and Israeli officials remain uncertain about the administration’s ultimate strategy.

Iran is nearing a deal with China to purchase advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations, as the United States intensifies its military posture near the Iranian coast amid rising regional tensions.

The potential agreement would involve China’s CM-302 supersonic missiles, weapons capable of flying low and fast to evade ship defenses and strike targets nearly 300 kilometers away. Defense analysts say their deployment would significantly strengthen Iran’s ability to threaten U.S. and allied naval forces in the region.

Six people with knowledge of the talks told Reuters that the missile deal is close to completion, though no delivery timeline has been finalized.

Negotiations between Tehran and China began at least two years ago but accelerated following last summer’s brief war between Israel and Iran, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

As talks intensified, senior Iranian defense officials reportedly traveled to China, including Deputy Defense Minister Massoud Oraei. Reuters said the visit had not previously been reported.

“It’s a complete game-changer if Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer now affiliated with a security think tank. “These missiles are very difficult to intercept.”

Neither Beijing nor Tehran has publicly confirmed the deal. China’s foreign and defense ministries did not respond to requests for comment, while an Iranian foreign ministry official told Reuters that Tehran is prepared to activate military agreements with its allies.

The White House has not directly addressed reports of the missile negotiations. A senior administration official reiterated that Trump has warned Iran it must reach a nuclear agreement or face tougher action.

The developments come as U.S. forces assemble a major naval and air presence within striking distance of Iran, including multiple aircraft carrier strike groups, dozens of fighter jets, and hundreds of support flights since mid-February.

Analysts say the potential missile sale highlights growing military cooperation between China and Iran at a sensitive moment for U.S. policy in the Middle East.

China, Iran, and Russia regularly conduct joint naval exercises, and Washington has previously sanctioned Chinese companies accused of supporting Iran’s missile program.

During a visit by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Beijing last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China supported Iran’s sovereignty and national dignity.

Beijing has also joined Moscow and Tehran in criticizing the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran’s weapons programs.

“Iran has become a battlefield between the U.S. on one side and Russia and China on the other,” an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The CM-302 missiles would represent some of the most advanced weapons transferred to Iran by China in decades and could violate United Nations restrictions on arms transfers.

Those sanctions were first imposed in 2006, eased under the 2015 nuclear agreement, and reinstated last year after the collapse of diplomacy.

Western officials say any confirmed transfer would complicate efforts to contain Iran’s missile development and limit its military reach.

The reports also follow renewed threats from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who last week warned that U.S. warships could be targeted in any conflict.

“A warship is dangerous,” Khamenei said, “but more dangerous is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

MIAMI (VINnews) — An American Airlines jet arrived in Miami with apparent bullet damage after a flight from Colombia, according to a published report.

Flight AA923 landed Monday at Miami International Airport, where a post-flight inspection identified puncture marks on the right aileron of the aircraft, AirLive reported. The aileron helps control an airplane’s lateral balance during flight.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, completed the trip without incident and landed safely, the report said. The damage was discovered during routine maintenance checks after arrival.

It was not immediately clear when or where the damage occurred. Neither American Airlines nor aviation authorities had publicly detailed the circumstances as of Tuesday afternoon.

There were no reports of injuries among passengers or crew.

An accident on River Avenue at the Lakewood/Toms River border has knocked out power in the area.

No injuries reported.

Expect also heavy delays for the repairs and cleanup.

(JNS) – Legislation introduced on Monday would set parameters for the United States to ban the use of U.S.-origin weapons in Palestinian-administered territories.

The Ceasefire Compliance Act, led by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), would implement a ban if Israel is found to have violated the U.S.-brokered Oct. 10, 2025, ceasefire with Hamas or the 20-point Gaza peace framework proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The measure would also trigger a ban in cases of Israeli application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria or a failure to address settler violence.

Under the bill, determinations would be made through a monitoring mechanism with congressional oversight.

“As one of the United States’ most important allies, Israel must ensure that its policies and the use of U.S. military assistance align with American values, interests and the law,” Casten stated. “This legislation creates clear enforcement mechanisms, transparency and consequences when those conditions are not met.”

The legislation explicitly exempts defensive missile systems, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow 3.

It is backed by organizations heavily critical of the Israeli government and military’s prosecution of the war against Hamas, including J Street and New Jewish Narrative.

“U.S. assistance—whether aid or arms—should never come as a blank check,” stated Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street. “Passing this bill is a critical step to lay the foundation for broader regional peace that creates a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel and guarantees Israel’s long-term security.”

The measure, which has 25 Democratic cosponsors, would not restrict U.S. intelligence sharing with Israel or American support for Israeli defensive activities.

MOSCOW (AP) — Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, said Tuesday that the Russian government had opened a criminal investigation against him on charges of “aiding terrorism.”

Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia, accused Moscow of fabricating pretexts to restrict access by Russians to the Telegram service as part of an attempt to “suppress the right to privacy and free speech.”

“A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people,” Durov wrote on social media.

Russian media outlets had begun circulating unconfirmed reports earlier in the day that a criminal investigation had been opened against Durov by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB.

It comes two weeks after Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said it was restricting the Telegram app, accusing the company of refusing to abide by Russian law.

The move triggered a rare wave of public outcry, including widespread criticism from pro-Kremlin military bloggers, who warned that Telegram was widely used by Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and restricting its service would derail military communications.

However, Russian officials have continued to portray Telegram as a security risk. Digital development minister Maksud Shadayev told Russian news wire Interfax that foreign intelligence agencies could be reading messages sent through Telegram by Russian soldiers on the front line.

When asked about the case, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the FSB had gathered information on a “large number of violations” by Telegram, as well as content that could “potentially pose a danger to our country.” He said Telegram had been unwilling to cooperate with the authorities.

“Based on this, the relevant agencies are taking measures they deem appropriate,” Peskov said.

Under President Vladimir Putin, the authorities have engaged in multipronged efforts to rein in the internet. They have adopted restrictive laws and banned websites and platforms that don’t comply, and focused on improving technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Russian authorities have targeted YouTube and imposed restrictions on popular messaging platforms, blocking Signal and Viber and banning online calls on WhatsApp and Telegram. In December, restrictions were imposed on Apple’s FaceTime video calling service.

While it’s still possible to circumvent some of the restrictions by using virtual private network services, many of them are routinely blocked too.

At the same time, Russia actively promotes the “national” messaging app known as MAX, which critics say could be used for surveillance. The platform — touted by developers and officials as a one-stop shop for messaging, online government services, making payments and more — openly declares it will share user data with authorities upon request. Experts also say it doesn’t use end-to-end encryption.

Durov has faced criminal investigations elsewhere. In 2024, he was arrested in Paris over allegations that his platform was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images.

The state of Maryland is suing to stop the Department of Homeland Security from turning a warehouse into an immigration detention facility.

DHS paid more than $100 million for a commercial warehouse near the town of Williamsport, Maryland, in January as part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration to dramatically expand its detention capacity. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could potentially use as many as two dozen such sites across the country as “mega centers” for detaining immigrants.

According to a lawsuit filed by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, the Williamsport facility is to be outfitted with 1,500 beds.

“Defendants have run roughshod over federal law and trampled on the state’s interests,” in their pursuit of the project, Brown wrote.

A DHS spokesperson said the facilities would be “very well-structured” and built to the agency’s detention standards.

“Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe,” the spokesperson said. “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the US and is actively working to expand detention space.”

Brown accused the government of violating federal law by failing to prepare an environmental impact statement for the project, and for not considering alternatives. Construction could negatively impact local waterways and wildlife, Brown said, and the facility could overwhelm sewer lines once fully operational.

The site could also lead to traffic congestion, increased burdens on law enforcement and emergency services, Brown said. The attorney general also pointed to the risk of disease outbreaks and sanitation concerns based on reported conditions in other ICE facilities.

Maryland is asking a federal judge to vacate the purchase of the warehouse and declare the agencies’ actions unlawful. Brown seeks a court order halting any construction or conversion of the facility already taking place.

Lawmakers from Arizona are pushing back on similar plans for an ICE warehouse conversion west of Phoenix. In a post on the social media platform X, Representative Greg Stanton, a Democrat, said the acquisition of the building in Surprise, Arizona, did not go through the normal procurement process involving the Government Services Administration.

“They didn’t tell anyone they were doing this,” Stanton said, “and they paid cash money for this facility.”

(c) 2026, Bloomberg

PARIS (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to France sought Tuesday to smooth over a diplomatic spat with Paris, calling up the French foreign minister who had said earlier in the day that the U.S. diplomat would lose access to French government officials after he skipped a meeting.

French authorities had summoned Ambassador Charles Kushner — the father of U.S. President Donald Trump ’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner — over comments from the Trump administration that France objected to. But Kushner did not show up for the Monday night meeting, the foreign ministry said.

After French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Tuesday morning that the no-show would dent the ambassador’s ability to serve in France, Kushner telephoned the minister and they agreed to meet in coming days, his office said.

The U.S. Embassy in Paris said in a statement after the call that Kushner and Barrot “spoke today in a frank and amicable call, reaffirming their shared commitment to working together, along with all other ministers and French officials, on the many issues that impact the United States and France, particularly as the two countries celebrate 250 years of rich diplomatic relations.”

The affair was sparked by Trump administration tweets relating to the beating death in France of a far-right activist, Quentin Deranque. The 23-year-old student, described as a fervent nationalist, was beaten by a group of people earlier this month in the city of Lyon, in fighting that erupted between far-left and far-right activists. He later died of brain injuries.

In a post last week on X, the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau said “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety.”

The U.S. Embassy in Paris posted the same statement, in French.

The Paris government bristled at what it regarded as interference in French affairs and summoned Kushner. The ambassador’s subsequent call to Barrot on Tuesday after his no-show appeared to then help turn the page.

Barrot reiterated to the ambassador that France cannot accept foreign interference, the minister’s office said. Kushner “took note, expressed his willingness not to interfere in our public debate, and recalled the friendship that binds France and the United States,” it said. They agreed to meet in coming days, it said.

Before the call, Barrot had described the no-show as “a surprise” that flew in the face of diplomatic protocol.

“It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country,” Barrot said, speaking to public broadcaster France Info.

He said that Kushner “is bringing difficulties on himself. Because for an ambassador to be able to do his job he needs access to members of the government. That’s the basics.”

“There is nothing more usual than summoning an ambassador when explanations need to be made,” he said. “When these explanations have taken place, then the U.S. ambassador in France will, naturally, regain access to members of the French government.”

“We don’t accept that foreign countries can come and interfere, invite themselves, into the national political debate,” he said.

Barrot had earlier made clear that the dust-up should not hurt broader U.S.-France relations.

“Not showing up is his personal responsibility,” he said. “It does not affect the relationship between France and the United States in any way.”

Last August, Paris also summoned Kushner over a letter he wrote to French President Emmanuel Macron alleging that France did not do enough to combat antisemitism. The foreign ministry called his allegations “unacceptable.”

At the time, Kushner also did not respond to the summons but sent his No. 2 instead.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday declined to characterize a snowball-throwing incident involving police officers in Washington Square Park as criminal, saying video of the encounter appeared to show “a snowball fight.”

Clips shared widely on social media show a crowd tossing snow at uniformed officers and a marked police vehicle during a winter storm that covered the city in heavy snowfall. Police had responded to reports of a disorderly gathering in the park.

Asked whether he agreed with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch that the conduct amounted to a crime, Mamdani said the footage he reviewed did not suggest that. He praised officers for working extended hours during the storm and said city employees “deserve respect.”

“If anyone in city government should be hit with a snowball, it’s me,” he added in a lighthearted remark.

When questioned about whether the participants were minors, Mamdani said the video he saw appeared to show young people engaged in what he described as a snowball fight.

Tisch, however, called the behavior “disgraceful” and said it was under criminal investigation. She said detectives were reviewing the footage and seeking to identify those involved.

The head of the city’s largest police union urged authorities to pursue assault charges against anyone responsible.

Gov. Kathy Hochul also weighed in, saying it is never acceptable to throw objects at law enforcement officers.

Police said the matter remains under investigation.

(AP) – The House failed to approve a bill Tuesday that was crafted after last year’s tragic midair collision near Washington D.C. to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent such crashes. The collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter killed 67 people in January 2025.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been recommending such Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems to be installed since 2008. The bill that already passed the Senate would have required aircraft to be equipped with a system that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft. The complementary ADS-B Out system that broadcasts an aircraft’s location is already required.

The families of the victims who died when an American Airlines jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter strongly supported the measure. But the Airlines for American trade group, the military and the major general aviation groups that represent business jets and small plane owners backed a competing and more comprehensive House bill that was just introduced last week.

Tim Lilley, whose son Sam was the first officer on the airliner, said he’s really disappointed, but he and the other families will continue to press for meaningful reforms and stronger requirements in the House bill. And he hopes that will happen before the next tragedy.

“We’re going to end up back here having the same conversation because of another midair is what’s going to happen. Hopefully — fingers crossed — that doesn’t,” Lilley said.

Under the special process that was used to fast-track the bill, the ROTOR Act needed to receive more than two-thirds support to pass the House. It received 264 votes, but 133 other representatives voted against it.

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves pledged to continue working with the families and the Senate to address the aviation safety concerns exposed by last year’s collision. He said that the House bill could be marked up in committee as soon as next week. That bill is designed to address all 50 of the recommendations the NTSB made — not just the locator technology, but NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said the House bill falls short of accomplishing that.

Lilley said the bill Graves helped write needs to be improved.

“They’ve had 18 years to get it right. He’s talking about getting it right and he’s not even close on the collision avoidance piece,” he said.

The cost of the ADS-B In mandate has been a concern. It’s not clear exactly how much it would cost partly because the systems haven’t yet been designed for every aircraft, but Homendy testified in Congress that American Airlines was able to equip more than 300 of its Airbus a321s for $50,000 apiece, and general aviation pilots have the option of using a portable receiver that costs about $400 and works with an iPad.

One of the key researchers who helped develop these locator systems, Fabrice Kunzi, said a plane’s dashboard shouldn’t have to be overhauled to add a new display because the system is designed to give pilots an audible warning about nearby traffic with details of their locations if there is a risk of a collision.

House and Senate bills took a different approach
The key difference between the bills is that the House version would not require both kinds of the proven Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems to be installed. Instead, the House bill would require the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate what technology might be best as part of a lengthy rulemaking process before requiring a solution. The House bill also covers many more aspects of the systemic failures the NTSB identified as causing the crash last Jan. 29.

The bipartisan group of Senate leaders behind the ROTOR Act — led by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Maria Cantwell — had argued their bill would be a good first step before drafting additional legislation.

The main Families of Flight 5342 group had said that while the House bill includes a number of good reforms that should be considered, they can’t support it as written because it doesn’t clearly require ADS-B In equipment. Everyone aboard the helicopter and the American Airlines jet flying from Wichita, Kansas, including the parents of Olympic figure skater Maxim Naumov and 26 other members of the figure skating community, died when the aircraft collided and plummeted into the icy Potomac River.

Doug Lane said that as he learned more about the crash that killed his wife and young figure skating son, he couldn’t understand why airplanes aren’t already equipped with this technology.

“It was inconceivable to me that in the age of GPS-enabled smartphones in every pocket that there was no way for pilots flying aircraft with price tags in the tens of millions of dollars to see visually whether other aircraft in the airspace were on a collision course,” Lane said ahead of the vote on Tuesday..

Improving the collision warning system
Any plane flying around a major airport is already required to have an ADS-B Out system that continually broadcasts an aircraft’s location and speed installed. ADS-B In systems that can receive those signals and be used to create a display showing pilots where all air traffic is located around them are not standard on airliners, though many general aviation pilots already use a portable receiver to display that information on an iPad.

The NTSB investigation showed that system would have provided significantly more warning to the pilots involved in the crash and would have allowed them to avoid the collision. A plane equipped with ADS-B In can give the pilot a detailed description of where other aircraft are whereas the current technology can only warn that traffic is in the area.

A young child in Lakewood, NJ was rescued alive yesterday after being completely buried under heavy snow when a bulldozer clearing the streets inadvertently pushed large piles of snow on top of a snow igloo in which he was playing.

The frightening incident unfolded during snow removal operations following one of the region’s most intense winter storms. The child had been inside a snow structure he had built when a large bulldozer operator, unable to see the igloo, pushed a massive accumulation of snow directly over it. Within moments, the child was entirely covered.

Family members soon realized the boy was missing, triggering an immediate and frantic search. Relatives and neighbors began combing the area, fearing the worst as precious minutes ticked by.

For two hours and forty-five agonizing minutes, the search continued as rescuers worked desperately to locate him beneath the deep snow. The urgency intensified as the realization set in that he may have been trapped without air under the heavy accumulation.

Finally, after nearly three hours, the child was located and pulled from beneath the snow. In what family members described as nothing short of a neis, he was found alive and rescued.

“It’s a neis,” a Chaveirim members told Matzav.com. “Nothing short of it.”

Emergency responders evaluated the child at the scene.

The incident left the family and local residents shaken but deeply grateful, as they reflected on what could have ended in tragedy.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump is pressing ahead with an ambitious plan to remake post-war Gaza under an international framework that excludes Hamas. But newly revealed documents suggest the terrorist group is quietly positioning itself to retain power behind the scenes, raising questions about the durability of U.S.-led stabilization efforts.

According to evidence reviewed by The Times of Israel, Hamas is preparing a shadow governing structure while embedding loyalists — including military commanders — into civilian institutions expected to operate under a new technocratic administration.

At last week’s Board of Peace meeting in Washington, Trump secured roughly $7 billion in international pledges for Gaza’s reconstruction, along with commitments from five countries to contribute troops to a planned International Stabilization Force intended to replace Israeli forces.

The gathering marked a major diplomatic push to advance a post-war transition. A newly formed body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), has begun operating from Cairo, recruiting staff and organizing a transitional police force.

“When you think of Israel, we’ve done the biggest thing of all,” Trump said at the meeting. “We have peace in the Middle East right now.”

But on the ground, progress remains limited. Nearly four months into the ceasefire, Israel still controls more than half of Gaza, while most of the enclave’s roughly 2 million residents live in areas where Hamas remains dominant.

Under the ceasefire framework, Hamas is required to hand civilian governance to the NCAG, a 15-member technocratic body led by former Palestinian Authority official Ali Shaath and overseen by High Representative Nikolay Mladenov.

Publicly, Hamas has portrayed itself as cooperative. Spokesman Hazem Qassem told Agence France-Presse that the group had prepared protocols and files for a full transfer of authority.

Privately, however, internal documents paint a different picture.

The Times of Israel reports that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who assumed leadership after Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an Israeli strike last year, ordered members to copy government records before transferring them, allowing Hamas to maintain leverage over civil servants.

Israeli military officials warned in January that Hamas is embedding supporters “from the bottom up” in local authorities and security services, according to a briefing submitted to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The documents indicate that commanders from Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, are being shifted into civilian posts. Two Palestinian sources told Reuters that five district governors with militant ties have already been appointed.

“Shaath may have the key to the car, and he may even be allowed to drive, but it is a Hamas car,” one source said.

Despite formal steps toward civilian rule, Hamas’s intelligence and security networks appear largely untouched. Internal orders reviewed by The Times of Israel show commanders directing increased surveillance, including around hospitals and public facilities.

A recently released health ministry video showed a new deputy health minister touring medical centers — an example, analysts say, of how Hamas-linked officials are integrating into emerging institutions.

The IDF has warned that Hamas is rebuilding its underground infrastructure and preserving its operational capacity in violation of ceasefire terms.

“Since the ceasefire came into effect, Hamas has violated the understandings and is working to restore its military capabilities,” an IDF spokesperson said.

Israeli and Hamas officials appear to agree on one point: another major conflict is likely.

Last month, a senior Israeli security official said military action may be unavoidable if Hamas refuses to disarm. Hamas leaders have also said further conflict is likely.

“Criminalizing the resistance and its weapons is something we should not accept,” said senior Hamas figure Khaled Mashaal at a recent conference in Doha.

Israeli sources say Hamas is willing to store heavy weapons under international supervision and share partial tunnel maps, but intends to keep rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The IDF estimates that at least 60 percent of Hamas’s tunnel network remains intact.

An Israeli security official told The Times of Israel that Israel would permit only handguns for a future Gazan police force — and only if Hamas is excluded.

Israeli officials have intensified lobbying of the Trump administration, arguing that Hamas must be fully disarmed for any lasting peace to emerge.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Israeli leaders have told the White House that renewed military intervention may be the only way to dismantle Hamas’s remaining capabilities — and that any future operation would be faster and more expansive than previous campaigns.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YS GOLD 

This week’s captured moment brings us not to a building or landmark, but to a “mishenichnas Adar sign” which hung in a 3rd floor shtiebel for about ninety years. 

The shtiebel was led by a great tzaddik and ba’al mesirus nefesh who left behind countless descendants who follow in his ways, and was situated on 16th Avenue in the 50’s. 

Can any of our readers identify the shul in question? 

___ 

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

The Stuchiner Rebbe, zt”l, is seen approaching his beis medrash on 50th Street. The home in the background is still standing, and looks similar to the way it did back then.

New York City will not dismantle homeless encampments during one of the most severe snowstorms in its history, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday, even as many people living on the streets declined repeated offers of shelter.

The powerful winter system, known as Winter Storm Hernando, brought a fresh challenge for Mamdani’s administration. His handling of a major January storm drew sharp criticism after it spiraled into a deadly crisis during his opening weeks in office.

“The blizzard is a time when our focus should be not on physical infrastructure, but on people and on getting them indoors,” Mamdani argued during a news conference over Winter Storm Hernando.

The earlier storm resulted in 19 deaths across the city, many linked to hypothermia, fueling accusations that City Hall had failed to move vulnerable residents into safe housing quickly enough.

Just days ago, Mamdani had shifted course on his prior stance against dismantling homeless encampments, announcing that the city would resume clearances but provide individuals with seven days’ notice before any action was taken.

During the current storm, outreach teams helped 79 people enter shelters while snowfall totals approached two feet, according to the mayor. He emphasized that none of those placements were forced.

Still, some individuals remained outside despite the dangerous conditions. On the Manhattan Bridge pedestrian walkway, several tents were buried in snow on the Manhattan side as FDNY personnel, NYPD officers, and a private ambulance crew checked on those inside.

“I’m alright,” one man said, shaking his head as responders peeled back the tarps.

An FDNY EMT said the man had rejected appeals made in both English and Spanish.

“We can’t remove them. People have the right to be homeless in New York City,” the EMT said.

Two NYPD officers remained nearby while outreach workers attempted to persuade those sheltering in tents to relocate, but the man was not taken from the scene.

Police officials said officers made contact with 130 homeless individuals during the storm, and 127 declined offers to enter shelters. Only two agreed to accept city assistance.

Although outreach staff did not compel anyone to leave the streets, police did carry out one involuntary removal after determining the person posed a danger to themselves, according to a department spokesperson.

Under city policy, officers may remove someone against their will if they are considered a threat to themselves or others, though emergency medical technicians lack authority to enforce such removals.

These involuntary transports are distinct from broader encampment clearances, commonly referred to as “homeless sweeps.”

Both policies were heavily debated during January’s storm, when Mamdani faced intense backlash over the 19 outdoor deaths while maintaining that involuntary removals should remain a measure of last resort.

City officials said outreach teams accompanied by licensed clinicians conducted 33 involuntary removals between Jan. 19 and Feb. 10, encompassing the prior storm and the following cold spell.

During that same period, NYPD officers carried out 52 removals, according to a police spokesperson.

As of Monday, the mayor said there had been no confirmed fatalities connected to the latest blizzard.

“We are not aware of any deaths related to this blizzard on our city streets or in public areas,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets.

The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Florida, announced Tuesday, widens Waymo’s early lead in autonomous driving while rival services from Tesla and the Amazon-owned Zoox are still testing their vehicles in only a few U.S. cities.

In contrast, Waymo’s robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly trips in the six metropolitan areas where they have been transporting passengers: Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas.

Waymo operates its ride-hailing service through its own app in all the U.S. cities except Atlanta and Austin, where its robotaxis can only be summoned through Uber’s ride-hailing service.

The expansion into four more markets marks a significant step toward Waymo’s goal to surpass 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. Without identifying where its robotaxis will be available next, Waymo is targeting a list of eight other cities that include Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit and Boston while signaling its first overseas availability is likely to be London.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009.

Although Waymo is opening up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando before the service will be available to all comers in those markets.

The secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the umbrella to which the Palestinian Authority belongs, blasted calls for Hamas to disarm and transfer its civil authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza on Monday. He also said that Hamas is not a terrorist group.

“They don’t want Hamas to have any role in the Strip,” said Azzam al-Ahmad in an interview with an Egyptian paper. “We completely reject this, because Hamas is part of the Palestinian national movement.”

He also said that the PLO has held “continuous national dialogue with [Hamas] in order to fulfill the requirements for their entry into the organization,” with the expectation that Hamas would join the PLO.

The PLO is internationally recognized as the organization that represents all Arabs who originate from Gaza, Judea and Samaria, wherever they live throughout the world, while the PA more narrowly administers to Arabs in parts of Judea and Samaria. The PLO, headed by al-Ahmad, establishes guiding principles for all the institutions it oversees.

Azzam al-Ahmad, PLO Sec. Gen., sits for an interview with an Egyptian paper. (From a post on X)

Al-Ahmad insisted that the PLO “always rejected decisions issued by international institutions or governments to classify [Hamas] as a terror organization, as they are part of the Palestinian national fabric.”

“Everything that is said about disarming Hamas and that it is a terrorist group is rejected by us,” he added, stressing that “Hamas is not a terror organization.”

The Fatah official said that he also rejects any reforms to the PA’s educational materials that contain indoctrination of Jew hatred and incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis, because his folks are smarter than those calling for reform.

“We will not allow them to be modified,” he insisted. “What they are calling for is fabricated reform, and we tell them that we have minds and educated people more than you do, and we have more scholars than they do — some of whom America relies upon.”

“We challenge anyone who says that the security services are pursuing resistance fighters,” he added, unapologetic and unabashed about terror attacks carried out against Israelis.

Al-Ahmad said that the PLO has been negotiating with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine — all terror groups — to join the body of the PLO, which he hopes will happen soon.

“We have begun … with the comrades in the Popular Front, and made significant progress with them so that they’ll return to engagement. An agreement has also been reached with the Democratic Front,” he said.

All of these groups are designated terrorist organizations with the blood of innocent civilians on their hands, having murdered or caused lifelong injuries to both Israelis and Americans.

Disturbingly, while the Palestinian Authority — the very body that al-Ahmad oversees — has not been invited to join the Board of Peace, a committee to liaise with the board has been established, with Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov serving as the liaison.

At the conclusion of Monday’s shiur kloli at Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Rosh Yeshiva Rav Dovid Levy addressed thousands of talmidim, calling on them to reinforce the well-established Purim learning sedarim observed in the yeshiva each year.

The shiur klali focused on a sugya in the second perek of Maseches Bava Basra, a weighty discussion involving the laws of tumah and taharah. During the shiur, Rav Levy cited a foundational teaching from his rebbi, Harav Shmuel Rozovsky zt”l, regarding the parameters of tumah in cases involving less than the minimum shiur.

Following the shiur, the Rosh Yeshiva delivered special remarks in anticipation of Purim. Continuing the longstanding tradition instituted at Ponovezh by Rosh Yeshiva Harav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, the yeshiva prepares unique learning frameworks for both the night of Purim—immediately after the reading of the Megillah—and for Purim day itself.

As part of these sedarim, thousands of bochurim sit and learn Torah for extended, uninterrupted hours, filling every available seat throughout the batei medrash and the various wings of the yeshiva. The sight, observers say, is awe-inspiring, with no empty spaces in the botei medrash, reminiscent of the atmosphere on the night of Shavuos. The sedarim are organized by Rav Shimon Margulies, a close associate of the Rosh Yeshiva, and conclude with a large public tefillah led by the yeshiva’s nosi, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, together with the entire student body.

In his remarks, Rav Levy referenced the Rambam’s teaching that although all the moadim will be nullified in the future era of Moshiach, the days of Purim and Megillas Esther will never be annulled. From this, he said, it is evident that Purim is an exceptionally elevated time, and it would be a loss to squander it on trivial matters such as excessive drinking and the like. Instead, he urged the bochurim to devote the day to vigorous and enthusiastic Torah study, as is customary in the yeshiva, where extended sedarim known as “Kimu V’Kiblu” are held. Through these sessions, he explained, the talmidim symbolically accept the Torah anew each year with love and willingness.

The Rosh Yeshiva further emphasized that especially in these times—when “our enemies have raised their heads” and seek to uproot Torah from Klal Yisrael and restrict the yeshiva world—it is incumbent upon the bochurim to publicly demonstrate their unbreakable bond with Torah. That connection, he said, must remain firm without interruption—even on Purim itself.

Concluding his address, Rav Levy expressed hope that from Ponovezh, the light of Torah on Purim would radiate throughout the entire yeshiva world, and that in turn the influence would return to Ponovezh. Just as waves travel from place to place, he said, so too should the voice of Torah spread from one makom Torah to another, strengthening dedication and diligence in Torah study during these especially auspicious days of Purim.

{Matzav.com}

Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal posted a video on Sunday revealing the attempts of the leftist anti-government Brothers in Arms organization to whitewash its calls for IDF refusal in the months before the October 7 massacre.

The report comes after Democrats chairman Yair Golan announced last week that one of the leaders of Brothers in Arms, Omri Ronen, is joining his party. The announcement prompted some social media users to remind Israelis of Ronen’s actions before the massacre, including calling for widespread IDF refusal and appearing on 60 Minutes_—_slandering Israel and the IDF to the entire world and provoking Israel’s enemies by saying that IDF refusal is weakening Israel’s security.

After the organization’s efforts to harm Israel bore fruit and the October 7 massacre occurred, Brothers in Arms held a highly publicized campaign to assist IDF soldiers and evacuees, claiming that the organization transformed itself into an assistance organization. While they actually did distribute supplies to IDF soldiers (although many units refused to receive anything from the notorious organization), they later reverted to their political activities.

Segal stated in the video: “Eyal Naveh, one of the leaders of the Brothers in Arms movement, waited for Shabbat—when I can’t respond—to upload a video saying: ‘How did you call us thugs after we helped you in real time—after the October 7 massacre?’”

“That’s a blatant lie,” Segal asserted. “Five days after the war broke out, the Brothers in Arms organization—which was not fond of me and vice versa—called me to invite me for a tour of its headquarters.”

Segal said that he happily agreed to the request, with the goal of using his influence to encourage unity during that harrowing time. And afterward, at the request of Naveh, he “held his nose” and published a post in support of the organization.

Segal noted: “I have to note that I’ve been at many headquarters, and I’ve assisted many volunteer organizations, and I’ve never seen an organization that was so obsessed with public relations—branding and publicity—as Brothers in Arms. Many people support giving to others secretly. Brothers in Arms supported ‘giving secretly’ as long as everyone knew about it. That’s why the sandwiches they distributed were branded, and the volunteers always wore Brothers in Arms T-shirts.”

Segal added that he regretted posting in support of the organization when he later realized its true intentions. “Well, as it turned out, the goal for Naveh and his friends at Brothers in Arms was less to help the public and more to whitewash their reputation and remove their sin of calling for IDF refusal,” he said.

“All this was an attempt to erase that crime of mass IDF refusal pre-October 7—when Naveh yelled out the names of the IDF units that would refuse to serve, the call to break apart the people’s army, and the threat to harm state security—and the confirmation that his actions did indeed harm Israel’s security.”

Segal concluded: “I have news for you, Naveh—it will never be erased.”

A notice from Brothers in Arms after October 7 informing IDF soldiers that they can receive a free barbecue dinner—on the condition that they agree to be photographed wearing Brothers in Arms coats. (Amit Segal)

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

YS GOLD 

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of HaRav HaGaon Reb Shlomo Leib Zweiback, zt”l, a distinguished talmid chacham and pillar of the Mountaindale community. 

Rav Zweiback served with devotion as the R”M and Posek of Yeshiva Zichron Mayer in Mountaindale, New York, leaving behind a legacy of profound learning and guidance.

Born on the 11th of Iyar, 5702 (1942), in the Boro Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, Rav Zweiback grew up in an atmosphere saturated with Torah. He became a primary talmid of HaRav Yehuda Davis, zt”l, under whose tutelage he flourished.

His commitment to his Rebbi was unwavering; when the Yeshiva and Kollel relocated from Brighton to Mountaindale, Rav Zweiback moved along with the Kollel to the Catskills. This move marked the beginning of decades of service to the Mountaindale community, where he became a cornerstone of the local institution.

As a R”M and Posek of the community, Rav Zweiback was known for his clarity in Shulchan Aruch and his ability to transmit complex concepts to his talmidim. His life was a testament to the endurance of the Yeshiva movement in America, bridging the world of his youth in Brooklyn with the vibrant center of Torah he helped maintain in the mountains.

The Levaya will be held today, Tuesday, February 24, at 2:00 PM at 613 Ramsey Avenue, Lakewood, NJ, and The family will sit Shiva at 50 Pawnee Road, Lakewood, NJ.

Yehi zichro baruch.

NEW YORK — A group combating antisemitism is running rooftop ads on 4,000 New York City yellow cabs, taking a swipe at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to eliminate bus fares. The pink-and-white digital ads read, “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride,” and will run through March 10 along Manhattan’s East and West Sides, the NY Post reported.

The campaign, launched by the group JewBelong, also includes a large billboard in the Bronx. Founder Archie Gottesman said the ads highlight the rising threat of antisemitism, noting NYPD data showing a 182% jump in anti-Jewish hate crimes in January compared with last year.

Mamdani has vowed to fight antisemitism, but the group criticized his support for the BDS movement and his statements on Israel. The New York City Human Rights Commission condemned antisemitism in a separate statement, affirming support for the city’s Jewish community and funding local anti-hate initiatives.

TUCSON Arizona The family of Nancy Guthrie has increased the reward for information leading to her recovery or the arrest of those responsible to one million dollars as the search for the 84 year old enters its twenty fourth day.

Guthrie was taken from her home in the dark of night on February 1 in what authorities are investigating as a suspected abduction. Surveillance footage released by investigators shows a masked individual near her front door the night she disappeared.

Initially the reward was set at just 2500 dollars by the Pima County Sheriff. As the case drew national attention and concern for her safety intensified the amount grew substantially. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also offering a 100000 dollar reward.

In an emotional plea her daughter Savannah Guthrie described the unbearable pain the family has endured.

“It is Day 24 since our mom was taken in the dark of night from her bed, and every hour and minute and second and every long night has been agony since then of worrying about her and fearing for her and aching for her and most of all just missing her,” Guthrie said.

She added, “Someone out there knows something that can bring her home. Somebody knows, and we are begging you to please come forward now.”

Investigators say they have received thousands of tips but no major breakthrough has been announced. Authorities remain deeply concerned for Nancy Guthrie’s health, noting that she requires daily medication.

The FBI encouraged anyone with information to contact the tip line at 1 800 CALL FBI or 1 800 225 5324 as the search continues.

Law enforcement officials say the investigation remains active and they are pursuing every possible lead as the family waits for answers and holds onto hope.

(JNS) – The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an internal investigation after a hand-drawn swastika was found at its primary recruit training center in Cape May, N.J., according to The Washington Post.

The symbol was discovered by an instructor on Feb. 19 on a wall inside a men’s restroom. Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the branch, traveled from Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21 to address approximately 900 recruits and staff about the incident.

Confirming the episode, Lunday stated, “Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology—get out. Leave. You don’t belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you.”

“We will not allow anyone to put a stain of hate on our United States Coast Guard,” Lunday added.

The drawing was removed, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service was directed to examine the incident.

“Such conduct is a crime, violates our core values, and has absolutely no place within our service,” the Coast Guard stated in a notification to Congress.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) condemned the vandalism, urging stronger action against antisemitism. Kim has backed federal legislation to combat antisemitism, but has previously voiced reservations about adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

“This is shocking, especially in our own backyard in New Jersey,” Kim stated. “Antisemitism has no place, anywhere. We can’t just call it out; we must work together to put an end to it and protect communities targeted by it.”

The discovery comes months after controversy over revisions to the Coast Guard’s workplace harassment manual, which had described swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive.” Lunday, who was acting commandant at the time, stated that the language had been “completely removed” from the manual.

Feb. 24 marks four years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine — an assault widely expected at the outset to conclude within days but which has instead evolved into one of Europe’s bloodiest wars since World War II.

Putin’s move to attack a sovereign neighboring state upended long-standing international norms and has resulted in immense human and physical devastation. The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, left millions wounded, and reduced large swaths of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure to ruins.

Because both Moscow and Kyiv tightly control the release of battlefield data, establishing precise casualty figures remains impossible.

Still, independent assessments paint a grim picture of the scale of the conflict:

• Combined military casualties — including those killed, injured, or missing — are estimated to reach as many as 1.8 million. Of that total, Russia is believed to have suffered about 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 fatalities, while Ukraine’s losses are estimated at roughly 500,000 to 600,000, with as many as 140,000 dead.

• Ukrainian government data indicates that approximately 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, with many others either wounded or unaccounted for.

• Civilian suffering has also been severe. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission reports at least 14,999 civilian deaths and more than 40,600 injuries in Ukraine since 2022, though the actual numbers are widely believed to be higher.

• At least 763 children are among the civilian dead, and 2025 has proven to be the most lethal year yet for non-combatants since the war began.

Altogether, even conservative tallies suggest that the total number of dead and wounded on both sides approaches or surpasses two million — underscoring the enormous human cost of the war.

Numerous diplomatic initiatives and international summits have failed to produce a durable ceasefire.

In August 2025, President Donald Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska for a much-anticipated summit focused on ending the fighting.

Those discussions concluded without an agreement to halt hostilities. Reports afterward indicated that Russia’s demands — including territorial concessions and formal recognition of annexed areas — were deemed unacceptable by Ukraine and its Western allies.

Moscow also continued to insist that Ukraine be denied meaningful security guarantees from the United States, NATO, or leading European powers.

Following the summit, Russian forces intensified their campaign, carrying out ongoing drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, power systems, and other civilian infrastructure.

Just in the past week, Russia unleashed a large-scale wave of drones and missiles aimed at energy facilities and residential districts in several Ukrainian regions, killing and injuring civilians and highlighting the ongoing instability.

Ukraine, increasingly exasperated by stalled negotiations, has answered with expanded strikes inside Russian territory, targeting military and industrial assets in an effort to undermine Moscow’s war-making capabilities.

Human rights groups, U.N. observers, and independent investigators have documented numerous alleged breaches of international humanitarian law during the conflict:

• Russian forces have been accused of deliberately striking civilian sites, including hospitals, schools, electrical grids, and housing complexes — actions that run afoul of the Geneva Conventions.

• Episodes such as the April 2025 airstrike in Sumy, which killed 35 civilians, including children, and wounded 129 others, have been cited as evidence of indiscriminate attacks.

• The International Criminal Court has issued war crimes charges and arrest warrants for Putin and senior Russian officials, including allegations related to the unlawful deportation of children and other offenses, emphasizing the seriousness of the accusations tied to the war.

Many analysts describe repeated attacks on civilian and non-military targets as clear violations of accepted rules of armed conflict and, in some cases, as war crimes.

Policy experts caution that without stronger backing from the United States and its allies, the conflict could settle into a prolonged and destructive stalemate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with numerous Western security specialists, argues that Russia will press forward militarily unless it faces sustained pressure on the battlefield and through diplomacy, calling on Washington to maintain defensive assistance and leadership.

Recent analysis suggests that the war’s consequences extend well beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Zelenskyy has portrayed Putin’s campaign not merely as a regional war but as a trigger for broader global instability comparable to the early stages of a Third World War, urging more robust guarantees from the United States and NATO to deter further escalation.

As the war enters its fourth year, Putin’s original calculation — built on expectations of a rapid triumph and divided Western resolve — has not materialized.

Instead, the conflict has settled into a grinding deadlock that continues to take lives, destroy communities, and alter the security landscape of Europe.

The international community looks on, with hopes that renewed unity and determination from the United States and its partners might yet help Ukraine achieve a just resolution — one that ends the violence and ensures accountability for those responsible.

{Matzav.com}

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing a fresh storm of condemnation after promoting grotesque allegations accusing Israel of harvesting organs from Palestinian victims in Gaza.

In a video circulated on social media, Corbyn alleged that IDF troops had delivered boxes of human skulls and mutilated bodies to Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, claiming that organs had been removed from deceased women.

“They opened the boxes,” Corbyn said, “and each one contained the skull of a Palestinian who had been killed.” He further asserted that bodies had been “opened and some of the organs removed,” declaring the allegations “the cause of our age.”

The video was first published on Instagram by Wear the Peace, a self-described ethical clothing brand that claims to donate portions of its profits to humanitarian causes. The post quickly went viral, drawing criticism from journalists, lawmakers, and Jewish organizations.

Corbyn’s accusations collapse under even minimal scrutiny.

Al-Shifa Hospital lies in an area controlled by Hamas, from which Israeli forces withdrew in October 2025. Since then, any return of Palestinian bodies has been carried out through internationally supervised procedures, coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The most recent such handover took place on January 29—months before Corbyn’s claims—and was conducted under international oversight.

There is, of course, no independent evidence supporting Corbyn’s assertions. No medical records, eyewitness testimony, or humanitarian reports corroborate his account. No international agency has substantiated any allegation of organ removal by Israeli forces.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, International Spokesperson for the IDF, condemned Corbyn’s remarks.

“What happened to fact checking before spreading a wild blood libel?” Shoshani wrote on X.

He emphasized that IDF troops “haven’t been anywhere near the Shifa hospital in months” and dismissed the claims as “crazy baseless stories.”

“The ‘cause of our generation’ is double checking claims,” Shoshani added, “and not believing journalists who spread misinformation.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A senior Israeli defense figure has told BNN that Iran may already possess operational chemical and biological warheads for its ballistic missiles, with the IDF confirming to BNN that there has been no change in Home Front Command (Pikud HaOref) civil-defense directives.

The assessment gained fresh attention after Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) and an adviser to the Israeli government on defense matters, said the threat is “not theoretical” and that there is “a good chance they already have it,” describing the capability as something Israel believes “may be operational.” In a separate interview with the Washington Free Beacon, Avivi said Israel’s defense establishment is actively discussing the possibility of chemical and biological warheads and is factoring those capabilities into target planning for any potential strike, warning that missile production is continuing “around the clock” and that newer systems are more sophisticated than those used in the June 2025 war.

That dovetails with reporting from Iran International, which cited informed military sources saying the IRGC is developing biological and chemical warheads for long-range ballistic missiles, alongside upgrades to command-and-control and moves involving launcher deployments, while also noting Tehran’s longstanding denials of pursuing “unconventional” weapons.

BNN pressed Avivi directly on the obvious public question: if the chemical/biological threat is real, why hasn’t Pikud HaOref distributed gas masks or issued new guidance? Avivi’s answer was blunt, Israel will prioritize offense and military defense layers, and he does not expect a gas-mask push “at this time.” He argued Israel’s air-defense architecture can handle the threat, even as he acknowledged the unique psychological impact of non-conventional warheads and the limits of standard sheltering if chemical agents are dispersed at scale.

Avivi also framed what he sees as Iran’s motive and timing. He said Tehran accelerated missile production after the June 2025 “12-Day War,” driven by a desire for revenge and to rebuild deterrence after what it views as a damaging blow. He outlined three potential paths to escalation: an Iranian preemptive missile strike (including possible “non-regular” warheads), an Israeli preemptive strike, or a U.S.-led operation—which he said he expects, claiming Washington has effectively decided to confront the regime decisively.

The civil-defense question is especially charged because Israel previously halted routine gas mask distribution to the general public years ago, shifting production mainly toward rescue services and ending broad civilian distribution programs.

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Finally, the “unconventional warhead” fear sits inside a wider chemical-weapons context. Open-source research and U.S.-linked assessments have pointed to Iranian work on pharmaceutical-based agents affecting the central nervous system and to concerns about Chemical Weapons Convention compliance, while Iran simultaneously invokes its history as a chemical-weapons victim, including the 1987 Sardasht mustard gas attack that the OPCW notes killed over 100 people.

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accepted the resignation of the Louvre Museum’s director. She had been under fire in the wake of a stunning and embarrassing heist of the French Crown jewels.

The resignation of Laurence des Cars was announced by the presidential office in a statement.

It said Macron praised des Cars’ resignation decision as “an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs calm and a strong new impetus to carry out major projects involving security upgrades, modernization” and other initiatives.

Thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal 88 million euros ($102 million) worth of crown jewels in a weekend heist at the world’s most visited museum, shocking the world.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration is suing New Jersey over a state order that prohibits federal immigration agents from making arrests in nonpublic areas of state property, such as correctional facilities and courthouses.

The Justice Department lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Trenton, challenges Gov. Mikie Sherrill ’s Feb. 11 executive order, which also bars the use of state property as a staging or processing area for immigration enforcement.

Sherrill, a Democrat who took office Jan. 20, “insists on harboring criminal offenders from federal law enforcement,” the lawsuit said, accusing her of attempting to obstruct federal law enforcement and thwart President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Sherrill’s executive order “poses an intolerable obstacle” to immigration enforcement and “directly regulates and discriminates” against the federal government, said the lawsuit, which misspelled her name as “Sherill.”

Asked about the lawsuit Tuesday, Sherrill said: “What I think the federal government needs to be focused on right now, instead of attacking states like New Jersey working to keep people safe, is actually training their ICE agents.”

The state’s acting attorney general, Jennifer Davenport, said the Trump administration was “wasting its resources on a pointless legal challenge.” New Jersey will fight the lawsuit and “continue to ensure the safety of our state’s immigrant communities,” she said.

The lawsuit is the latest in the Trump administration’s fight against state and local level restrictions on immigration enforcement.

Last year, the Justice Department sued Minnesota and Colorado, as well as cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver over so-called sanctuary laws, which are aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration agents.

Last May, the Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities — Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken — over such policies. That case is pending.

PARIS (VINnews) — A kosher restaurant in Paris’s 17th arrondissement was vandalized with acid for the third time in recent months, in what authorities are investigating as a suspected antisemitic attack.

Employees at Kokoriko discovered Friday morning that a corrosive liquid had been sprayed overnight on tables, walls, floors, and other surfaces inside the establishment. The substance rendered all dishes, cutlery, and glassware unusable and caused significant corrosion, forcing the restaurant to close pending specialized cleaning.

The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into property damage committed on grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Specialized nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical units were deployed to analyze the liquid.

Damage to the restaurant is estimated at about €150,000 ($176,000), according to French media reports citing the prosecutor’s office.

The same establishment was targeted in two previous suspected acid attacks in October 2025, including one on its facade on Oct. 9. Those cases were closed without identifying the perpetrators.

The latest incident comes amid a reported surge in antisemitism in France and globally, with Jewish communal leaders expressing concern over repeated targeting of Jewish businesses.

The restaurant, located in an upscale district with a significant Jewish population, remains closed as authorities continue their probe. No arrests have been reported.

(AP) – FedEx is suing the U.S. government, requesting a full refund on what it paid for tariffs set by President Donald Trump last year after the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs are illegal.

FedEx said in a filing with the U.S. Court of International Trade that they have “suffered injury” from having to pay the tariffs and that the relief they’re seeking from the court would redress those injuries.

Other companies have already launched efforts to recoup costs from the illegal tariffs, including large U.S. corporations like Costco and Revlon.

The National Retail Federation said in a statement on Friday that the Supreme Court’s ruling provided certainty for U.S. businesses and manufacturers.

“We urge the lower court to ensure a seamless process to refund the tariffs to U.S. importers,” it said. “The refunds will serve as an economic boost and allow companies to reinvest in their operations, their employees and their customers.”

The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday. Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some justices who ruled 6-3 against him, calling them “disloyal to our Constitution” and “lapdogs.” At one point he even raised the specter of foreign influence without citing any evidence.

The court’s ruling found tariffs that Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were unconstitutional, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.

The Treasury had collected more than $133 billion from the import taxes the president has imposed under the emergency powers law as of December, federal data shows. The impact over the next decade has been estimated at some $3 trillion.

Trump has vowed to collect tariffs through other means. He reached for a stopgap option immediately after his defeat Friday at the Supreme Court: Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% for up to 150 days. But any extension beyond 150 days must be approved by a Congress likely to balk at passing a tax increase as November’s midterm elections loom.

The White House on Tuesday sought to tamp down speculation about potential U.S. military action against Iran, stressing that President Donald Trump remains focused on diplomacy while retaining the option to use force if necessary.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump prefers negotiations over conflict but is prepared to act decisively to protect U.S. interests.

“The president’s first option is always diplomacy,” Leavitt said. “But as he has shown, he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary.”

Her comments come amid heightened tensions with Iran and a wave of media reports suggesting that the administration is weighing imminent military action.

Leavitt pushed back strongly against what she described as inaccurate and exaggerated coverage, accusing some outlets of relying on anonymous sources to fuel speculation.

“I’ve seen a lot of sensationalist reporting over the past day that is just completely untrue,” she said. “Anyone speculating to the media, hiding behind an anonymous source, pretending to know what President Trump is thinking or a decision he will make with respect to action against Iran, has no idea what they’re talking about.”

According to Leavitt, Trump will personally determine the administration’s next steps, balancing diplomatic efforts with military readiness.

“President Trump will be the one who decides what course of action to take,” she said.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Tucker Carlson was interviewed on Saudi state TV on Saturday, following his interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, in which the podcast host and former Fox News personality did not leave the airport, staying only for a few hours to cross-examine Huckabee on his various positions, including his meeting with Jonathan Pollard.

It appeared that Huckabee had failed to make a dent in Carlson’s views, as Carlson reiterated his past anti-Israel positions and took some shots at the ambassador. While Carlson pressed Huckabee pretty hard during their interview, he was much friendlier toward his Saudi host and failed to mention past Saudi human rights abuses, like the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Doubling down on his dual loyalty charge, Carlson said, “What I really object to, what makes me mad, is when American leaders, whose job it is to represent Americans, are more loyal to a foreign country than they are to their own.”

“They have instead sent billions and billions and billions of dollars to a foreign country. And none of that has helped the United States. In fact, it’s hurt the United States,” he added.

“How is it in America’s interest to decapitate the government of Iran on behalf of Israel?” he asked, lashing out at the United States government for its involvement in Iran. “Not to rebuild a new Iran, but just to kind of kill the people in charge and hope something better happens. To create chaos in Iran, as we have done at Israel’s behest in so many countries in the region, as you well know since you live in the region.”

“This is bad for us, this is bad for the surrounding countries, it is bad for the world, I don’t think it’s good for Israel,” he fumed. “Actually, I don’t think Israel understands its own long-term interest very well, [but] that’s my view.”

He also blasted Israel for what he called a “land grab” in Gaza.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The idea that we had to pretend that the Gaza operation is like a response to October 7, and it’s not an effort to expand the territory of Israel, that’s insulting to me because that’s a lie,” he raged. “That’s what it is.”

In the interview, Carlson was asked about a clip in which he denounces Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, in these words:

“He’s not the only world leader who’s evil and destructive, by the way, again, but he is. And he’s hurting the United States, and he’s destroying his own country, and I think he imperils the world. I think that clearly they’re going to try and blow up al-Aqsa Mosque, I believe that, on the Temple Mount to build a third temple, and then you’ve got global war. So like he’s a threat. There’s no question he’s a threat to the Trump administration. No question.”

Carlson said he stands by every vile word.

Carlson also blasted Huckabee and presented himself as the clear-eyed Cassandra watching politicians stumbling around in “a haze,” befuddled by Israel’s cunning.

“I watched someone like Mike Huckabee, who’s the U.S. ambassador to Israel … betray the United States again and again and again by promoting Jonathan Pollard, who was a spy against the United States, who betrayed the United States, and Mike Huckabee, who’s our ambassador, is helping, truly, the most destructive spy in American history,” he said.

Pro-Israel politicians in the United States are under “a kind of spell, a kind of hypnosis, a kind of haze that people are in, where they’re doing things for reasons they don’t understand.”

A judge in Utah is set to determine Tuesday whether the local prosecuting team should be barred from handling the case against the man accused of killing conservative figure Charlie Kirk, after it emerged that the daughter of a senior prosecutor witnessed the shooting.

Earlier this month, Utah County District Court Judge Tony Graf convened a hearing to consider a motion filed by attorneys for Tyler Robinson, who argue that lawyers from the Utah County Attorney’s Office should be taken off the case due to a potential conflict of interest.

According to the defense, the 18-year-old daughter of a high-ranking prosecutor was present when the fatal shooting occurred on September 10.

They contend that the office’s move to pursue capital punishment less than a week after the killing reflected a “strong emotional reaction” by Chad Grunander, a deputy county attorney whose daughter notified him of the shooting through a series of text messages.

Grunander took the stand and rejected the claim that his daughter’s involvement influenced the office’s decision. He testified that prosecutors sought the death penalty only after concluding that the evidence against Robinson was strong enough to support it.

“We felt there’s simply no conflict here,” Grunander told the Provo, Utah, court during a Feb. 3 hearing.

Court proceedings and filings have not addressed who would assume responsibility for prosecuting the case if Judge Graf rules that Grunander and his colleagues must step aside. Defense attorneys have previously asked that the Utah Attorney General’s Office respond to their allegations of a conflict, rather than the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

Robinson, 22, had been training to work as an electrician. Authorities allege that he fired a single shot from a rooftop, killing Kirk while the conservative activist was engaged in a debate with students at Utah Valley University in Orem as part of a nationwide campus tour.

Kirk was widely recognized for energizing young voters who contributed to President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. His killing, carried out before a large crowd, underscored what many have described as a disturbing rise in political violence across the country.

Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, tampering with a witness, and obstruction of justice. He is not expected to enter a plea until after a preliminary hearing that is currently anticipated to take place in mid-May.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – The winners of this year’s Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge created innovative projects to improve their cities’ core services – many using some combination of artificial intelligence and the wisdom of their residents.

That’s what South Bend, Indiana, Mayor James Mueller did with his initiative that uses AI to interpret data about residents, like a family falling behind on paying its water bill, and to help offer them services and support that could prevent larger issues.

“Technology is not necessarily good or bad – it’s how it’s used and how you protect against abuses,” said Mueller, a Democrat who has been mayor since 2020. “We’re trying to use cutting edge tools to deliver city services in a proactive way that meets our residents’ needs.”

The twenty-four winners announced Tuesday range from Boise, Idaho, where they are using geothermal energy to lower residents’ heating bills, to Beira, Mozambique, where they are relocating fishermen and their families from flood-prone coastal homes to safer inland houses. Each will receive $1 million to implement the program, as well as support from Bloomberg Philanthropies experts to help the new initiative succeed.

The hope, says former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., is that successful programs from Mayors Challenge winners can be used in other cities.

“The most effective city halls are bold, creative, and proactive in solving problems and meeting residents’ needs – and we launched the Mayors Challenge to help more of them succeed,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

James Anderson, head of government innovation programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said many of this year’s winners are integrating AI technology into their work in sophisticated ways, bringing municipal governments closer to the residents they serve.

“Testing and learning and adapting new ideas don’t generally get funded with public dollars,” Anderson said. “It is up to philanthropy to support experimentation.”

Vico Sotto, mayor of Pasig City in the Philippines, said becoming one of this year’s Mayors Challenge winners will speed up his project to build floating parks in the Pasig River that will become new community space and reduce flooding threats in the area. Without the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Sotto said the initiative wouldn’t be able to start for another year or two.

“The government doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to maintaining infrastructure,” Sotto said. “So we will be creating a governance council, including people who live in the area, so definitely they’re not going to abandon these parks. They’re going to take care of them because they’re using them as well.”

In Lafayette, Louisiana, the city-parish had the opposite problem. Lafayette wanted to update parts of its sewer system, but because some parts were on homeowners’ property the city wasn’t allowed to pay for it.

Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet said the Mayors Challenge encouraged her administration to figure out a solution that will now allow Lafayette to make the repairs and, as a result, encourage development in the city. The plan was also named a Mayors Challenge winner.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies, the staff, Michael Bloomberg – all of them – have such a global impact in ways that most people will never know,” said Boulet, a Republican elected in 2023. “They bring in a level of capacity and give you the space to really be creative and to come up with solutions that can change lives.”

South Bend’s Mueller said that the Mayors Challenge comes at a time when more and more global problems need to be solved at a local level.

“Trust in government is at an all-time low, but local governments consistently perform better in surveys about trust from their residents,” Mueller said. “It is critical for us to maintain that level of trust with our residents and build it even further. So that’s why we’re always looking at innovative ways of doing things better and making the city a better place to live.”

The winners of the 2026 Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge are: As-Salt, Jordan; Barcelona, Spain; Beira, Mozambique; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Benin City, Nigeria; Boise, Idaho, United States; Budapest, Hungary; Cape Town, South Africa; Cartagena, Colombia; Fez, Morocco; Fukuoka, Japan; Ghaziabad, India; Ghent, Belgium; Kanifing, The Gambia; Lafayette, Louisiana, United States; Medellín, Colombia; Netanya, Israel; Pasig, Philippines; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; South Bend, Indiana, United States; Surabaya, Indonesia; Toronto, Canada; Turku, Finland; Visakhapatnam, India.

Paris’s 19th arrondissement was the site of a troubling antisemitic incident in which an elderly Jewish woman was verbally attacked by activists from the far-left party LFI, according to a Tuesday report by Europe1.

The confrontation took place on Sunday during a leaflet distribution effort for the party’s mayoral candidate, Sophia Shikiru. When the activists noticed a mezuzah on the woman’s door and she chose not to open it, they responded with hostility, shouting slurs such as “dirty Jew” and warning, “We’ll be back,” before fleeing.

The woman contacted police immediately and is now considering whether to file a formal complaint. Investigators are reviewing security camera footage from the building’s entrance in hopes of identifying those involved.

This episode occurred amid a broader escalation of antisemitic incidents in the city. Two days earlier, the Cocorico restaurant in the 17th arrondissement was attacked with acid, leaving extensive damage to the floor, dining room, dishes, and furniture. Authorities are investigating that case as well, underscoring growing concern over rising antisemitism in Paris.

Bloomberg reports Turkey is making preparations for a possible US-led strike on Iran, including contingency thinking about moving into Iranian territory if a “power vacuum” emerges, aimed at blocking a refugee surge toward Turkey.

Turkey shares a long frontier with Iran and is already politically scarred by past migration shocks, still hosting millions of Syrians. Separate reporting in recent weeks has described Turkish planning for an on-the-ground “buffer” on the Iranian side of the border in a worst-case collapse scenario.

Turkey and Iran on the map of Middle East (Western Asia) in soft grunge and vintage style, like old paper with watercolor painting.

Publicly, Turkey has also warned that foreign intervention in Iran would deepen the crisis, while urging Washington to pursue negotiations and de-escalation.

If the US escalates pressure on Tehran, border moves by a NATO member could redraw the map fast, and pull new actors into a conflict zone that Israel has been warning could widen beyond Iranian proxies.

BALTIMORE (VINnews)-The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing more than 2,500 traditional Orthodox rabbis engaged in American public policy, has released a new scriptural guide aimed at identifying antisemitism and tracing its historical and biblical roots.

Titled “The Jew-Hatred Mindset: A Scriptural Guide,” the document was authored by CJV Executive Vice President Rabbi Yaakov Menken and Southern Regional Vice President Rabbi Moshe B. Parnes. It draws on biblical narratives and over 3,300 years of Jewish historical experience to explain how antisemitism adapts across generations, often repackaged to seem acceptable, moral or even virtuous in contemporary contexts.

The guide highlights attacks on Israel and Zionism as a modern manifestation of ancient patterns of hostility.

“Rabbis are the natural experts on antisemitism,” Rabbi Parnes, who also serves as dean of the Hollywood Community Kollel in Hollywood, Florida, said in a statement. “They carry generations of cumulative experience guiding Jewish communities through persecution, and they are equipped with Biblical wisdom that identified and explained hatred against Jews long before modern attempts to rationalize it.”

The paper seeks to educate both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, particularly addressing confusion among some Christian supporters of Israel who encounter misleading narratives about Jews and the Jewish state.

“Many allies of the Jewish community, while harboring no hatred themselves, are mystified by the irrational and transparently bigoted accusations directed at Jews and Israel,” Rabbi Menken said. “Our goal was to clear that confusion and connect today’s rhetoric to its ancient origins.”

The release coincides with the inaugural Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress, held this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The event brought together faith leaders to bolster cooperation between Jewish and Christian communities and combat antisemitism. Organizers noted that the guide’s emphasis on shared biblical foundations makes it especially relevant for Christian participants who revere the Hebrew Bible.

CJV leaders described the publication as an accessible tool offering an objective framework for recognizing antisemitism and its persistent patterns.

The full guide is available on the CJV website.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly scheduled to brief congressional leaders later today, Tuesday, about Iran, as President Trump is considering possible military strikes, to two people familiar with the matter told Politico.

The meeting will take place at the White House and will include House and Senate leadership and the top members of the Intelligence Committees. The closed door briefing will take place just a few hours before President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address.

This meeting comes as the Trump administration has significantly increased U.S. military forces in the Middle East amid tensions and so far failed talks with Iran. Trump publicly warned of severe consequences if no agreement is reached with Tehran on its nuclear enrichment program, with some lawmakers pushing for a congressional vote on a resolution requiring approval before any use of force against Iran.

[Photos and videos below.] An Israel-to-JFK flight that was unexpectedly diverted to Detroit turned into a powerful display of achdus and chesed, as members of the Detroit Jewish community mobilized within hours to provide passengers with kosher food and emergency assistance.

The flight, originally scheduled to land at JFK Airport in New York, was rerouted to Detroit due to unforeseen circumstances, leaving dozens of passengers stranded far from their intended destination. With little notice and limited airport food options that met kosher standards, the situation quickly became challenging for the frum travelers.

Enter Daniel Greenbaum, owner of Metropolitan Dry Cleaners, who immediately began coordinating a community response. Working together with the owners of Jerusalem Pizza and members of Hatzalah Detroit, Greenbaum helped organize a large-scale food delivery to the airport to ensure that every passenger in need would be taken care of.

Within a short time, cars were packed and dispatched to the airport loaded with an extraordinary amount of food and supplies. The shipment included 65 large pizza pies, 8 gluten-free pies, and several vegan and cheeseless pies to accommodate a range of dietary needs. In addition, volunteers prepared and delivered 150 individually plated orders of fries and 50 tuna and egg sandwiches.

Several cases of water and Snapple were also included to make sure passengers had drinks after hours of unexpected delay.

Community members described the effort as seamless and inspiring. Volunteers worked quickly to prepare, pack, and transport the food, transforming what could have been a stressful and uncomfortable ordeal into a moment of genuine ahavas Yisroel.

Hatzalah Detroit members were also on hand to assist with any medical or emergency needs, ensuring that passengers had access not only to food but to support and reassurance as well.

What began as a routine international flight disruption became an unforgettable example of how a Jewish community—no matter the city—steps up instantly when fellow Yidden are in need.

Passengers expressed deep appreciation for the outpouring of support, many noting that after a long and uncertain travel interruption, the sight of cars arriving filled with hot kosher food was both comforting and uplifting.

{Matzav.com}

A driver is being hospitalized after going airborne off the 195 overpass, landing on Rt. 9 in Howell.

As first reported on TLS Communities, the accident happened shortly after 10:00 AM.

The driver is being transported to the hospital. No word on her current condition.

Avoid the area as police investigate the incident and clear the scene.

An El Al flight was sent back to Israel after eight hours in the air due to the snowstorm that hit the northeastern coast of the United States on Monday.

El Al Flight 1027 was flying near Corsica in southern Europe when it received the message that Newark Liberty International Airport, where it was scheduled to land, had suspended landings due to the heavy snows, high winds and poor visibility. After discussing several options, including transferring to a North American airline, the decision was ultimately made to return to Ben Gurion Airport.

The airplane touched down safely at Ben Gurion Airport a few hours later.

Thanks to the storm, Newark Airport had widespread cancellations and delays. Once the airport resumes regular operations, the flight will be rescheduled, according to an El Al official.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – A powerful blizzard that battered New York City over the weekend has officially become one of the city’s 10 largest on record, with more snow expected this week.

As of Monday afternoon, Central Park had received 19.7 inches, surpassing the January 2011 storm. Some neighborhoods reported even higher totals: Grasmere, Staten Island, measured 24.1 inches; Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, 22.5 inches; and Babylon, Long Island, 29.5 inches.

(AP) – A record-setting snowstorm has prompted managers of The Boston Globe to call off printing their daily newspaper for the first time in its 153-year-old history.

Snow and winds prevented staff from safely getting to the Globe printing plant to print Tuesday’s paper, the newspaper said in an article on its website. Parts of Massachusetts’ Bristol County, where the Globe’s printing press in Taunton is located, recorded 32 inches (81 centimeters) of snow by Monday night, the National Weather Service said.

Readers are much less reliant on newsprint for their news in today’s internet age. A 2025 survey by the Pew Research Center found that only 7% of U.S. adults often got their news from printed newspapers or magazines. That’s compared to 56% who said they often got their news from a smartphone, computer or tablet.

Tuesday marks the first time Globe management has called off the newspaper’s daily production since its 1872 founding. Labor strikes halted printing a few times in the 1950s and ’60s.

The Globe said it went to press during another record-setting blizzard nearly five decades ago, when it printed a few thousands copies of a Feb. 7, 1978, edition. Few papers actually made it to readers, however, because piles of snow prevented delivery trucks from getting farther than a mile or two from its building.

Monday’s blizzard set snowfall records in nearby Rhode Island, where the T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick received nearly 38 inches (96.5 centimeters) to break a 1978 record.

The Globe said print subscribers will get Tuesday’s paper delivered on Wednesday.

Human Rights Watch released a report Tuesday documenting the horrific and outrageous human rights abuses the Iranian regime has been perpetrating on its own people since the bloody crackdown on protesters in January to suppress the demonstrations and mask its actions.

The regime continues to detain massive numbers of people, holding them in unofficial and often undisclosed locations, where they are tortured, forced to sign false confessions under duress and subject to arbitrary and secret executions.

The report focused on interviews with 23 people whose relatives were killed, detained, or disappeared, as well as with doctors, other professionals and prisoners. It also examined abuses in the provinces of Alborz, Eastern Azerbaijan, Fars, Golestan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Mazandaran, Razavi Khorasan and Tehran.

Despite the bloody crackdown last month, Iranians defiantly march against the Iranian regime. (From a post on X)

In addition, the human rights group reviewed footage of violence committed by security forces and more than 100 televised forced confessions.

“As a whole nation remains in shock, horror, and grief and families still search for their loved ones in the aftermath of the massacres of Jan. 8 and 9, authorities continue to terrorize the population,” said Human Rights Watch senior Iran researcher Bahar Saba. “Arrests continue, and detainees face torture, coerced ‘confessions’ and secret, summary and arbitrary executions.”

“Given the immense dangers those detained and forcibly disappeared face, international monitors should immediately be given unhindered access to all detention facilities and prisons,” he said.

A 19-year-old wrestling champion, Saleh Mohammadi, was accused of killing a member of the security force. Following a forced confession and a brief trial that reportedly included zero evidence, Mohammadi was sentenced to death by public execution. In two videos reviewed by the NGO, two 16-year-old girls were forced to say that they had received foreign support to protest.

Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old wrestling champion, is sentenced to a public execution. (From a post on X)

When protests initially broke out, the regime sought to pacify the people by offering a $7 monthly stipend. When that didn’t work, they initiated the bloodiest crackdown in recent memory. The Iranian regime cracked down on the protesters by shooting live rounds into dense crowds and ramming vehicles into protesters, among other methods. In one particularly grisly incident, protesters fled into the twisting alleyways of a bazaar to escape the gunfire of security forces, but one of the stores caught fire, with hot winds quickly spreading the conflagration. With no choice but to escape the flames, protesters ran straight into a hail of bullets, as a ring of gunmen had surrounded the perimeter and shot them to death as they broke out of the raging inferno.

One Iranian doctor told The Jerusalem Post that people who had come to the hospital for treatment for wounds inflicted by security were then killed by those forces in their hospital beds during treatment.

The authorities also shut down the internet, plunging the country into a communications blackout that served two purposes: to prevent the protesters from organizing and to conceal their murderous activities from the rest of the world.

The regime succeeded on both counts. The protests quickly fizzled out, and the number of those killed remains unclear. However, some reports put the death toll at upwards of 36,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were killed on Jan. 8 and 9, the two bloodiest days of the protests.

These are alleged photos of a teenager, left, sentenced to death, and a young married woman killed in the protests. (From posts on X)

The Iranian authorities admit to about 3,000 deaths and 11,000 detentions.

“Everyone you see has been horribly tortured… All [confessions] are coerced, they [the authorities] would write up what they want themselves or would dictate what to write … and if you did not accept to sign, they would hit you with a[n electric] shocker on the head,” said a message from a detainee who is being held in solitary confinement. “You are sitting there blindfolded, shackled and in handcuffs, encircled by several men; you would accept anything.”

Families have complained that the bodies of their loved ones were not returned to them for burial. Detainees have been denied access to legal counsel and communication with their loved ones.

“Detainees have no access to lawyers,” one lawyer explained to the human rights NGO. “Families do not want to retain Article 48 lawyers. Independent lawyers who go to officials to take on protest detainees’ cases are told by the authorities, ‘Are you an Article 48 lawyer? No? Then leave, you cannot take the case.’”

Article 48 lawyers are government-approved and have been known to participate in human rights violations, so families of detainees don’t trust them.

According to HRW, detainees have reported being beaten until they lost consciousness multiple times and being subjected to sexual violence.

HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Two Missouri sheriff’s deputies were fatally shot, one during a traffic stop and the other hours later during a shootout with the suspect, who was also killed, authorities said.

Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said the initial shooting happened during a traffic stop south of Highlandville on Monday in southwest Missouri, news outlets reported.

About 100 officers, deputies, and state troopers helped with the search for the suspect, Cole said. He says U.S. Marshals and FBI and ATF agents were also involved.

The suspected shooter’s truck was found abandoned several miles south near Reeds Spring and law enforcement officers searched the area nearby, Cole said. Early Tuesday, deputies approached a heat signature detected in the woods. Cole said the suspect opened fire, hitting three deputies.

One Christian County deputy was killed and two other deputies — from Christian and Webster counties — were wounded with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, Cole said. Law enforcement officers shot back, killing the suspect, he said.

Cole identified the deputy killed in the initial shooting as Deputy Gabriel Ramirez.

“Deputy Ramirez was always kind to everybody, Cole said. “He was always a friend, was always there for anybody who needed a shoulder to lean on.”

WASHINGTON (JNS) – The Board of Peace unveiled its official website Tuesday, giving the public access to information about the organization’s structure, mission, and members. The announcement was made via a post on X.

The Official Board of Peace Website.https://t.co/0IccukrtiD

— Board of Peace (@BoardOfPeace) February 24, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump, who chairs the Board, introduced the body at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and led its first formal meeting in Washington last week. The United Nations Security Council welcomed the Board in Resolution 2803 last November, describing it as a temporary administrative body to support rebuilding efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The site highlights the Board’s goals, key initiatives, and the flags of its 28 founding members, including Israel. It also lists the Board’s leadership, the Executive and Gaza-focused boards, and High Representative Nickolay Mladenov. Visitors can access governance documents, official statements, presentations, and a blog, with content available in English and Arabic.

Trump is quoted on the site emphasizing the potential impact of the Board, calling it “one of the most consequential bodies ever created.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quipped Sunday that if there is ever a spike in pizza deliveries near the Pentagon, it might simply be him placing large orders to mislead online observers who monitor such activity as a predictor of major world events.

Appearing on Fox News, Hegseth was asked about the “Pentagon Pizza Report,” an account on X that tracks ordering patterns at pizzerias located near the Pentagon and other key military facilities. The account analyzes Google Maps “popular times” data under the theory that unusually high late-night demand may signal that senior officials are working extended hours in response to unfolding military developments.

Hegseth acknowledged he is familiar with the account and joked about deliberately disrupting its conclusions.

“I’ve thought of just ordering lots of pizza on random nights just to throw everybody off,” he said Sunday on Fox News. “Some Friday night when you see a bunch of Dominos orders, it might just be me on an app, throwing the whole system off so we keep everybody off balance. We look at every indicator.”

The Pentagon Pizza Report focuses on spikes in evening activity at restaurants near U.S. military headquarters, suggesting that sudden increases could indicate heightened operational tempo or pending action abroad.

On June 12, for instance, hours before reports emerged of Israel launching a major strike on Iran, the account noted a sharp rise in activity at four pizza establishments close to the Pentagon around 7 p.m., interpreting it as a sign that top officials remained on site to monitor events.

“As of 6:59 p.m. ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,” the account posted on X that evening.

Although the United States initially said it did not take part in the first wave of attacks against Iran, it later entered the 12-day conflict. On June 22, U.S. forces carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in an operation known as Midnight Hammer.

Hegseth maintained that Pentagon officials are conscious of publicly available tracking methods and take them into account.

“There’s a reason Midnight Hammer worked, because we understood open sourced, we understand classified ways in which the public and others are trying to watch movements and in sensitive ways, we control for a lot that,” he said.

Launched in August 2024, the Pentagon Pizza Report is part of a longer-standing public fascination with pizza deliveries as a barometer of military activity, a pattern observers have noted since the 1980s.

In January 1991, Frank Meeks, who owned 43 Domino’s locations in the Washington area, told the Los Angeles Times that pizza delivery patterns sometimes reveal more than official briefings.

“The news media doesn’t always know when something big is going to happen because they’re in bed, but our [pizza] deliverers are out there at 2 in the morning,” Meeks said.

He recalled that on Aug. 1, 1990, the CIA placed an order for 21 pizzas — a one-night record at the time — just hours before Iraqi troops moved into Kuwait, setting off the Gulf War.

{Matzav.com}

(JNS) – Israel is donating 117 generators to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Tuesday, marking the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion. The units will be deployed around Kyiv starting Wednesday.

Sa’ar announced the move in a call with Rabbi Meir Stambler, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, the move came in the wake of a conversation Sa’ar held with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha regarding the difficult power situation in the Kyiv region. During Tuesday’s call with Stambler, Sa’ar asked about the situation of the Jews and wished them a happy Purim.

On Thursday, Jerusalem’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism announced an aid package worth four million shekels ($1.3 million) to assist the Jewish community amid the power cuts.

Due to extensive damage to energy infrastructure during the Russo-Ukrainian war and harsh winter conditions, much of the Jewish population is facing prolonged power cuts, the ministry said.

The Israeli assistance “includes stays in hotels and guesthouses with continuous electricity and heating, as well as hot meals, focusing on cities experiencing extended power cuts,” according to a statement.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk told the Walla outlet on Tuesday that Jerusalem “stands before a clear moral and historic choice” amid the war with the Russian Federation.

“For Ukraine, Russia is what Hamas is for Israel—an aggressive force seeking to undermine the existence of a sovereign state, deliberately targeting civilians and waging a boundless war against a free society,” Korniychuk continued.

“Precisely because Israel has experienced existential terror and threats to its right to exist, there is no country better positioned to understand the reality Ukraine is facing,” he said, urging the government of the Jewish state to stand alongside Kyiv “without hesitation.”

As the war on Ukraine entered its fifth year on Tuesday, Israel’s Interior Ministry decided to extend collective protection so that all Ukrainian refugees can stay until the end of March, the i24News site reported.

About 23,000 Ukrainians—mostly women—are currently living in Israel and are not eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return, which grants citizenship to Jews and some of their descendants.

Around 14,000 have fled to Israel since the war began on Feb. 24, 2022, while roughly 9,000 were already in the country beforehand for various reasons, including as migrant workers, asylum seekers or migrants. All are legal residents of the country and are shielded from deportation.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

There is a controversy brewing in regard to dishwashers – that can be viewed as a possible divide between the Chareidi community and other religious communities in Eretz Yisroel in.  There is also a 50 year old salmon recipe that may possibly help determine which side may be correct.

Just as an aside, before we begin – there is now a trend in many communities to install two dishwashers – both, yes, fleishig and zero milchig!   Practitioners explain that it is a huge time and money saver.  How so? You fill them both up on a Motzai Shabbos and then put them away Sunday morning.  Easy-peezy.

But let’s get back to the halachic discussion

In Igros Moshe Yoreh De’ah (vol. 2, #28, 1964), Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal provides three explanations as to why one could possibly be permitted to get by with a single dishwasher and two separate racks for both milchigs and fleishigs used during separate times.

One of the reasons was that dishwashers do not have an internal heating mechanism and would be considered a Kli Sheini and not a Kli Rishon.  This author was once on a plane flight and sat next to his esteemed son-in-law, Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler zt”l on a flight from Los Angeles to New York.  Rabbi Tendler, at first, stated that they do not have internal heating mechanisms, and that his shver had consulted with him on this very matter – not once, but twice.  I then proceeded to draw the schematic of a few different models.  Rabbi Tendler zt”l then responded that if that is the case, then the halacha would need to be re-exaimed.

Rav Feinstein quoted the Rama (YD 95:3) who rules that the very same basin of water could be used for cleaning meat and dairy dishes consecutively. Rav Moshe explained that nosain ta’am bar nosain ta’am, would render it such that the ta’am of the meat and dairy would be lessened – once one type of dish is removed.  This Rama, however, is dealing with a kli sheini and not a kli rishon. Also, there is almost always b’en – solid fleishigs in the trap or drain that is fully edible. 

Another point Rav Moshe zatzal made was that the huge amount of water would make for bittul b’shishim, a nullification in a 60:1 ratio.  This too, does not account for the minimum amount of wather that comes in contact with the meat that is in the trap and would send ta’am upward since it is piping hot.

The modern communities in Eretz Yisroel have extended these arguments even more and do not even require separate racks as Rav Feinstein zatzal had argued.

Rav Moshe continued the discussion a bit eight years later in Teshuvah #29 (1972) as well as in YD #43,  YD III #28 and #29. He explains that soap or detergent is considered a davar hapogaim, and while that may be a mitigating factor the soap may not pogaim the meat in the trap, as the soap is often washed away in a manner not too different from strawberries and other vegetables that the Kashrus agencies are now requiring. The mitigating factor of nosain ta’am lifgam after 24 hours does not apply to real b’ain.

Rabbi Yehuda Spitz shlita (an outstanding Talmid Chochom and Posaik) in his Ohr Samayach’s Insights into Halacha, cites a number of Poskim who disagreed with Rav Moshe’s heter and mitigatim factors – for a number of reason. They are: See Shu”t Ba’er Moshe (vol. 7, 60), Shu”t Beis Avi (vol. 2, 93), Shu”t Avnei Yashpei (vol. 3, 71), Yalkut Yosef (IV”H vol. 3 pg. 491, s.v. ulam), Badei Hashulchan (Y”D 95, 81; Biurim pg. 309, s.v. u’linyan), Pischei Halacha (English version ppg. 258 – 262), Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Pfeiffer, on BB”C vol. 2, Kuntress HaBiurim 6), Kovetz M’Beis Levi (vol. 1, HaKashrus HaMitbach pg. 30, 7, footnote 6), HaKashrus (Ch. 1, pg. 75 -76), Kashrus V’Shabbos B’Mitbach HaModerni (pg. 114), Ohel Yaakov (on IV”H 1st edition pg. 296 – 297, 26, footnotes 52 & 53).

Two more thoughts:  In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, frum American families were still relatively poor and were not in a position to afford two dishwashers or significant household help.  Rav Moshe zatzal looked out for Klal Yisroel as much as possible – something that should be taken more into account even nowadays. 

But the second thought goes back to 1975.  An actor who played villians went on national television with a recipe as to how to “cook salmon” in, yes, a dishwasher.

What follows is just such a recipe.  The purpose of printing it is to show that dishwashers are clearly a kli rishon.  There are two main types of the internal heating mechanism: 1]An exposed one – generally a visible coil at the bottom of the tub, similar to an oven element. They are common in many American-brand budget and mid-range models (GE, Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana). These heat up the wash water and also do a “heated dry” by radiating heat after the wash cycle. 2] Those with hidden/concealed heaters — they are built into the base or integrated into the circulation pump. Brands like Bosch, Miele, and many European-style dishwashers use this approach. They heat the water but typically rely on condensation drying rather than a hot exposed element, which is gentler on plastics and are more energy-efficient.

The Recipe

Begin by pulling out two pieces of aluminum foil, each roughly 16 inches long. Lay your salmon fillet in the center of the first sheet and sprinkle it generously with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Once seasoned, place the second sheet of foil directly on top.

Carefully press the edges of the two sheets together and fold them over several times, crimping tightly all the way around. The goal is to create a fully sealed packet that hugs the fish closely and prevents any water from getting inside.

To cook it, position the foil-wrapped salmon on the top rack of your dishwasher and run a standard wash cycle. DO NOT ADD DETERGENT!  The heat generated during the normal cycle is intended to cook the fish. When the dishwasher finishes, open the door and take note of the smell. If the foil packet was sealed properly, the interior of the dishwasher should smell as it normally does, without any trace of fish.

Remove the packet, carefully unwrap the salmon, and transfer it to a plate. You may see a bit of liquid inside the foil — that’s simply moisture released during cooking, assuming the seal held. Before serving, check that there is no scent of detergent on the fish. For safety, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet and confirm it has reached an internal temperature of 145°F. If it has, the salmon should be tender, moist, and ready to eat — unconventional method notwithstanding.

Potential Concerns

However, several safety issues should be considered. If the fish fails to reach the USDA-recommended minimum internal temperature of 145°F, there is a risk of foodborne illness. Dishwashers vary widely in temperature output and cycle duration, so results are inconsistent. Additionally, if the foil packet is not perfectly sealed, water and detergent can penetrate the wrapping, contaminating the food. For these reasons, appliance manufacturers strongly advise against using dishwashers for cooking, as they are not engineered for food preparation.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

After already having a snow day yesterday, many parents were stunned to learn there will be no school again today, not because of impassable roads, but because of a chain reaction that began with transportation.

First, LSTA canceled bussing. Then, several girls’ schools announced closures because there would be no transportation. Boys’ schools followed with modified or shortened schedules, explaining that many of their afternoon teachers, who have children, would be home with their own children and unable to teach.

The result? Widespread closures across the community.

Meanwhile, NY Mandami is holding school.

Parents are left asking a simple question: if roads are safe enough for carpools, why aren’t they safe enough for school? On days without bussing, carpools somehow work. Parents who choose to sit in traffic do so voluntarily. That decision should belong to families, not be made preemptively for everyone.

We all remember the last major snowstorm, when roads truly were a mess. No one questioned school closures then. Safety must always come first.

But this situation feels different.

If a high school can hold a school play tonight, clearly concluding that roads are safe for evening travel, why is it unsafe to hold classes during daylight hours?

This decision has already cost families hundreds of dollars in lost wages from yesterday’s snow day. A second day compounds that loss. Many households cannot afford two missed workdays in a row. In a town that runs heavily on kollel families, many men may now need to stay home because their wives cannot afford to miss a second day of work. Either way, income is lost.

The financial ripple effect is real and immediate.

If schools charged $100 per day of class, trust me, they would find a way to open tomorrow. Every business will be open for one simple reason: they only make money when they’re open.

The two entities closed today are bussing and many morahs; the only ones that continue getting paid regardless. And the economic and communal impact of that reality is significant.

Tuition continues to rise. Donations are requested regularly. Parents are asked, often, to go the extra mile for the school. But when families feel that schools are not going the extra mile in return, frustration builds.

At this point, many parents feel the system is taking advantage, plain and simple, because there is zero accountability. Not from LSTA, and not from the schools. When no one must answer for the consequences, cancellation becomes the easiest choice.

But the easiest choice for institutions is not always the most responsible one for families.

Parents are not asking schools to compromise safety. We are asking for coordination, consistency, and shared responsibility. Snow days are part of winter.

Unnecessary snow days — especially when roads are navigable and other institutions remain open — feel less like safety measures and more like avoidable disruption.

Families deserve better leadership and clearer standards. Our children’s education and the stability of our community depend on it.

This letter is a sequel to my previous piece, “An Open Letter to Our Schools: Reconsidering Pre-Pesach School Closures,” published in The Lakewood Scoop.

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

[Video below.] In an emotional radio interview, internationally acclaimed Jewish singer Gad Elbaz disclosed a deeply personal secret he carried unknowingly for nearly four decades. Speaking live on Kol Chai Radio in Israel, Elbaz revealed that until recently he had never undergone a bris milah, a discovery that led him, at age 39, to undergo the procedure and formally enter the covenant of Avrohom Avinu.

The stunning revelation has sent ripples through the Jewish music world. Elbaz, known for performing on major stages around the globe and widely seen as a symbol of connection to Jewish heritage and tradition, told listeners: “I was uncircumcised my entire life.”

In a heartfelt conversation with radio host Menachem Toker, Elbaz described the moment he accidentally discovered that he had not been circumcised as an infant. “At age 39, I had a bris milah after I discovered that they did not circumcise me when I was born,” Elbaz told a stunned Toker.

WATCH:

The singer spoke candidly about the shock and emotional turmoil that accompanied the revelation, as well as the medical and spiritual journey he undertook to correct what he described as a lifelong omission. Undergoing the procedure as an adult, he said, was both physically and emotionally challenging, but ultimately transformative.

According to Elbaz, performing the mitzvah marked the closing of a profound personal circle and reshaped his understanding of his identity. He said the experience gave renewed meaning to the songs and tefillos he has sung throughout his extensive career, infusing them with a deeper sense of personal connection and spiritual authenticity.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — About 20 lone soldiers (who have no family in Israel during their IDF service) celebrated on Monday their bar or bat mitzvah in uniform at the Western Wall plaza after completing a conversion process during their military service.

The event was held at the initiative of the “Big Brother for Lone Soldiers” association, in cooperation with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, for the fourth consecutive year. It is part of an effort to strengthen the sense of belonging of lone soldiers to the State of Israel, the Jewish people, and Jewish tradition. The soldiers were accompanied by 150 additional soldiers who provide them with personal support throughout their military service.

The event opened with a festive musical procession toward the Western Wall prayer plaza. This was followed by bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies led by instructors from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Participants included the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; Big Brother association chairman Nissim Adar; Friends Association president CPA Reuven Shiff; association CEO Daniel Aharon; founder of the Taib Group and the Menomadin Foundation, Haim Taib, and others.

In a moving ceremony, the bar mitzvah celebrants were wrapped in prayer shawls, placed tefillin, and were called up to the Torah. The bat mitzvah celebrants recited the “Shehecheyanu” blessing and received a personal prayer book and a pendant depicting the stones of the Western Wall.

The highlight of the event came when the Big Brother association surprised lone soldier Kidist Mengistu, who was deeply moved to meet her mother, flown in especially from Ethiopia for the occasion after three and a half years not seeing her daughter.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz blessed the soldiers, stating that “It is moving to see you here at the Western Wall, the holiest place for the Jewish people, which connects us to Jewish tradition and heritage. You are the living example of the eternity of the Jewish people. Especially at this time, when we face enemies who seek to harm us, the connection to our heritage and to the Western Wall serves as an anchor for unity and faith in the justice of our path.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the soldiers toured various sites in the Western Wall Tunnels and visited the new “Gate of Heaven” exhibit, now open to the public, which tells the historical story of the Jewish people, those who come to the Western Wall to embrace its ancient stones and join the chain of generations.

One of the participants, B., 22, immigrated from Ethiopia about two years ago with the goal of enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces. He serves as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade and is expected to complete basic training in about a month.

As a child, B. grew up in a village in Ethiopia without internet or cars. He was raised with a Jewish identity, including observing Jewish holidays and maintaining tradition. B. said his military service and life in Israel fulfill a personal and family dream. He said he is happy to live in Israel and serve the country loyally.

“I always dreamed of coming to Israel and being a soldier in the IDF. For me, Israel is the place where I can realize my identity and be part of my people,” he told Ynet. “I grew up in a home that observed Shabbat and celebrated the Jewish holidays, but I did not celebrate a bar mitzvah. I always felt that something was missing, so the moving ceremony at the Western Wall gives me a sense of wholeness and closure.”

His mother died of cancer nine years ago, and his older sister has raised him since then. His brothers now live in Tiberias, while his father remains in Ethiopia. The two last met about two years ago and remain in contact by phone.

B. was accompanied by Uzi Brenner, 35, of the northern community of Hoshaya, through the nonprofit group Big Brother for Lone Soldiers. Brenner himself immigrated to Israel from Buenos Aires in 2010. Like his mentee, he served as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade, experience he said helps him understand what B. is going through.

Brenner first encountered the organization in 2013, shortly after it was founded, and joined as a volunteer. He met B. when B. enlisted in a Hebrew-language course at Michve Alon, an IDF base that prepares new immigrants and other recruits for service. Since then, Brenner has accompanied him consistently, helping bridge language and cultural gaps, guiding him through military and personal processes and assisting with daily needs.

Brenner now works at an investment firm and serves in the reserves in the casualty unit. “Uzi is like a big brother to me. He not only helps me, he gives me confidence and the feeling that I have someone by my side on my new path here,” B. said.
Brenner said it did not take long to realize his mentee faced language and cultural gaps he would need help closing. “When he received a computer for the first time in his life, I connected him with someone who could teach him how to use it in Amharic — so it would be accessible and help him move forward,” Brenner said. “I was filled with pride seeing B. complete both the Hebrew course and the Nativ conversion course with distinction. As a mentor, it was very meaningful to see his progress along the way.”

Big Brother for Lone Soldiers operates a personal mentoring network for lone soldiers through a community of hundreds of volunteers. Each lone soldier is paired with a “big brother” who accompanies him or her throughout military service, providing daily support and assistance. The mentorship creates a supportive, family-like framework, strengthens the sense of belonging and helps the soldiers integrate into Israeli society.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated that it will continue working to strengthen Jewish identity, national belonging, and a spirit of unity for all people at the holiest site of the Jewish people.

Member of Knesset Meir Porush delivered a sharp speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday evening, accusing opposition leaders of relentlessly targeting bnei Torah and the chareidi community and branding them as part of what he called a “Losers Government.”

Speaking from the podium, Porush said he wanted to use his limited speaking time to address what he described as a pressing issue.

“I want to use the few minutes at my disposal,” Porush began, “to speak to you about another important issue. ‘The Losers Government.’ Yes, what you heard. Today, two governments are serving in Israel — the elected government and the ‘Losers Government.’ You are familiar with the term ‘shadow government’ from Britain? Here, we have the ‘Losers Government’ — people whose only common denominator is failure.”

Porush continued by elaborating on his remarks.

“‘The Losers Government’ is made up of members from various parties, some currently serving as Knesset members and some aspiring to serve. What they all have in common is that they served in the previous government and failed — just as losers fail. The members of the ‘Losers Government’ are many, and I will list the main ones in alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone.”

He then proceeded to name: “Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Yoaz Hendel, Avigdor Lieberman.”

Porush also criticized additional political figures who, he said, were undecided about joining what he termed the “Losers Government.”

“There are also those still deliberating whether they want to be members of the ‘Losers Government,’ such as Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz, who have one foot here and one foot there. What distinguishes the members of the ‘Losers Government’? They have nothing genuine to offer the citizens of Israel. So what is their solution to justify their tenure? Incitement, division, hatred, and more of the same.”

He added that competition among them was intense.

“Lieberman wants to send us to the garbage dump, Lapid wants to strip us of the right to vote, Hendel wants us thrown out of our workplaces, and Bennett is a genius — he knows what we don’t know. If he just publishes multi-billion-shekel plans, all the chareidim will run to vote for him, just as he surely explained in his booklet ‘How to Defeat a Pandemic.’”

In closing, Porush said: “In the meantime, the losers are competing among themselves over who is the bigger loser, and the battle is tough — every day a new poll is published in which a different loser leads the race for who is closest to the electoral threshold. The head of the opposition who spoke here a few hours ago usually wins that race for the threshold. Dear losers, let me give you a spoiler — it won’t help you. Tommy Lapid tried this. It worked for a few short years, but it ended in disappointment. It’s a shame for you.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Arizona House of Representatives Monday approved House Resolution 2002 and House Concurrent Resolution 2047, legislation sponsored by State Representative David Livingston which affirms Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and directs Arizona to use historically accurate terminology in official state communications.

The resolutions recognize the historical, biblical, and legal legitimacy of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term “West Bank,” which was imposed during Jordan’s illegal occupation of the territory from 1948 to 1967. The measures advanced with bipartisan support following approval by the House Appropriations Committee last week.

“Today, the Arizona House chose accuracy over polities,” Representative Livingston said. “Judea and Samaria are not invented terms and they are not negotiable facts. They are central to Jewish history, faith, and national identity, and Arizona will not participate in language meant to deny that truth.”

The resolutions also recognize the importance of Judea and Samaria to Israel’s security and to United States interests in preventing terrorist-controlled territory from emerging in the region. Representative Livingston thanked members of the House for supporting the resolutions and for standing firmly against efforts to rewrite the historical and legal record.

“This vote shows that respect for history still matters,” Representative Livingston said. “Arizona stands with Israel, speaks plainly about the facts, and refuses to bend to political pressure.”

Israeli Consul General Yisrael Bachar released a statement applauding the decision.

HR 2002 was adopted upon passage by the House. HCR 2047 now goes to the Arizona Senate for adoption.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu

Hebrew Text with Linear English Translation  Based on Seder Zayin Adar by Rabbi Moshe Cohen  English Translation by Rabbi Yair Hoffman. Copy this!

History and Background of Zayin Adar

The Significance of the Date

The seventh of Adar — Zayin Adar — marks both the birth and the yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu. The Gemara (Kiddushin 38a, Sotah 12b) establishes that Moshe was born on 7 Adar and died on 7 Adar exactly 120 years later, fulfilling the pasuk: “I will complete the number of your days” (Shemos 23:26). The Gemorah teaches that Hashem completes the years of the righteous “from day to day” — that tzaddikim are born and die on the same date.

***This author tries to support 21 single mothers in the community who do not even have the funds to put food on the table. Anyone who wishes to donate please zelle [email protected]***

Several important minhagim are associated with Zayin Adar:

• Fasting: The Maharil (Teshuvos Maharil, Siman 31) records the minhag to fast on Zayin Adar, and this is codified in Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 580:2). In a leap year, the fast is observed in Adar Rishon (Magen Avraham), even if the year Moshe died was not a leap year, because Zayin Adar I falls near Parshas Tetzaveh — the only parsha from Moshe’s birth until Devarim in which his name does not appear, hinting at his passing.
• Chevra Kadisha observances: Zayin Adar is the annual gathering day for Chevra Kadisha (burial societies) worldwide. Because Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself attended to Moshe’s burial (the only “day off” for the Chevra Kadisha in history), this date was chosen for recognition of those who perform the mitzva of tachrichim and burial. A seudas mitzva is held following the fast.
• Tzidkascha: Some communities recite Tzidkascha (the three pesukim of Tehillim 36:7, 71:19, and 119:142) at Mincha. The Sephardic order begins with 36:7; Nusach Ashkenaz reverses the order.
• Tachanun: Chabad and some other communities omit Tachanun beginning from Mincha of 6 Adar, since the neshama of Moshe shines in the leader of each generation and they feel the spiritual significance of the day as a yom simcha (day of joy).

The Seder Zayin Adar: Origin and Nature

The text known as the “Seder Zayin Adar” is a compilation that was recited on this day as a form of tikkun (spiritual rectification) in honor of Moshe Rabbeinu. The earliest printed edition that has been found so far is likely the Tikkun le-Zayin Adar u-le-Chamisha be-Av (Tikkun for 7 Adar and 5 Av), published in Livorno (Leghorn) in 1874. This indicates the text was already an established tradition by the 19th century in both Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities.

The text draws from multiple earlier sources, including Midrashic material about Moshe’s death (drawing heavily on Devarim Rabbah, Yalkut Shimoni, Midrash Petiras Moshe, and other related aggadata), the Gemorahs on the three gifts given in the merit of Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe, and halachic material on Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Moshe Cohen (whose name appears on the version translated by this author) organized and compiled this version of the Seder. The custom of reciting this text on Zayin Adar is observed both in Eretz Yisrael and in Chutz La’Aretz.

The Seder covers several major ideas: (1) the transfer of leadership from Moshe Rabbeinu to Yehoshua; (2) chronological data about Moshe Rabbeinu’s life and the cessation of the three nissim; (3) a vivid, moving account of Moshe Rabbeinu’s petirah, including the conversation between Hashem and Moshe Rabbeinu’s neshamah; (4) the malachim refusing to take his Neshama and Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s taking of it with a “kiss”; (5) the mourning of all creation; and (6) laws of Yom Kippur, connecting the the idea of kapparah on this day.

1. Opening Custom | מנהג הקריאה

מִנְהָג הוּא בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ וּבְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִקְרוֹא קְרִיאָה מְיֻחֶדֶת בְּשִׁבְעָה בַּאֲדָר, יוֹם הִסְתַּלְּקוּת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ.

It is a custom both in the Diaspora and in the Land of Israel to recite a special reading on the 7th of Adar — the day of the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu.

2. Moshe and Yehoshua’s Final Teaching | לימוד מֹשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ

הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה וְתַלְמִידָיו וְעָמְדוּ עַל פֶּתַח בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ.

Moshe and his disciples went and stood at the gate of the study hall.

אָמַר לָהֶם: אֲשַׁנֶּה לָכֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁלֹּא תֹּאמְרוּ לֹא בֵּאַרְנוּ לָכֶם יָפֶה.

He said to them: “I will teach you the Torah again, so that you should not say: we did not explain it well.”

מַה אָמַר הַתַּלְמִיד לָרַב? וּמַה אָמַר הָרַב לַתַּלְמִיד?

What did the student say to the teacher? What did the teacher say to the student?

וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ (דְּבָרִים ל״א:ז׳–ח׳).

And Moshe called to Yehoshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel: “Be strong and courageous” (Devarim 31:7–8).

כִּי אַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע הֹ לַאֲבֹתָם.

For you shall come with this people to the land which Hashem swore to their fathers.

וַהֹ הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ לְפָנֶיךָ, הוּא יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ, לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ, לֹא תִירָא וְלֹא תֵחָת.

Hashem goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear nor be dismayed.

בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה עַצְמוֹ כְּתַלְמִיד וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ כְּרַב.

In that hour, Moshe made himself as a student and Yehoshua as a teacher.

הָלַךְ לִלְמֹד, וְאָמַר הַתַּלְמִיד לָרַב, וְהָרַב לַתַּלְמִיד.

He [Moshe] went to learn; the student said to the teacher, and the teacher to the student.

בְּאוֹתוֹ יוֹם אִישְׁרַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה עַל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ.

On that same day, the Holy One, Blessed be He, confirmed the Torah upon Yehoshua.

3. Chronology | כְּרוֹנוֹלוֹגִיָּה

מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ מֵת בְּשִׁבְעָה בַּאֲדָר.

Moshe our Teacher died on the seventh of Adar.

וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַהוּא נִסְתַּלְּקוּ הַבְּאֵר וְהַמָּן וְעַמּוּד הֶעָנָן יַחַד עִם מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ.

And in that month, the well, the manna, and the pillar of cloud departed along with Moshe Rabbeinu.

מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ נוֹלַד בְּמִצְרַיִם בִּשְׁנַת בִשֳִע (לַסְּפִירָה הָעִבְרִית) וּמֵת בִּשְׁנַת בִתיִחִ.

Moshe Rabbeinu was born in Egypt in the year 2368 (Hebrew calendar) and died in the year 2488.

הָיָה מֹשֶׁה בְּמִצְרַיִם שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה, וְהִנְהִיג אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה.

Moshe was in Egypt for 80 years, and he led Israel in the wilderness for 40 years.

וְחַי קֶׂרֶֹןֹ יוֹם (לאחר מכן).

And he lived an additional 120 days [i.e., the full 120 years to the day].

4. The Three Gifts | שְׁלֹשָׁה מַתָּנוֹת

שְׁלֹשָׁה פַּרְנָסִים טוֹבִים עָמְדוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֵלֶּה הֵם: מִרְיָם, אַהֲרֹן, וּמֹשֶׁה.

Three good advocates stood for Israel: Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe.

וּשְׁלֹשָׁה מַתָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת נִתְּנוּ בִּזְכוּתָם: הַבְּאֵר, עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן, וְהַמָּן.

And three good gifts were given in their merit: the well, the pillar of cloud, and the manna.

הַבְּאֵר בִּזְכוּת מִרְיָם, עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן בִּזְכוּת אַהֲרֹן, הַמָּן בִּזְכוּת מֹשֶׁה.

The well in the merit of Miriam; the pillar of cloud in the merit of Aharon; the manna in the merit of Moshe.

כְּשֶׁמֵּתָה מִרְיָם — נִסְתַּלֵּק הַבְּאֵר; כְּשֶׁמֵּת אַהֲרֹן — נִסְתַּלֵּק עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן; כְּשֶׁמֵּת מֹשֶׁה — נִסְתַּלְּקוּ כֻּלָּם.

When Miriam died, the well was taken away; when Aharon died, the pillar of cloud departed; when Moshe died, all three were taken away.

וּבְיוֹם מוֹת מֹשֶׁה פָּסַק הַמָּן.

On the day Moshe died, the manna ceased.

5. The Death of Moshe | פְּטִירַת מֹשֶׁה

וְיָדַע מֹשֶׁה כִּי יוֹם מִיתָתוֹ הִגִּיעַ. הִשְׁכִּים וְסִדֵּר אֶת עַצְמוֹ.

Moshe knew that the day of his death had come. He rose early and composed himself.

יָרַד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשָּׁמַיִם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, גַּבְרִיאֵל לִימִינוֹ וּמִיכָאֵל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, descended from the highest heavens, with Gavriel at His right and Micha’el at His left.

אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: מֹשֶׁה, עֲצֹם אֶת עֵינֶיךָ. וְעָצַם.

The Holy One said to him: “Moshe, close your eyes.” And he closed them.

אָמַר לוֹ: שִׂים יָדֶיךָ עַל חָזֶיךָ. וְשָׂם. אָמַר לוֹ: כְּנוֹס רַגְלֶיךָ. וְכָנַס.

He said to him: “Place your hands on your chest.” And he placed them. “Place your feet together.” And he did so.

וְאָז קָרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַנְּשָׁמָה מִתּוֹךְ הַגּוּף.

Then the Holy One called to the neshamah from within the body.

אָמַר לָהּ: בִּתִּי, מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה יִעַדְתִּיךְ לְגוּפוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה. עַתָּה הִגִּיעַ זְמַנֵּךְ לָצֵאת.

He said to it: “My daughter, for 120 years I assigned you to the body of Moshe. Now your time has come to depart.”

אָמְרָה לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! יֵשׁ גּוּף בָּעוֹלָם טָהוֹר יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה, שֶׁלֹּא נִרְאָה בוֹ רֵיחַ רַע, תּוֹלָעָה, וְרִמָּה?

The neshamah said: “Master of the Universe! Is there a body in the world purer than the body of Moshe, in which no foul smell, worm, or maggot has ever been found?

לְפִיכָךְ אֲנִי אוֹהֶבֶת אוֹתוֹ וְאֵינִי רוֹצָה לְצֵאת מִמֶּנּוּ.

Therefore I love him and do not wish to leave him.”

אָמַר לָהּ: צְאִי, וַאֲנִי מְמַנָּה אוֹתָךְ לְשָׁמַיִם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים תַּחַת כִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדִי.

He said to her: “Leave, and I will place you in the highest heavens under My throne of glory.”

6. The Neshamah Refuses to Leave | הַנְּשָׁמָה אֵינָהּ רוֹצָה לְצֵאת

אָמְרָה לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! מִלְּפָנֶיךָ וּמִלִּפְנֵי כְּבוֹדְךָ וּמִכִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדְךָ — עִם מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי רוֹצָה.

The neshamah said: “Master of the Universe! From before You and Your glory, and from before the Throne of Your glory — I wish to remain with Moshe.”

יָרַד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשָּׁמַיִם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים לְהוֹצִיא אֶת נִשְׁמַת מֹשֶׁה.

The Holy One descended from the highest heavens to take the neshamah of Moshe.

שְׁלֹשָׁה לִוּוּ אוֹתוֹ: מִיכָאֵל, גַּבְרִיאֵל, וְזַגְזַגְאֵל.

Three accompanied Him: Micha’el, Gavriel, and Zagzagel.

מִיכָאֵל סִדֵּר אֶת מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה, גַּבְרִיאֵל פָּרַשׂ בֶּגֶד פִּשְׁתָּן מִתַּחַת לְרֹאשׁוֹ, זַגְזַגְאֵל מִתַּחַת לְרַגְלָיו.

Micha’el arranged Moshe’s bed; Gavriel spread a fine linen cloth at his head; Zagzagel at his feet.

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: עֲצֹם אֶת עֵינֶיךָ. וְעָצַם. שִׂים יָדֶיךָ עַל חָזֶיךָ. וְשָׂם.

The Holy One said to Moshe: “Close your eyes.” And he closed them. “Place your hands on your chest.” And he placed them.

וְנָטַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת נִשְׁמָתוֹ בְּנְשִׁיקָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ‘וַיָּמָת שָׁם מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד הֹ עַל פִּי הֹ’.

The Holy One took his neshamah with a kiss, as it is written: “So Moshe the servant of Hashem died there — al pi Hashem — by the mouth/command of Hashem” (Devarim 34:5).

7. Moshe’s Humility | עֲנָוַת מֹשֶׁה

וְכָל הָעוֹלָם יָדַע שֶׁהוּא מִן הַצַּדִּיקִים הַגְּמוּרִים.

All the world knew that he was among the truly righteous.

הָלַךְ וְרָעַשׁ הָעוֹלָם, וְאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אַתָּה מַשְׁפִּיל עַצְמְךָ, וַאֲנִי מְרוֹמֵם אוֹתְךָ עַל כָּל הַבְּרִיּוֹת.

He walked and the world trembled. The Holy One said to him: “You humble yourself, and I will exalt you above all creatures.”

אָמַר: ‘אֲנִי עָפָר וָאֵפֶר כְּאַבְרָהָם אָבִי’.

He said: “I am dust and ashes, as was Avraham my father.”

אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: חַיֶּיךָ, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהִשְׁפַּלְתָּ עַצְמְךָ, אֲנִי מַעֲמִיד אוֹתְךָ נֶגֶד כִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדִי.

The Holy One replied: “By your life, as you have humbled yourself, I will establish you before My throne of glory.”

קָרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְגַּבְרִיאֵל וְאָמַר לוֹ: לֵךְ וְהָבֵא לִי אֶת נִשְׁמַת מֹשֶׁה.

The Holy One called to Gavriel and said: “Go and bring me the neshamah of Moshe.”

אָמַר גַּבְרִיאֵל: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! אֵיךְ אֶעֱמֹד בִּפְנֵי אָדָם הַשָּׁוֶה לְשִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל?

Gavriel said: “Master of the Universe! How can I stand before a man who is equal to 600,000 of Israel?

אֵיךְ אֲמִית אָדָם אֲשֶׁר כְּשֶׁנּוֹלַד מִלֵּא כָּל הַבַּיִת אוֹר?

How can I cause the death of a man who, when he was born, filled the whole house with light?”

אָז קָרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמִיכָאֵל. אָמַר מִיכָאֵל: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! אֲנִי הָיִיתִי רַבּוֹ וְהוּא הָיָה תַּלְמִידִי. אֵינִי יָכוֹל לִסְבֹּל לִרְאוֹת אֶת מוֹתוֹ.

Then the Holy One called to Micha’el. Micha’el said: “Master of the Universe! I was his teacher and he was my student. I cannot bear to see his death.”

8. Moshe’s Final Blessings | בִּרְכוֹת מֹשֶׁה הָאַחֲרוֹנוֹת

כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּדַע מֹשֶׁה שֶׁעֵת מִיתָתוֹ הִגִּיעָה, לָקַח סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה וְחִבְּקוֹ וּבָכָה עִמּוֹ.

Since Moshe knew that his time to die had come, he took the scroll of Torah, embraced it, and wept with it.

יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לוֹ: מֹשֶׁה, אַל תִּירָא! אֲנִי עַצְמִי אֶעֱסֹק בָּךְ וּבִקְבוּרָתְךָ.

A Heavenly Voice went forth and said to him: “Moshe, do not fear! I Myself will attend to you and your burial.”

יָרַד עֲנַן הַכָּבוֹד וְהִקִּיפוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: סוּר מֵעָלַי מְעַט, עַד שֶׁאֲבָרֵךְ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

A cloud of glory descended and enveloped him. He said to it: “Move away from me a little, until I bless the people of Israel.

כִּי כָּל יָמַי צַעֲרַתִּים.

For all my days I troubled them.”

הִתְחִיל מֹשֶׁה לְבָרֵךְ כָּל שֵׁבֶט וְשֵׁבֶט בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ.

Moshe began to bless each tribe individually.

וּכְשֶׁגָּמַר לְבָרֵךְ אֶת כָּל הַשְּׁבָטִים, אָמַר לָהֶם: הִרְבֵּיתִי לְצַעֲרֵיכֶם; עַתָּה מְחוּ לִי.

When he finished blessing all the tribes, he said: “I troubled you greatly; now forgive me.”

אָמְרוּ לוֹ: רַבֵּינוּ מוֹרֵינוּ, מָחוּל לְךָ!

They replied: “Our teacher, our master — you are forgiven!”

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: מֹשֶׁה, זְמַנְּךָ מָצֵר.

The Holy One said to Moshe: “Moshe, your time is short.”

נָשָׂא מֹשֶׁה יָדָיו לַשָּׁמַיִם וְאָמַר: מַעִיד אֲנִי בְּשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁלֹּא הִנַּחְתִּי אֶחָד מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ בְּלֹא בֵיאוּר.

Moshe lifted his hands to heaven and said: “I swear by Your great name that I did not leave a single word of Your Torah unexplained.

יֵיטַב לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִרְחַק מֵהֶם הָרָע.

May good come to Israel, and may evil stay far from them.”

9. Transfer of Leadership | מְסִירַת הַנְּהָגָה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ

אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ: רוֹצֶה אַתָּה לָלֶכֶת? קַח אֶת הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה בְּיָדְךָ וָלֵךְ לְפָנַי.

Moshe said to Yehoshua: “Would you go? Take this staff in your hand and walk before me.”

בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה תָּפַשׂ מֹשֶׁה בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְקִשֵּׁטוֹ בְּבִגְדָיו וְכִתְּרוֹ בְּכִתְרוֹ וְחָגַר אוֹתוֹ בַּחֲגוֹרָתוֹ.

At that hour, Moshe took hold of Yehoshua and adorned him with his own garments, crowned him with his crown, and girded him with his belt.

עָמַד מֹשֶׁה לִימִינוֹ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, וְהָלְכוּ לְהוֹשִׁיב אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Moshe stood at his right and the Holy One at his left, and they went to address Israel.

נִבְהַל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְלֹא יָכֹל לְדַבֵּר. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: לָמָּה אַתָּה שׁוֹתֵק? דַּבֵּר עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Yehoshua trembled and could not speak. The Holy One said to him: “Why are you silent? Speak with the people of Israel!”

הִתְחִיל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְדַבֵּר; וּכְשֶׁרָאָה מֹשֶׁה שֶׁהָיָה זִיווֹ כַּשֶּׁמֶשׁ וּדְבָרָיו יוֹצְאִים מִפִּיו כְּגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ, בָּאוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכַבֵּד אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ.

Yehoshua began to speak. When Moshe saw that his splendor shone like the sun and his words emerged like burning coals, all Israel came to honor Yehoshua.

אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לָהֶם: אַתֶּם מַנִּיחִים אֶת הָרַב וְהוֹלְכִים אֶל הַתַּלְמִיד?

Moshe said to them: “You forsake the master and go to the student?”

נָשְׂאוּ כָּל הָעֵדָה אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם וְרָאוּ דְּמוּת מֹשֶׁה עוֹמֶדֶת וּדְמוּת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יוֹשֶׁבֶת וּדְמוּת כְּרוּב בֵּינֵיהֶם.

The entire congregation lifted their eyes and saw the image of Moshe standing and the image of Yehoshua sitting, and the image of a cherub between them.

בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה יָצָא הַכָּרוֹז וְהִכְרִיז: מֹשֶׁה מָסַר וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ קִבֵּל.

At that hour, a herald went forth and announced: “Moshe has transferred authority and Yehoshua has received it.”

10. Hashem’s Comfort to Moshe | נֶחָמַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: מַה זֶּה הָאֵבֶל שֶׁנָּפַל עָלֶיךָ הַיּוֹם?

The Holy One said to Moshe: “What is this grief that has overtaken you today?

הֲלֹא הַיּוֹם הוּא שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ: ‘בֶּן מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם, לֹא אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא’?

Is this not the day when you said: “I am 120 years old today; I can no longer go out and come in”?

שְׂמַח, שֶׁאַף מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת שָׂמְחוּ בַּעֲלִיָּתְךָ.

Rejoice, for even the ministering angels have rejoiced at your ascent.

לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא אֶגָּלֶה עָלֶיךָ עִם הָאָבוֹת וְהַנְּבִיאִים, וְאוֹלִיכְךָ לַמָּקוֹם שֶׁהֵכַנְתִּי לְךָ.

In the future I will reveal Myself to you together with the Patriarchs and the Prophets, and I will guide you to the place I have prepared for you.

וְאֶתֵּן לְיָדְךָ אֶת כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאַתָּה תִּמְנֶה אוֹתָם לִדְגָלֵיהֶם, לְאוֹתוֹתֵיהֶם, לְמַחֲנוֹתֵיהֶם, לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶם.

I will give all Israel into your hands, and you will count them by their standards, banners, camps, and clans.”

11. Hashem’s Praise of Moshe | שֶׁבַח הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת מֹשֶׁה

כִּי שֶׁלִּי הוּא, וְאֵין כָּמוֹהוּ בַּנְּבִיאִים.

For he is Mine; there is none like him among the prophets.

אֵין כָּמוֹהוּ בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ.

There is none like him in heaven or on earth.

אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ פֶּה אֶל פֶּה.

I speak with him mouth to mouth.

בָּרָאתִי שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ בִּשְׁבִילוֹ.

I created the heavens and the earth for his sake.

נִגְלֵיתִי אֵלָיו בַּסְּנֶה הַבּוֹעֵר. עָשִׂיתִי עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת לְמִצְרָיִם. קָרַעְתִּי לוֹ אֶת הַיָּם.

I revealed Myself to him at the burning bush. I brought ten plagues upon Egypt. I split the sea for him.

הֶעֱלֵיתִיהוּ לַשָּׁמַיִם וְגִלֵּיתִי לוֹ כִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדִי וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת.

I brought him up to heaven and revealed to him My throne of glory and the ministering angels.

וּבְיַד מֹשֶׁה נָתַתִּי תּוֹרָה לְעַמִּי. כָּתַבְתִּי בְּאֶצְבְּעִי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת וּנְתַתִּים לוֹ.

Through Moshe’s hands I gave the Torah to My people. I wrote with My finger the Ten Commandments and gave them to him.

וַהֲמַלַּכְתִּיהוּ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

And I made him king over Israel.”

12. Moshe’s Final Plea | בַּקָּשַׁת מֹשֶׁה הָאַחֲרוֹנָה

אָמַר מֹשֶׁה: לָמָּה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה לִי כָּךְ? כּוֹנֵס אַתָּה כָּל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וְאוֹתִי מְשַׁלֵּחַ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל?

Moshe said: “Why do You treat me this way? You gather all the peoples of the earth and You send me away from the children of Israel?

רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲחַיֶּה וְאֶעֱבֹר וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן.

Master of the Universe! Let me live and cross over and see the good land that is across the Jordan.”

אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: עַל שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ‘שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים’ וְלֹא קִדַּשְׁתָּ אֶת שְׁמִי.

The Holy One said: “Because you said before Israel: ‘Hear now, you rebels!’ and you did not sanctify My Name.

וְעַתָּה עֲלֵה אֶל רֹאשׁ הָהָר.

And now, go up to the top of the mountain.”

הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה מִיָּד וְהִכִין עַצְמוֹ לָמוּת. בָּכָה וְאָמַר לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:

Moshe went immediately and prepared himself to die. He wept and said before the Holy One:

רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה שֶׁדִּבַּרְתִּי דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ, עַכְשָׁיו אֶשְׁתֶּה כּוֹס הַמָּוֶת?

“Master of the Universe! With this tongue with which I spoke the words of Your Torah — shall I now drink the cup of death?”

אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: חַיֶּיךָ וְחַיֵּי אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ, אֲנִי עַצְמִי אֶעֱסֹק בָּךְ וְאֶקְבְּרָךְ בְּכָבוֹד גָּדוֹל.

The Holy One replied: “By your life and the lives of your father and mother — I Myself will attend to you and bury you with great honor.”

יָצְאָה הַבַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה: הִגִּיעַ זְמַן מִיתָתְךָ.

The Heavenly Voice went forth and said: “The time of your death has come.”

פָּרַשׂ מֹשֶׁה אֶת בִּגְדוֹ וְיָשַׁב עָלָיו, וְכִסָּה פָּנָיו, וְשָׂם יָדָיו עַל חָזֵהוּ.

Moshe spread his garment, sat upon it, covered his face, and placed his hands on his chest.

13. Yehoshua and Klal Yisroel Mourn | יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְיִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְאַבְּלִים

וְנֶאֱסְפוּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל הָעָם לְלַוּוֹתוֹ.

Yehoshua and all the people gathered to accompany him.

בָּאוּ זְקֵנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכָל שָׂרָיו בּוֹכִים וּמְיַיְלְלִים.

The elders of Israel and all the officers came crying and wailing.

וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶאֶסְפוּ אֵלָיו כַּת כַּת.

And all of Israel gathered to him, group by group.

הָיָה מֹשֶׁה אוֹמֵר לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד: לָמָּה אַתֶּם בּוֹכִים?

Moshe said to each one: “Why are you weeping?”

אָמְרוּ לוֹ: רַבֵּינוּ מֹשֶׁה, אֵיךְ לֹא נִבְכֶּה, שֶׁאַתָּה פּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאִתָּנוּ?

They said: “Our teacher Moshe, how can we not weep when you are departing from us?”

אָמַר לָהֶם: אַל תִּבְכּוּ; רַבְּכֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יַעֲמֹד בִּמְקוֹמִי. שִׁמְעוּ לוֹ, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְקַבְּלוֹ.

He said to them: “Do not weep. Your teacher Yehoshua will stand in my place. Listen to him, for the Holy One accepts him.”

14. Moshe Rabbeinu’s Final Instructions | צַוָּאַת מֹשֶׁה

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: מֹשֶׁה, הִגִּיעַ זְמַנְּךָ לְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הָעוֹלָם.

The Holy One said to Moshe: “Moshe, your time has come to depart from the world.

אֱמֹר לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ תַּלְמִידְךָ כֵּיצַד יִתְנַהֵג עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Tell Yehoshua your disciple how to conduct himself with Israel.”

קָרָא מֹשֶׁה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְאָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, אֵלֶּה הֵם עַם הֹ שֶׁשִּׁמַּשְׁתִּי אוֹתָם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה.

Moshe called Yehoshua and said: “My son, these are the people of Hashem whom I led for forty years.

עַכְשָׁיו אֲנִי מוֹסְרָם לְיָדְךָ. אַל תִּהְיֶה קָשֶׁה עֲלֵיהֶם.

Now I place them in your care. Do not be harsh with them—

שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם לֹא דָּקְדֵּק עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו.

For even the Master of the Universe does not deal harshly with His creatures.”

וְעַכְשָׁיו, בְּנִי, עֲלֵה לְרֹאשׁ הָהָר, כִּי כָּךְ גָּזַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאָמוּת שָׁם.

And now, my son, go up to the top of the mountain, for so has the Holy One decreed that I die there.”

15. Moshe Rabbeinu’s Burial | קְבוּרַת מֹשֶׁה

לָקַח הַמַּלְאָךְ אֶת מֹשֶׁה וְהֶרְאָהוּ אֶת מְקוֹם קְבוּרָתוֹ.

An angel took Moshe and showed him his burial place.

אָמַר לוֹ: זֶה מְקוֹמְךָ. אָמַר לוֹ: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, יָרֵא אֲנִי מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה.

He said to him: “This is your place.” He said: “Master of the Universe, I am afraid of this place.”

אָמַר לוֹ: לָמָּה אַתָּה יָרֵא? אֲנִי אַשְׁמֹר אוֹתְךָ וְאֶשְׁמְרֶנּוּ.

He said: “Why do you fear? I will protect you and guard you.”

נִשְׁבַּע לוֹ בַּשֵּׁם הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עִמּוֹ לְעוֹלָם.

He swore to him by the Great Name that He would be with him forever.

אָמַר לוֹ: מַה יִּהְיֶה זְכוּתִי? אָמַר לוֹ: כָּל פַּעַם שֶׁאָדָם בָּא לְפָנַי בְּלֵב טָהוֹר וְמַזְכִּיר שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת שֶׁלִּי, אֶזְכֹּר זְכוּתְךָ בַּעֲבוּרוֹ וְאֶסְלַח לוֹ.

He asked: “What will be my merit?” He replied: “Every time a person comes before Me with a pure heart and mentions My thirteen attributes of mercy, I will remember your merit for his sake and forgive him — as it is written: ‘And Hashem passed.’”

מֵת מֹשֶׁה בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת בְּטָהֳרָה.

Moshe died on the Sabbath day, in purity.

16. Mourning of All Creation | אֵבֶל כָּל הַבְּרִיָּה

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: מִיתַת הַצַּדִּיקִים שְׁקוּלָה כְּשְׂרֵפַת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ.

The Holy One said: “The death of the righteous is considered as weighty as the burning of the Temple.”

כְּשֶׁנִּתְקָרַב מֹשֶׁה לְמִיתָתוֹ, זָעַק הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם: ‘הַצַּדִּיק אָבַד וְאֵין אִישׁ שָׂם עַל לֵב’ (יְשַׁעְיָה נח:א).

As Moshe drew near to his death, the Holy One cried out from heaven: “The righteous man perishes and no man takes it to heart” (Yeshayahu 57:1).

בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת: שַׂר הָעוֹלָם! זֶהוּ שְׂכַר הַתּוֹרָה?

At that moment the ministering angels said: “Sovereign of the Universe! Is this the reward of the Torah?”

אָמַר לָהֶם: יֵשׁ לָהֶם שָׂכָר אַחֵר לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.

He said to them: “There is a different reward for them in the World to Come.”

אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: מַשְׁבִּיעַ אֲנִי אֶתְכֶם בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁלִּמַּדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם — כְּשֶׁתִּזְכְּרוּ אוֹתִי, בְּכוּ וְהִתְאַבְּלוּ עָלַי.

Moshe said to Israel: “I adjure you by the Torah and commandments I taught you — when you remember me, weep and mourn for me.

וְאִמְרוּ: ‘אוֹי לָעָנָו שֶׁאָבַד, אוֹי לַנֶּאֱמָן שֶׁאָבַד’.

And say: “Woe to the humble one who is lost; woe to the faithful one who is lost.’”

עָמְדוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל קִבְרוֹ וְהִתְאַבְּלוּ עַל מֹשֶׁה שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם.

All of Israel stood at his grave and mourned Moshe for thirty days.

כְּשֶׁנִּשְׁלְמוּ שְׁלֹשִׁים יְמֵי הָאֵבֶל אָמְרוּ: אַיֵּה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ? יָצְאָה הַבַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה: מֹשֶׁה הָלַךְ.

When the thirty days of mourning were completed, they asked: “Where is Moshe our teacher?” The Heavenly Voice responded: “Moshe has departed.”

בָּכָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָלָיו וְאָמַר: מִי יַעֲמֹד לִי עֵת אַף? מִי יְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עַל בָּנַי?

The Holy One wept over him and said: “Who will now stand for Me at the time of anger? Who will seek mercy for My children?”

אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת: פָּסְקָה צִדְקַת הֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ.

The ministering angels said: “The righteousness of Hashem has departed from the earth.”

אָמְרוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם: אָבְדוּ חֲסִידִים מִן הָאָרֶץ. אָמְרָה הָאָרֶץ: אֵין יָשָׁר בָּאָדָם.

The heavens said: “The pious ones are gone from the earth.” The earth said: “There is no more uprightness among men.”

הַכּוֹכָבִים וְהַמַּזָּלוֹת בּוֹכִים וּמִתְאַבְּלִים, הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ מְחֻשָּׁכִים.

The stars and constellations weep and mourn; the sun and moon are darkened.

וְהַקְּדוֹשִׁים אוֹמְרִים: לֹא קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמֹשֶׁה.

And the holy ones say: “There has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moshe.”

17. Laws of Yom Kippur | הִלְכוֹת יוֹם כִּפּוּר

This final section of the Seder transitions to laws of Yom Kippur, connecting the themes of Moshe’s death — purity, atonement, and divine forgiveness — with the holiest day of the year:

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אֵלּוּ הֵם הַדְּבָרִים הָאֲסוּרִים בְּיוֹם כִּפּוּר: אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת.

These are the things forbidden on Yom Kippur: it is forbidden to eat or drink.

אָסוּר לִרְחֹץ, לָסוּךְ, לִנְעֹל הַסַּנְדָּל, וְלִשְׁמֵשׁ מִטָּה.

It is forbidden to wash, to anoint oneself, to wear sandals, or to engage in marital relations.

חֲמִשָּׁה עִנּוּיִים אֵלּוּ כְּנֶגֶד חָמֵשׁ ‘וְעִנִּיתֶם’ שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

These five afflictions correspond to the five mentions of ‘ve-inisem’ (you shall afflict yourselves) in the Torah.

וְכֵן כְּנֶגֶד חָמֵשׁ תְּפִלּוֹת שֶׁל יוֹם כִּפּוּר: עַרְבִית, שַׁחֲרִית, מוּסָף, מִנְחָה, וּנְעִילָה.

And they correspond to the five prayer services of Yom Kippur: Ma’ariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Mincha, and Neilah.

כִּי בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם (וַיִּקְרָא טז:ל).

“For on this day He will atone for you, to purify you” (Vayikra 16:30).

אֵלּוּ הֵם שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ‘וַיַּעֲבֹר הֹ’ (שְׁמוֹת לד:ו).

These are the thirteen attributes of mercy, as it says: “And Hashem passed” (Shemos 34:6).

כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמְּלָאכָה אֲסוּרָה בְּשַׁבָּת וְבַמּוֹעֲדִים, כָּךְ מְלָאכָה אֲסוּרָה בְּיוֹם כִּפּוּר.

Just as labor is forbidden on Shabbos and Yom Tov, so too labor is forbidden on Yom Kippur.

אֲבָל יֵשׁ הֶבְדֵּל: כָּל מְלָאכָה אֲסוּרָה בּוֹ, אֲבָל לֹא כָּל הָעִנּוּיִים. כִּי עִנּוּיִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם סַכָּנָה לַנֶּפֶשׁ — מֻתָּרִים.

However, there is a difference: all labor is forbidden on it, but not all afflictions. For afflictions that endanger life — are permitted (i.e., one need not afflict oneself to the point of danger).

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A structure fire broke out early this morning in the Roosevelt City section of Manchester Township, prompting a large emergency response but resulting in no serious injuries.

At approximately 4:00 a.m., officers from the Manchester Township Police Department responded to a residence located at 1761 Delaware Avenue following reports of a fire. Upon arrival, officers observed flames and heavy smoke coming from the home.

Authorities immediately confirmed that all residents had safely evacuated the residence, and no pets were left inside.

Multiple fire companies quickly arrived on scene and began working to suppress the flames. The fire was successfully extinguished before it could spread to nearby homes or vehicles.

Responding agencies included the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Joint Base Fire Department, New Egypt Volunteer Fire Department, Bayville Volunteer Fire Department, Pinewald Pioneer Volunteer Fire Department, Cassville Volunteer Fire Department, Whitesville Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester EMS, Manchester OEM, Berkeley EMS, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and the American Red Cross.

EMTs from Manchester Township Medical Services treated two residents for smoke inhalation at the scene. Both individuals declined further medical attention.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Manchester Township Police Department Investigations Bureau.

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced family with temporary accommodations and essential needs.

(JNS) – The State Memorial Ceremony for Fallen Soldiers Whose Burial Place is Unknown took place at The National Memorial Hall on Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Tuesday in the presence of numerous public officials.

Among those attending were Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Deputy President of the Supreme Court Noam Solberg.

The memorial event takes place every year on the 7th of Adar, which, according to Jewish tradition, is the Hebrew date on which Moses died, but whose place of burial is unknown.

The audience stood as a memorial flame was lit by Dalia Mizrachi, the daughter of First Lieutenant David Mizrahi, who fell during Israel’s War of Independence in an operation across Egypt’s border.

According to the IDF’s website, Mizrahi was captured with fellow soldier Ezra Afgin. They were both fighters in Dawn, Palmach’s undercover unit.

The two were caught and imprisoned in Gaza Prison on May 23, 1948. On Aug, 22, 1948, they were executed on charges of attempting to poison wells. They were killed by a firing squad. The execution took place at a grove north of the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza, the IDF said.

“Regarding the place where the soldiers’ bodies were buried, the information we have indicates that they were buried in Gaza, apparently where public buildings were later built,” according to the website.

“Their bodies haven’t been found to this day,” said the ceremony’s moderator.

Dalia Mizrahi, l., lit the memorial candle at The State Memorial Ceremony for Fallen Soldiers Whose Burial Place is Unknown in Jerusalem, Feb. 24, 2026. Credit: YouTube/MoD.
Lt. Col. Shlomi Azani, head of the IDF’s branch for locating missing soldiers, said the nation of Israel remembers “its courageous and loyal sons and daughters,” who gave their lives serving in the IDF, in other security services, in the underground fighting to establish the State of Israel and in terrorist attacks abroad.

“There is almost no other country in the world that sanctifies the value of bringing the fallen to burial like the State of Israel,” Herzog told the audience.

“This is a Jewish obligation that is ingrained in our heritage … a sacred Israeli obligation, an unwritten but clear order, not to leave a soldier behind, especially after he’s fallen,” Herzog said.

Katz said the IDF remains obligated to bring certainty to families whose loved ones have been lost in battle and whose whereabouts are unknown; “to dispel the doubts that surround the lives of their families.”

“The entire security establishment has been operating for decades, whether it concerns a fallen soldier from the War of Independence, the Yom Kippur War or any other campaign,” he said.

“We are acting within the borders of Israel and outside them with the required secrecy and the necessary professionalism, in order to follow after the fate of those who fell in battle,” Katz said.

Brig. Gen. Eyal Krim, head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces, offered a prayer. Wreaths were placed by officials and families to commemorate missing soldiers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that advancing Russia’s nuclear triad remains an “absolute priority,” outlining his government’s approach to its strategic weapons program during remarks tied to Defender of the Fatherland Day, according to media reports.

Speaking at a ceremony in which he presented state honors to military officers involved in the war in Ukraine, Putin highlighted efforts to reinforce the country’s nuclear capabilities, the Moscow Times reported.

During his address, Putin pointed to Russia’s nuclear triad — the three-part system designed to deliver nuclear weapons by land, sea and air — which is intended to guarantee a viable second-strike capacity in the event of a nuclear confrontation.

He characterized the continued development of the system as “an absolute priority,” adding that it “guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world.”

Putin also said Russia would keep bolstering its army and navy, “taking into account developments in the international situation, based on combat experience gained,” referencing lessons drawn from the ongoing war with Ukraine.

He further stated that Moscow plans to “significantly” upgrade the capabilities of other military branches, enhancing their operational readiness, flexibility and capacity to function under even the most demanding conditions.

“And, of course, we will accelerate the development of advanced systems for the armed forces,” he added.

The comments follow Russia’s decision on Feb. 5, 2023, to suspend participation in the New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington.

The treaty had placed caps on the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems each side could maintain.

Despite halting its formal participation, Russian officials have previously indicated they intend to continue managing their strategic nuclear arsenal in what they described as a “responsible” manner and to adhere to previously agreed-upon limits.

Putin’s statements came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked the start of a far broader global conflict, saying the Russian leader had effectively launched “World War III.”

“I believe that Putin has already started it. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him… Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told the BBC in an interview Feb. 23.

Zelenskyy described the war as part of what he sees as Putin’s larger effort to impose a “different way of life” on the international community.

“Stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world,” he said.

When asked whether Ukraine might relinquish control of the contested Donbas region as part of a negotiated settlement, Zelenskyy cautioned that Moscow could rebuild its military power within “no more than a couple of years” and initiate another offensive.

“Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue [the war] is a fact,” Zelenskyy said.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – Facebook owner Meta Platforms will buy artificial intelligence chips from Advanced Micro Devices in a deal that will also give it the opportunity to buy up to a 10% stake of the chip company.

Meta will buy AMD’s latest chips, the MI450, to help power data centers. The 6-gigawatt agreement will see shipments supporting the first gigawatt deployment set to start during the second half of this year. The agreement could potentially be worth more than $100 billion.

Shares of AMD jumped more than 9% before the market open on Tuesday.

The companies said that AMD issued Meta a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares of its common stock at $0.01 a piece, structured to vest as long as certain milestones are achieved.

The first tranche vests with the initial 1-gigawatt of shipments, with additional tranches vesting as Meta’s purchases scale to 6 gigawatts.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The IDF is already preparing to kasher the kitchens on its bases ahead of Pesach, but a new report is stirring controversy.

According to a report on Tuesday by Daniel Groveis on Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), the Ministry of Defense is employing charedim who are considered “draft evaders,” some of whom reportedly even have outstanding arrest warrants, to carry out the kashering of kitchens for the holiday.

The report states that these are individuals classified as being in a status of failure to report for service, yet they are still being hired for Pesach-related logistical preparations at various IDF bases.

According to Galei Tzahal, the workers are coordinated through civilian companies that work with the IDF. In previous years, no checks were conducted regarding the legal status of the employees, which resulted in yeshiva students classified as draft evaders being hired for pay to work inside IDF bases.

The IDF Spokesperson responded: “The IDF views the matter seriously and it will be examined. We note that no details were provided regarding specific cases; if such cases are identified, they will be addressed.”

The Ministry of Defense stated: “The claims will be reviewed.”

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian military helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in central Iran on Tuesday, reportedly killing at least four people.

The crash happened in the town of Dorcheh, some 330 kilometers (205 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in the country’s Isfahan province, Iranian state television reported. Isfahan is home to a major Iranian air base, as well as a nuclear site struck by the U.S. during the Iran-Israel war in June.

The army helicopter had been on a training flight, state TV said. The pilot and co-pilot died in the crash, it added, showing footage of debris and smoke rising from the market.

Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency said two people on the ground at the market died in the crash.

This is the second crash in less than a week in Iran. An F-4 fighter jet crashed near Iran’s western city of Hamedan, killing one of its pilots.

Iran has a history of fatal crashes. Western sanctions have dried up the supply of parts for aircraft in Iran, which relies on a fleet of aging helicopters and airplanes for both its government and commercial airlines.

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It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rebbetzin Leah Rila Meisels a”h, wife of Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Meisels zt”l, Gaavad of Kehillas Yereim of Sea Gate, Brooklyn. She was 98 years old.

For decades, the rebbetzin stood devotedly at the side of her illustrious husband as he spread Torah to multitudes and led the community. Known for her exceptional warmth, she merited to become related by marriage to many of the leading rebbes and rabbanim in Eretz Yisroel and around the world. Those who knew her recount that she received every visitor — from gedolei hador to the poor who knocked at her door — with a radiant countenance and genuine kindness.

Acquaintances describe her as a remarkable figure of hachnosas orchim and chesed. She quietly distributed large sums of tzedakah without seeking recognition, often ensuring that no one would ever know the source of the assistance. She served as a pillar of strength for both her family and the broader community and merited to see upright and distinguished generations continuing in her path.

The rebbetzin is survived by eleven children, all prominent rabbanim and admorim serving with distinction across the globe.

Her sons include: Rav Yisroel Shlomo Meisels, Av Beis Din of Limanov; Rav Dovid Dov Meisels, rav hatzair of Sea Gate and author of the seforim “Otzar HaShabbos”; Rav Yisroel Moshe Meisels, Av Beis Din of Alesk; Rav Pinchos Mordechai Meisels, Dayan in Sea Gate; and Rav Shmuel Zev Meisels, Av Beis Din of Yismach Moshe in Kiryas Yoel and son-in-law of the Satmar Rebbe. Among her sons-in-law are prominent admorim and rabbanim, including the Dushinsky Rebbe; Rav Yisroel Eliezer Unsdorfer, Rav of Kehillas Reishis Chochmah in Montreal; Rav Yisroel Meisels, Av Beis Din of Uhel-Williamsburg; Rav Yisroel Horowitz, Av Beis Din of Kinyan Torah in Flatbush; Rav Avrohom Yehuda Lowy, Av Beis Din and Rosh Yeshiva of Tiferes Eliezer; and Rav Avrohom Anshel Schorr, Av Beis Din of Klausen.

The levayah took place at Kehillas Yereim of Sea Gate in Brooklyn and proceeded to the Satmar cemetery in New Jersey for kevurah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Hundreds of flights at New York City-area airports remain grounded in the aftermath of the powerful blizzard, leaving thousands of travelers stranded across the Northeast.

NYC Emergency Management confirmed Monday that there were “major flight disruptions” at all three major regional hubs — John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Despite rapid efforts to clear runways and surrounding roadways, the storm’s impact continues to ripple through Tuesday’s travel schedule.

NYC Airport Breakdown (FlightAware):

✈️ LaGuardia Airport: 263 flights canceled (49% of total flights)

✈️ Newark Liberty: 257 flights canceled (49% of total flights)

✈️ JFK Airport: 249 flights canceled (41% of total flights)

Dizzying Nationwide Cancellations

The monstrous bomb cyclone has wreaked havoc on air travel nationwide, with more than 10,000 U.S. flights canceled from Sunday through Tuesday.

That includes over 2,000 cancellations already logged for Tuesday alone. The majority are concentrated at Boston Logan International Airport, with high levels of disruption also spread across the New York City-area airports, according to FlightAware.

Airlines are now scrambling to reposition aircraft and crews after days of shutdowns, and officials warn that delays and cancellations could continue even as skies begin to clear.

The massive wave of cancellations and delays has triggered a cascading backlog that aviation experts say could take several days — and possibly up to a week — to fully unwind.

Restarting operations after a complete shutdown at major hubs is a logistical nightmare, with three critical challenges disrupting the system:

First, aircraft are scattered across the country. Jets that were scheduled to operate out of New York or Boston are parked in cities like Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — and they cannot return until runways, taxiways, and gate areas are fully cleared of more than 20 inches of snow.

Second, thousands of pilots and flight attendants are out of position. Many crews became stranded during the storm and have since exceeded their federally regulated duty limits after sitting in hotels or waiting out delays at alternate airports.

Third, the timing could not be worse. The blizzard struck at the tail end of the busy winter break travel period, when many flights were already operating at or near capacity. With planes full, airlines have limited flexibility to rebook thousands of stranded passengers, leaving many facing waits of 48 to 72 hours — or longer — for confirmed seats.

Meanwhile, frigid temperatures at major hubs such as JFK and Newark have significantly slowed de-icing operations. Limited ramp space, repeated runway closures during peak snowfall, and snow removal constraints have nearly doubled aircraft turnaround times, compounding delays even after skies have cleared.

Major carriers including Delta, United, and American have extended flexible travel waivers through the end of the month. However, meteorologists caution that another fast-moving clipper system expected midweek could further complicate efforts to restore normal schedules.

Travelers are strongly advised to check directly with their airlines before heading to the airport.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — In recent days, the Trump administration has been forced to engage in diplomatic damage control following remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who allegedly claimed that Israel has the right to rule over large parts of the Middle East, according to a report in Politico.

Senior American officials reached out directly to a number of Arab states to clarify that this was Huckabee’s personal position and did not represent any change in official White House policy.

According to the report, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and other senior officials held talks with concerned Arab counterparts, stressing that the statement made during Huckabee’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program reflected only the ambassador’s personal views. Three sources familiar with the matter said Washington sought to calm tensions and make clear that there had been no deviation from President Donald Trump’s policy line.

The controversial remarks were made during a charged interview conducted by conservative media figure Tucker Carlson with Huckabee, an interview that triggered a wave of condemnations across the Arab and Muslim world. One key moment focused on the issue of the Jews’ “divine right” to Israel. Carlson cited a verse from Genesis describing the promise “from the Nile to the Euphrates,” and asked whether this implied that Israel has a theological right to take over Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Huckabee initially replied that “it would have been fine if they took it all,” but immediately clarified that this was “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement,” adding that Israel is not seeking to take over other countries but rather “to live securely in a land to which it has a 3,800-year connection.” When asked explicitly whether such a move would be legitimate today, he said: “I’m not sure it would be legitimate.” The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem later stated that the remarks were “taken out of context,” while Huckabee himself criticized the media coverage on X.

Despite this, the comments drew sharp condemnation from more than a dozen Arab countries in a joint statement, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, which described the remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory.” The sensitivity is particularly high given the administration’s efforts to rally Arab and Muslim countries behind a broader plan to stabilize and rebuild Gaza. At the same time, Trump would need cooperation from countries such as Qatar and Jordan, which host American military facilities, should he follow through on threats to strike Iran.

The backdrop to the controversy also includes Trump’s declared policy, under which he reportedly assured Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow the annexation of Judea and Samaria. A senior Gulf diplomat argued that the remarks could undermine one of the administration’s central goals: integrating Israel into the Middle East. “The sovereignty of Arab states is not something to be taken lightly, especially when we are trying to build a unified Middle East that includes Israel,” he said. Another State Department official added that Huckabee “does not represent our views and does not represent the best version of the pro-Israel position.”

A four-year-old boy in Israel was rushed to the hospital after suffering from severe abdominal pain and repeated vomiting. Following a series of comprehensive examinations, doctors discovered that he had swallowed eight small magnets.

The child arrived at Bnai Zion Medical Center with his parents after complaining of intense stomach pain and frequent vomiting. After undergoing thorough testing in the Pediatric Emergency Department, physicians identified the cause of his symptoms.

Dr. Liat Yaniv, a senior physician in the Pediatrics Department at Bnai Zion Medical Center, noted that the vomiting occurred without diarrhea and was an unusual color — findings that raised concern for a serious gastrointestinal issue. An urgent imaging scan revealed magnets lodged in the small intestine, along with evidence of an intestinal blockage.

In consultation with Dr. Raouf Naser, a pediatric gastroenterology specialist, the toddler was referred for surgical intervention. He underwent emergency surgery performed by Dr. Daniel Dubin, Deputy Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at Bnai Zion Medical Center, together with Dr. Yair Ben Shmuel, a senior pediatric surgeon. Dr. Omar Abu Ras served as the senior anesthesiologist during the procedure. Surgeons successfully removed eight magnetic balls from the child’s small intestine.

The toddler was subsequently hospitalized in the Pediatric Surgery Department for continued monitoring and treatment and was discharged home several days later.

Dr. Yaakov Genizi, Head of the Pediatrics Department at Bnai Zion Medical Center, warned of the significant dangers posed by swallowed magnets. “They can attach to one another through the intestinal wall and cause blockage, tissue death, and even perforation of the intestine,” he cautioned. “Parents are urged to keep magnets and small parts out of reach of children.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Thousands of people entered Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem overnight Tuesday and took part in a ceremony marking the Hachnasas Sefer Torah (dedication of a Torah scroll) at the site.

The Torah scroll, donated in memory of the fallen and deceased students of Yeshivat “Od Yosef Chai,” was brought into the compound accompanied by dancing and singing, under heavy security provided by IDF forces.

The event was attended by rabbis, public figures, and bereaved families. Among those present were Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Haim Goren, the heads of Yeshivat “Od Yosef Chai,” Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira and Rabbi Yosef Elitzur, and Homesh Yeshiva head Rabbi Elishama Cohen.

עוד נשוב לשם: אלפים השתתפו הלילה בהכנסת ספר תורה במתחם קבר יוסף שבלב שכם לרגל חודש אדר. ספר התורה נתרם על ידי תורם שביקש להשאר אנונימי, לזכר הנופלים והנפטרים מתלמידי ישיבת עוד יוסף חי.

יוסי דגן, ראש מועצת שומרון אמר בטקס כתיבת האותיות: “אנחנו צועדים https://t.co/g0jKZM9qiR pic.twitter.com/PCD8mTN1oW

— 🇮🇱 baron28 (@Baron28Baron286) February 24, 2026

Before entering Shechem, a ceremony for writing the final letters of the Torah scroll was held at the study hall of Yeshivat “Od Yosef Chai”, the place where the students studied for nearly two decades until the tomb was abandoned during the Second Intifada.

Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira, head of the yeshiva, addressed the gathering and emphasized the connection between Yosef and the Torah: “Joseph was a ‘wise son’ who studied Torah with our forefather Yaakov. Bringing in the Torah scroll today is a declaration that the Torah is returning to Shechem. We hope we will merit returning the yeshiva to its natural place.”

Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Haim Goren added: “Joseph said, ‘It is my brothers that I seek.’ We ask that the power Joseph had to reconcile with his brothers after such great hatred be granted to us, so that we may unite the entire people of Israel, in Tel Aviv, in Samaria, and everywhere.”

MK Zvi Sukkot, who leads the parliamentary lobby advocating a return to Joseph’s Tomb, stated: “The time has come to correct the injustice of Joseph’s sale in our generation and to return permanently to this holy site.”

The Samaria Regional Council head concluded: “We are taking another significant step toward a full return to Jewish presence in Shechem. We say to G-d: we will do our part, You do Yours. This Torah scroll will be placed temporarily at the yeshiva in Yitzhar, because we will return here together with it.”

Israel sent a message to Lebanon that it would strike the country hard if the Hezbollah terror group attacks Israel in the case of a US attack on Iran, Reuters reported, quoting two senior Lebanese officials.

Israel’s message included a threat to attack Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure, including its airport.

The sources said that the threatening message was sent to Beirut through indirect channels.

The report comes in the light of the possibility that Iran’s proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, will join a potential US-Iran war by attacking Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Newly surfaced details in the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie indicate that at least one image captured by her Nest doorbell camera was recorded on a different day than the others, suggesting the masked suspect may have visited the property prior to her suspected abduction on Feb. 1. A source familiar with the probe confirmed the development to Fox News Digital on Monday.

According to the source, one of the images released by the FBI does not match the date of the remaining footage, pointing to the possibility that the individual surveyed the residence in advance. The source declined to identify the specific date of the earlier image, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News that the information about the differing date did not originate from him.

Investigators have at various times asked neighbors to review their home surveillance footage from the entire month of January, specifically the night of Jan. 11, and also the period between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, when Guthrie is believed to have disappeared.

ABC News was the first to report that the suspect may have scouted the property earlier, citing unnamed sources.

Jason Pack, a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, said the apparent advance visit suggests the crime was deliberate rather than spontaneous.

“That’s sophistication. That’s the hallmark of someone who thought about this before they acted. And it matters significantly from a legal standpoint, because premeditation and planning elevate the severity of what investigators are looking at,” Pack said. “The suspect in this case may have thought they were being careful. But appearing twice on camera while trying to avoid identification isn’t careful. That’s exposure. And right now, investigators are working very hard to close that gap.”

The disclosure also implies that the information recovered by the FBI and Google from the camera system extended beyond the final event stored in the device’s memory.

According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Guthrie’s doorbell camera went offline at 1:47 a.m. on the night she was taken. Roughly 25 minutes later, at 2:12 a.m., another camera on the property detected a person but failed to record any footage.

Initially, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department directed inquiries to the FBI. After publication of the initial report, however, the department released a statement clarifying that no timestamps had been publicly disclosed in connection with the Nest images.

“We are aware that doorbell images released earlier in the investigation depict a suspect in different stages of attire, including with and without a backpack,” the PCSD said in a statement. “There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”

Prior to this clarification, experts had raised questions about whether the masked individual shown in the images was the same person, noting differences in clothing and the absence in some images of a backpack and holstered firearm that appeared in others.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli intelligence officials have assessed that the US only has enough firepower in the Middle East to carry out four or five days of intense airstrikes on Iran, according to a report in the UK’s Financial Times on Tuesday.

The assessment comes despite the fact that the US has deployed the most firepower in the region since the 2003 Iraq invasion.

According to an Israeli intelligence source quoted in the report, the US could sustain a week of “lower-intensity strikes.”

The report added that Israeli security officials are concerned that if the US carries out only limited strikes on the Islamic Republic, it would escalate the regional tension by provoking the regime.

The warning comes after reports published in US media that the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, has warned President Donald Trump against a war with Iran due to concerns that it will drag the US into an extended regional confrontation and leave the US army depleted of air defense munitions. Trump later denied the reports, saying that Caine believes that the US could easily win a war with Iran.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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In response to heightened regional tensions and the possibility of a prolonged military confrontation, Israeli hospitals are actively boosting preparedness, upgrading facilities and expanding emergency capacities to ensure continuous care for civilians and soldiers.

In Tel Aviv, Assuta Medical Centers has been preparing a 200-bed underground hospital designed to provide treatment even during sustained missile barrages or other security emergencies. The facility is equipped to serve large numbers of patients safely despite disruptions above ground, with medical and support infrastructure built to withstand a long war.

Medical workers wheel a patient to safety after a building at Soroka Hospital was hit by an Iranian missile, in Beersheba, on June 19, 2025. (John Wessels/AFP)

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has outlined a nationwide strategy for hospital readiness that includes expanding bed capacity, increasing stockpiles of emergency medical supplies and mobilizing medical staff for extended high-demand scenarios. Government officials emphasized that preparedness plans account for the full range of possible conflict developments, including extended combat operations that could place a heavy strain on the health system.