Jooish News

A violent incident unfolded Thursday at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, after a suspect reportedly rammed a truck into the Jewish synagogue complex before opening fire.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, synagogue security responded immediately and engaged the attacker. The suspect was shot and killed at the scene. Authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries among congregants or staff.

Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from the synagogue building following the crash, prompting a large emergency response. Police, fire crews, and other law enforcement agencies quickly surrounded the area as they worked to secure the scene.

Temple Israel, located at 5725 Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield, describes itself as the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. The sprawling campus includes religious facilities as well as an early childhood education center and other programs serving children through high school. Fortunately, the early childhood school was not in session on the day of the attack.

As the situation unfolded, nearby residents were advised to shelter in place while authorities investigated and cleared the property. Arrangements were also made to reunite families through the nearby Jewish Community Center.

Out of an abundance of caution, Jewish institutions across the Detroit area were instructed to enter lockout procedures while police continued their investigation.

Temple Israel sits not far from Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the United States.

The synagogue is led by Senior Rabbi Harold Loss, with several co rabbis serving alongside him.

Everyone is encouraged to pray for those affected and for the safety of the Jewish community as authorities continue to investigate what happened.

The Lakewood Police Department is aware of the developing incident reported at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, involving reports of a vehicle ramming and active shooter situation.

While authorities in Michigan continue their investigation and response, the Lakewood Police Department is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining communication with our law enforcement partners.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Lakewood Police Department has increased patrols throughout the township, with particular attention to houses of worship, schools, and areas where large numbers of residents gather. Members of the department’s Special Response Team have also been deployed to assist with enhanced security measures.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the congregation of Temple Israel and the entire West Bloomfield community during this difficult time,” said Chief Gregory Meyer. “While there are currently no known threats to our community, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of our residents. With Passover right around the corner, we want our residents focused on spending time with family and celebrating the holiday with peace of mind.”

Captain LeRoy Marshall, Commander of the Lakewood Police Department’s Special Response Team and the department’s Homeland Security Liaison, emphasized the importance of preparedness and maintaining a visible presence.

“In times like this, a strong and visible police presence is important,” said Captain Marshall. “We are coordinating with our federal, state, and county law enforcement partners and will continue our increased patrols throughout the community to ensure the safety and security of our residents.”

The Lakewood Police Department encourages residents to remain aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity immediately by contacting the Lakewood Police Department.

The Lakewood Public School District is slated to receive an increase of more than $1.75 million in state aid for the 2026–2027 school year under Governor Mikie Sherrill’s proposed budget, according to newly released figures from the New Jersey Department of Education.

The proposed $1,751,628 increase would bring Lakewood’s total state aid to $30,945,430, and is a small fraction of the record $12.4 billion in state aid for K-12 education in the governor’s budget.

The proposal comes as New Jersey continues to adjust to the full implementation of the state’s school funding formula, which lawmakers approved in 2018 to address long-standing disparities in aid distribution.

The heavily criticized formula overhaul, enacted through legislation known as S2, aimed to correct years in which some districts received more funding than the formula called for while others — particularly growing districts — were underfunded.

While many districts across the state are seeing increases as the formula reaches full implementation, others will continue to experience reductions.

This transition was required in a 2018 law, S2, designed to address inequities that had resulted from years of overfunding some districts while failing to adequately meet the needs of other growing districts.

In neighboring Jackson, where recent budget pressures have forced the district to sell school buildings to help close a growing deficit, the proposed budget calls for a $680,999 decrease in state aid compared with last year.

Overall, 167 school districts around the state are facing cuts compared to last year’s budget.

The governor’s budget proposal, which needs to be approved by the Legislature, marks the third year in a row in which New Jersey’s school funding formula is fully phased in.

(AP) – Months after the last of the United States’ 1-cent coins were pressed, some states are beginning to offer their own 2 cents on the penny problem by setting rounding guidance for cash purchases.

President Donald Trump announced early last year an end to penny production, saying it was wasteful. It cost 3.7 cents to make each 1-cent coin in 2024, according to the U.S. Mint. The move led to a shortage of pennies in cash registers last summer, forcing consumers and businesses to confront a penniless future in which making exact change would be difficult.

The Treasury Department has said it will continue circulating the roughly 114 billion pennies that exist for “as long as possible.” Pennies must still be accepted as payment.

One solution to the penny problem is rounding to the nearest nickel, using a practice called symmetrical rounding. If the final price, after taxes, ends in one, two, six or seven cents, payment in cash rounds down. For example, $1.91 or $1.92 becomes $1.90. If the price ends in three, four, eight or nine, cash payment rounds up. For $1.98 or $1.99, the consumer pays $2.

A bill introduced last year in Congress and passed out of the House financial services committee would apply symmetrical rounding across the country. U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said in an email the federal law is important to prevent a “confusing patchwork of state policies.”

The bill hasn’t been voted on in the House and would still need to move through the U.S. Senate before reaching Trump’s desk.

Some states are looking to what’s next
In the meantime, bills to deal with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor’s signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. Some states are proposing to allow businesses to round cash purchases, while others consider requiring it.

In Indiana, a bill signed into law this month by Republican Gov. Mike Braun tells businesses they must round cash purchases for all transactions that do not end in a zero or five. Lawmakers revised that provision in a second bill that makes rounding optional, which would take effect Sunday if Braun signs it into law.

In both bills, Indiana businesses can choose to always round cash purchases up to the nearest nickel, always round down or round up or down depending on the amount.

In Republican-led Tennessee, legislation makes symmetrical rounding exempt from legal claims under a state consumer protection law but does not require rounding.

“It is to provide safe harbor for private businesses,” said Republican Rep. Charlie Baum, the bill sponsor in Tennessee, during floor debate.

Rounding bills have been introduced in about two dozen states since late last year, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking service Plural.

Outside of lawmaking bodies, some state agencies have published guidelines to advise that rounding should happen after tax, and that businesses must make sure the full taxed amount still goes to the state.

Will consumers pay more with rounding?
Cash isn’t used as ubiquitously since the rise in electronic payment methods. Still, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said they recently used cash in a 2024 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve. Cash was more often used by older adults and those in lower-income households.

The Treasury wrote online that prices would be “rounded down just as often as they will be rounded up, so there should be no overall effect on consumer prices.”

But researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond used a 2023 survey to show prices that didn’t end in zero or five were especially likely to end in eight or nine. Payment amounts could be different when multiple items are purchased or depending on the tax rate, but overall, prices more often being rounded up would lead to millions of dollars gained by businesses and lost by consumers collectively, amounting to a few pennies lost per person.

Do people think it’s fair?
As businesses have introduced rounding, some Americans have taken to social media to say they feel scammed, even if it is a penny or two at a time.

Nikki Capozzo-Hennessy, 50, said she tends to pay in cash because it makes her more conscious of her spending. The Trumbull, Connecticut, resident posted her grocery store receipt online when she noticed the rounding adjustment on a purchase of $8.73, with tax. The store chose to round down and she gained three cents.

Capozzo-Hennessy said it might feel taxing if she had to hand over extra pennies every time, but she also thinks it’s practical to stick with one rule. She runs a food truck business and said they’d likely use symmetrical rounding to be consistent.

“At the end of the day it’s three cents, but I can imagine with all the purchases that you make, it can add up,” Capozzo-Hennessy said.

Washington state Rep. April Berg, who introduced a rounding bill there, said she understands people who feel frustrated losing a penny but that the elimination of the hard currency leaves little option.

“We did make sure that everyone is allowed to pay exactly what they owe,” Berg said of her legislation.

What about the nickel?
The Treasury says ceasing penny production will save $56 million annually, but rounding could increase demand for nickels. The 5-cent coins also are costly to make, reaching nearly 14 cents each in 2024, according to the Mint.

The proposed federal legislation currently includes a potential cost-saving solution, allowing the Treasury to adjust the coin’s composition to use cheaper zinc and nickel instead of copper and nickel.

Israeli Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience, Yitzchok Shimon Wasserlauf of the Otzma Yehudit party, narrowly escaped injury on Thursday when a missile launched by the Hezbollah terror organization struck just a few feet from where he was standing.

The incident took place while Wasserlauf was on an official visit to communities along Israel’s northern border. As the minister and his team traveled between towns, a warning siren sounded. They managed to reach only limited cover before a missile slammed into a nearby field. Despite the powerful blast and flying shrapnel, no one in the group was injured.

Shortly afterward, Wasserlauf described the frightening moment in a post on X. “A work day in the north visiting as many local authorities to meet their needs. And then another siren. A few seconds passed and the impact came, ten meters from us. Everything shook. Thank G-d we weren’t harmed. We’re getting our heart rate back down.”

Following the incident, the minister said the attack illustrated why Israel must press forward with its military campaign until Hezbollah is decisively defeated. “This is the reality of the residents of the north over the past two weeks. This is the reality that will continue if we don’t defeat Hezbollah and its main boss, Iran, once and for all. If we won’t do this now, we will go back to this reality in another year or two.”

Despite the close call, Wasserlauf said he intends to continue visiting northern communities as part of his duties. “I’m proud of the residents of the Galilee and particularly the residents of the confrontation line who show extraordinary determination. You are the strength for victory,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

According to reports from Ynet and Israel Hayom citing sources, US President Donald Trump wants to swiftly conclude the ongoing war in Iran and has given Israel one week to wrap up operations.

This comes amid mounting pressure on Trump from far-right Republicans and anti-Israel voices like podcasters Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan, who have criticized the conflict as a betrayal of “no more wars” promises and spiking gas prices due to disrupted oil flows.

With midterm elections looming, fears of voter backlash and economic fallout appear to be driving the push for president Trump calling for a rapid exit, despite Israel’s stated intent to pursue longer-term objectives like regime change and removing the IRGC threat.

The reports remain unconfirmed by official US or Israel statements, as President Trump has offered mixed signals on timelines in recent days.

Military Advocate General Itai Ofir on Thursday announced the revocation of the indictments against five Force 100 soldiers, citing a series of serious failures.

Of course, the only “failure” was the fact that former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi deliberately leaked a doctored video of the soldiers to the media, with the reporter claiming that the footage shows the soldiers raping a terrorist, a false claim that was completely disproven but not before it elicited a wave of unprecedented incitement against Israel and led to the torture of hostages.

According to the IDF spokesperson’s statement, the main reasons for canceling the indictment included serious failures and harm to the defendants’ right to a fair trial. Other issues cited were complexities in the evidentiary basis of the case, unprecedented conduct by senior figures in the Military Advocate General’s office, difficulties obtaining investigative materials from the police, and the release of the terrorist to Gaza.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said: “Justice has been done. I welcome the decision of the Military Advocate General, Major General Itai Ofir, to close the Sde Teiman cases against IDF soldiers and cancel the indictments against them. This trial was born in sin by the previous Military Advocate General, through the use of a blood libel against IDF soldiers and criminal investigative methods. I am glad that justice has been done and the trial has been cancelled. The role of the IDF legal system is to protect and safeguard IDF soldiers who fight bravely in war against cruel monsters—not the rights of Nukhba terrorists. I am convinced that this decision will lead to a new path.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “The revocation of the indictments is the real indictment against the judicial system, the previous Military Advocate General, and her partner in wrongdoing, Gali Baharav-Miara, who chose to fabricate cases against IDF fighters instead of supporting them during wartime. From the very first moment it was clear that this was a scandalously handled case—with selectively edited videos, major contradictions, leaks, and an attempt to portray IDF fighters as rapists while they were fighting a cruel enemy.”

He added, “Those who should be held accountable for this serious affair are the same figures in the judicial system who took part in this criminal conduct and damaged the good name of IDF soldiers.”

Attorneys Adi Kedar, Moshe Polsky, and Nati Rom from the Honenu organization, who represent two of the soldiers, said following the closing of the case: “We welcome the decision to close the Sde Teiman case. This was a necessary decision, and it is unfortunate that only dramatic developments led to the cancellation of an indictment that had no basis from the outset. It is doubtful whether this decision will restore to the heroic Force 100 fighters what they lost during the difficult period and the ordeal they endured, but at least they can now lift their heads again and regain their honor. This painful affair ends today after an enormous struggle by attorneys from the Honenu organization. On this occasion we also thank the public for the support the soldiers received throughout the entire process.”

The five soldiers paid a steep price for Tomer-Yerushalmi’s conduct, and it is still unclear what consequences she will face.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A new pilot program set to launch next week will bring drone-delivered meals to parts of New Jersey for the first time.

Grubhub announced it will begin testing drone delivery in partnership with Dexa at the Wonder location in Green Brook. Starting March 18, customers within a 2.5-mile radius will be able to order food through the Grubhub app and select drone delivery at no extra cost beyond standard delivery and service fees.

The three-month test will mark the first time commercial food deliveries by drone are being offered in New Jersey.

Meals will be prepared through Wonder’s multi-restaurant concept, where customers can choose from about 15 different food brands operating out of a single kitchen. Orders will then be delivered using Dexa’s DE-2020 automated drone, which lowers packages to the ground using a tether system.

Grubhub announces test program integrating Dexa’s drone delivery service for customers ordering from Wonder’s Green Brook location.

According to the companies, the drones operate under Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations and follow approved flight paths designed to minimize noise and disruption. Customers will be able to track deliveries in real time through the Grubhub app.

Ahead of the launch, Grubhub and Dexa will host a public demonstration event on March 16 in Green Brook with drone demonstrations scheduled for 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (rain date March 17).

Following the pilot program, Grubhub says it will evaluate the results and consider expanding drone delivery to additional restaurants.

Would you like to see local restaurants and stores begin offering drone delivery in our area?

Iran’s state-run television network on Thursday aired the first message attributed to the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, since he assumed the position.

The statement was not delivered directly by Khamenei. Instead, a narrator read the message while an archival photograph of the new leader appeared on screen, as Khamenei himself has yet to appear publicly.

In the broadcast message, Iran declared that it would continue seeking revenge for those it described as “shahids” (martyrs), with particular mention of the “shahids of the school in Minab.” The statement also said, in Khamenei’s name, that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since the conflict with Israel and the United States began. He was reportedly wounded during the strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.

Foreign reports say his injuries included a fractured foot, bruising near his left eye, and cuts to his face, conditions that have reportedly restricted his mobility.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a broad bill on Thursday to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable, a rare bipartisan effort in Congress to address a growing national problem.

The bill, which passed 89-10, would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It will now head back to the House, which passed a similar bill earlier this year.

“We have a housing shortage all across America,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who worked with Republicans to win overwhelming support from both parties for the legislation. “We need more housing of every kind. More housing for first-time home buyers, more housing for renters, more housing for seniors, more housing for people with disabilities, more rural housing, more urban housing, more, more, and more.”

The legislation, she said “will help drive down prices.”

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., led the effort with Warren. He said ahead of the vote that the Senate could “do what so many people failed to do in this legislative body for the last few decades, and that is pass consequential legislation that makes it easier to become a homeowner.”

Roadblocks ahead for the legislation
Despite the overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Senate, It’s unclear whether the House will pass the legislation again — or if President Donald Trump will sign it.

Trump has strongly backed the bill through the bipartisan negotiations, but he has also slowed its momentum with a declaration last weekend that he won’t sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship and end most mail-in balloting. The Senate is expected to begin consideration of that bill next week, but it is unlikely to pass as all Democrats oppose it.

At the same time, House leaders have indicated that they are unlikely to accept the Senate version of the housing legislation and have suggested they could launch a formal conference process to negotiate a final deal between the chambers — a process that could take months.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said ahead of the bill’s passage on Thursday that conference negotiations are a possibility, “but obviously the quickest way to do this would be to pick up the Senate bill and pass it.”

If the White House wants that to happen, he said, “they’ll probably have to make that argument to House leadership.”

Making housing more attainable
The bill would give local governments more power on housing issues, allow banks to invest more in affordable housing and lift limits on the number of units in a public housing development that can receive private financing through Section 8 funding that helps rehabilitate properties.

“You’ve got many provisions in this bill that stop treating the U.S. like one single housing market and start giving local leaders the tools they need to fix their unique regional puzzle,” said Peter Carroll with Cotality, a company that tracks housing data.

The bill aims to make homebuilding easier by streamlining some regulations that require environmental reviews and inspections. It also eliminates a limit on a grant for emergency shelter beds and street homelessness outreach.

As many affordable housing developers are leaning on manufactured and modular homes that can be transported to areas that need housing, the legislation also lifts the requirement that they have to be built on a permanent chassis, making them easier to build and design.

Housing advocacy and policy groups say they wish the bill went further by investing money in building more housing and assisting renters.

“This legislation is the product of essentially senators and House members wanting to come up with something that could pass with both Democratic and Republican votes, which means it’s inherently less ambitious,” said Yonah Freemark, a researcher at Urban Institute.

Corporate investors
One of the more contested provisions of the bill would bar institutional investors from buying single-family homes — a top priority for Trump.

The bill defines such investors as any that directly or indirectly own 350 or more single-family homes. Investors of any size would not be required to sell single-family homes bought before the date that the bill becomes a law.

They would still be allowed to buy or build single-family homes if they rent them out, but would be required to sell them to an individual homebuyer after seven years and offer that buyer “price concessions” and give tenants a 30-day “first-look” period when the time comes to sell the home.

A need for reform
The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace now going back to 2023 — well short of the 5.2-million annual pace that’s historically been the norm. They slowed last year to a 30-year low and have remained sluggish so far this year, declining in January and February versus a year earlier.

A sharp run-up in home prices, especially in the early years of this decade, and a chronic shortage of homes nationally worsened by years of below-average home construction have left many aspiring homeowners priced out of the market.

Meanwhile, while the median U.S. monthly rent has been declining for more than two years, it was still 15.2% higher in January than it was at the start of 2020, according to data from Realtor.com.

The trends have ratcheted pressure on lawmakers this year, with midterm elections looming in November, to show they’re working on ways to make homeownership and rental housing costs more affordable.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) drew fire Wednesday for denouncing Israel’s attacks in Lebanon without bothering to mention a fact more enormous and more salient than the proverbial elephant in the room: Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, which the terror group initiated.

In a post on X, the famously crotchety old senator wrote “It’s not just Iran. It’s Lebanon. In less than 2 weeks, Israel has killed 570 people and displaced 750,000 — over 10% of the entire country. Residential buildings are being bombed with no warning.”

“The U.S. cannot continue to be complicit in Netanyahu’s wars,” Sanders declared.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, noted that the very moment that Sanders penned his denunciation, Hezbollah rockets were flying toward an Arab town in Israel.

“While Senator Sanders was treating us to his racist stupidity, Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon were raining down on al-Ba’ina, an Arab town in Northern Israel,” Menken wrote on X. “Sanders does not value Arab lives. He simply detests Jewish ones.”

Yair Zivan, an adviser to Israel opposition leader Yair Lapid, fired a shot at Sanders while sheltering from rocket fire with his family.

“Senator, I work for the Leader of the Opposition in Israel and I’m writing this from a bomb shelter with my children,” he posted on X. “Israel is under attack by fanatical terrorists who want to murder us. It never ceases to amaze that your humanity never seems to extend to Israeli lives.”

Nadav Pollak, a Middle East lecturer at Reichman University in Herzliya, also took to X to express his outrage, calling Sanders’ remarks “insane.”

“It’s insane!” he fumed. “Just insane, that the Senator is tweeting on the war without even mentioning the name Hezbollah. It’s like the war started out of thin air.”

“Hezbollah started it!” he reminded Sanders.

Amid the war, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau has been delivering shiurim and divrei chizzuk to yeshivos in Bnei Brak that are operating in accordance with the directives of the Home Front Command and have protective shelters.

On Wednesday, he visited the temporary location of Yeshivas Ner Zerach–Otzem in Bnei Brak, where he delivered a shiur and afterwards gave a special address about the current situation.

HaRav Landau began: “Shir HaShirim Rabbah on the passuk: ‘The thousand are yours, O Solomon, and two hundred to those who guard its fruit.’ R’ Chiya, the son of R’ Abba, said: ‘One who studies Torah with tza’ar receives a thousand in reward, while one who studies without tza’ar receives two hundred.'”

“R’ Yudan says in the name of R’ Bun that one who learns Torah outside his usual place receives a thousand in reward, whereas one who studies in his regular place receives two hundred. For over two years now, bnei yeshivos have been studying Torah with tza’ar as authorities placed restrictions on them. And now an additional tza’ar has been added: many of you are forced, because of the war, to wander and study Torah away from your normal place.”

“On the other hand, for more than two years the Jewish people living in Tzion have been in a state of war. The dangers are immense and the fears are great, yet the Shomer Yisrael protects the remnant of Israel. All of the salvation of the Am Hashem comes through nissim and not through natural means at all, and we believe and are confident that it is the Torah that protects and saves. We have no Navi and cannot understand Hashem’s conduct, but we must recognize that the dangers are very great, and therefore we need the immense zechuyos of limmud Torah far more than in ordinary times. And those who study Torah with tza’ar receive a thousand in reward—five times more than those who study without tza’ar. And those who study away from their regular location receive a thousand—five times more than studying in their usual place.”

“Bnei yeshivos, the lomdei Torah, are the crown of creation. We sustain the world. Our limmud Torah protects Am Yisrael in the clearest and simplest sense. Therefore we must fulfill our tafkid with even greater strength: to learn and learn again, to immerse ourselves in Torah—learning for long uninterrupted hours, living the Torah, becoming excited by questions, and taking pleasure in divrei Torah. This is our role, our obligation, and our zechus—and only in this way will we protect Am Yisrael from all the enemies who say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation.’”

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“At the same time, we must increase our tefillos with kavanah and be more makpid on hilchos tefillah. It is said in the name of the Chazon Ish that in times of calamity, the Perek Tehillim (91) ‘יושב בסתר’ is especially powerful (mesugal).”

“Of course, we must be mechazeik in emunah and bitachon that everything that happens comes from Hashem. One who lives with this awareness is calm and happy, placing all hope in Hashem Yisbarach, Who is good and does good, and everything He does is for the best. And when we are mechazeik in emunah and bitachon, Hashem bestows goodness on those who love Him and is close to all those who call Him.”

“But together with emunah, we have the obligation of hishtadulus and the dinim of pikuach nefesh apply. We are obligated to be very makpid to follow the safety guidelines. It is forbidden to treat this lightly. It is a chiyuv d’oroisa of ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם. And it is said in the name of the Brisker Rav that through fulfilling the obligation of ‘ונשמרתם,’ Hakadosh Baruch Hu brings the salvation.”

“Another important matter: it is essential to maintain calmness, serenity, and a positive atmosphere. There is practical advice for this—follow the news as little as possible. What people know anyway is enough; there is no need to search for more and more information. It is unnecessary and can create fear and anxiety.”

“Next week the bein hazmanim period begins. During bein hazmanim there is no exemption from limmud Torah, especially now when Am Yisrael needs the protection of Torah. Chas v’shalom that bnei yeshivos and avreichim diminish their Torah study during this time. Aderaba, during bein hazmanim it is possible to learn masechtos or subjects that are not usually learned during the regular zeman.”

“One should also use the opportunity during bein hazmanim to fulfill the mitzvah of Kibbud Av V’Aim and to help at home when needed.”

“Yehi Ratzon that Hashem have mercy on His people Yisrael and save us from all calamities and harsh decrees. May we dwell in the tents of Torah all our days without disturbance, and may He redeem us with an eternal redemption speedily in our days, Amen,” the Rosh Yeshivah concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday demanded that ABC News retract a report claiming Iran intended to launch drone attacks on the U.S. West Coast, calling the story misleading and based on unverified intelligence.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the news outlet relied on a single email sent to local law enforcement in California, which noted the information was unconfirmed. “No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did,” Leavitt wrote on social media, accusing ABC of intentionally alarming the public.

ABC News had reported that the FBI warned police departments in California of possible retaliatory drone strikes by Iran following recent American military actions. Officials emphasized the intelligence was preliminary and unverified, a detail the White House said was omitted from the report.

This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people.

They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip. The email even… https://t.co/jKey9ahsNk

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 12, 2026

Adv. Gedalyahu Ben Shimon, chairman of the Religious Council in Ramat Gan and a senior figure in the Shas Party who also serves on the Bnei Brak City Council, was seriously injured Thursday in a stabbing attack on Bialik Street in Ramat Gan.

Emergency personnel from Magen David Adom were called to the scene and treated the victim before transporting the 47-year-old to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for further care.

Police apprehended a 20-year-old Arab resident of Jatt at the location of the attack and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Shin Bet has also joined the inquiry.

Witnesses at the scene reported that the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault.

Shlomo Bergstein, a senior paramedic with Magen David Adom’s motorcycle unit, described the condition in which responders found the victim, saying he was conscious but suffering from severe stab wounds.

“We received a report about a man with serious penetrating injuries to his body. When we arrived at the scene, we saw the injured man conscious, with many bystanders around him. We had to act quickly,” he said.

Bergstein said that paramedics administered emergency treatment at the scene before rushing the victim in a Magen David Adom intensive care ambulance to the hospital’s trauma unit.

Yehuda Avidan, Director-General of the Ministry of Religious Services, reacted to the attack with a statement calling it an act of terror and urging the public to pray for the victim’s recovery.

“We are shocked and horrified by this despicable terrorist attack. Terror will not deter us from continuing on our path, but right now the entire people of Israel are united in prayer for the recovery of the head of the Religious Council in Ramat Gan. I call on the entire public to pray for the recovery of Gedalyahu ben Yehoshua, who needs a full recovery.”

{Matzav.com}

The assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader and nearly the entire top leadership of the country’s military establishment in the opening minutes of the war marked a dramatic turning point in the conflict, according to a senior IDF officer who described the operation as one of the most complex and coordinated strikes ever carried out by the Israeli military.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, the officer said the unprecedented operation combined Israel’s most advanced airpower and intelligence capabilities.

“Assassinating the supreme leader and all of the top echelon of the Iranian military and the IRGC in around half a minute was made possible by a giant and incredibly coordinated airstrike, which took months of planning,” the officer said.

The strike took place at approximately 8:15 a.m. on February 28 and lasted roughly 40 seconds. During that brief window, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several of the country’s most powerful military figures were killed.

Among those killed were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour, military chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, and National Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, along with another long-time senior security aide to Khamenei. Roughly 35 additional senior officials were also reportedly killed in the strike.

The officer described the operation as a massive air assault involving around 200 aircraft, including Israeli F-16, F-15, and F-35 fighter jets, as well as extensive support from the United States military.

“All carrying precision munitions and all flying 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers to strike hundreds of targets in a short time period,” the officer said. “The total surprise we achieved was extremely deadly and effective.”

The opening assault targeted not only Iran’s leadership but also critical elements of the country’s air defense systems and ballistic-missile infrastructure, delivering a devastating blow that left Iranian forces scrambling in the war’s earliest hours.

Within days, Israeli aircraft were flying continuous long-range missions into Iranian airspace. By March 5, nearly every aircraft involved in the campaign had flown nine to ten sorties, each lasting five to eight hours round-trip.

The pace of operations placed enormous demands on pilots and ground crews alike. Some pilots reportedly relied on caffeine pills to maintain focus during marathon missions, while strict rest schedules were imposed despite highly motivated aircrews.

“Every time they close their cockpit and fly off to attack Iranian missile launchers, they know they are directly protecting their friends and family at home,” the officer said.

Within the first days of fighting, Israeli forces say they achieved air supremacy over large parts of Iran, dramatically changing the nature of the campaign. Once Iranian air defenses were largely suppressed, Israeli and American forces were able to shift to less expensive munitions, including Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), for many strikes.

The scale and intensity of the opening assault has led some Israeli military officials to describe the campaign as one of the most devastating short-term air wars in history, particularly given the depth of coordination between Israeli and American forces.

Behind the scenes, the sustained operation has relied on an enormous maintenance effort. At Ramat David Airbase, technicians have worked around the clock to keep aircraft operational, including a growing number of engineers from a relatively new Chareidi training track within the Israeli Air Force.

Some of the groundwork for the operation was laid months earlier. In January 2025, Israel approved an $80 million upgrade to self-protection systems for its F-16 fleet, an investment aimed at ensuring the decades-old aircraft could continue playing a major role in long-range strike missions.

Although the F-35 is now the most advanced aircraft in Israel’s arsenal, the upgraded F-16s proved crucial in the early phases of the war, flying repeated long-distance missions deep into Iranian territory.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — For more than a century, Utah has kept gambling almost entirely out of the state. There are no casinos, no lotteries and no racetracks that allow bets, a prohibition rooted in the conservative ideals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which views gambling as a vice that leads to selfishness and addiction.

But now, the state is fighting a new, more challenging battle to keep gambling outside its borders. It’s on the verge of enacting a law intended to undercut prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow anyone with a smartphone to wager on anything from whether it will rain in Los Angeles to whether the United States will go to war.

While regulators and other states are still debating whether those markets constitute finance or gambling, Utah has already made up its mind.

“We are putting a casino in the pocket of every single American, and they are targeting especially young people,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “It is really awful what they are doing, and we are going to make sure this doesn’t happen in our state.”

Cox said he will sign the legislation, putting conservative Utah at odds with the federal government. Kalshi has already sued the state, and the company is backed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for regulating financial markets.

The conflict puts Utah, a place that’s not known for picking fights, on the frontlines of a cultural, political and economic battle sweeping the country. On one side is a state deeply rooted in what is widely known as the Mormon church, where both politicians and faith leaders have treated the issue as a moral crusade. On the other is a growing industry — Kalshi and Polymarket are estimated to be worth $20 billion each after their last fundraising rounds — with connections in Washington that may offer some regulatory protection.

President Donald Trump’s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. Trump’s social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict.

Whoever wins this round could shape how other states handle the issue in the future.

“What’s at stake here is whether states will be able to regulate gambling or if gambling is going to be subsumed into finance and ultimately regulated by Congress,” said Todd Phillips, a professor at Georgia State University who has written extensively about prediction market regulation.

Utah takes aim at prop betting
Polymarket and Kalshi allow participants to buy and sell contracts tied to the probable outcome of an event. Contracts are typically priced between one cent and 99 cents, which roughly translates to the percentage of customers who believe that event will happen.

The companies argue they offer products that allow customers to manage risk, like how farmers can buy corn futures to lock in the price of their crops ahead of time. And derivative markets like the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange have long offered what are known as binary options to investors, which bet on whether an event will or will not happen.

But unlike those derivative markets, the bulk of Kalshi’s trading volume and roughly half of Polymarket’s are now tied to sports. Kalshi said it saw more than $1 billion in volume traded on the Super Bowl alone.

Utah is seeking to limit prediction markets from doing business in the state by taking aim at proposition betting in sports, which can be a significant source of their revenue.

The bill that Cox plans to sign would expand the state’s gambling ban to include wagers on certain events happening in a game rather than the game’s outcome. An example of these “prop bets” would be how well a particular player performs, or a team hitting a specific threshold like rebounds or other metrics.

The legislation also aims to stop sportsbooks companies like FanDuel and DraftKings that have set up their own prediction markets, which analysts say could allow the companies to get around state gambling prohibitions.

Because of the vocal opposition of Utah officials, Kalshi preemptively sued the state in late February, asking a federal judge to stop Utah from enforcing its gambling restrictions on the platform. The judge has yet to rule on Kalshi’s request. Other judges in Nevada and Massachusetts have issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and Polymarket from offering sports betting in their states, while judges in New Jersey in Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi.

Kalshi argues its product is different from sportsbooks companies or casinos because customers are betting against each other instead of against the “house,” spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission under Trump has agreed with Kalshi and has asserted that it has exclusive regulatory oversight of prediction markets. The agency argues states cannot ban the products from operating in their jurisdiction just because they are morally opposed to them.

“To those who seek to challenge our authority in this space, let me be clear, we will see you in court,” chairman Michael Selig said recently in a video posted to social media.

A moral crusade with religious roots
It’s the first major issue in which Cox has clashed with Trump in the year and a half since the Republican governor worked his way into Trump’s good graces after not voting for him in 2016 and 2020.

Patrick Mason, the chair of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, said he is not surprised to see Cox and other Utah Republicans take a stand against prediction markets, even if it means going against their own party’s leadership in Washington. In the state, where about half of the 3.5 million residents are Latter-day Saints, even a simple game of church bingo is a rare sight.

“Maybe they play for M&Ms, but never money,” he said.

All the state’s major politicians, including the governor, lieutenant governor and its entire congressional delegation, are members of the church headquartered in Salt Lake City. When they view an issue as moral rather than political, the faith’s teachings often take precedence over appeasing the party, Mason explained.

Church doctrine prohibits gambling in any form, saying it is motivated by “a desire to get something for nothing” and is destructive to individuals and families.

“The idea that it goes against a sense of work ethic, a kind of fair exchange, has always been at the heart of the way a lot of people think about themselves in terms of Utah identity, and certainly Latter-day Saint identity and ethics,” Mason said.

Because of Utah’s religious roots, the state has prohibited gambling since it was admitted to the Union in 1895. Along with Hawaii, it has the strictest gambling prohibitions in the country. Utah doesn’t even allow broad multi-state lotteries like Powerball or Mega Millions.

Utah leads on both state and federal fronts
Phillips, the professor focused on industry regulation, said if Congress does not step in to clarify whether these new prediction markets are legal, the issue will be left to the courts.

“The line between gambling and finance is very, very fine,” Phillips said. “There’s a reason why Congress has, over and over again, stepped in to define and regulate financial markets when the products skew too close to gambling.”

There is already some movement on Capitol Hill, led in part by another Utah Republican.

Republican Rep. Blake Moore of Utah and Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal of California introduced bipartisan legislation this week to more aggressively regulate prediction markets. The bill would prohibit the platforms from allowing bets on war, assassinations, terrorist attacks or election outcomes, and allow states to ban sports-related betting.

“We, as a society, should not be taking bets on whether we are going to invade Cuba,” Moore said.

Democratic senators have also said they will introduce legislation to ban wagers on violence.

“It’s insane this is legal,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said on social media.

In court filings, Kalshi has tried to argue that its sports prediction market has economic utility and usefulness. It uses an example of an insurance company that underwrites the careers of college athletes using prediction markets to hedge the risk. Kalshi also argues that hotels, travel agencies and stadium management companies may be able to use prediction markets to hedge their risk against underperforming sports.

Moore said he is not swayed by Kalshi and Polymarket’s economic arguments.

“Utah’s economic outlook has been strong for many years,” he said. “I see no need why we need to embrace these as an economic tool.”

CNN host Abby Phillip issued an on-air correction Wednesday night after initially claiming that an ISIS-inspired bombing attempt in New York City last weekend had targeted the city’s Muslim mayor.

“This morning I issued a correction first thing in the morning on X for a mistake that I made in last night’s show, but I also wanted to do so on air as well,” she said. “I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not.”

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Phillip added that she had failed to catch the error during the broadcast and took full responsibility for the misstatement.

“And while we do make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge and correct those errors when they happen,” she told viewers.

The clarification followed a wave of criticism online after Phillip’s remarks spread widely on social media.

The attempted bombing occurred Saturday near the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Authorities say two suspects threw improvised explosive devices during demonstrations taking place near the mayor’s home. Law enforcement officials have said the devices were directed toward protesters and police in the area, not at Mamdani himself.

During Phillip’s program Tuesday night, the claim was repeated by CNN political commentator Ana Navarro before being challenged on air by Republican panelist Joe Borelli.

“To be clear, the attack wasn’t on Mayor Mamdani,” Borelli said during the discussion. “It was attacking protesters, people protesting Mamdani.”

The confusion was compounded by another misstatement from Edward-Isaac Dovere, who posted on X that Mamdani had been a “target of political violence.” Dovere later deleted the post and issued a correction acknowledging that law enforcement officials had not identified the mayor as the intended target.

“I want to correct something I posted earlier on X, which inaccurately implied that Mayor Mamdani was the target of political violence,” Dovere wrote, adding that the original post had been removed.

The network had already faced criticism over its initial social media coverage of the incident. An earlier CNN post describing the suspects as teenagers who might have otherwise spent a normal day enjoying unusually warm weather in New York drew backlash for appearing to downplay the seriousness of the attack.

CNN later deleted the post and acknowledged it failed to reflect the gravity of the situation, saying it violated the network’s editorial standards.

According to federal authorities, the suspects — identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi — both residents of Pennsylvania and U.S. citizens, have been charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.

Prosecutors allege the pair threw homemade explosive devices toward law enforcement officers and demonstrators gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, during protests connected to Mamdani.

Authorities say the suspects were inspired by ISIS ideology.

The devices did not detonate, and the suspects were quickly taken into custody. The case remains under investigation as federal officials continue examining the circumstances surrounding the attempted attack.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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As Pesach approaches, kitchens everywhere begin preparing for the busy days ahead. Between cooking, hosting, and endless cups of tea and coffee, having instant access to clean, filtered water can make all the difference.

That’s exactly what the Noam Water Machine delivers.

The Noam Water Machine brings unmatched comfort to your home with fresh filtered water available instantly — hot or cold — anytime you need it. Whether you're preparing meals, making coffee for guests, or simply filling a glass of cold water, everything is ready at the touch of a button.

Designed with modern convenience in mind, the machine features a smart touch screen that makes operation simple and intuitive. It also includes an automatic Shabbos mode, making it ideal for Jewish homes.

Safety is also a priority. A built-in child safety lock for hot water ensures peace of mind for families, while the energy-saving sleep mode helps reduce electricity usage when the machine is not in use.

Beyond function, the Noam Water Machine is also built to look beautiful in your kitchen, available in stylish color options that blend seamlessly into any space.

And when it comes to kashrus, you can feel confident knowing the system is CRC and OU certified.

With Pesach around the corner, this is the perfect time to upgrade your kitchen and make the holiday preparation easier.

Noam. On tap 24/7.

Right now, Noam Water is offering a special offer for customers who place their order before Pesach. 

Order now and enjoy the convenience of fresh filtered water — exactly when you need it most.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A sport utility vehicle went out of control Tuesday afternoon and struck scaffolding along a busy Main Street intersection, authorities said.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. when the driver, an elderly man from Long Island, lost control while driving eastbound. The vehicle jumped a traffic island, crossed lanes, and collided with scaffolding near a restaurant.

The driver was the only person in the vehicle and was taken to a hospital in stable condition. No pedestrians or bystanders were injured. Emergency crews secured the scene, and businesses in the area remained open.

Police said they are investigating the cause of the crash, including whether driver error or vehicle issues contributed to the accident.

Yisroel R.

These days marks six years since life in the heimishe communities changed almost overnight. On Chuf-Gimmel Adar 2020, just days after Purim, the coronavirus began reaching heimishe neighborhoods across New York, and yeshivos, shuls, and mosdos across the heimishe communities were suddenly forced to close.

In the days after Purim, word started spreading that people who had attended gatherings or traveled were testing positive for the virus. At first it sounded like something far away, but very quickly it became clear that the situation was much closer to home. Rabbonim, askanim, and community leaders spent long hours on the phone with doctors and health officials trying to understand what was happening and what steps should be taken.

As the days went on, the situation began worsening quickly. Hospitals across New York started filling up with patients, including many from heimishe neighborhoods. Many families lost loved ones during those weeks, especially elderly people, and there was a great deal of uncertainty as people tried to understand how serious the virus was and what would happen next.

For many people, the idea of closing yeshivos and batei medrashim was almost impossible to imagine. For generations, Torah learning and daily minyanim continued through difficult times. The thought that the batei medrashim and the yeshivos would close, even for a short time, was something most people had never imagined before.

But as the number of cases in New York began rising quickly and hospitals started seeing more patients, the seriousness of the situation became clearer. Within days, the Rabbanim announced that shuls and mosdos would close for the time being and that shuls would limit minyanim and gatherings. This also came following a phone call from the White House direct to the Heimishe Rabbanim.

Even as everything was shutting down, the heimishe world kept on the learning and davening going as best as possible. Rabbonim continued giving shiurim over the phone, chadurim, girl schools, and yeshivos arranged learning through conference calls so the learning would not stop. In some chassidishe courts, the Rebbe even held tishen over the phone so chassidim could listen from their homes. On the streets, small minyanim formed on porches, back yards and the sidewalks, so people could still daven together b’minyan while keeping their distance.

The timing made it even more striking. Pesach was only a few weeks away, when the streets are usually busy with people shopping and preparing for Yom Tov. Instead, families were suddenly staying home, trying to understand what the coming weeks would bring. Stores, which rely heavily on this season, had to quickly find ways to keep their services going - some adding delivery options, while others offered curbside or out-the-door pickup.

Six years later, it remains something that few had ever imagined could happen, and a time that people will remember for many years to come.

Sen. John Fetterman said Wednesday that the military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury has produced strong results and pushed back against media portrayals suggesting the operation has gone poorly.

Speaking during an appearance on CNN’s The Source, the Pennsylvania Democrat argued that some coverage, particularly from The New York Times, paints an inaccurate picture of the situation.

During the discussion, Fetterman said he believes certain outlets are attempting to frame the operation as unsuccessful. “I don’t know what your network has talked about, but what I’m saying [is] that, whether, like, it’s The New York Times, they’re making it more and more trying to convince America that this has been a disaster or things are out of control, and that’s just categorically not true on that.”

Fetterman pointed to what he described as measurable outcomes from the campaign, saying the operation has significantly reduced Iranian attacks and weakened the country’s ability to retaliate.

Earlier in the conversation, he praised the military results so far. “the outcome thusfar has been outstanding. If you just look at the metrics, that the missile and the drone attacks are down in the 90s percent. And Iran really has been [unable] to strike back and hit our assets or Israel much right now. So, after eliminating all of the leadership after seven or eight days and achieving air supremacy after a couple of days, I think overall, I think it’s been outstanding, where we’re at.”

At the same time, Fetterman said that it is reasonable for the media to report on controversial aspects of the conflict, including a strike that hit a school in Iran.

{Matzav.com}

A driver was hospitalized after being extricated from an overturned vehicle in Toms River this morning.

The two-vehicle accident happened around 11:15 AM at the intersection of Silverton Road and old Freehold Road.

The driver of the overturned vehicle, a woman, was transported by Toms River EMS.

Expect the delays in the area for the cleanup.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a court petition Wednesday seeking to compel the Statewide Charter School Board to provide a complete explanation for denying the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School’s application.
2026.03.11 Petition for Writ of Mandamus
Drummond said the board cited only religion as its reason for rejection, ignoring other significant issues it had previously identified in the application, including large discrepancies in projected enrollment and limited community input. He accused the board of deliberately narrowing the record to make a potential federal lawsuit easier for them to defend.

“The Board is playing politics with taxpayers’ money,” Drummond said. “This petition is not about the school’s religious character — those questions have already been settled. It’s about requiring a state agency to follow the law and issue a complete, honest rejection letter.”

The board plans to hire outside legal counsel, including the First Liberty Institute, to defend against a likely federal challenge. Drummond stressed that his action is focused on ensuring proper legal procedure, not the content of the school’s religious mission.

(AP) – The biggest new restaurant trend is small.

Special menus with petite, less expensive portions are popping up all over, from large chains like Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory to trendy urban eateries and farm-to-fork dining rooms.

Restaurants hope that offering smaller servings beyond the children’s menu will meet many different diners’ needs. Some people want to spend less when they go out. Others are looking for healthier options or trying to lose weight. Younger consumers tend to snack more throughout the day and eat smaller meals, said Maeve Webster, the president of culinary consulting firm Menu Matters.

“These are really driven by, I think, changes in the way people are thinking about their relationship with food, the way they spend money on food, what is a good value and what’s not,” Webster said.

Looking for value
Beth Tipton, the co-owner of Daniel Girls Farmhouse Restaurant in Connersville, Indiana, introduced an eight-item Mini Meals menu last fall after several customers requested smaller portions. The menu, which includes daily specials like a half piece of meatloaf with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy for $8, now accounts for about 20% of the restaurant’s orders, she said.

Older adults make up about half of the restaurant’s clientele, Tipston said, and some customers told her the regular menu was a stretch for their budgets. As someone who underwent weight-loss surgery, she also knew from experience that many restaurants won’t allow adults to order from their children’s menus.

A ropa vieja dish from Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar’s standard menu is prepared for serving at Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar in Philadelphia, on Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)

“We wanted it to be available to all without the word ‘kids meals’ attached,” Tipton said. “With the rising costs all around us we wanted to help in any way we can, and this is a great option.”

Eating out and GLP-1s
Some restaurants are adding menus to court users of GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Zepbound, Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Last fall, restaurateur Barry Gutin ran into two different friends who told him they were taking GLP-1s and struggling to find restaurant meals that met their dietary needs and smaller appetites. GLP-1 users tend to eat less, so they need nutritionally dense foods that are low in fat and high in protein and fiber.

Gutin, the co-owner of Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar in Philadelphia, Washington, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida, reached out to a doctor who specializes in weight loss and to Cuba Libre’s culinary director, Angel Roque. Over the next month, they developed the chain’s GLP-Wonderful menu, which is available during dinner.

The menu has five classic Cuban options. Roque said the pollo asado on Cuba Libre’s regular menu has nearly 1,000 calories; on the GLP-1 menu, that’s slimmed down to 400 calories, but heavy on protein and fiber. He said it was also important to keep the GLP-1 meals flavorful and colorful, to stimulate appetites.

“Many times when people are on those kind of regimes, they feel that they can’t do the same as everybody else. So we wanted to show them, yes, at Cuba Libre, you can,” Roque said.

Gutin said the menu has increased business. He estimated that 10 to 20 groups at each location every week have at least one person who requests the GLP-Wonderful menu.

“People say, ‘Thank you for serving us’,” Gutin said.

Big chains go small
Olive Garden, whose seven-item “Lighter Portions” menu rolled out nationwide in January, said GLP-1 users were one consideration. The Italian-style restaurant chain also wanted to appeal to patrons pursuing healthier diets or more affordable meals, said Rick Cardenas, the president and CEO of Olive Garden’s parent company, Darden Restaurants.

“There is a consumer group out there that believes in abundance, but abundance is different for everybody,” Cardenas said in September during a conference call with investors. “So consumers can choose. We’re not changing our entire menu to make it a smaller portion.”

The Asian fusion chain P.F. Chang’s began offering medium-sized portions last fall. The Cheesecake Factory added smaller, lower-priced Bites and Bowls to its menu last summer, while TGI Fridays recently began testing an “Eat Like A Kid” menu with smaller portions.

A long-term change
Smaller portions aren’t a new concept. Twenty years ago, small-plate tapas restaurants were all the rage, for instance.

But to Webster, the menu consultant, the scaled-down dishes appearing now feel like a longer-term shift. For one thing, the trend is not tied to any particular cuisine. Webster also thinks consumers are thinking more about food waste than they used to, and smaller portions can alleviate some of their concerns.

“I think it is a core need that consumers have, and a demand that has been lingering under the surface for a long time because restaurant meals, particularly at chains, have become so large,” she said. “Sure, it sounds great to take leftovers home, but they never taste as good.”

During a recent visit to Shelburne, Vermont, from his home in North Carolina, Jack Pless was delighted to see the Teeny Tuesday menu at Barkeaters Restaurant, which specializes in locally sourced food. Pless, who’s in his 60s and used to own a restaurant, said he can’t eat as much as he used to at meals.

“So many times you go out to restaurants, especially me or my wife, and we’ll take home a box and it’ll sit in the refrigerator for two, three days and start to grow a beard,” he said.

Julie Finestone, the co-owner of Barkeaters, said she introduced the Teeny Tuesday menu last month to bring in more weekday business during the winter. She was concerned about the cost of offering lower-priced food options, like $12 reuben sliders, but said the decision has brought in more business than she expected.

Finestone said she’s pretty confident Teeny Tuesday will become a year-round fixture.

“Some people, it’s dietary. Some have smaller appetites. Some people don’t like to overindulge in the middle of the week,” Finestone said. “I think that it just spoke to people.”

As first reported here on Matzav.com, a remarkable simcha was celebrated this week in Modiin Illit, where a well-known local family welcomed their 21st child. The birth has drawn widespread attention not only because of the extraordinary number, but also because all 21 children were born in separate births, without a single set of twins.

In a special interview with Menachem Toker on the Kol Chai program Zman Avir, the father revealed a remarkable story about a bracha he received years ago from Maran Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l.

The father recalled that when the family had only four or five children, he once received a brocha from the revered gadol that would ultimately shape his life.

“This is a bracha, by the way, from Rav Chaim Kanievsky. I was very close to him,” the father said. “I cannot go into the details, but he told me explicitly: you will have twenty children. I knew that when he says something, that’s how it will be.”

The father explained that Rav Chaim continued to follow the family’s growth over the years and repeatedly reaffirmed the blessing.

“When there were eight children, I came to tell him. He had served as sandek a few times. He said to me: ‘Nu, there will be another eight,’ and he smiled. He kept repeating the bracha. He was consistent the entire time.”

The family’s strong emunah chachamim has also been tested during the current war, as missile sirens and the tense security situation have disrupted daily life. Despite the circumstances, the family once again chose to give birth at the Mayanei HaYeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak.

“I still believe his bracha remains,” the father said. “So even with all the discomfort because of the war conditions, we specifically went there. He told me several times: I told you, Mayanei HaYeshua.”

During the interview, the father also spoke emotionally about the family’s eldest son, who lives with a disability. He said that Rav Chaim gave them chizuk at a time when doctors were offering discouraging predictions.

“You really have to know that behind this stands Rav Chaim Kanievsky,” he said. “Even with the disabled son, when doctors said various things, Rav Chaim dismissed it with a wave of his hand. He told me: don’t worry, don’t worry. He is the firstborn, he is the oldest.”

Asked by Toker how parents can give individual attention to so many children, the father offered a heartfelt approach to chinuch that resonated deeply with listeners.

“If you see every child as a world unto himself, it’s possible,” he explained. “If each child is just another number, another box, then it cannot work. But if you believe every child has his own strengths, his uniqueness, his needs, and his goodness, then what does one have to do with the other? You see each one as one.”

On the practical side of managing such a large household, the father noted that several years ago the family expanded their home in order to better accommodate their son with special needs.

“We made some changes and expanded the house,” he said. “You can manage even with fewer rooms — people would be surprised.”

He added that Shabbos meals are held around a large table, with an additional smaller table added when needed, and that the home operates with a strong sense of simcha and faith.

Moved by the story, Toker announced live on air that he would present the family with a gift package that includes new suits and hats for the seven sons currently learning in yeshiva, as well as a shopping voucher for the new mother.

The father expressed heartfelt gratitude and concluded simply: “I truly appreciate the generous heart.”

Next week the family will celebrate the baby’s bris. The father revealed that the sandek will be Rav Shimon Galai. Toker predicted that the newborn will likely be named after Rav Chaim Kanievsky.

{Matzav.com}

Two Arabs attempted two attacks in tandem in Samaria Thursday. IDF soldiers in the vicinity shot the terrorists dead on the spot. Emergency responders confirmed the two men were dead.

“The troops responded with fire and neutralized the terrorists,” the military said.

The assailants first opened fire at an army post, then drove to Tapuah Junction and attempted to ram their car into soldiers manning the junction.

No injuries have been reported.

(AP) – Google Maps will depend more heavily on artificial intelligence to help people figure out where they want to go and the best way to get there as part of a major redesign unveiled on Thursday.

The overhaul driven by Google’s Gemini technology will introduce two AI features into a digital mapping service used by more than 2 billion people worldwide.

One tool called Ask Maps will expand upon conversational abilities that Google brought to the service last November, giving suggestions to users looking for things such as nearby places to charge their devices, cafes with short lines or a detailed itinerary for a road trip involving several stops and excursions.

Gemini’s recommendations will draw upon a database spanning more than 300 million places and reviews from more than 500 million contributors that have been accumulated since Google Maps’ debut more than 20 years ago. Google executives declined to answer a question about whether the company eventually plans to sell ads to boost businesses’ chances of being displayed in Ask Maps’ recommendations. Ask Maps initially will be available on Google Maps’ mobile app for iPhones and Android software in the U.S. and India, before expanding to personal computers and other countries.

In what Google executives are billing as the biggest change to the maps’ driving directions, Gemini has also created a new tool dubbed Immersive Navigation that will present a three-dimensional perspective designed to give users a better grasp of where they are at any moment in time. The 3D renderings created by Gemini will include landmarks such as notable buildings, medians in the roads and other aspects of the terrain that drivers are seeing around them as they drive to help them get their bearings more quickly.

Google believes its AI guardrails are now strong enough to prevent the Gemini technology underlying Immersive Navigation from fabricating bogus places to go, a malfunction known within the industry as a “hallucination.”

Immersive Navigation is also supposed to help Google Maps more clearly explain the pros and cons of different driving routes to the same recommendation, as well as point to the best places to park once a user arrives at a designated destination. The new AI-powered navigation will only be available in the U.S. initially, on Google Maps’ mobile app for the iPhone and Android, as well as cars equipped with options to activate CarPlay and Android Auto.

The increased reliance on AI in Google Maps follows the company’s introduction of more Gemini technology to make two of its other most popular products — Gmail and the Chrome web browser — more proactive and helpful to their billions of users. The expansion underscores Google’s confidence in the Gemini 3 model that the Mountain View, California, company released late last year as part of an intensifying battle for AI supremacy with up-and-coming rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”

It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.)

Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.

Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!

Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!

YES! YOU CAN MAKE

your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE

Shas, Rashi & Tosfos

IN JUST ONE YEAR!

The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha

The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly:  It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact.

All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.

Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year

The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own.

Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden.

Official Shtar from Shas Yiden

Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.

All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.

The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!

Yissachar-Zevulun Pact –

Beyond the Grave

The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon. 

Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).

One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”

In the words of Gedolei Torah:

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:

“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).

“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.

“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”

Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:

“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”

Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:

 “Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”

Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:

“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”

Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:

“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory.

ShasYiden.com

A powerful message of chizuk delivered by Rav Baruch Rosenblum during the ongoing “Shaagas HaAri” war has gone viral in recent days, offering encouragement and perspective to many facing the current security situation.

The noted maggid shiur reflects on the familiar words from Tehillim, “L’Dovid Hashem ori v’yishi,” asking why people often feel secure during ordinary times yet become gripped by fear when war breaks out.

Rav Rosenblum explains that under normal circumstances people go to sleep at night or leave for Shacharis without thinking twice about their safety. There is no sense that they must say goodbye to family members or prepare for danger.

“You don’t say to your wife, ‘If I don’t come back, raise the children on the path of Torah,’” he notes.

The reason, he explains, is simple faith in the words Hashem ma’oz chayai, mimi efchad — that Hashem is the strength of our lives and there is no one to fear.

The difference, he says, is that people perceive a gap between times of calm and times of war.

“What is chanayah?” Rav Rosenblum asks. “It’s a regular day, a pleasant atmosphere. You wake up in the morning and everything is working, baruch Hashem. You feel calm because everything is fine.”

Quoting the words of Dovid Hamelech, he explains: “Im tachaneh alai machaneh lo yira libi.” On an ordinary day, when life feels stable, a person does not feel afraid.

“But what happens when war rises against me? B’zos ani votei’ach. What is that zos? The same zos of the machaneh.”

Rav Rosenblum stresses that the Ribbono Shel Olam does not change. The same Hashem who is present with us during times of calm is also present with us in the midst of war.

To illustrate the idea, he recounts a story about the Gerrer Rebbe, the Imrei Emes. The Rebbe was once traveling in a wagon when the horses suddenly began racing toward a steep drop. While the chassidim around him panicked and cried out in fear, the Rebbe remained completely calm.

Rav Rosenblum explains the lesson: “Someone who feels secure only when the ground beneath him is straight will panic when the ground becomes crooked. But someone who walks calmly because the Ribbono Shel Olam is with him — that same Ribbono Shel Olam is with him even when the ground becomes crooked.”

He concludes with the example of Yonah Hanavi, who was able to sleep in the depths of the ship during a violent storm. When asked how he could sleep amid such danger, Yonah answered that the One who created the sea also created the land, and the One who protects a person when the ground is stable protects him when the sea is raging.

Rav Rosenblum’s message for these wartime days is clear: people must follow all safety instructions and do what is required, but they should do so without panic.

“We have to do what needs to be done, and we must follow the instructions,” he says. “But not with fear and not with dread — rather with calmness and confidence.”

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (VINnews) – Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., traveled to the Middle East this week to help evacuate Americans stranded amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. She initially went to rescue a South Carolina family but stayed in the region to assist additional Americans in danger.

Mace worked alongside Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based nonprofit led by military veterans, coordinating with the U.S. State Department to secure an aircraft for evacuation. Dozens of Americans, including families with children, were safely flown to Greece.

I can say that mace is telling you the truth…the problem is real and I know for a fact that she did something I have almost never seen in congress: she went alone to a had place and figured out how to help get people out on the fly…I saw it.
Respect it. https://t.co/mssFTdOi9I

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 12, 2026

The organization said this marked its 808th mission and has helped nearly 600 Americans leave the region since the outbreak of the conflict. Grey Bull Rescue founder Bryan Stern praised Mace for actively working with the team to ensure the safe extraction of citizens.

I left Israel last night on a rescue flight full of Americans.

I originally went to the Middle East because there was a South Carolina family who was stranded. And because when your people are stranded in a war zone getting hit with missiles and rockets, the only answer worthy… pic.twitter.com/tBzQvsn3L9

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 12, 2026

Mace, who is seeking the governorship of South Carolina, said the experience underscored the importance of leadership and action in times of crisis. Tens of thousands of Americans have been leaving the Middle East since the escalation of hostilities, with many receiving direct support from the U.S. government.

Last night, Grey Bull Rescue evacuated another aircraft full of Americans trapped in Israel under threat from Iranian missiles and drones.

With support from Congresswoman Nancy Mace @RepNancyMace and coordination with the U.S. Department of State, 155 Americans were evacuated… pic.twitter.com/yilWI8Vnwy

— Grey Bull Rescue (@greybullrescue) March 12, 2026

My love for South Carolina and all Americans knows no boundaries.

We will cross oceans, fly into war zones and do everything humanly possible to help you. When our people are in need, we step up. pic.twitter.com/2s9YgxSNiv

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) March 12, 2026

I left Israel last night on a rescue flight full of Americans.

I originally went to the Middle East because there was a South Carolina family who was stranded. And because when your people are stranded in a war zone getting hit with missiles and rockets, the only answer worthy… pic.twitter.com/v7TJssPb65

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) March 12, 2026

Funny story, @ChrisCuomo was on my flight to Jordan. He promised to keep it secret. Chris was very helpful to me. I’ll tell that story when I’m on his show next. 🇺🇸

Chris, you’re a great American and I appreciate your help very much. https://t.co/s1JT1X8Te1

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) March 12, 2026

A Toms River resident who commutes to the city every day got himself a Tesla so that he can do his Daf Yomi learning (daily Torah study) during his trip without having to constantly look at the road – though the car still requires your ability to take over the wheel when prompted.

Would you buy a Tesla for this – or similar – reason?

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Kyiv last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as countries scramble to modernize their air defenses after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.

The proposed U.S.-Ukraine deal would cover various types of drones and air defenses that operate as a single system capable of protecting against swarms of hundreds or even thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and missiles, Zelenskyy said in a message on social media.

“We have not yet had the opportunity to sign this document,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia has fired tens of thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbor just over four years ago. It launched more than 800 drones and decoys in its biggest nighttime barrage. Iran has responded to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes by firing the same type of drones at targets in the Middle East.

Ukraine has pioneered the development of cut-price drone killers, some of which cost a few thousand dollars, that have rewritten the air defense rule book.

The conflict unfolding in the Middle East might prompt American officials to sign the drone production proposal, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine is keen to lock in future foreign support for its ongoing effort to thwart Russia’s invasion, and drone production agreements could bring Kyiv some diplomatic leverage in negotiations with Moscow.

U.S.-mediated talks seeking to stop Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II are on hold due to the Iran war.

Zelenskyy arrived in NATO member Romania on Thursday, a day before he visits French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, as new research indicated Russian oil revenue that helps drive its invasion of Ukraine has risen since the Iran war began.

Russia’s daily revenue from oil sales during the Middle East conflict, which has brought a sharp increase in the price of crude, has been on average 14% higher than in February, according to the nonprofit Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Oil revenue is crucial for Moscow’s war effort.

Macron’s office said his talks with the Ukrainian leader will focus on efforts to counter Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers that are shipping oil in violation of international sanctions but are hard to stop.

Zelenskyy was to meet in Bucharest with Romanian President Nicușor Dan, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and visit a training center for Ukraine’s F-16 pilots.

Ukraine has exported a significant amount of its grain through Romania during the war, and Bucharest has provided energy support to Kyiv as Moscow’s forces blast Ukraine’s power grid.

A long-range drones operated by a special operations unit of the Ukraine Security Service struck a major oil depot and transshipment terminal in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, a senior Ukrainian official claimed Thursday.

The attack dealt a significant blow to Russia’s fuel logistics, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a separate drone attack on a compressor station serving a natural gas pipeline to Turkey was an “absolutely reckless action.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones overnight around the compressor station in the Krasnodar region. It said there was no damage to the facility.

Federal authorities have issued an urgent advisory to law enforcement agencies across California warning of a potential Iranian drone attack targeting the state, according to an internal alert circulated by the FBI.

The warning indicates that Iranian officials may have considered launching unmanned aerial vehicles from a vessel positioned off the U.S. coastline if the United States carried out military strikes against Iran. The notice surfaced as tensions continue following the U.S. strike last month that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader.

According to the alert, intelligence gathered in early February suggested that drones could potentially be launched from an unidentified ship operating near American waters.

California is home to the largest population of Iranian dissidents in the United States—estimated at roughly 500,000 people—but officials said it remains unclear whether that factor played any role in the potential targeting of the state.

The FBI advisory stated: “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”

The warning continued: “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”

Authorities distributed the notice to police departments across the region, though it did not identify specific locations that could be targeted. When contacted by The New York Post, the FBI declined to provide additional comment.

The warning comes nearly two weeks after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes inside Iran dramatically escalated tensions in the region and pushed the Gulf into open conflict. Since then, Tehran has launched retaliatory attacks and issued repeated threats directed at the American mainland.

California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the warning during a press briefing Wednesday and acknowledged the seriousness of the potential threat.

He said: “Drone issues have been top of mind. We’ve been aware of that information, we’ve been working collaboratively with the [State Operations Center].”

Newsom also noted that he had not yet spoken with President Trump about the warning.

“I haven’t talked to the president directly about this and I wish the president would talk to the American people about what this is all about, what’s the end game?” he said.

Earlier in the day, Trump downplayed the likelihood of an Iranian attack on American territory. When reporters asked whether he was concerned about such threats, he replied simply, “No, I’m not.”

A separate threat assessment prepared by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis said Iran and allied groups “probably” pose a risk of targeted attacks against the United States, although officials believe a large-scale assault remains unlikely.

Meanwhile, the conflict continued to intensify in the Middle East on Wednesday, as at least three ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran vowed to carry out what it described as its most powerful strike of the war.

Three separate incidents were reported along the vital shipping corridor. One vessel, the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree, reported a blaze in its main engine room following an attack that forced the crew to abandon the vessel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out the strike on the ship, claiming the vessel had ignored warnings to stay clear of the waterway.

The group wrote on social media that the ship “ignored the warnings” from Iran to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz.

“Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from #Iran,” the IRGC said in a social media post. “American aggressors and their partners have no right of passage.”

The attacks prompted a warning from U.S. Central Command advising civilians to avoid ports along the Strait of Hormuz because Iranian military activity has turned those locations into potential targets.

“CENTCOM urges civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating. Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel, and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment,” the warning read.

“Although the U.S. military also cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes, American forces will continue taking every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians,” CENTCOM added.

Following the strike on the Mayuree Naree, Oman’s navy launched a rescue mission that successfully evacuated 20 of the ship’s 23 crew members. According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, efforts were still underway to locate and assist the remaining three sailors.

Iran did not explicitly claim responsibility for two other maritime attacks reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitoring service.

One of the ships was identified as the Japan-flagged container vessel One Majesty, which was struck by a projectile about 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

The third vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship Star Gwyneth, sustained damage to its hull roughly 50 miles north of Dubai, according to the maritime security firm Vanguard.

Despite the damage to both ships, maritime authorities reported that all crew members aboard those vessels were safe and accounted for.

According to UKMTO officials, the incidents mark a significant increase in maritime attacks since the war began. The agency has recorded 13 separate assaults on vessels operating near Iran since Feb. 28.

The maritime strikes occurred as Iran intensified its broader military campaign across the region, launching waves of ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel, the Persian Gulf, and areas near Dubai, according to Iranian state media.

Two drones struck near Dubai International Airport—one of the busiest international travel hubs in the world—injuring four people, the Dubai Media Office reported.

Iranian state media described the wave of attacks as the “most intense operation since the beginning of the war.”

{Matzav.com}

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s new supreme leader released his first statement since succeeding his late father, saying Thursday that Iran would keep up its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, did not appear on camera, and his statement was read by a state TV news anchor. The statement included a vow to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school that killed over 165 people.

The statement signaled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies, international travel and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states, and which has also exacted a heavy toll on Iran’s leadership, military and ballistic missile program.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since the start of the war.

Iran’s unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf had earlier pushed oil back above $100 a barrel, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight.

Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which began on Feb. 28 and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s president said Thursday said its attacks would continue until Iran gets security guarantees against another assault, indicating that even a ceasefire or U.S. declaration of victory might not halt the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump has meanwhile promised to “finish the job,” even though he claimed Iran is “virtually destroyed.”

Iran-backed Hezbollah militants meanwhile launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel while sirens rang out and loud booms from the interception of Iranian missiles could be heard in other areas. Israel launched another wave of attacks on Tehran and in Lebanon, where 11 people were killed.

The U.N. refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas. At least 759,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, it said.

Israel’s military on Thursday warned residents of an even larger area of southern Lebanon to leave their homes. It said they should move north of the Zahrani River, which at its midpoint is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away from the border with Israel.

(JNS) – A nationwide billboard campaign thanking U.S. President Donald Trump has appeared across Israel, with signs along major highways and central intersections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv bearing the message: “Thank you God & Donald Trump!”

The campaign was launched by Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a longtime evangelical supporter of Israel. Evans said the initiative is intended to express gratitude for what he described as a historic moment in the Middle East amid the ongoing war involving Israel, the United States and Iran.

“This is nothing less than a Purim miracle,” Evans said. “The courage and leadership shown by President Trump, combined with the faith of millions who believe in God’s protection over Israel, are changing the course of history in the Middle East. Many believe the events unfolding in Iran could ultimately bring freedom to the Persian people and greater security for the Jewish people in Israel.”

Evans arrived in Israel on Feb. 26, two days before the war began, saying he wanted to stand in solidarity with Israelis and document events for the global evangelical community that strongly supports Israel.

During his visit, Evans traveled across the country with a professional camera crew, visiting missile impact sites and communities affected by the war. He also met with Israeli soldiers, visited wounded civilians in hospitals, attended funerals and spoke with Holocaust survivors.

His team documented how Israeli society has been functioning during wartime while exploring ways to provide practical assistance to communities affected by the conflict.

According to a statement from Friends of Zion (FoZ), Evans later departed Israel via Egypt and traveled to Washington, D.C., where he is continuing public and diplomatic efforts in support of Israel.

The campaign follows a series of nationwide billboard initiatives organized by Evans and Foz in recent years. Previous campaigns included one declaring “Cyrus the Great is Alive,” referencing the biblical Persian king who enabled the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem.

In December 2017, Evans presented Trump with the Friends of Zion Award at the White House in recognition of his support for Israel. The award, commissioned by Israel’s ninth president, Shimon Peres, has been presented to dozens of world leaders recognized for their friendship with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States will draw from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to bring down energy prices that have climbed during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Energy markets have experienced sharp volatility since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28. At one point Monday, crude oil prices approached $120 per barrel as traders reacted to concerns about supply disruptions tied to the conflict.

By Wednesday evening, prices had moderated somewhat but remained elevated. In after-hours trading, Brent crude was priced at $93.05 per barrel, about 1.16% above its opening level of $91.98, according to data from Google Finance.

Speaking during a visit to Thermo Fisher Scientific, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company in Cincinnati, Trump said the government is prepared to use the nation’s emergency oil reserves to stabilize prices.

“Well, we’ll do that and then we’ll fill it up,” Trump told WKRC-TV in Cincinnati during a visit to pharmaceutical and biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“I filled it up once and I’ll fill it up again, but right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”

Trump’s remarks came shortly after the International Energy Agency announced that member countries plan to release 400 million barrels from emergency stockpiles to ease the surge in global crude prices that followed the outbreak of war in Iran.

If implemented as announced, the move would mark the largest coordinated release in the agency’s history. It would exceed the previous record set in 2022, when IEA members collectively released 182 million barrels after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Previous U.S. administrations also turned to the reserve during periods of market disruption. According to Fortune, President Joe Biden authorized the release of nearly 300 million barrels during his time in office in an effort to restrain rising fuel prices. That total included approximately 180 million barrels released over a six-month period in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Those withdrawals significantly reduced the reserve, leaving it at its lowest level since 1983—roughly 350 million barrels—after Trump had concluded his first term with approximately 638 million barrels stored in the reserve.

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, global oil prices collapsed, prompting Trump to instruct the Energy Department to buy oil for the reserve.

At the time, he directed officials to acquire 77 million barrels in order to “fill it to the top,” but the purchase was ultimately blocked when the Democratic-controlled Congress declined to approve funding.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the newly announced release from the reserve is expected to begin next week and will take roughly 120 days to complete.

Although Trump declared a “national energy emergency” early in 2025 and pledged to rebuild the reserve, the stockpile has grown only modestly since he took office due to limited funding approved by Congress.

According to Fortune, the reserve currently holds approximately 416 million barrels of oil.

Trump expressed confidence that energy prices will soon fall despite the market turmoil caused by the war.

“Oil prices will be coming down,” Trump told reporters at Thermo Fisher Scientific before moving on to speak in Kentucky.

“That’s just a matter of war, that happens … you can almost predict it.

“I would say it went up a little bit less than we thought and it’s going to come down more than anybody understands,” Trump said.

{Matzav.com}

For once, the United Nations Security Council has found another country to denounce besides Israel: Iran. Bahrain introduced a resolution to the United Nations Security Council condemning Iran’s “egregious attacks” on Gulf countries after suffering several strikes from Iran that resulted in the death of a civilian and injuries to 38 others. The resolution passed 13-0 Wednesday, with two abstentions — Russia and China, who had signed a pact with Iran to strengthen their economic and military ties and affirm their support of Iran’s right to develop a nuclear weapon.

The UNSC condemned Iran’s attacks on neighboring countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, upholding those countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity while denouncing Iran’s unlawful attacks on civilian areas.

The resolution demanded that Iran stop its maritime threats to the Strait of Hormuz, as well as its provocations, attacks and support of proxy terror groups throughout the Middle East.

Bahrain’s ambassador to the U.N., Jamal Al-Ruwaie, said in a statement, “The message is clear. The international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian unjust, hostile acts that are targeting sovereign countries and that threaten the stability of their peoples.” 

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, welcomed the measure in a post on X, saying that even the U.N. has finally lost patience with Iran.

“The U.N. Security Council approved the Gulf states’ draft resolution against Iran,” he wrote. “Iran is firing at regional countries out of desperation, because it understands that the world already recognizes its true face. The regime in Tehran is trying to export terror and destruction, but even in the Security Council, patience for Iranian aggression is running out.”

Separately, the ambassador said, “Targeting civilians is wrong, targeting cities is wrong and Iran must stop.” Iran used diplomatic talks to shield its actions as it “fortified” its nuclear program, Danon said. “Facilities were placed deep underground,” he added.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, who is also serving this month as the UNSC president, said, “Iran shoots in all directions.” Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel and its neighbors and even at friendly or neutral countries like Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Turkey.

Russia proposed a resolution that was rejected because of its “general tone” that said “nothing about the overwhelming responsibility borne by Iran in the current escalation.”

Russia’s representative, Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, fired back.

“To our deep regret, the resolution that just passed expressed a biased and one-sided tone,” he said.

China chose to criticize Israel and the United States instead of Iran, denouncing the two allies for waging a joint military campaign against Iran and calling on them to cease hostilities immediately.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A senior official in the Israel Police Bomb Disposal Unit warned that debris from Iranian ballistic missiles launched toward Israel can pose serious dangers, particularly when unexploded submunitions remain on the ground.

Doron Lavi, who heads development for the unit, said some Iranian missiles are equipped with warheads that disperse dozens of smaller explosives over wide areas rather than detonating in a single blast. These smaller munitions can scatter across several miles and explode almost simultaneously, creating multiple impact points.

He cautioned that any unexploded devices should be treated as live explosives. Members of the public are urged not to touch suspicious objects or missile fragments and instead report them immediately to authorities.

Lavi also warned that parts of missile engines and fuel tanks may contain hazardous chemicals, including highly toxic fuels that can cause serious burns or injury if handled or inhaled.

He stressed that following alerts and safety instructions from the Israel Home Front Command and remaining in protected spaces significantly reduces the risk from missile attacks.

According to Lavi, bomb disposal teams have been working continuously since the start of the conflict to locate and neutralize dangerous remnants of Iranian weapons across the country.

Senior figures in Israel’s food industry are warning of a potential shortage of key food products ahead of Pesach, citing disruptions caused by the ongoing war with Iran.

Less than a month before the Yom Tov, industry officials say the markets for meat, poultry, and fish could face significant supply challenges. According to those familiar with the situation, disruptions in supply chains, delays in the import of raw materials, and slower activity at slaughterhouses and processing plants are creating a gap between rising consumer demand and available supply.

Demand for Yom Tov products has already begun climbing sharply at butcher shops and supermarket chains as families start preparing for Pesach. However, supply is struggling to keep pace. One retail industry source said that some chains are already seeing discrepancies between the quantities they ordered and the amounts suppliers are able to deliver.

The source warned that if demand continues to increase at the current pace, some consumers may find it difficult to obtain meat and poultry in the days leading up to the Yom Tov.

Pesach traditionally ranks among the busiest seasons for Israel’s meat and fish markets, as many households purchase large quantities of food in advance. This year, the usual seasonal demand is colliding with a range of wartime logistical challenges.

Among the issues affecting supply are reduced availability of workers in agriculture and slaughterhouses, delays at ports and along logistics chains, difficulties importing frozen fish and meat from Europe and South America, and rising transportation and maritime insurance costs.

Industry officials also cautioned that if consumers perceive shortages and rush to stock up in large quantities, the surge in demand could trigger additional price increases.

Market estimates suggest that prices for premium products—including select cuts of beef, salmon and other fillets, and high-quality poultry—could rise by dozens of percentage points.

Some industry insiders warn that consumers who wait until the week before Pesach to shop may encounter empty shelves or significantly higher prices. At the same time, several major importers and suppliers say they anticipated possible disruptions and increased their inventories in recent months in an effort to reduce the impact on consumers.

{Matzav.com}

Authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred overnight at a Lakewood business.

The business owner arrived at his shop this morning to find a rear window of the business shattered, and then noticed that money was missing from the register.

An investigation is underway by the Lakewood Police Department’s Detective Bureau and CSI.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lakewood Police Department.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Beirut residents awoke to huge debris in their streets, the result of intensive strikes carried out by the IAF on Wednesday night in response to the ongoing rocket fire by Hezbollah against residents of Israel,especially in the northern region.

Footage emerging from Lebanon flooded social media with very familiar scenes, though ones usually associated with the southern Lebanon front: homes reduced to rubble, shattered streets, and destroyed property.

Local residents expressed anger: “The terrorist Hezbollah is trying to bring the whole country down on our heads! We want to live, we love life! What, are we living on a farm run by a terrorist organization??? Wake up already, you criminals, without morals, without conscience!” one commenter wrote angrily.

Another person wrote: “This is little compared to what’s coming,” adding, “Photos from the southern suburb, I never expected the suburb would become like Gaza City or Khan Younis.”

🇮🇷🇮🇱 More footage from the Israeli strike site in Aisha Bakkar reveals the scale of destruction to the residential building in west Beirut.

Someone important was in that building, and Israel knew exactly which room they were in…pic.twitter.com/5Zh6nqoZOR https://t.co/8HiYhIIUc1

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 11, 2026

جانب من الدمار في الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/ujhMcWj4pX

— Sawt El Mada (@Sawtelmada) March 12, 2026

Another commenter expanded further about one of the photos: “This is not Gaza and not Khan Yunis, this is the suburb of the ‘defeated victors.’”

During a series of strikes carried out overnight in Lebanon, Israeli forces located and destroyed dozens of launchers and Hezbollah terrorists who were planning to fire rockets toward Israel.

In addition, within just half an hour, ten buildings in the Dahiya district of Beirut were struck. These buildings had been used as terror headquarters, including intelligence command centers and a headquarters of the Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s elite unit.

At the same time as the ground-related strikes, the Israeli Air Force attacked more than 20 terror targets in real time, completing rapid and effective targeting cycles.

The Israel Defense Forces emphasized that it will continue to act forcefully against Hezbollah, which operates under the sponsorship of the Iranian regime, and will not allow any harm to the citizens of Israel.

Before the Israeli attack began, the IDF Arabic-language spokesperson issued an urgent evacuation notice to residents of Dahiya in Beirut. The notice clarified that due to Hezbollah’s actions, the IDF was about to act forcefully against the organization’s assets, operatives, and weapons. Residents were instructed to immediately evacuate areas near Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and were warned not to return to the area until further notice.

A large and festive wedding for a granddaughter of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe took place Tuesday evening at the Karlin-Stolin beis medrash in Givat Ze’ev after the event was moved at the last minute due to wartime circumstances and an issue regarding the musical accompaniment.

The kallah is the granddaughter of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, a daughter of his son-in-law, Rav Ephraim Aharon Lemberger, son of the late Av Beis Din of Makava in Bnei Brak zt”l. She married the son of the late Rav Pinchas Eliyahu Weinberger zt”l, who served as a rosh mesivta at the Satmar yeshiva in Monsey. The chosson is also a grandson of the Av Beis Din of Serdaheli and dayan of Nitra, and a grandson of Rav Shlomo Yaakov Yosepovitch, Av Beis Din of Ohel Torah.

The reception and chuppah took place earlier in the evening at the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok beis medrash in the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Yerushalayim. The main wedding celebration was then held at the Karlin-Stolin beis medrash in Givat Ze’ev.

The wedding had originally been scheduled to take place in an auditorium in Beitar Illit. However, due to the ongoing war, it became impossible to hold the event there, prompting organizers to explore alternative venues in Yerushalayim.

At that point another issue arose. According to the long-standing custom in Yerushalayim, weddings are typically accompanied only by drums and not by a full orchestra. The well-known wedding singer Aharale Samet, who had been invited to perform, informed the family that he was unwilling to sing at a wedding accompanied only by drums without a full band. The kallah reportedly insisted that Samet perform at her wedding.

In the end, the decision was made to move the entire wedding celebration to the Karlin-Stolin beis medrash in Givat Ze’ev, where a full orchestra could be used.

The Karlin-Stolin Rebbe himself attended the celebration together with the many chassidim and guests who came to share in the simcha.

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{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Explosive-laden Iranian boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member, after projectiles struck four vessels in Gulf waters, according to media reports.

The ships targeted in late-night ⁠attacks on Wednesday in the Gulf near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials told the Reuters news agency. One Iraqi port security source said the Zefyros was flagged ‌in Malta.

“We recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water,” one port security official said as Iraqi rescue teams continued searching for missing seafarers.

“A boat belonging to the Iraqi Ports Company rescued 25 crew members from the two vessels, and the fires are still burning on both ships,” Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the state-run General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Reuters.

An Indian crew member on board a United States-owned crude oil tanker was killed when it was attacked near Basra, Iraq, on Wednesday, India’s embassy in Baghdad said on Thursday.

In a post on X, the embassy said the remaining 15 Indian crew members of the Safesea Vishnu have since been evacuated to a safe location.

It said the embassy was in regular contact with the rescued Indian sailors and Iraqi authorities and was offering all possible assistance.

Al-Fartousi told Iraq’s state news agency that oil ports have stopped all operations since the attacks while commercial ports continue to function.

Reuters said the reports of the use of explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, which Ukraine has used with great effect in its war with Russia, come as Iran has blocked oil shipments from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of ⁠the world’s oil and gas transits but which has been blocked since the US-Israeli war on Iran began.

Reuters, quoting two unnamed sources, also reported on Wednesday that Iran ‌has deployed about a dozen mines in the strait while US President Donald Trump said US forces had struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels amid warnings by Trump of severe repercussions should Iran lay mines in the key waterway for global shipping.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.

Early on Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said an unidentified projectile struck a container ship, causing a small fire, 35 nautical ‌miles (64.8km) north ‌of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The crew were reportedly safe.

The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel was struck by “two projectiles of unknown origin” while sailing through the strait on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging the engine room, the ship’s Thai-listed operator Precious Shipping said in a statement.

“Three crew members are ⁠reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room,” Precious Shipping said.

“The company is working with the relevant authorities to rescue these three ⁠missing crew members,” it said, adding that the remaining 20 crew members had been safely evacuated and were ashore in Oman.

Images shared by the Thai news outlet Khaosod English showed what were reported to be crew members of the ship after their rescue by Oman’s navy.

The IRGC said in a statement carried by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency that the ship was “fired upon by Iranian fighters”, suggesting the first direct engagement by the IRGC, which has previously fired missiles or drones.

The Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty also sustained minor damage on Wednesday from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46km) northwest ⁠of Ras Al-Khaimah in the UAE, two maritime security firms said. Its Japanese owner Mitsui OSK Lines and a spokesperson for Ocean Network Express, its charterer, said the vessel was struck while at anchor in the Gulf and an inspection of the hull revealed minor damage above the waterline.

All crew members are safe, they said, adding that the vessel remains fully operational and seaworthy. The owner said the cause of the incident remained unclear and was under investigation.

A third vessel, a bulk ‌carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile about 50 nautical miles (93km) northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, the maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel’s crew was safe. Owner Star Bulk Carriers said the ship was hit in the hold area while it was anchored. There were no crew injuries and no listing.

The US Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry ⁠for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, according to a Reuters report.

Israel’s Health Ministry issued a public alert Wednesday after confirming that a person infected with measles visited a bakery in Bnei Brak last Friday morning, potentially exposing customers to the highly contagious virus.

According to the ministry, the individual was present at the Zman HaAretz bakery on Rechov Harav Kahaneman between 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Authorities are urging anyone who was at the bakery during those hours to ensure that they are fully vaccinated against measles.

“Measles is a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, general malaise, runny nose, and rash, and it may be associated with severe and even life-threatening complications,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Health officials advised that anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care promptly and coordinate their arrival with healthcare providers in advance.

“People who were at this bakery during the specified hours are asked to make sure they are vaccinated according to the Health Ministry’s recommendations (two doses of vaccine).”

The ministry emphasized the importance of routine vaccinations against diseases such as measles, noting that they help prevent serious complications and fatalities.

Pregnant women who have not received two vaccine doses, individuals with weakened immune systems, and infants under one year old who may have been exposed are advised to contact their local health bureau to consider receiving passive immunization against measles.

Vaccinations are available through health maintenance organizations, public health bureaus, and maternal-child clinics. Members of the public can also contact the Health Ministry’s Kol HaBriut hotline at *5400 to determine whether vaccination is recommended.

Health officials reiterated their call for the public to remain vaccinated, stressing that measles is a preventable disease with a safe and effective vaccine.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon on Thursday that if its government fails to prevent Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israel, the Israeli military will seize control of the territory itself to ensure security.

Katz made the statement during a situation assessment with senior Israel Defense Forces officers, following Hezbollah’s heavy rocket barrages toward northern Israel the previous day.

“Hezbollah launched heavy barrages toward the State of Israel yesterday. The IDF responded forcefully in the Dahiyeh — the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold — and against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon,” Katz said.

He added that he had directly warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun: “If the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening the northern communities and firing at Israel, we will take the territory and do it ourselves.”

Katz also said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to prepare for an expansion of military activity in Lebanon aimed at restoring calm and security to Israeli communities in the north.

The comments come amid escalating cross-border exchanges, despite a nominal ceasefire agreement from late 2024 that called for Hezbollah’s disarmament and withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating those terms by continuing to threaten its northern border.

The Israeli military has carried out intensified strikes in recent days, including in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other Hezbollah strongholds, in response to rocket fire.

No immediate response was available from Lebanese officials to Katz’s warning.

Two juveniles were injured Wednesday evening after a minibike collided with a minivan at an intersection in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township.

According to the Manchester Township Police Department, officers responded at approximately 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday to the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Pemberton Street for a report of a crash involving a minivan and a minibike carrying two juveniles.

Upon arrival, officers found a red minibike in the westbound lane of Commonwealth Boulevard with minor damage, along with a gray 2012 Toyota Sienna that had sustained minor front-end damage.

Police said the preliminary investigation determined that the gas-powered minibike, carrying two juvenile females riding tandem and not wearing helmets, was traveling northbound on Pemberton Street. When the minibike entered the intersection with Commonwealth Boulevard, it failed to stop at a posted stop sign and was struck by the westbound Toyota Sienna, resulting in a right-angle collision.

Both juveniles were ejected from the minibike onto Commonwealth Boulevard as a result of the crash. Multiple witnesses at the scene confirmed the sequence of events, according to police.

The 14-year-old minibike operator reported an ankle injury but declined medical treatment at the scene. The 13-year-old passenger was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of injuries that were described as non-life-threatening.

The driver of the minivan, along with two juvenile passengers inside the vehicle, reported no injuries.

Commonwealth Boulevard was closed for approximately 30 minutes while officers conducted their investigation and cleared the roadway.

Assisting at the scene were Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services, paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hatzolah, and Priced Rite Towing.

The crash remains under investigation by the department’s Traffic Safety Unit. Police say failure to obey the posted stop sign by the minibike operator appears to be the primary contributing factor.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
We live in an age of massive accumulation. Bigger and more gorgeous houses. Fancy luxury cars. Exotic vacations posted for the world to admire. We chase these things with a desperation that borders on religious — as if the next purchase might finally fill our void. But what if everything we’ve been told to want is exactly what is keeping us from the life that we were created to live?
What follows is a translation of the 25th Pesach Maamer of Rav Yeruchem Olshin Shlita. It should give us some perspective and begin to stop the insanity.
Ha Lachma Anya
At the Seder we start the Haggadah with the words, “Ha lachma anya — this is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in Egypt.”
The Rambam (Hilchos Chametz U’Matzah 7:5) explains that this statement helps us recall the suffering of Egypt — not that we eat this bread out of poverty or because we don’t have, but rather because it is a mitzvah: it is a positive commandment that the matzah be the bread of the poor.
In Egypt it was customary to eat poor man’s bread and bitter water, and so we declare: “This is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt.” Some say the point is to ensure the matzah remains poor man’s bread and does not become enriched matzah, as our Rabbis discussed (Pesachim 36a).
 Accordingly, the Rambam teaches that the declaration of Ha Lachma Anya — “this is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt” — refers to the humble bread our ancestors ate there, bread accompanied by affliction and bitter water.
Remembering Poor Man’s Bread After Yachatz the Breaking of the Matzah
This matter is quoted in the name of the Vilna Gaon, of blessed memory (Maaseh Rav, section 185). According to the ruling of the Rambam (Hilchos Chametz U’Matzah 8:6), on the first night it is forbidden to add oil or honey to the matzah — it may be prepared only with water — so that it remain “poor man’s bread” (Devarim 16:3). On this first night, it is thus fitting that there be a remembrance of poor man’s bread.
We may further say that our calling it a “remembrance” of poor man’s bread actually means that Ha Lachma Anya itself embodies poor man’s bread — and additionally, “that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt” is a remembrance of the same humble bread our ancestors ate there. On the first night, one is required both to have poor man’s bread and to invoke a remembrance of it.
This raises a question: why did Chazal introduce this theme at the very beginning of the Seder, before we recount what distinguished this night from all others — and before we have even begun the story of leaving Mitzrayim? Its natural place would seem to be later in the Seder.
The answer lies in the deeper purpose of the passage, as will be explained below.
Matzah: An Eating Compelled, Without Luxury
A wondrous insight appears in the commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Chaver, of blessed memory, on this passage. He writes that the matter of eating matzah on the night of Pesach is found, according to us, in two contexts. First, the Mishnah of Rabban Gamliel (Pesachim 10:5) teaches that the matzah does not merely satisfy our ancestors’ physical need — rather, it recalls their suffering and affliction. Second, and beyond this, the people of Israel ate matzah in Egypt together with the Korban Pesach, as written in the Torah (Shmos 12:8) and so on.
This eating took place before the Exodus from Egypt — that is, before midnight — and thus the eating of the Pesach offering preceded the actual departure from Egypt.
Yet the matter of the matzah we find carries two distinct dimensions. The first is that it must contain none of the seven enriching ingredients — no oil or honey — and this requirement applies only at night and not during the day; but these are secondary considerations. The primary dimension is this: the eating of the matzah as a mitzvah was the eating of poor man’s bread from the very beginning.
The Meshech Chochma writes that the reason for this is “because they were expelled from Egypt.” Accordingly, it is even permissible to place wine or oil into the matzah — producing enriched matzah — since there is no fixed time requirement for it, and the obligation to eat matzah derives from another source. Nevertheless, the essence and character of the mitzvah-matzah is that it be poor man’s bread.
From this we understand why Ha Lachma Anya is placed at the beginning of the Seder: it is the gateway to standing before the Divine Presence. As it is written (Devarim 5:4): “To come before Him from among the nations.” Drawing near to the place of His service, blessed be He, represents the first mitzvah — the Korban Pesach — whose essence is that man stands before his Creator entirely in His service. Accordingly, it is not fitting for him to pursue the pleasures of this world. Rather, one should live only in the manner of Torah, with just enough to sustain life — poor man’s bread without improvement, only what is sufficient to survive. We are commanded to eat matzah on Pesach in a spirit of concealment and austerity, to demonstrate that every act of bodily need a person performs is only out of necessity, and he should not linger over such things, but sanctify all his time for the sake of Heaven.
This, then, is precisely what the author of the Haggadah declares: “Ha lachma anya di achalu avhatana b’ara d’Mitzrayim” — “This is the poor man’s bread that we eat tonight, the same poor man’s bread without any embellishment, just as it was in Egypt.” The meaning is: this is the very bread our fathers ate while they were still in Egypt, before they were expelled — as the Rambam explains.
The passage that the Vilna Gaon revealed to us is thus a wondrous thing, for it contains within it the entire path of Jewish life. At the Seder night, we enter into the service of standing before the Divine Presence, for this is the time of the Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of the service of Hashem. The first lesson — placed deliberately at the very opening of the Seder — is the distancing from luxuries. We now enter into the service of Hashem, and the first requirement is to distance ourselves from luxury before the Korban Pesach. In recalling that “our fathers ate this in the land of Egypt,” we evoke the matzah eaten in affliction. And now, following this, the lesson of distancing from luxuries continues with the Korban Pesach, as will be explained further. (See Maamar 22.)
The Obligation of Man to Elevate Himself to the Level of a Malach
Indeed all of this is explained at length by the Rav. For in order to learn this, the first thing a person must know in order to enter into the service of Hashem is the matter with which he opens that service.
This is made evident from the explanation of the matter as written in the Torah portion of Bereishis (6:3): the Holy One Blessed be He declared that His Divine Presence would not dwell permanently in the world — “My spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh” — and they lived one hundred and twenty years. And Hashem said: “I will blot out the man whom I created from the face of the earth” (Bereishis 6:7).
The Rambam explains: the divine spirit cannot permanently dwell within man because man is flesh — like the beasts that crawl on the earth, like the birds and animals — and we do not see the divine spirit resting within him. The reason is that Hashem created man with the capacity to elevate himself like His angels, granting him a divine soul. But afterward, the physical body drew him along, and in his physical character man came to resemble the animals. And therefore the divine spirit of Hashem will no longer dwell within him — for he has become bodily flesh, and not Godly — so says the Rambam.
It is clear from the words of the Rambam in the Mishneh Torah that the very essence of man’s creation in this world is to become like Hashem’s angel — elevated above all beasts, birds, and creatures. For Hashem created man with the capacity to be elevated like His ministering angels, by placing a divine soul within him. If this purpose is not realized, man’s creation is unfulfilled. And therefore, when the Holy One Blessed be He saw that people had likened themselves to animals in their deeds, drawn after the physical and the body, no longer worthy to bear the image of man whom He created above the earth — He immediately declared: “I will blot out the man from the face of the earth.”
The Service of Man and the Ultimate Purpose of the Commandments: To Become Like the Supernal Angels
And we find that this is truly the ultimate purpose of all the commandments — that man should elevate himself to become like the supernal angels of holiness. As it is written: “I sent him so that you would remember and perform all My commandments and be holy unto your God” (Bamidbar 15:40). The Targum of Yonatan ben Uziel, of blessed memory, renders this: “And you shall be like the supernal angels of holiness before Hashem your God.” For the ultimate purpose of the commandments is to elevate man and raise him above all physical and earthly matters, so that he stands not merely among mortal men but among Godly beings, distanced from the lowly and separated from them.
And this is accomplished especially through engagement with the holy Torah, which trains man to reach this elevated level. As our teacher the Chozeh of Lublin, of holy and blessed memory (as in Igeret HaKodesh, section 15), wrote: though such a person walks among people and appears to their eyes as one of them, in truth he is genuinely an angel — living among mortals yet elevated above all of them. For it is the study of Torah and the acquisition of its knowledge that draws a person toward the level of an angel. And as the Chozeh further writes (Igeret, section 23): the Shechinah rests upon Israel in every generation, guiding their laws and judgments, deepening their understanding of halachah. The spirit from above hovers over them. Their eyes and faces are constantly turned upward, occupied with the sublime matters of Torah — for they are like the angels who emerge elevated above the worldly.
The means by which man becomes like the ministering angels is precisely this: that his spirit soars above, distancing itself from the physical and material, resembling the ministering angels — who, as it is written (Shmos, Vayeira 1), are spiritual servants and not physical ones. As the Chozeh wrote: the supreme work of elevation is that a person transforms the body into soul and the physical into spirit — so that the soul fashions the body into soul, and from the body a spirit is formed, the material becoming spiritual. Then man truly resembles the ministering angels and bears no likeness to the animals, birds, or any of the physical and material creatures.
“All That I Have in This World Is of No Interest to Me”
This is what the Chozeh, of blessed memory, said (Derech Etz Chaim 5a), in the manner of his disciples the sages — he was humble, light-spirited, and so on — and he declares: “All that I have in this world is of no interest to me according to my perception of this world as mine.” The explanation is that the criterion of true spiritual attainment is that the matters of this world should hold no attraction for a person whatsoever, and he should not be drawn toward this world at all. This is the hallmark of the wise disciple: that this world means nothing to him, and he is not drawn to it — for the desires of this world are nothing but the demands of the body, the purely physical.
The Beis HaLevi distinguishes between one who is truly spiritual and one who merely appears so: the test is whether a person’s spirit is drawn after material pleasures or not. One who praises the pleasures of this world is, in truth, not yet spiritual. The Beit HaLevi holds that a truly spiritual person takes only what is indispensable — only what is necessary to sustain life, nothing beyond bare need. This is what the Chozeh meant when he said: “All that I have in this world is of no interest to me” — for this world is simply not his, because he is G-dly and not physical.
Avraham Avinu Died ‘Full of Days’: He Was Not Drawn to Luxuries
We find that this very quality is what the Torah praises in our father Abraham. As it is written in the portion Chayei Sarah (25:8): upon the death of our father Abraham, “Abraham died at a good old age, old and satisfied — and he was gathered to his people.” The Rambam writes that “old and satisfied” means he was an elder full of all goodness — he had seen the goodness of Hashem, and all was good for him. He was not drawn to luxuries, of which it is said “the desire of his heart You have given him” (Tehillim 21:3). As it is also said: “A lover of money will not be satisfied with money” (Kohelet 5:9) — for no person leaves this world with even half of what he desires, and the craving for more ensures he is never satisfied with what he has.
The Gaon Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm wrote in his work Derech HaEtzem HaNifla’ah that our father Abraham — who is called “the great man among the giants” (Yehoshua 14:15) — achieved his greatness through his powerful and unwavering faith in the Shechinah. He declared the names of the heavens by his own inner strength, elevated himself until Yitzchak was bound upon the altar and was prepared with joy to fulfill the will of his Father in Heaven. And he elevated the Torah so as not to be drawn to luxuries — the seven things he found in his house were Torah and not the pursuit of comfort. This, as the author says, is the wondrous great elevation and the highest level that can be said of a great person — and the matters are truly wondrous.
To understand this properly: there is a particular and elevated quality in the world, which is not simply counted among ordinary good deeds — and this was the very reflection of our father Abraham’s conduct in the world. In all his humble service he was not drawn to the Divine Presence for personal gain, and he took from the world only what the body requires to sustain itself. For in truth he was genuinely an angel living among mortals, not drawn to this world, and not attached to it at all.
Accordingly, it is understood that the praise with which the Torah praises “the great man among the giants” touches on the very essence of man’s creation: to elevate himself and become like an angel, lifted above all physical things. Abraham was not in the category of mere flesh at all, and therefore he sought nothing of this world and nothing of its luxuries. This is the core of the Torah’s praise of him: that he was “full of days,” distanced from luxuries, and this was the ultimate fulfillment of his creation — full of days, elevated and removed from material concerns, like the ministering angels. And this is the ultimate purpose of his creation.
The Disciples of Avraham Avinu: Elevated Above the Material and the Worldly
This lesson we learn from the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (5:19): “Whoever possesses these three qualities is among the disciples of our father Abraham” — a good eye, a humble spirit, and a meek soul, and so on. The disciples of our father Abraham are characterized precisely by the opposite of the disciples of Bilaam: not a bad eye, not a haughty spirit, and not an expansive soul. For indeed the remembrance being invoked here is the matter of Hashem’s kindness toward our father Abraham — not his faith in the Shechinah and his devotion to his mission, but rather these three qualities themselves: a good eye, a humble spirit, and a meek soul. One must learn these three qualities deeply, as they need to be learned.
And the author of Derech HaChaim elaborates on the depth of these three qualities, of blessed memory, for the wisdom of elevating oneself is fitting for Abraham — as it is written: “Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey” (Bereishis 22:3) — meaning that he was elevated above the material level. For the seeing of this — that Abraham had no attachment to the material level at all — is the matter, and he was drawn to rise above it and elevate himself above the material, just as Abraham was elevated from the material level above, and so on. And the Rav elaborates to explain that the foundation of the three qualities of our father Abraham — a good eye, a humble spirit, and a meek soul — is that Abraham elevated himself in all things with his whole power to the highest elevation, and through them he acquired the three qualities of holiness, which are distinguished from the material: from all above, everything is elevated, and this is as Abraham was, elevated above the material level, and so on.
For it is clarified that the foundation of the path of our father Abraham was that he was distinct and elevated above the material and the worldly. And this is precisely what we have seen: that our father Abraham reached the ultimate purpose of man — to be Godly and not physical, elevated above material concerns. And this is the praise of our father Abraham at the time of his death: that he sought no luxuries, for his world had no need to force him toward them, for he was truly elevated above material things, found in the quality of an angel among mortals. And this is what is meant when our Sages speak of Abraham in the quality of an angel among mortals.
The Introduction to the Seder Night — Distancing from Luxuries
Now, let’s understand the fundamental lesson of the Seder night in the declaration of Ha Lachma Anya — “this is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt” — before we go forth to become servants of Hashem.
When a person demonstrates that he or she is a genuine servant of Hashem, this shows that he or she recognizes himself as capable of truly serving Him. The essential introduction and preparation for this is that he or she does not seek luxuries, for this world is not his world — he is, rather, like an angel among mortals. And in that very hour of the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel went out and separated themselves from the materiality of Egypt, clinging to the matzah, the lechem oni — elevated above the material, distanced from all luxuries, just as the Vilna Gaon, of blessed memory, explained — and thus they were prepared to receive the Torah and its commandments, to be holy unto God: “like ministering angels serving before Hashem your God.”
This, then, is the service of every Jew at the Seder night: to resemble our ancestors who went out from Egypt on that very night. For as we declare in every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he or she personally went out from Egypt. Just as they went out from the materiality of Egypt and elevated themselves above it — going out from Egypt with the ministering angels — so too we, at the Seder night, must elevate ourselves to become like ministering angels. This is the introduction and preparation for becoming a true servant of Hashem: to be G-dly and not material, like an angel and not like an animal.
The path of life for a Jew who sincerely desires to arrive at his ultimate purpose is to separate himself from luxuries and to elevate himself above all material concerns. Only through this — through the power of the Seder night — does he or she fulfill the ultimate purpose of his creation. For Hashem made man upright: “to be like the ministering angels, by placing a divine soul within him.”

The translator can be reached at [email protected]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — CyberWell, a nonprofit partner of Meta (Facebook, Instagram and Threads), TikTok and YouTube working to combat online antisemitism, issued a series of alerts to major social media platforms, after monitoring a sharp rise in antisemitic incitement and hate speech online following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28.

Monitoring English, Arabic and Farsi-language content, CyberWell identified several antisemitic narratives and trending content glorifying violence against Jews and celebrating attacks on Israeli civilians. These trends were particularly prevalent on X.

Some trends included hashtags and songs that were previously flagged by CyberWell during the last Israel and IRGC conflict in June 2025, that resurfaced soon after the conflict began. These include calls for violence invoking the antisemitic chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahud,” and a related variation, “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Zionists”,  circulation of the AI-generated song “Boom Boom Tel Aviv,” including new versions celebrating missile strikes, amplification of the conspiracy theory, “ZOG” (Zionist Occupied Government) which falsely alleges that the United States government is controlled by Israel, dehumanizing language targeting Jews and Israelis and Holocaust-justification rhetoric including the phrase “Hitler was right.”

“In moments of geopolitical escalation, we consistently see antisemitism surge online,” said CyberWell Founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “In this case, we observed the same narratives and hashtags that we flagged for our partners in June 2025 in the earlier round of war with the IRGC, reappearing in this joint operation. Our concern for this trending antisemitism online stems from the heightened states of alert that all Jewish communities are experiencing, cautiously anticipating retaliatory attacks against the Jewish diaspora community. Antisemitism is a global problem and the platforming of Jew-hatred online is a major component of that.”

One example is the chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahud,” which references the 7th-century Battle of Khaybar (in what is modern day Saudi Arabia) and is frequently used in as an Arabic call for violence against Jews.

Preliminary monitoring shows the phrase surged on X after the conflict began. In the six months before the war, posts containing the chant averaged about 53 per day. Since Feb. 28, that number has risen to roughly 950 posts per day, a more than 1,700 percent increase, with a peak of 1,461 posts on the first day of the conflict.

Holocaust-justification rhetoric also increased significantly. The phrase “Hitler was right” in English averaged about 1,355 posts per day during the six months before the war. On Feb. 28, usage rose to 2,245 posts and peaked at 5,467 posts on March 1, a 304 percent increase above the previous baseline.

Arabic-language versions of the phrase rose as well. One variation increased from an average of roughly two posts per day to 71 posts on the first day of the conflict. CyberWell highlighted that some platforms appear to have activated emergency moderation mechanisms during the escalation, though responses have varied across the social media ecosystem.

Observation indicates antisemitic narratives and hashtags are platformed most consistently on X now and generally during periods of increased geopolitical tension. One example is the continued visibility of the phrase “Hitler was right” as a searchable, and presumable recommended, hashtag on the platform. CyberWell said this is the third time the phrase has surged there during a major geopolitical escalation involving Israel.

“According to X’s own policies, there is no reason why a phrase explicitly celebrating the Holocaust should remain easily searchable or widely circulated,” Cohen Montemayor said. “The platform’s principle of ‘freedom of speech, not freedom of reach’ is intended to prevent harmful content from being amplified during sensitive moments like these.”

“Responding to fast-moving spikes in online antisemitism during geopolitical crises requires more than reactive moderation,” she added. “Strengthening automated detection systems, investing in regionally competent human moderation, auditing training data and maintaining structured collaboration with expert civil society partners are essential for platforms seeking to effectively enforce their own policies during moments of escalation and in general.”

CyberWell is an independent, tech-based nonprofit combating the spread of antisemitism online, operating globally. Its AI-technologies monitor social media in English and Arabic for posts that promulgate antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promote violence against Jews and their allies based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Its analysts review and report this content to platform moderators while indexing all verified posts in the first-ever open database of antisemitic social media posts, cataloging it openly for transparency at app.cyberwell.org. Through partnerships, education and real-time alerts, CyberWell partners with social media platforms and digital service companies to help them enforce their policies more effectively, promoting proactive steps against online Jew-hate.

A suspected cyber incident caused alarming messages to appear Wednesday evening on digital screens at several Israel Railways stations, warning passengers to leave the area and seek shelter.

The unusual messages, displayed on electronic signs inside station passenger halls, read: “Exit quickly and go to shelters, the train is not safe at the moment.” The warnings triggered concern among travelers amid the ongoing war with Iran.

Israel Railways said the messages were the result of a disruption affecting advertising and information display systems at a small number of stations.

“In the last few minutes, disruptions were recorded in the operation of the advertising and information display boards in passenger halls at several train stations, and therefore the screens were temporarily shut down,” the company said in a statement.

Railway officials added that technical teams are working with relevant service providers to determine the source of the malfunction and investigate the incident.

According to Israel Railways, the affected system operates on a separate external network that is not connected to the rail system’s operational infrastructure.

“[It] involves an external network that is not connected to the railway’s critical infrastructure,” the company said, seeking to reassure the public.

Officials stressed that there is no concern that the railway’s operational systems or the passenger information displays on the platforms (PIS) were compromised.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF announced on Thursday that it struck a nuclear facility in Iran in recent days.

“As part of the waves of strikes completed in recent days in Tehran, the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise strike, directed by military intelligence, on another Iranian nuclear site—the Taleghan compound—which had been used by the regime to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons,” the IDF spokesperson stated.

“In recent years, the site had been used to develop advanced explosives and conduct sensitive experiments as part of the AMAD Project, the secret nuclear weapons program carried out by Iran in the 2000s.”

“The IDF recently identified that the regime had begun rebuilding the site after it had previously been attacked by the IDF in October 2024. The attack is part of a broader series of operations carried out during Operation Roaring Lion to inflict deep and sustained damage on the foundations of the Iranian regime’s nuclear program.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — According to a report by the Reuters news agency based on three sources familiar with the details, U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that Iran’s leadership remains largely functional and is not facing an immediate risk of collapse, despite nearly two weeks of intensive airstrikes by United States and Israel’s armed forces.

According to one of the sources who spoke with Reuters, cross-referencing information from numerous intelligence reports provides “a consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger of collapsing” and that it “maintains control over the Iranian public.” The source added that the most recent report on the issue was compiled only in the past few days.

Political pressure on the President of the United States, Donald Trump, is increasing due to the surge in oil prices, and he has signaled that he intends to bring the military operation, America’s largest since the 2003 Iraq War, to an end “soon.” However, Reuters notes that achieving an agreed end to the war will be difficult as long as Iran’s hardline leadership remains in power.

Despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the campaign, U.S. intelligence emphasizes that the religious establishment in Iran remains cohesive. In private conversations, as reported by Reuters, senior Israeli officials also admitted that there is no certainty the war will lead to the fall of the ayatollah regime. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that there is no guarantee the conflict will cause the collapse of Iran’s religious government.

During the operation, air defense infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and senior government officials have been targeted. Despite dozens of deaths among the country’s leadership and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S. intelligence believes that the IRGC and the interim leadership that has been appointed, including Mojtaba Khamenei, who was chosen as the new Supreme Leader, still control the country.

Another source told Reuters that overthrowing the regime could require a ground invasion, which would give citizens the confidence to take to the streets in protest. The Trump administration has not officially ruled out such a step.

Reuters also reported last week that Iranian-Kurdish militias have explored with Washington the possibility of military action in western Iran to spark an uprising.

Abdullah Mohtadi, leader of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, told Reuters in an interview:

“Tens of thousands of young people are ready to take up arms,” and there are “tangible signs of weakness in Kurdish regions.”

However, two sources familiar with the intelligence assessments told Reuters that there is serious doubt about the Kurds’ ability to stand up to Iranian security forces, since these groups suffer from shortages of weapons and manpower.

Despite their requests for military assistance, President Donald Trump has made clear that he rejects the entry of Kurdish forces into Iranian territory.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

The United States and Israel are currently jointly fighting a war, and there is ample reason to worry about where it may lead. Our brethren in Eretz Yisroel are under almost constant attack, targeted by Iranian missiles. Lives have been lost, others have been injured, and millions of people are rushing to and from shelters, living with a constant sense of unease.

The memories of the joy we experienced on Purim are still fresh, along with its enduring lesson: that even when events appear dark and chaotic, salvation can already be quietly unfolding behind the scenes. When we place that lesson alongside this week’s laining of Parshas Hachodesh, the message becomes even more powerful.

Parshas Hachodesh announces the arrival of Chodesh Nissan, the month of geulah. But it carries another profound reminder as well. Chazal teach that Am Yisroel is compared to the moon, constantly renewing itself. Just as the moon wanes until it nearly disappears, only to reemerge and shine once again, so do the Jewish people pass through periods of darkness before returning with renewed strength and light. The bleakness never endures. The blackness is never permanent. We always come back, budding and blooming once more.

The special laining also reminds us that Hakadosh Boruch Hu relates to Klal Yisroel in a way that transcends the normal order of nature, lemaalah m’derech hateva, just as He did when He redeemed us from Mitzrayim. Through the makkos and Krias Yam Suf, we witnessed that even when a situation appears insurmountable, when the odds seem overwhelming, Hashem’s salvation can arrive in ways no human mind could have predicted.

The messages could not be more fitting.

Only two weeks ago, we celebrated the deliverance of our people from Haman and what appeared to be certain destruction. And this week, as we conclude Sefer Shemos and proclaim, “Chazak, chazak, v’nischazeik,” we are reminded that no matter how unfortunate circumstances are, renewal is always within reach.

That truth is what the yeitzer hora seeks to obscure. His goal is not only to lead a person to sin, but to drain a person’s spirit and convince him that his situation cannot be improved, that he can never escape the rut in which he finds himself. He works subtly, distracting us from our purpose and persuading us that if we stumble, we cannot rise again.

But his strategy rarely begins with dramatic failure. Instead, it starts with small cracks. A minor compromise here, a small concession there. When a person yields even slightly, the yeitzer hora senses weakness and drives the wedge deeper, slowly chipping away until the individual finds himself drifting further and further from where he belongs.

Then, after drawing a person into wrongdoing, he convinces him that he has fallen too far to recover, that teshuvah is beyond him, that the path back has been closed.

But the message of these days of Adar and Nissan declares exactly the opposite. Together, they proclaim that despair has no place in the Jewish heart.

Purim teaches us that even when Hashem’s presence is hidden, He is orchestrating every detail of events. In the Megillah, there were no open miracles. The geulah unfolded through what appeared to be ordinary developments: a sleepless king, an overheard conversation, a series of political decisions. Yet, when the story concluded, it became clear that every step had been carefully arranged from Above.

Parshas Hachodesh carries that message one step further. It introduces the month of Nissan, when the hidden hand of Hashem becomes revealed in open and undeniable ways. In Mitzrayim, the Jewish people were trapped in what seemed to be an irreversible reality. They were enslaved by the most powerful empire in the world, with no army, no political leverage, and no natural path to freedom.

Yet, Hashem demonstrated that the forces that appear most powerful are ultimately powerless before Him. With makkos that shattered the illusion of Egyptian dominance, and with Krias Yam Suf that overturned the natural order itself, He revealed that when the moment of geulah arrives, no obstacle can stand in its way.

Taken together, the lessons of Purim and Pesach form a complete picture of how Hashem guides the world. Sometimes His salvation unfolds quietly, concealed within the ordinary flow of events. And sometimes it bursts forth openly, shattering the rules of nature. But whether hidden or revealed, the Guiding Hand is always the same.

That is why these weeks are so powerful for us.

The yeitzer hora tries to convince a person that the darkness he experiences, whether in his own life or in the challenges facing Klal Yisroel, is permanent. He tells us that the situation is too entrenched, the obstacles too great, the failures too numerous. But the rhythm of the Jewish calendar testifies otherwise.

Adar teaches us that what appears to be a hopeless situation can turn upside down in a moment. Nissan teaches us that renewal, hischadshus, is built into the very fabric of Jewish existence.

The Jewish people emerged from the depths of Mitzrayim to become the Chosen Nation, blessed with Torah and a special closeness to Hashem. Just as the decree of Haman was transformed into deliverance and celebration, so too, the darkness we encounter can never define our future.

And perhaps that is the message we most need to internalize today.

When rockets fall and enemies threaten, when uncertainty fills the air and the future feels unclear, the yeitzer hora attempts to plant seeds of fear and despair. We must remember that Klal Yisroel has always been guided by the Ribbono Shel Olam, Who renews His people again and again.

And just as He has done throughout our history, He will do so once more.

That truth is not only a national one. It is deeply personal as well.

The struggle between despair and renewal does not play out only on the stage of history. It unfolds within the heart of every Jew. Each person encounters moments when he feels distant from where he wishes he were, times when spiritual goals seem beyond reach, when habits feel too entrenched to overcome, and when the distance between who he is and who he hopes to become appears too wide to bridge.

That is when the yeitzer hora presses his advantage. Having drawn a person into a stumble, he quickly attempts to redefine the failure as permanent. He tells him that change is unrealistic, that growth is reserved for others, and that the path back is closed.

But the Torah itself rejects that notion.

The first mitzvah given to Klal Yisroel as a nation was the commandment of “Hachodesh hazeh lochem.” Before Krias Yam Suf, before Matan Torah, before everything else, Hashem taught the Jewish people the concept of renewal. Kiddush Hachodesh was given to us to let us know that we can never be kept down, that the essence of Torah is that we possess greatness, and that greatness can never be suppressed for long.

We are people of destiny, each one of us, and as long as we remember that and remain loyal to our mission, we are a force of light in a world of darkness.

Chazal were mesakein that we lain Parshas Hachodesh as we approach the month of Nissan because this month not only commemorates the geulah from Mitzrayim, but is the eternal reminder that no Jew is ever trapped by circumstance.

For the generation that left Mitzrayim, the obstacles appeared insurmountable. They were enslaved by a mighty empire and surrounded by a hostile society. They were so suppressed that they could not even bear to hear, much less accept, Moshe Rabbeinu’s words of comfort when he told them that Hashem was about to redeem them.

And then, in a flash, the geulah arrived, and before they knew it, they were at the other side of the Yam Suf, a free people on their way to Har Sinai to receive the Torah.

Again and again throughout our history, the pattern has repeated itself. Periods that appear to be defined by darkness ultimately become the very moments from which renewal begins to emerge.

We do not know how events will unfold, nor can we predict the path that history will take in the coming weeks and months. But the message of these weeks assures us that what we see on the surface is never the full picture. Behind the confusion and turmoil of the moment, the unfolding of Hashem’s plan continues.

And just as the moon inevitably returns to fullness after its darkest night, so does the story of Klal Yisroel continue to move toward renewal and light. History often reads like the Megillah. While we are living through the events, the meaning is hidden. Only later do we see the pattern.

That lesson resonates powerfully in our own time.

For decades, Iran cultivated the image of a fearsome regional power. Its leaders repeatedly threatened that Eretz Yisroel could be destroyed in minutes and that American bases across the Middle East were within easy reach of Iranian missiles. It surrounded Israel with proxy armies and militant movements, and projected an aura of unstoppable strength.

Governments treated the regime with extreme caution. Diplomats pursued agreements and concessions, fearful of provoking the conflict Iran claimed it could unleash.

Over the years, Iran built a vast network of armed proxies throughout the region, organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias across Iraq and Syria. The network was largely coordinated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, once commanded by Qassem Soleimani.

The strategy seemed formidable. If Iran were attacked, these groups would strike Israel and American interests from multiple directions at once, overwhelming defenses and igniting a regional war.

But when the moment of confrontation finally arrived, the outcome was strikingly different from the one Iran had long promised.

Instead of the massive regional assault that had been threatened for years, the response proved hesitant, fragmented, and surprisingly limited. The very proxies that had been built up as instruments of intimidation failed to deliver the overwhelming blow that had been feared for so long.

In that moment, Hakadosh Boruch Hu demonstrated how fragile the illusion of power can be.

Hakadosh Boruch Hu demonstrated that the country everyone feared could crumble when He decides that its time is up. Successive American presidents had made a variety of misguided deals with Iran out of fear of confronting them. They were sent planeloads of cash and allowed to continue their nuclear buildup because, though Western leaders spoke strongly, vowing never to permit them to attain nuclear weapons, when it came down to it, they were afraid of the country’s power.

For years, the strategy seemed to work. Iran’s influence expanded across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, forming what many analysts described as a regional arc of power stretching to the Mediterranean.

Hakadosh Boruch Hu blinded the leaders of Israel, and Hamas launched a devastating assault, killing over 1,200 people, wounding many more, and taking 251 hostages.

Hezbollah opened a northern front against Israel. Iranian-backed militias attacked American bases in Iraq and Syria. The Houthis began targeting international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

But in the war that followed the Hamas attack, Israel was able to degrade much of the terror infrastructure that had been painstakingly constructed over decades.

Over the following months, Israel systematically targeted Hamas leadership, Hezbollah commanders, weapons depots, and supply routes throughout the region.

Senior terrorists were killed in precision strikes. Infrastructure was destroyed. Intelligence operations penetrated organizations long thought to be impenetrable.

When Israel and the United States eventually launched strikes against Iranian military infrastructure, the response exposed the limits of Tehran’s power.

For years, Iran had warned that any attack would trigger a regional firestorm.

Instead, the retaliation largely consisted of waves of missiles and drones, many intercepted by Israeli and American air defenses.

For decades, the regime projected the image of a rising superpower capable of challenging the United States and destroying Israel.

But when confronted, Iran was barely able to fight back.

To those who view events only through the lens of military strategy or geopolitics, these developments may appear surprising.

But to a believing Jew, the message is far clearer.

We are witnessing, before our eyes, another reminder that the destiny of Klal Yisroel is never determined by armies, alliances, or weapons. Behind the shifting events of history stands the guiding Hand of the Ribbono Shel Olam.

There has been terrible pain and loss, and every Jewish life is infinitely precious. Yet, within the din, there has been tremendous rachamim. The regime that openly sought the means to destroy Israel and threaten millions of Jews has been unable to achieve its goal. Many of its leaders have themselves been killed, and the instruments of power it spent decades constructing have been weakened or dismantled.

We do not know how this war will ultimately unfold or what challenges may still lie ahead. But we do know that nothing occurs outside the unfolding plan of Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

And during these weeks, as we move from the hidden salvation of Purim toward the redemption of Nissan, we are reminded once again that the story of the Jewish people is never written by the forces that seem most powerful at the moment. It is written by the One Who renews His people again and again, and Who will, be’ezras Hashem, soon bring the final geulah with the coming of Moshiach.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Iranian media outlets reported an unusual Israeli drone attack in Tehran on Wednesday night, with the semiofficial Fars news agency stating that Israeli drones struck security checkpoints at several locations across the capital.

Fars, which is affiliated with the regime, said that explosions and clashes were reported at multiple points in Tehran and claimed that about 10 security personnel were killed, including members of Iran’s security forces and the Basij, the militia linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Other sources, however, said the toll among regime operatives was significantly higher, claiming dozens of Basij members were killed within minutes.

“This operation is a joint effort by the Mossad and monarchist elements to infiltrate terrorists and sabotage the country. This operation will fail,” a “knowledgeable source” was quoted as saying in the statement carried by the agency aligned with the Iranian regime.

This clip purports to show an Israeli drone striking security forces conducting random vehicle searches on a Tehran bridge. The men appear to be Basij—a paramilitary militia subordinate to the IRGC that the regime uses to police society and suppress dissent.

If authentic, it… pic.twitter.com/RNzJGGWKp7

— Mike (@Doranimated) March 12, 2026

Fearing unrest, the regime’s Basij forces set up checkpoints on major streets to restrict civilian movement across Tehran. The drone attack was intended to signal to regime opponents that its internal security forces are vulnerable, while also instilling a sense of fear among Basij operatives in the hope that they will be deterred from carrying out similar actions against civilians later on.

Before the reported attack, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former shah, called on his supporters to stay home. “We are at a very critical stage in our final struggle. For your safety, leave the streets and remain in your homes,” Pahlavi said in a recorded statement.

“Continue to strike and not go to work,” he added. “Continue singing loudly at night to show your solidarity. To the army and law enforcement forces: this is your last opportunity to separate yourselves from the forces of repression and join the people.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian public this week, stating that “In the coming days, we will create the conditions for you to take your fate into your own hands. Your dreams will create reality. When the right time comes, and it is approaching quickly, we will pass the torch to you,” he said.

A few days ago, Netanyahu told IRGC operatives that they were in Israel’ sights and should give up their arms if they wish to survive.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF announced that dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by military intelligence, had completed large waves of strikes against Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran and other areas of Iran.

According to the military, aircraft carrying out the strike missions identified personnel at an IRGC headquarters in the heart of Tehran and, within seconds, fighter jets struck the site, killing those inside. The operation also targeted headquarters and bases belonging to Iran’s internal security forces and the Basij, along with the regime’s intelligence headquarters.

Police carried out a targeted overnight enforcement operation in Bnei Brak that resulted in the arrest of 31 illegal residents as part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal employment and strengthen public safety in the city.

The operation was conducted by officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan police station, together with Border Police reservists and members of local volunteer emergency response units. The activity included inspections of residential buildings and construction sites across the city.

During the operation, authorities located 18 illegal residents inside a building on Dov Hoz Street. An additional 13 individuals were discovered at a construction site on HaYarkon Street.

All 31 suspects were taken into custody and transferred to the police station for further questioning and processing.

Police also detained for questioning a local resident, 89 years old, who is suspected of providing lodging for the illegal residents.

At the same time, investigators are working to identify the manager of the construction site where several of the suspects were found and are preparing criminal and administrative proceedings against him.

Israel Police and the Border Police stated that enforcement efforts will continue and emphasized their determination to locate and apprehend illegal residents as well as those who assist them, in order to safeguard public safety and maintain public order.

{Matzav.com}

Iran targeted the world’s busiest international airport Wednesday, Dubai International Airport (DXB), and attacked commercial ships as U.S. and Israeli strikes rocked Tehran, while the United Nations’ most powerful body demanded a halt to the Islamic Republic’s strikes on its Gulf neighbors that threaten global oil supplies.

The latest attacks marked an escalation in Iran’s campaign aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to end the war that started 12 days ago. But there were no signs that the conflict was subsiding.

On Thursday, an Iranian attack sparked a major fire on Bahrain’s Muharraq Island, home to the island kingdom’s international airport. Authorities urged people to stay indoors and close windows to avoid smoke. The airport has jet fuel tanks, and other tanks in the area serve the kingdom’s oil industry.

Also, an attack on Iraq’s Basra port killed at least one person and forced a halt to operations at all the country’s oil terminals. Farhan al-Fartousi, the director-general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, said the attack targeted a vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer area at the port on the Persian Gulf. Iraq’s commercial ports remained open, though the oil terminals had been shut, according to his statement carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

The first week of war with Iran cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon, which provided the estimate to Congress in a briefing earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The military reported spending $5 billion on munitions alone in the war’s first weekend.

Iran has targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations and effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.

In response, the International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil, the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the war’s effects on energy markets. The U.S. planned to release 172 million barrels of oil next week from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat steep prices.

The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to approve a resolution demanding a halt to Iran’s “egregious attacks” on its Gulf neighbors.

Among the most recent attacks, four people were wounded after two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, though flights continued, the Dubai Media Office said. Firefighters extinguished a blaze early Thursday at a luxury apartment tower in Dubai Creek Harbor after an Iranian drone strike.

At Oman’s Port of Salalah, crews battled a blaze at fuel storage tanks there, according to the Oman News Agency.

“The international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian attacks against sovereign countries that are threatening the stability of the peoples, especially in a region of strategic importance to global economy, energy, security and security of global trade,” said Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador, Jamal Alrowaiei.

The 13-0 vote in the U.N.’s most powerful body reflects Iran’s isolated position as it has aggressively responded to Israeli and U.S. strikes. China and Russia — two Iranian allies — abstained from the vote.

Their U.N. ambassadors called the proposal “extremely unbalanced” in not mentioning the strikes against Tehran that began the war.

Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said it might leave the impression that Iran, “on its own volition and out of malice, conducted an unprovoked attack on Arab states.” Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the resolution “deliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis.”

Meanwhile, more attacks in Gulf countries were reported.

Drones were launched toward the cities of Irbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, while in the southern part of the country, an oil vessel flying the Australian flag was struck near Khor Al-Zubair Port, according to two Iraqi navy officials who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The official said 25 members of the crew were rescued. It was not immediately clear whether any others were missing.

Explosions rock Jerusalem while Lebanon hit by Israeli strikes

On Thursday, sirens wailed and loud explosions were heard shortly after midnight in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. The Israeli military said it was responding with another “wide-scale wave of strikes” in Tehran.

The fallout across the Middle East widened as Israel also struck what it said were targets connected to Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

An Israeli strike hit a car Thursday in Ramlet al-Bayda, a major seaside tourist area of Beirut where dozens of displaced people have been sheltering. Seven people were killed and 21 others were wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military press office told The Associated Press it was “not aware” of a strike at that location.

Blasts shook Beirut’s southern suburbs Wednesday, producing fires and plumes of smoke. Israel’s military said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah firing dozens of rockets fired simultaneously across northern Israel. It marked some of the heaviest fighting between the two since the war began.

One rocket hit a house near the Israeli town of Karmiel, lightly injuring two people, according to Israeli rescue services.

(AP)

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The U.S. Army’s Central Command published a new video overnight Wednesday showing the destruction of three Iranian aircraft.

The footage shows the moments of impact of precise missiles on three parked aircraft, which immediately go up in flames.

“The Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day,” a statement from the Central Command says. “U.S. forces aren’t just defending against Iranian threats; we are methodically dismantling them.”

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(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Missile damage across Israel has not disappeared during the current war, but the numbers show a very different scale and pattern of destruction compared with previous rounds of fighting. By the 11th day of the conflict, the Israel Tax Authority had recorded 9,115 compensation claims, including 6,586 involving damage to buildings. An updated figure released Wednesday pushed the total to 9,829 claims.

That number remains far below the destruction seen during last June’s 12-day war with Iran, when 53,409 damage claims were filed and the government ultimately paid about NIS 2.9 billion in compensation for direct property losses.

Members of the Israeli security and rescue forces work at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and caused damage in Tel Aviv, Israel, early on March 1, 2026. The United States and Israel on Saturday launched “major combat operations” against Iran, claiming that the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed. Iran retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region. Late Saturday, at least 20 people were injured in Tel Aviv during Iran’s latest round of strikes on Israel, Israel’s national emergency service MDA reported. MDA said that a 40-year-old man is in a serious condition with a shrapnel wound. (Photo by Chen Junqing/Xinhua via Getty Images)

In the 11-day snapshot since the start of this war, Tel Aviv accounted for 4,609 claims, by far the heaviest concentration in the country. The Ashkelon office, which handles Beit Shemesh and Beersheba, had 3,664 claims, while Jerusalem had 181, Akko 494 and Tiberias 167. That concentration is landing in Israel’s most expensive urban corridor. Tel Aviv’s average dwelling price recently stood at about NIS 3.36 million, and 44.1% of all apartments in Israel are located in the Tel Aviv and central districts. In other words, the damage is lower than last summer, but it is falling disproportionately on the country’s priciest residential stock.

The physical nature of the damage is also different, and that changes the economics. Reports, citing security assessments and engineering analysis, say the current round has involved fewer missiles overall than last June, but a far greater use of cluster-style warheads. Separate Israeli assessments reported that around half of the ballistic missiles fired at Israel in this war carried cluster warheads. That kind of attack tends to spread smaller submunitions and shrapnel over a wider radius, which means more broken windows, facade damage, punctured interiors, damaged systems, scattered vehicle losses and multi-building impact zones, but fewer outright collapses and fewer towers that have to be razed and rebuilt from scratch.

HEBRON, WEST BANK – MARCH 06: Missiles launched from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks are seen in the night sky over the city of Hebron in the West Bank on March 06, 2026. (Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

That distinction is crucial for developers, landlords, municipalities and insurers. A demolition-and-rebuild event is slow, capital-intensive and transformative. A repair-heavy event is faster, but it strains a different part of the system: claims adjusters, municipal engineering teams, glass and facade contractors, short-term housing supply, and the ability to move residents out and back in quickly. Beersheba offers a sharp example. After one missile strike there, 1,083 people were forced from their homes, 198 apartments were declared uninhabitable, and two residential buildings housing roughly 500 residents were deemed unfit for habitation and expected to be demolished. That is not a nationwide reconstruction boom. It is a localized housing shock with immediate spillover into relocation, rent, and municipal response.

The market is also entering this round with more available inventory than it had a year ago. At the end of December, Israel had a record 86,090 unsold new homes, according to CBS data. CBS figures showed roughly 81,000 housing starts over the preceding 12 months, a 31.5% jump from the prior period. That does not mean damaged households can simply be slotted overnight into new stock. Much of that supply is still under construction, and handover timelines remain slow. But it does mean the system is operating with a deeper pipeline than during earlier wartime shocks, which should help prevent a broader seizure in the residential market if the current pattern of damage holds.

The Bank of Israel has left its benchmark rate at 4% in late February, noted that home prices had started rising again, and said rents in new and renewing contracts were up 3.8% year over year, while rents on turnover were up 6%. At the same time, the Bank and the commercial lenders rolled out a relief framework for households whose homes were damaged or who were evacuated, including mortgage deferrals of up to three months with no interest or fees and consumer-loan deferrals up to NIS 100,000. That support should soften the immediate financing shock for owners and tenants, but it does not remove the broader market risk, when damaged homes are concentrated in central Israel, temporary displacement can push straight into already expensive rental zones.

The bottom line from a property perspective is that Israel is not, for now, reliving last June’s scale of housing destruction. The damage bill is lower, the number of teardown cases appears smaller, and the repair profile is more diffuse. But the hits are clustering in the country’s most valuable housing belt, which means every damaged building carries outsized weight. If that pattern continues, this will be remembered less as a war that reset Israel’s residential map and more as one that stressed the repair economy, temporary housing market and compensation system in the places where housing is already hardest to replace.

A view of an Iranian missile after it fell near Qamishli International Airport, near the Turkish border in the Qamishli district of Hasakah, Syria, on March 4, 2026, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (VINnews) — Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, said in a video statement Wednesday night that he has been in contact with Jewish community leaders and police following the assault of two Israeli Americans outside a restaurant in the city.

“I’ve been in touch with Jewish community leaders and our police department regarding this heinous attack, and I will continue to update you as we make progress in our investigation,” Mahan wrote in a post on X.

I've been in touch with Jewish community leaders and our police department regarding this heinous attack, and I will continue to update you as we make progress in our investigation. pic.twitter.com/58UTEIYtnk

— Mayor Matt Mahan (@MattMahanSJ) March 11, 2026

The attack occurred Sunday afternoon outside the Augustine restaurant in the Santana Row shopping district. The victims, identified as Lior Zeevi, 47, and Daniel Levy, 48, said they were attacked after speaking Hebrew, and that one of the assailants shouted an antisemitic slur during the assault.

Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media, showing three suspects attacking the men. San Jose Police Department said the investigation remains active and is being reviewed as a possible hate crime, though no arrests had been announced as of Wednesday evening.

Several public officials condemned the attack and called for those responsible to be held accountable. Mahan described the incident as “deeply disturbing” and said the city will work to ensure accountability while supporting the Jewish community.

The View co host Whoopi Goldberg is facing backlash after suggesting that President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran may be an attempt to distract the public from the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

Critics say the claim is an even more outlandish conspiracy than recent theories pushed by commentators like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.

During a discussion on The View about the escalating conflict with Iran and rising oil and gas prices, Goldberg floated the theory while discussing the nonstop news cycle surrounding the war.

“It’s nutty as hell,” Goldberg said. “Every day it’s something new.”

She then questioned why other stories were not dominating the news cycle.

“I was thinking about it yesterday because I thought, ‘Well OK, why haven’t we been talking about Savannah Guthrie and what’s going on there? Why haven’t we been talking about the Epstein files?’ Because that’s still there,” Goldberg said.

Nancy Guthrie

Goldberg suggested the developments overseas may be pulling public attention away from other issues.

“This is meant to get us so worked up that we are unable to see anything else,” she said.

Other co hosts appeared to agree with the sentiment. Sunny Hostin said the situation gave her a “wag the dog feeling,” referencing the theory that governments sometimes create foreign crises to distract from domestic controversies.

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, has reportedly been missing for more than a month, though details surrounding the case remain limited.

Goldberg’s comments quickly sparked criticism online, with many calling the suggestion that a major military conflict could be launched as a media distraction both irresponsible and deeply conspiratorial.

Born Caryn Johnson, Whoopi Goldberg has spoken publicly about her stage name and identity. “My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name. It is part of my family, part of my heritage, just like being black,” she once said. Goldberg has also stated, “I just know I am Jewish. I practice nothing. I do not go to temple, but I do remember the holidays.” She has also said that when people question her Jewish identity she responds, “Would you ask me that if I was white? I bet not.” One account suggests that her mother, Emma Johnson, believed the family’s original surname of Johnson, was “not Jewish enough” for her daughter to become a star. Goldberg has also said that her family background includes Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist, and Catholic influences.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the headquarters of United Hatzalah where he was briefed on several new technologies designed to improve emergency response times and save lives across Israel.

During the visit, leaders of the volunteer emergency medical organization demonstrated advanced GPS dispatch systems that allow nearby medics to reach patients within minutes. They also presented new drone technology capable of rapidly delivering critical medical supplies and equipment directly to emergency scenes.

The visit came during a particularly painful time for the organization. United Hatzalah is mourning the loss of one of its dedicated volunteers who was killed in a recent rocket attack in Beit Shemesh. A special dedication ceremony was held during the visit in her memory, honoring her service and commitment to saving lives.

In remarks delivered at the headquarters, Herzog warned that Israel’s enemies are attempting to weaken the country’s morale through repeated attacks and constant rocket sirens.

“They are trying to break our spirit and harm morale but they are confused,” Herzog said. “The people of Israel are strong and have extraordinary resilience.”

The president also praised United Hatzalah’s nationwide network of volunteers, noting that their commitment to helping others in moments of crisis reflects the strength and unity of Israeli society.

When asked if he had a message for Jewish communities around the world during these challenging times, Herzog responded with three simple but powerful words.

“Am Yisrael Chai.”

The visit highlighted both the technological innovations helping improve emergency medical response in Israel and the extraordinary dedication of United Hatzalah’s volunteer medics who continue saving lives under difficult circumstances.

Reported by Josh Broide, JBN Global Correspondent, for JewishBreakingNews.com.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the war with Iran may conclude in the near future, saying a sustained wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes has left the Iranian military with few remaining targets.

In a short phone interview with Axios, Trump said the campaign is approaching its final stages and suggested that the decision on when to bring the war to a close largely rests with him.

“Little this and that. … Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said.

Trump also said the joint U.S.–Israeli offensive has moved more quickly than military planners initially anticipated.

“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period,” Trump said.

The conflict has now entered its eleventh day and has included retaliatory attacks by Iran, while the Trump administration has offered varying projections about how long the campaign could continue and what its ultimate goals are.

At the outset, Trump indicated the war might last four to five weeks. On Monday, he said the operation was “pretty much” finished and could end “soon.” However, the following day he warned of a possible escalation after reports emerged that Iran had begun deploying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. officials said intelligence obtained Tuesday indicated that Iran had started placing mines in the key waterway, which serves as one of the most critical routes for global oil shipments. Officials added that the number of mines detected so far appears to be limited.

Trump told Axios that U.S. forces struck 16 Iranian vessels used for laying mines on Tuesday, disrupting Tehran’s efforts to threaten shipping through the strait.

Despite Trump’s suggestion that the fighting may soon wind down, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that Israel is prepared to continue the operation for as long as necessary.

“The war will continue without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign,” Katz said.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth also indicated that the campaign will persist until its strategic goals are fully accomplished.

“The U.S. military will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” Hegseth said Tuesday, adding that operations would proceed “on our timeline and at our choosing.”

According to U.S. officials, the primary objectives of the campaign include dismantling Iran’s naval and missile capabilities and destroying its drone and missile production infrastructure. Officials have largely dismissed the idea that the operation is aimed at toppling Iran’s government or eliminating the country’s nuclear material stockpiles.

In a video statement released Wednesday, U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said American forces have hit more than 5,500 targets across Iran since the war began, including over 60 ships.

“U.S. combat power is building. Iranian combat power is declining,” Cooper said. “And we remain centered on very clear military objectives in eliminating Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.”

Cooper said the pace of operations has been intense, describing multiple waves of strikes carried out on Tuesday.

“There were strike waves nearly every hour from different locations and directions going into Iran,” Cooper said, adding that four ships were “taken out.”

He also said Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones has significantly declined since the start of the campaign.

“Since the first 24 hours of this campaign, Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks have dropped drastically,” Cooper said, adding that Iran has been launching attacks on civilians in Gulf countries from “highly populated” Iranian cities.

“U.S. forces continue delivering devastating combat power against the Iranian regime,” Cooper said. “Just last night, our bomber force hit a large ballistic missile manufacturing facility.”

{Matzav.com}

Nearly two weeks after the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu says Israel is still far from concluding the military campaign and continues to strike targets according to its operational plans.

As the operation approaches the end of its second week, uncertainty remains about when the fighting will end. Netanyahu has declined to provide a specific date for the conclusion of the war, indicating that Israel’s objectives have not yet been fully achieved.

Over the past day, the prime minister held conversations with several ministers and political figures about the possible timeline for ending the war. During those discussions, Netanyahu indicated that the conflict could continue for several more weeks.

Addressing the progress of the operation, Netanyahu stressed that Israel still has many targets left to attack and that the military campaign is proceeding according to plan.

“We are not close to the end,” he was quoted as saying by Channel 12 News. “We still have many targets, but the pace is excellent and we are ahead of schedule. I can’t give you a time estimate. Maybe a week, maybe a week and a half, maybe a few weeks. It depends on many variables. We are continuing according to the plan.”

In recent days, Israeli assessments reported in the media have suggested that the war is expected to continue at least until after Pesach.

{Matzav.com}

BANGKOK (AP) — The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120.

Oil prices shot more than 9% higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. benchmark crude oil jumped to about $95 a barrel.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter fired pistols during an inspection of a light munitions factory, state media photos showed Thursday, as he pushes to modernize conventional forces after years of focus on nuclear weapons.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited a factory producing pistols and other light arms a day earlier and reviewed a new pistol that recently entered production.

After testing the weapon at a shooting range, Kim rated it “excellent,” the agency said. The agency did not mention the presence of Kim’s daughter in its text report but its photos showed her firing a pistol along with senior military officials.

Kim said the factory was crucial for supplying pistols and other light arms to the military and security forces, and urged expanded capacity and more modern production lines, KCNA said.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter visit a factory producing pistols and other light arms at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Since first appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Kim’s daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 — has accompanied her father to a growing number of events, including military displays, factory openings and a September trip to Beijing, where Kim Jong Un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.

Her increasingly prominent public appearances have prompted South Korean intelligence officials and experts to assess that Kim Jong Un is likely grooming her as a future leader to extend the family dynasty into a fourth generation.

State media last month showed the girl testing a sniper rifle as Kim presented the weapons to senior officials following a ruling party congress where he issued his major political and military goals for the next five years.

The visit to the pistol factory followed an inspection Tuesday in which Kim and his daughter watched the test launch of what state media described as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from a naval destroyer as Kim called for speeding up the nuclear armament of his navy.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un tries out a new pistol at a factory producing pistols and other light arms at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

A widely discussed educational question during the ongoing war with Iran—how to help children cope with the fear of air-raid sirens—prompted a sharp and surprising response from the noted posek and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein. In remarks resurfaced from a shiur delivered during the 2014 Gaza conflict, the rov strongly criticized the idea of giving children candy during sirens to make the experience less frightening, calling the approach “עצת גויים,” foreign counsel inconsistent with a Torah perspective.

The video, recently released by the editors of the sefer Divrei Chemed, shows Rav Zilberstein—rov of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak—discussing a letter he had received from concerned parents. The parents had written that an emotional therapy expert suggested turning the frightening moments of sirens into a “positive experience” for children.

According to the therapist’s advice, parents were encouraged to prepare candies or small prizes and distribute them whenever a siren sounded while families were sheltering in protected rooms. The intention, the parents wrote, was to transform the stressful moments into something pleasant and even enjoyable.

The parents reported that the idea appeared to work. Their children were no longer frightened by the alarms, and soon other children in the building began joining them in the shelter to receive treats as well. Eventually, they wrote, the situation evolved to the point that children were eagerly awaiting the next siren in order to receive another sweet.

The parents then posed a halachic question: since the candies helped calm the children during a time of danger, could the cost of the treats be paid using maaser funds, perhaps considering the expense a form of mitzvah spending?

Rav Zilberstein’s response was emphatic and unexpected.

“This expense is not considered a mitzvah expense, nor even a discretionary expense,” he said. “Rather, it is an ‘expense of a sin,’ because the entire advice of that ‘expert’ is nothing more than עצת גויים—to turn a moment of distress and outcry into a ‘pleasant experience.’”

Instead, the rov said that the proper Jewish response is to guide children toward tefillah and emunah during moments of danger.

“A Jewish approach,” he explained, “is to calm the children by reciting chapters of Tehillim together in unison. As is known, when a person faces danger he is obligated by the Torah to pray to Hashem that He save him from the distress.”

To create an atmosphere of reassurance and faith, he suggested singing songs that strengthen belief and trust in Hashem, including Ani Maamin b’emunah sheleimah b’vias haMashiach, Vehi She’amdah la’avoseinu velanu, and B’tzeis Yisroel miMitzrayim.

Rav Zilberstein continued that children should be gently taught the spiritual purpose behind such frightening moments.

“Instead of the foreign educational approach of distributing sweets,” he said, “one should instill in children—calmly and pleasantly—that the sirens are meant to straighten the crookedness in our hearts, for ‘HaElokim asah sheyiru milfanav.’”

He cited the Rambam’s ruling at the beginning of Hilchos Taaniyos that when calamity strikes the community, there is a Torah obligation to cry out to Hashem. Such prayer, the Rambam explains, is part of the process of teshuvah, helping people recognize that hardships come as a result of their actions and prompting them to improve.

Only after the danger has passed, Rav Zilberstein said—when the missile has been intercepted or has fallen harmlessly in an open area—should sweets be distributed.

At that point, he suggested, those present should first recite Mizmor L’Sodah (Tehillim 100) to thank Hashem for the miracle. Then giving treats to the children could become part of a celebratory moment, even considered a seudah shel mitzvah, since there is a mitzvah to thank and praise Hashem after experiencing a miracle.

During the shiur, Rav Zilberstein also shared a powerful personal story from his childhood in Yerushalayim during the War of Independence in 1948. He recalled how people crowded into bomb shelters during air raids, where tensions sometimes ran high. In one shelter, he recounted, a woman would regularly embarrass others publicly, yet many of those present remained silent and overlooked the insults. Rav Zilberstein described how the merit of being maavir al midosav—overlooking personal offense—can itself serve as a powerful protection in times of danger.

The remarks, though delivered more than a decade ago, have resurfaced amid the current security situation and renewed debate over how best to help children cope with the anxiety of wartime sirens while remaining rooted in Torah values and perspective.

{Matzav.com}

Israel is exploring the possibility of establishing a base on the coast of Somaliland, at the mouth of the Red Sea, that would allow it to strike the Houthis in Yemen from a short distance away, eliminating the need for lengthy flights, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, a group of Israeli security officials visited Somaliland in June, even before Israel’s official recognition of Somaliland in December 2025, and examined the coastline to identify a suitable location for such a base. The group spent several days surveying different locations along the coastal strip, which lies only about 260 kilometers from Yemen. One of the sites being considered is a high-elevation area located about 100 kilometers west of the port city of Berbera, where the United Arab Emirates maintains an air base and port facility.

An official in the Somaliland presidential office confirmed to Bloomberg that Israel and Somaliland intend to establish a strategic security partnership that could include Israel’s establishment of a base, possibly a covert one, on its coast. In addition, two officials said that Somaliland would permit Israel to use it territory to gather intelligence and carry out operations against the Houthis.

Amid Israel’s war with Iran—and despite the Houthis not yet fully joining the conflict beyond issuing threats—Israel wants to ensure a presence in the Gulf of Aden region. Ari Heistein, a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said that Israel’s ties with Somaliland are significant because the Houthis are expanding their presence along the Horn of Africa. If the current war weakens Iran’s ability to fund the Houthis, the region could become an even more critical strategic arena for the terror group.

In December, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Shortly afterward, over 12 senior Somaliland military officials arrived in Israel for training as part of efforts to deepen security ties. Additionally, sources familiar with the details said that Israeli officials rented fortified rooms on an upper floor of a hotel in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland followed years of behind‑the‑scenes work by the Mossad, which is responsible for maintaining covert ties with countries that lack formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The Mossad had been active in Somaliland for many years, and the relationships built between its leaders and senior Somaliland officials helped pave the way for the recognition agreements.

Somaliland declared its separation from Somalia in 1991, during the civil war that plunged Somalia into state collapse. Since then, it has operated as an independent country in practice, though it has never received formal international recognition. Until now, Taiwan—also outside the UN—has been the only entity to maintain official diplomatic relations with it. Ethiopia also engages with Somaliland commercially and diplomatically, but without granting it formal recognition.

Somaliland has a population of roughly six million, all of whom are Muslim. Somalia continues to view the region as part of its sovereign territory, while Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, has repeatedly emphasized that gaining international recognition is one of his government’s highest priorities.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Legendary KISS frontman Gene Simmons delivered a blunt message to celebrities who regularly lecture the public about politics, sharply criticizing Hollywood figures who speak out on issues such as the Israel Hamas conflict.

In remarks that quickly drew attention online, Simmons said many Americans are tired of being lectured by wealthy entertainers.

“People work hard for a living, and they don’t want to be lectured by people who live in mansions and drive Rolls Royce cars,” Simmons said. “It’s time to shut the fk up. Do your art and shut up. No one is interested in your opinions. Who the fk do you think you are?”

The outspoken rocker said that celebrities often assume their fame gives their opinions extra weight, something he believes many ordinary Americans reject.

Gene Simmons (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Simmons also took aim at actor Mark Ruffalo, who has frequently spoken out on political issues including the war in Gaza. Simmons jokingly referred to the actor as “Mark Buffalo,” dismissing his political commentary.

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Simmons said, adding sarcastically that people might as well ask Kylie Jenner for her views on international conflicts.

Simmons has long argued that entertainers should focus on their craft rather than using their platform to promote political opinions.

Holocaust survivor Flora Klein and Chaim Witz

Born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel, Simmons is the son of Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivors. His mother survived Nazi concentration camps during World War II before immigrating to what was then Mandatory Palestine. After his parents divorced, Simmons and his mother moved to New York when he was eight years old, settling in Queens.

During his childhood in New York, Simmons briefly attended the Orthodox Jewish yeshiva Torah Vodaas before later transferring to public school. He has spoken in interviews about growing up in a traditional Jewish household and the strong influence his mother had on his work ethic after surviving the Holocaust.

Gene Simmons of KISS (Photo by Brian Ach/WireImage)

Simmons later adopted the name Gene Klein and went on to become the iconic frontman of the band KISS, known worldwide for its theatrical performances, face paint, and larger than life stage presence.

Simmons is also known for his unusually long tongue and for his reality television show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which aired from 2006 to 2012. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of KISS.

Google has completed its record-breaking acquisition of Israeli-founded cybersecurity company Wiz in a staggering $32 billion deal, marking the largest purchase ever of an Israeli tech firm and the biggest acquisition in Google’s history.

The transaction, which was first announced in March last year and finalized following regulatory approvals, eclipses Google’s previous record acquisition — its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility in 2012 — by a wide margin.

The deal is also expected to deliver a massive financial boost to Israel’s economy. Analysts estimate that roughly NIS 10 billion ($3.2 billion) in tax revenue will flow into Israel’s state coffers, largely because Wiz’s four founders and many of its employees are Israeli residents, and several investors in the company are based in Israel.

Founded just a few years ago, Wiz has rapidly emerged as one of the most valuable cybersecurity startups in the world, building a platform designed to secure applications running in cloud environments. The company currently employs about 1,800 workers, and Google has said that workforce will remain intact.

Under the agreement, Wiz will join Google’s rapidly expanding cloud computing division but will continue to operate independently, a structure intended to preserve the startup’s innovative culture while integrating its technology into Google’s broader ecosystem.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the acquisition reflects the growing importance of cybersecurity as businesses increasingly migrate their operations to the cloud and rely on artificial intelligence tools.

“Keeping people safe online has always been part of Google’s mission,” Pichai said. “This job is increasingly important today, as more companies and governments move their work to the cloud and broadly use generative AI.”

By combining Wiz’s technology with Google Cloud’s infrastructure, Pichai said the company hopes to make it easier for organizations to adopt new technologies without exposing themselves to cyber threats.

“By bringing Wiz and Google Cloud together, we’re making it easier for organizations to innovate with confidence,” he said.

The acquisition is widely seen as part of Google’s effort to strengthen its position in the fiercely competitive cloud computing market, where it trails rivals Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The deal also positions Google to compete more aggressively with leading cybersecurity firms such as Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A tragedy has struck the Torah community in Bnei Brak with the passing of three-and-a-half-year-old Aryeh Lefkowitz a”h, a great-grandson of the rosh yeshiva Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l. The young child died after battling a serious illness.

Aryeh passed away at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer after suffering from the illness that had afflicted him in recent months.

During that time, many in the community davened fervently for the recovery of the child, Aryeh ben Ayla.

The levayah was held tonight at Yarkon Cemetery, at the Petach Tikvah gate, where he was buried.

Aryeh was a son of Rav Yaakov Yisroel Lefkowitz, a respected yungerman at the Ponovezh Kollel. Rav yaakov Yisroel is a son of Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Lefkowitz, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Beis Medrash Elyon, and a grandson of Rav Michel Yehuda.

His mother, Mrs. Ayala Lefkowitz, is a daughter of Rav Avrohom Yeshaya Mann, son of Rav Mordechai Mann zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Beis Hillel and son-in-law of the mashgiach, Rav Chaim Friedlander zt”l.

Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, accusing him of mishandling Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon related to the ongoing corruption trial against him.

During a phone conversation with Channel 12 reporter Barak Ravid, Trump raised the issue of the pardon on his own initiative and attacked Herzog for insisting that he must first receive a recommendation from Israel’s Justice Ministry before deciding on the matter.

“He doesn’t need any legal opinions,” Trump said. “He is full of [garbage]. He is a weak and pathetic guy. I want Bibi [Netanyahu] to be focused on the war — not on [garbage].”

Trump has repeatedly expressed anger at Herzog over the president’s refusal so far to issue a pardon to Netanyahu while the legal proceedings against him continue. Just last week, Trump described Herzog as a “disgrace” for not granting the pardon.

The American president has also raised the issue several times in recent months. In comments made last month, Trump said Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for declining to pardon Netanyahu, and during an address to the Knesset in October he publicly pressed Herzog on the same matter.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that Herzog previously assured him that he would grant Netanyahu a pardon. Officials in the Israeli president’s office have rejected that claim.

Responding to Trump’s criticism last week, Herzog’s office said the president “greatly respects and appreciates” Trump, but emphasized that the decision regarding the pardon request would be made “without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind.”

Herzog has not yet ruled on the pardon application submitted by Netanyahu’s legal team in November.

Hebrew-language media outlets reported Wednesday that the Justice Ministry’s pardons department has concluded that the request does not satisfy the necessary legal criteria. Under those circumstances, Herzog is widely viewed as unlikely to approve a pardon.

Earlier Wednesday, the Justice Ministry confirmed that the pardons department had finalized its legal opinion on Netanyahu’s request and transferred the document to Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu. Justice Minister Yariv Levin recused himself from involvement due to a potential conflict of interest.

According to a report by the Ynet news site, the pardons department concluded that granting a pardon would be difficult because Netanyahu’s trial is still underway, he has not been convicted, and his request did not include an admission of guilt or an expression of remorse.

{Matzav.com}

A joint U.S.–Israeli strike at the opening of the war with Iran that was widely believed to have killed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have had the opposite effect—allowing him to escape from tight regime control and disappear underground, according to reports citing people close to the former leader.

Associates of Ahmadinejad told reporters that he is still alive, contradicting early claims that he had been killed during the opening barrage of Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury.

According to those accounts, the strike hit near Ahmadinejad’s residence in the Narmak neighborhood of northeast Tehran. The explosion killed several members of his security detail and created the chaos that enabled Ahmadinejad and his family to flee the area and go into hiding.

The unusual turn of events has been described by his associates as a kind of accidental “jailbreak” that freed the controversial former president from the surveillance and restrictions imposed on him by Iran’s ruling establishment.

For months before the war, Ahmadinejad’s movements had been tightly monitored by the regime. Following massive anti-government protests in January—during which tens of thousands of demonstrators were reportedly killed—authorities tightened control over the former president.

His phones were confiscated, and the number of bodyguards stationed around him was increased dramatically, reportedly rising to around 50 personnel tasked with monitoring his movements.

The February strike shattered that security cordon. In the aftermath of the blast, Ahmadinejad vanished. According to reports, Iranian authorities no longer know his whereabouts.

Since his disappearance, he has surfaced only briefly in public communications, including a message congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on his rise to the position of Iran’s supreme leader.

Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013, has long had a turbulent relationship with the country’s ruling clerical establishment. Despite once being a prominent figure within the regime, he has repeatedly been barred from running for president again by Iran’s powerful Guardian Council—in 2017, 2021 and again in 2024.

Following his disqualification in 2017, Ahmadinejad increasingly positioned himself as a critic of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and elements of the Islamic Republic’s power structure.

Analysts say that uneasy relationship has made him a uniquely sensitive figure inside Iranian politics.

“Arresting Ahmadinejad could unsettle the regime,” Iran analyst Meir Javedanfar, who co-authored a biography of the former president, told The Atlantic. “He knows a hell of a lot about it.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)