OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ (VINnews) – A section of the roof collapsed Monday at a BJ’s Wholesale Club in Oakhurst as heavy rain and flooding swept through parts of Monmouth County, prompting an emergency search for possible victims and concerns over a gas leak.

The collapse occurred at the store located at 1904 NJ-35, Oakhurst, NJ 07755, where officials reported that an approximately 50-foot section of the roof fell into the building, including the bakery area.

Emergency responders initially began searching for as many as three possible victims believed to have been in the affected section of the store, according to emergency dispatch reports.

The gas utility was requested to respond after a reported gas leak, while crews worked to shut off electrical power and water supplying the building’s sprinkler system.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office urged motorists to avoid Route 35 in Ocean Township because of severe flooding, calling travel in the area “extremely dangerous.” The agency said first responders remained at the BJ’s Wholesale Club managing the roof collapse and asked the public to stay away to allow emergency crews to operate safely.

The sheriff’s office also released a photograph showing a vehicle partially submerged in floodwaters in Ocean Township, underscoring the dangerous conditions created by the storm.

There was no immediate official confirmation of injuries or the cause of the roof collapse. Authorities have not yet released additional details.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prescription refill program that quietly launched in Utah earlier this year has kicked off a big medical debate: Is artificial intelligence ready to take over tasks that, until now, could only be performed by doctors?

The program allows Utah residents to skip the doctor’s office and get their prescriptions refilled online by an AI chatbot called Doctronic. It’s a seemingly simple step toward making healthcare more convenient for patients and prescribers.

But it’s also a precedent-shattering milestone that has set off alarm bells for doctors, lawyers and public health experts. The pilot program has laid bare a host of questions about the role of AI in medicine, including how it should be regulated, whether doctors should be able to veto it, and what kind of safety measures are needed to protect patients.

At the center of the debate: state and federal laws limit prescribing to licensed medical professionals. Proponents say those laws, which have underwritten American medicine for over 100 years, should be updated to include AI chatbots and other new technologies.

“We have crossed a threshold in terms of giving something that is not human a medical license, whether or not we want to call it that,” said Dr. Eric Bressman of the University of Pennsylvania.

AI cannot practice medicine under current laws
Bressman and other experts say they aren’t opposed to AI prescribing. But they say it should have to meet rigorous standards akin to human doctors, who undergo years of testing and training before being licensed to practice medicine.

In Utah, Doctronic was able to launch thanks to a “regulatory sandbox” that allows state officials to waive laws for AI companies offering promising technology.

The refill program is currently overseen by a five-member board of AI specialists, none of whom are doctors, who say they have implemented numerous safeguards. During the program’s initial phase, for example, human doctors review all Doctronic refill orders. The company expects to soon transition to fully automated refills.

The head of the state’s medical licensing board says he and his colleagues learned of the program when its January launch was reported in the news. In a March letter to the state, 11 board members called for the program to be halted, citing the risks of automatically renewing medicines that can have side effects or drug interactions.

“We were essentially told: ‘Yes this is going on. And no, you don’t have a say in it,’” said Dr. Alan Smith, a family physician who heads the board but said he was speaking only for himself.

Complicating the picture is the fact that medical technology is traditionally regulated at the federal level, while medical professionals are overseen by states.

Doctronic executives consider their AI part of the state-regulated practice of medicine. But the federal Food and Drug Administration is supposed to oversee AI that directly impacts medical care or decision making, a line that some experts believe Doctronic has crossed.

Some states are clearing the way for AI in healthcare
In an interview, Doctronic’s executives wouldn’t say whether they have sought permission from the FDA.

“Our goal here is really just to meet patients where they need healthcare,” said Dr. Adam Oskowitz, who co-founded the company with a tech industry entrepreneur. “We try not to get too deep into the weeds on the regulatory side.”

In Utah, residents can visit a Doctronic website built for the refill program. After confirming their identity, the AI chatbot asks users about their prescriptions and medical history, verifying that they have a valid prescription by tapping into a national pharmacy database. If there are no issues, the AI can renew the prescription and send it to a local pharmacy. If the request requires more attention, the chatbot transfers the patient to a doctor who works for Doctronic’s telehealth service.

Oskowitz envisions a future where many routine medical tasks, including ordering tests and analyzing results, can be offloaded to Doctronic, allowing doctors to manage thousands more patients than they can today.

Other states are also waiving rules for AI, including Texas and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Iowa, Idaho and elsewhere have introduced legislation to formally license AI medical services. Many of the bills are based on a template from the nonprofit Cicero Institute, a pro-AI think tank founded by Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of the artificial intelligence software company Palantir.

Pushback against medical AI mainly stems from the economic fears of doctors and other health workers, says Cicero’s director for health policy.

“Whoever goes first is going to take the slings and arrows because there’s economic interests, concerns about the workforce and what that’s going to mean for jobs,” said Cicero’s Adam Meier.

Doctors see potential risks to AI prescription refills
Smith, the medical board chair, says the risks to patients are real. He points out that Doctronic’s list of 190 refillable medications includes blood thinners, which can become dangerous if patients develop stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause internal bleeding.

“Many times when I see people after six months I find that their medical history or situation has changed,” Smith said. “Just because something was prescribed before does not mean it’s appropriate now.”

The American Medical Association has voiced similar concerns, warning that “prescription renewals aren’t routine checkboxes.”

Zach Boyd, who heads Utah’s AI office, said Doctronic has thus far been overly cautious, often elevating uncontroversial decisions to doctors. In response to safety concerns, several medications have been removed from the list eligible for refills, including a drug for irregular heartbeats.

Utah has released some initial data on the program and Doctronic plans to publish peer-reviewed studies later this year. Currently the only publication about its technology is a paper written by company scientists that was not independently reviewed.

The study looked at whether Doctronic could correctly diagnose medical conditions based on records from 500 telehealth consultations. In the study, Doctronic’s diagnoses matched that of human doctors 80% of the time.

The FDA is taking a hands-off approach
Bressman says Utah should have demanded data on prescription refills up front, not after Doctronic was up and running.

“Mostly they’re accepting the company’s word on good faith that they’re up to the task,” he said.

The current approach to AI mirrors the haphazard medical standards of the early 20th century, Bressman says, before medical schools, medical boards and other authorities agreed on national benchmarks for training and licensing.

National guidelines on medical technology would typically come from the FDA, but the agency has indicated it plans to take a hand-off approach, at least under the current administration.

An FDA spokesperson said the agency has not authorized any AI chatbots but “is committed to encouraging medical innovation and helping bring promising new technologies to patients, while keeping safety at the center of every decision.”

For now, Doctronic and other companies are likely to expand across states with different regulatory approaches.

“Companies may benefit in the short term by expanding their business models and kind of having the technology go beyond the evidence,” says Daniel Aaron of University of Utah’s law school. “But in the long-term, I think they risk compromising public trust and fueling backlash.”

___

Governments and organizations under international sanctions moved roughly $104 billion through cryptocurrency in 2025, a nearly sevenfold increase that made sanctions evasion the single largest driver of illicit digital-asset activity, according to the 2026 Crypto Crime Report published by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The firm found that total illicit crypto flows reached approximately $154 billion for the year, up 162% from 2024, with the surge driven overwhelmingly by state and state-linked actors seeking to maintain access to global markets despite Western sanctions.

The report, released earlier this year and reinforced by a parallel study from analytics firm TRM Labs, points to a structural shift rather than a one-time spike. Chainalysis concluded that cryptocurrency is no longer a fringe workaround for sanctioned governments but has become a core component of their financial infrastructure, supporting international trade settlements, weapons procurement and cross-border money transfers. Roughly 84% of illicit transaction volume flowed through stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to traditional currencies and valued for maintaining price stability while funds move across borders.

Russia sits at the center of the findings. Chainalysis identified a ruble-backed stablecoin known as A7A5, which processed approximately $93.3 billion in transactions in less than one year, effectively serving as a settlement network for sanctioned Russian businesses. The activity was linked to the cryptocurrency exchange Garantex and its successor, Grinex—entities that the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned alongside a Kyrgyz-issued token and a network of associated companies. According to the report, when one exchange is shut down, operators increasingly establish a replacement. Grinex was created by former Garantex personnel after law enforcement action disrupted the original platform.

Iran’s use of cryptocurrency appears more operational. The report found that networks associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accounted for more than half the value flowing into Iranian cryptocurrency services during the second half of 2025, with total transfers reaching approximately $3 billion. The funds were used to support regional proxy groups while facilitating arms and oil transactions. North Korea experienced its largest cryptocurrency theft year on record, stealing more than $2 billion, including approximately $1.5 billion during a single cyberattack against the Bybit exchange—the largest crypto theft reported to date. Investigators concluded that the proceeds helped finance the regime’s weapons programs.

For the broader cryptocurrency industry, the findings present two competing narratives. Supporters point out that illicit transactions still represent less than 1% of total cryptocurrency activity and argue that public blockchains are inherently transparent, allowing investigators to trace transactions in ways impossible with cash. That transparency has fueled demand for compliance software from firms such as Chainalysis and TRM Labs, which now sell blockchain monitoring tools to governments, banks and digital-asset exchanges.

The headline figures nevertheless present a significant challenge for an industry still working toward mainstream financial acceptance. A $104 billion sanctions-evasion network is precisely the type of statistic that strengthens the resolve of regulators and makes traditional financial institutions more cautious about working with cryptocurrency firms. It raises compliance expectations—and compliance costs—for legitimate exchanges and stablecoin issuers, which increasingly face pressure to identify sanctioned wallets, monitor transactions and freeze suspicious assets or risk losing access to the traditional banking system. Enforcement has likewise evolved, with OFAC, the European Union, and the United Kingdom’s sanctions authorities increasingly identifying specific cryptocurrency wallet addresses directly in their sanctions lists.

The role of stablecoins deserves particular attention from the business community. As dollar-backed digital tokens move closer to mainstream financial adoption, the report’s conclusion that stablecoins now carry the majority of illicit transaction volume places issuers in a difficult position. Their future growth depends on being viewed as safe, regulated financial products closely connected to the banking system, yet those same characteristics also make them attractive tools for sanctioned governments seeking efficient cross-border payments.

The findings also arrive against an active geopolitical backdrop. With global energy markets already under pressure from conflict involving Iran, the report’s conclusion that Tehran increasingly relies on cryptocurrency to move oil revenue and finance regional proxy groups underscores how digital assets have become an important pressure valve for governments facing international sanctions. For banks, exchanges and payment companies, the message is increasingly clear: the primary illicit-finance risk surrounding cryptocurrency is no longer dominated by scams and ransomware attacks. It is increasingly driven by nation-states—and measured in the tens of billions of dollars.

JBizNews Desk | New York
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

A large crowd gathered this week to celebrate the engagement of the great-granddaughter of the preeminent Breslov leader, Hagaon Harav Yaakov Meir Shechter shlita, held in an atmosphere of great simcha and excitement.

The kallah is the daughter of Rav Nachman Dovid Heiman, and the granddaughter of the son of Harav Nassan Yitzchok Shechter. Family members, talmidim, and close associates arrived to take part in the simchah and to offer their brachos to the families.

Especially moving moments were recorded when Harav Yaakov Meir Shechter shlita joined in the singing, uplifted in spirit, encouraging the assembled crowd to rejoice in the simchah shel mitzvah. Later in the event, he read the tenaim with great feeling before the excited participants.

Photo credit: “Charedim Yerushalayim”

NEW YORK (VINnews) — An NYPD detective wounded during a confrontation with an armed teenager in Brooklyn may have been struck by friendly fire, according to law enforcement sources cited by the New York Post.

Detective Robert Karroll was shot in the back shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday while confronting an 18-year-old armed with a 9mm handgun in the Crown Heights neighborhood. Police have said Karroll’s bullet-resistant vest prevented more serious injuries.

According to the report, investigators believe the detective may have been hit by a round fired by another officer during the exchange of gunfire. Three of the four officers at the scene reportedly discharged their weapons, while investigators continue working to determine who fired the bullet that struck Karroll.

Authorities have said the suspect approached the officers’ unmarked vehicle before the shooting. The teen was arrested several blocks away and is expected to face charges. He was not injured during the incident.

A female officer sustained minor injuries during the confrontation.

Karroll, a veteran detective and father of three who was reportedly days away from retirement, was treated at a hospital and released later Sunday. Police have said he is expected to make a full recovery.

The New York Police Department has not publicly confirmed whether friendly fire was responsible for the detective’s injury, and the investigation remains ongoing.

President Donald Trump on Monday marked the launch of the new Trump Accounts investment program for children as he rang the opening bells of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Oval Office, highlighting an initiative created under Republicans’ 2025 tax and spending package while continuing to tie his presidency to stock market performance.

Trump has increasingly pointed to stock market gains as evidence of his economic policies, urging Americans to pay closer attention to their retirement investments ahead of the November midterm elections.

“It’s going to go up — I think the market’s going to go through the roof,” said Trump after formally launching the start of trading.

According to a June survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy.

The White House event also marked the rollout of Trump Accounts, which are designed to allow children to invest in stock market index funds.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the program is intended to help expand stock market participation, noting that millions of Americans currently have no direct exposure to equities and therefore do not benefit from market gains enjoyed by many wealthier households.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday took credit for getting FIFA to review a red card issued against the United States’ star forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup but said he did not demand an outcome.

“All I did was ask for a review,” Trump said when asked about it during an unrelated Oval Office event. “I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this.’”

Trump confirmed that he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked for a second look at the punishment against Balogun in the United States’ 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina last week in Santa Clara, California, near San Francisco. But he said FIFA made the final call to lift Balogun’s mandatory one-game ban for a foul tackle, allowing him to play in Monday’s round of 16 match with Belgium in Seattle.

FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-game ban was celebrated by many in the United States but brought condemnation in the international sports world, where some called it an improper intrusion.

In remarks on Monday, Trump called the referee’s decision a “horrible” call. He added that it would have been a stain on the tournament if Balogun, the U.S.’ leading scorer at this year’s World Cup with three goals, was held out against Belgium and the U.S. lost. He praised FIFA for making what he described as a brilliant decision in suspending the punishment.

“I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said. “I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”

The Republican president, who said he understands sports “really well,” acknowledged that he did not initially know what a red card is or the consequences it brings. When he learned it would lead to a one-game suspension for Balogun, he said, he decided to step in. He also took issue with the use of video review to issue the red card, arguing that slowed-down reviews can make plays look aggressive.

Among those joining Trump for the Oval Office event was Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who thanked Trump for stepping in.

“On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,” Cruz said. “It was spectacular. There was a reason the FIFA trophy sat here for as long as it did.”

Cruz appeared to be referring to a White House event last year at which Infantino visited and brought the World Cup trophy.

Although huge crowds filled the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, analysts and even senior Iranian officials cautioned that turnout should not be viewed as proof of widespread support for the Islamic Republic.

“If anyone’s thinking this is a litmus test for the popularity of the Islamic Republic, history tells us otherwise. It’s a funeral, and Iranians do funerals very well,” Ali Ansari, a professor of modern history at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews told the Times of Israel on Monday.

Reuters spoke with several attendees who said they came out of curiosity or because of religious tradition rather than political loyalty to the regime.

“My attendance does not mean that I am pro-regime, this big event happened in my country and I wanted to witness history,” said Hamidreza, a 63-year-old retired teacher from Tehran who requested that his last name not be published.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the size of the crowd, although drone footage appeared to show hundreds of thousands of mourners.

Analysts estimate the Iranian regime maintains a loyal ideological base of roughly 15% to 20% of the country’s 93 million people, citing election results in which hardline candidates have consistently drawn that level of support. In the 2024 presidential election, hardline candidate Saeed Jalili received about 13.5 million votes.

The funeral marked Iran’s first burial of a supreme leader since 1989, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was laid to rest following the Islamic Revolution. Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, was buried months later because of the war, allowing authorities time to organize an elaborate state funeral.

The ceremonies also marked the first major public gatherings since the end of the recent war, which supporters of the Islamic Republic viewed as an existential conflict.

“If we do not respect our leaders, the world will not respect us,” said Houshang Dabiri, 51, who traveled from Shiraz to attend the funeral.

A senior Iranian source acknowledged that those attending did so for different reasons, including religious obligation, support for the government, and participation in state-organized public demonstrations.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is urging the United States not to sell F-35 fighter jets or advanced jet engines to Turkey, warning that such a move would undermine Israel’s military edge and destabilize the Middle East.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News ahead of President Donald Trump’s trip to the NATO summit in Turkey, Netanyahu said Ankara’s current leadership is “infected with the Muslim Brotherhood” and should not receive advanced American military technology.

“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter aircraft,” Netanyahu said. “It would undermine the balance of power in the Middle East, which is ultimately ensured by Israel’s air superiority and America’s presence in the region.”

Netanyahu described Turkey as a major regional power but sharply criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, noting that the Turkish leader has openly threatened Israel’s destruction and pointing to Turkey’s continued control of northern Cyprus.

Addressing reports of tensions with President Trump over the recent U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, Netanyahu downplayed any rift between Jerusalem and Washington.

“We see eye to eye on almost everything,” Netanyahu said. “We have disagreements from time to time, but we resolve them because we are allies.”

“The president has his way of expressing himself, and I have mine,” he added, stressing that differences are handled through direct discussions. “We are allies. We are your model ally.”

Netanyahu also said Israel hopes recent developments in the region will pave the way for additional peace agreements, arguing that weakening the Iranian regime has created new diplomatic opportunities.

Warning once again about Iran, Netanyahu said the Islamic Republic “is not a friend of America” and must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons or the means to deliver them.

“This is a battle between freedom and fanaticism,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce Launches Hands-On AI Platforms Certification to Help Students, Employees and Businesses Save Time, Reduce Costs, Increase Productivity and Grow Revenue

EATONTOWN, N.J. — The next essential workplace skill has arrived.

Twenty years ago, knowing how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and email separated job candidates from the competition. Today, those programs are standard requirements in nearly every workplace.

Now, the same transformation is happening with today’s leading AI platforms.

Employers increasingly expect workers to know how to use platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, Perplexity, Meta AI and Mistral to write documents, analyze spreadsheets, create presentations, automate repetitive tasks, communicate with customers and dramatically improve productivity.

The payoff is significant.

According to PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer, workers skilled in today’s leading AI platforms earn an average of 62% more than comparable workers without those skills. After analyzing more than one billion job postings across six continents, PwC concluded that AI platform skills have become one of the fastest-growing drivers of higher salaries, promotions and career advancement.

To help individuals and businesses prepare for this workplace transformation, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, drawing on more than 20 years of workforce development, executive education and employer partnerships, is hosting the JBiz AI Operations Summit on July 13–14, 2026, at the Sheraton Eatontown in New Jersey.

The intensive two-day certification program is designed for everyone.

Whether you’re preparing to enter the workforce, applying for your first office job, working as a secretary or administrative assistant, building your career, changing professions, supervising employees or running your own business, learning today’s leading AI platforms can immediately increase your productivity and long-term earning potential.

Unlike technical courses designed for software developers, the summit focuses entirely on practical workplace applications that participants can begin using the very next day.

Participants will receive hands-on training using today’s leading AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, Perplexity, Meta AI and Mistral, and learn how to:

Save Time

• Automate repetitive tasks.
• Complete reports, emails and presentations in minutes instead of hours.
• Organize meetings, schedules and daily workflows more efficiently.

Increase Productivity

• Produce higher-quality work in less time.
• Analyze spreadsheets and business data faster.
• Improve communication across every department.

Reduce Costs

• Streamline administrative work.
• Eliminate unnecessary manual processes.
• Improve operational efficiency across the organization.

Increase Revenue

• Create stronger marketing campaigns.
• Improve customer service and client communications.
• Generate better sales materials, proposals and business presentations.
• Free employees to focus on higher-value work that drives business growth.

Upon successful completion, every participant will receive an AI Platforms Certification from the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, recognizing practical proficiency in today’s leading workplace AI platforms.

An Investment With Immediate ROI

For employers, this is more than employee training—it’s a business investment.

Equip your workforce with practical AI platform skills that help your company:

• Save time.
• Reduce operating costs.
• Increase employee productivity.
• Improve customer service.
• Produce higher-quality work.
• Strengthen decision-making.
• Increase sales.
• Grow revenue.
• Build a more competitive organization.

The result is a workforce that delivers measurable value every day.

For employees, the benefits are equally compelling.

These practical skills strengthen résumés, improve job performance, increase confidence, position workers for promotions and create opportunities for higher-paying positions throughout their careers.

The Numbers Tell the Story

The demand for AI platform skills continues to accelerate.

• 62% average salary premium for workers with AI platform skills (PwC).
• Up to 118% salary premium in customer-facing industries (PwC).
• 8× faster growth in demand for AI platform skills than the overall job market (PwC).
• 7.5 hours saved every week by professionals using AI platforms (London School of Economics).
• 2.3 hours saved every workday through AI-assisted tasks (GoTo Workplace Survey).
• 8%–15% greater chance of receiving a job interview when AI platform skills appear on a résumé (University of Oxford, shared by the World Economic Forum).

“Every generation has a workplace skill that becomes essential,” said Duvi Honig, Founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce. “Yesterday it was Word, Excel, Outlook and email. Today it’s learning how to use today’s leading AI platforms. Whether you’re entering the workforce, working as a secretary, advancing your career or growing a business, these are practical skills that help people save time, increase productivity, reduce costs, increase revenue and become more valuable in today’s economy.”

JBiz AI Operations Summit

July 13–14, 2026
Sheraton Eatontown
Eatontown, New Jersey

Every participant who completes the two-day program will earn an AI Platforms Certification from the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.

For registration and corporate or group discounts:

Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce
212-659-5270 ext. 104
[email protected]
www.OJChamber.com

About the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce

For more than 20 years, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce has helped businesses and individuals grow through workforce development, executive education, certification programs, government partnerships and business advocacy. Through the JBiz AI Operations Summit, the Chamber continues its mission of equipping today’s workforce with practical, in-demand skills that help businesses save time, reduce costs, increase productivity, grow revenue and compete in the modern economy, while advancing its mission of “Uniting the World Through Commerce.”

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — An island-wide blackout hit Cuba on Monday as fuel reserves dwindle and its electric grid continues to crumble.

The blackout was reported by Cuba’s Electric Union, which said on X that the cause was under investigation.

Fuel has been running out across Cuba since January when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island.

New York City has committed more than $1 billion to fully reconstruct the century-old Riegelmann Boardwalk at Coney Island, a project city officials describe as both an economic-development engine and a defense against rising seas—even as fresh questions surface this week about how long residents will have to wait. The commitment was announced by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, with NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball calling it exactly the kind of investment the neighborhood deserves, and Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa describing it as preparing the boardwalk to safely welcome visitors for another 100 years.

The scope is comprehensive. The plan calls for rebuilding the entire 2.7-mile boardwalk “from piles to topside,” replacing structural pilings, decking and utilities while elevating sections to improve storm protection. The project also includes renovations to restrooms, lifeguard stations and shade pavilions. The city plans to partner with a design-build team, with funding extending through 2032. A separate $42 million project will renovate the adjacent Abe Stark Sports Center and its ice rink, an investment business leaders hope will attract visitors during the winter months and transform Coney Island into more of a year-round destination.

That year-round strategy is central to the business case. Coney Island remains one of Brooklyn’s busiest public attractions, drawing millions of tourists and local visitors annually while supporting an economy built around amusement parks, restaurants, food vendors and small businesses that depend heavily on seasonal foot traffic. Extending the visitor season could provide a meaningful boost to businesses ranging from the famous hot dog stands to the rides operating inside the historic amusement district.

The boardwalk reconstruction is also part of a much larger redevelopment initiative. Under the Coney Island West plan, New York City intends to add approximately 1,500 new homes, with roughly one-quarter designated as affordable housing, alongside new ground-floor retail space and additional public parking on city-owned property. Officials say the combined investment will create years of construction work, new housing opportunities and permanent jobs. For contractors, engineers, suppliers and firms specializing in resilient coastal infrastructure, the billion-dollar project represents a significant pipeline of future business, particularly for minority- and women-owned businesses that frequently participate in public infrastructure projects.

There is, however, an important catch. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation told CBS News that its carpentry crews already perform repairs on the landmark boardwalk five days a week between April and November, maintaining a structure made up of more than one million wooden boards that constantly require replacement. Local residents—including one who launched a petition calling for faster repairs—argue that the full reconstruction remains years away. Current estimates place the project in the research and design phase through at least 2027, with construction beginning afterward. For many residents dealing with deteriorating boards, exposed nails and structural wear, funding the project and completing the work remain two very different things.

The financing also carries political significance. The $1 billion commitment was secured during the final capital budget approved under former Mayor Eric Adams, meaning responsibility for executing the project now rests with the current administration. Large public infrastructure projects in New York have historically faced delays between funding announcements and groundbreaking, and with community planning and design work still ongoing, the boardwalk’s timeline leaves considerable room for slippage.

Another issue remains unresolved: what the rebuilt boardwalk should actually look like. Longtime business owners and neighborhood advocates want the historic wooden surface preserved, arguing that its traditional appearance forms part of Coney Island’s identity and visitor appeal. City planners have explored more durable materials and selective elevation to improve storm resilience and reduce future maintenance costs. The final design decision will influence not only the boardwalk’s appearance but also its long-term operating expenses.

For now, the headline remains straightforward: New York has committed more than $1 billion to completely rebuild one of Brooklyn’s best-known landmarks while tying the investment to new housing, infrastructure improvements and economic development. The real test will be whether the city can move from planning documents to active construction before the aging boardwalk deteriorates further under the millions of visitors who continue to use it each year.

JBizNews Desk | New York
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Israel is expanding its humanitarian mission in Venezuela after the country’s government formally requested additional assistance in developing a nationwide reconstruction plan following the devastating earthquake that has claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

In addition to the dozens of Israeli personnel already operating on the ground, Israel has established a new team of approximately 20 experts working from Israel. The group is analyzing data from the disaster zone and helping Venezuelan authorities formulate a long-term strategy for rebuilding the hardest-hit areas.

The Israeli delegation’s work has received significant attention in Venezuela, drawing praise from the country’s acting president, senior government officials, and local media. The reconstruction plan was presented Sunday to Venezuela’s infrastructure minister and is expected to be formally presented to the acting president in the coming days.

The joint delegation—comprised of representatives from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the Home Front Command, and the National Emergency Management Authority—is working closely with local authorities to inspect damaged buildings, assess structural safety, and determine which structures can be repaired and safely reoccupied.

The mission includes approximately 30 engineering experts, Foreign Ministry officials, emergency management specialists, and is led by Home Front Command Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Elad Edri. Officials said the confirmed death toll is approaching 3,000, though they believe the actual number is significantly higher.

Israeli experts have worked alongside Venezuela’s Ministry of Infrastructure to prepare a comprehensive national reconstruction plan for Caracas and surrounding areas devastated by the earthquake. The long-term proposal includes evaluating nearly 1,300 buildings for either repair or demolition, removing dangerous structures, clearing debris, and preparing affected neighborhoods for future construction. The plan is expected to receive final approval from the country’s acting president before implementation begins.

Alongside recovery efforts, Home Front Command personnel are providing classroom instruction and hands-on training to Venezuelan engineers and emergency officials in building assessment, risk evaluation, and post-disaster recovery procedures, drawing on Israel’s extensive experience responding to earthquakes and other large-scale disasters around the world.

The delegation also marks Israel’s first official mission to Venezuela in 17 years, with the last Israeli government representatives sent to the country in 2009. Beyond its primary humanitarian mission, the delegation said it also considers strengthening ties with Venezuela’s Jewish community an important part of its visit.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani voiced concerns about the city’s political future under Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a wide-ranging interview discussing crime, economic policy, antisemitism and foreign affairs.

Speaking with Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch on The Viktor Frankl Podcast, Giuliani argued that policies he described as democratic socialist could reverse decades of progress in New York, drawing comparisons to the city’s fiscal and public safety challenges of the 1970s.

Giuliani said proposals such as expanding government programs, freezing rents and increasing public spending could discourage business investment and job growth while undermining public safety. He contrasted those policies with initiatives implemented during his administration, including aggressive crime reduction efforts, fiscal restraint and support for law enforcement.

The interview also focused on antisemitism in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Giuliani expressed support for Israel and said combating antisemitism and violent extremism should remain a priority in New York and across the United States.

He also discussed Iran and its regional allies, arguing they continue to pose a significant security threat and calling for a strong response to groups he said threaten democratic societies.

Beyond politics, the conversation addressed faith, leadership and public service, with Giuliani emphasizing what he described as the need for moral leadership and resilient institutions during a period of political polarization.

The interview is available on The Viktor Frankl Podcast, hosted by Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch.

[FOLLOW TLS WHATSAPP COMMUNITY FOR UPDATES] Torrential rainfall is causing dangerous flooding across Monmouth County this afternoon, with numerous roads submerged and water rapidly accumulating in low-lying areas as heavy rain continues to move through the region.

Significant flooding has been reported at and around Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where roadways on and around the campus have become inundated, creating hazardous travel conditions for patients, visitors, and emergency responders. Flooding has also been reported near Route 18 and several other major roadways throughout the county.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for portions of Monmouth and Ocean counties. In Ocean County, the warning remains in effect until 3:45 p.m., with additional rainfall expected to produce life threatening flash flooding in vulnerable locations.

Emergency officials are urging residents to stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary.

“We are experiencing severe rainfall today, which can cause significant flooding in the area,” Police Chief Greg Meyer tells TLS. “We urge all residents to refrain from driving unless absolutely necessary. While the flash flood warning is in effect until 3:45 PM, the roads can be dangerous to drive on for several hours after that. All non-essential driving should be avoided.”

Motorists are reminded never to drive through flooded roadways, as water depths can be deceptive and vehicles can quickly become stranded. Officials say conditions may continue to deteriorate as additional heavy rain moves through the area.

Of the 4,384 offenses in 3,750 hate crime incidents from Jan. 1 until this month, Jews have been targets of 15% of incidents, according to FBI data. The 566 anti-Jewish hate-crime incidents so far this year include 613 offenses—a number that in other circumstances Jews happily note corresponds to the number of commandments in the Torah.

Overall, hate-crime offenses are down 43%, and incidents have decreased 41.5% compared to last year, although the FBI’s 2025 data came from self-reported state statistics covering between 95% and 96% of the U.S. population. At the beginning of this year, the January data covered about 88% of the country. By April, it was about 75%, 55% by May, and by June, it had only covered nearly 19.5% of the nation.

Last year, there were 1,062 anti-Jewish offenses in 957 incidents, according to the bureau’s data.

Jews make up about 2.4% of American adults, according to data from the Pew Research Center. That means that so far this year, Jews are 525% likelier hate crime targets than their population share suggests, according to the FBI data.

The 978 religion-based incidents recorded this year made up 25.1% of all incidents. After the 15% of religion-based incidents targeting Jews, the next most likely targets were Sikhs and Muslims (2% each) and Arabs (1%).

The majority (55%) of anti-Jewish incidents involved destruction, damage or vandalism of property, followed by intimidation (31%), simple assault (8%), and aggravated assault and all other larcenies (2% each).

The largest amount (17%) took place on the highway, a road, alley, street or sidewalk, followed by an elementary or secondary school (16%), home (15%), and college or university (9%).

A smaller number of anti-Jewish incidents have occurred so far this year at a park or playground or house of worship (6% each) or commercial or office building, parking lot or garage, government or public building or online (3% each). And 1% each of incidents have taken place at an air or bus or train terminal, drug store or medical facility, construction site, field or woods, restaurant, grocery or supermarket, shopping mall, specialty store, abandoned or condemned structure or department or discount store.

New York state had only reported 88 anti-Jewish hate crimes to the FBI so far this year, even though New York City alone recorded 26 anti-Jewish hate crimes last month, and there were 178 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes in the Big Apple from Jan. 1 to June 30, per New York City Police Department data.

The FBI data suggests that the NYPD reported 74 anti-Jewish hate crimes to the bureau so far this year.

California has reported 158 offenses from 142 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents to the FBI so far this year.

Florida has reported 9, Illinois 17 (16 incidents), Maryland 10 (9 incidents), Massachusetts 5, Michigan 29 (26 incidents), Minnesota 6, New Jersey 102 (92 incidents), Pennsylvania 22 (18 incidents), Texas 13, Virginia 24 (23 incidents) and Washington state 15 (12 incidents). JNS

{Matzav.com}

MK Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Knesset’s Law Committee, slammed Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara and the entire judicial system for their move to revoke Section 46 tax-deductible status from yeshivos and Torah institutions while preserving all rights for terrorists and terror supporters.

In an interview with journalists Aryeh Erlich and Zeev Kam on Reshet Bet, Rothman said, “When we sought to revoke Section 46 status from organizations that defame IDF soldiers, support terrorism, and glorify terrorists — the ones who stood firmly by their side to protect their funding were the government’s legal advisers.”

“This is persecution of the Chareidi sector that is completely disproportionate,” he asserted. “The High Court reinstates child benefits for terrorists who served prison sentences, but yeshivos are stripped of Section 46 status.”

“I support integrating Chareidim, but I won’t be convinced until the day someone shows me that organizations teaching terrorist content aren’t receiving Section 46 status,” he concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Russia is spending enormous sums to build its own version of SpaceX, and the early results have been messy. The effort is led by Dmitry Bakanov, who has run the country’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, since February 2025. His job, in plain terms, is to drag Russia’s once-proud space program back into the top tier. So far the climb has been steep.

The clearest sign of trouble came from Russia’s answer to Starlink, the internet-from-space network owned by Elon Musk. The Russian system is called Rassvet, which means “Dawn.” On March 23, the private aerospace firm Bureau 1440 launched the first 16 operational Rassvet satellites into orbit aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The company, part of IKS Holding, described the launch as a transition from testing to building a commercial service.

Then one of those satellites failed. One of the spacecraft launched in March suffered an apparent thruster failure and burned up in the atmosphere on June 6. Bureau 1440 confirmed the loss in a report published June 9, saying 15 of the 16 satellites from the March deployment remain in orbit and that the network’s capabilities were not affected. Losing a satellite only months into a flagship program is not the start Moscow wanted.

The gap with SpaceX is difficult to overstate. SpaceX has more than 10,000 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit and began launching the network roughly six years ago. Russia placed its first operational group of 16 satellites into orbit only this spring. Analysts say Rassvet will need at least 250 satellites before it can function as a reliable broadband network. Bureau 1440 plans to have 156 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026 and expand the constellation to about 900 satellites by 2035.

Money is not the obstacle. The Russian federal budget has earmarked 102.8 billion rubles, about $1.26 billion, for Rassvet, while Bureau 1440 plans to invest another 329 billion rubles, roughly $4 billion, of its own funds through 2030. President Vladimir Putin has praised the project, saying it can compete with Starlink and eventually surpass it in certain markets.

There is also a military urgency behind the effort. In February 2026, Ukraine said unauthorized Starlink terminals used by Russian forces had been deactivated following coordination with SpaceX, disrupting Russian communications and drone operations. A domestically controlled satellite network would remove that vulnerability. Rassvet satellites are also designed to function as space-based 5G stations and support drone operations that are more difficult to jam.

The satellite network is only half of Bakanov’s challenge. The other is rockets. For decades Russia relied on reliable but expendable Soyuz launch vehicles, discarding used stages after every mission. SpaceX changed the economics of spaceflight by landing and reusing the first stage of its Falcon 9, dramatically lowering launch costs. Roscosmos is now attempting to follow the same model.

Bakanov has openly acknowledged the influence of Musk’s approach. In an interview with business newspaper RBC, he said reusing a rocket’s first stage instead of discarding it delivers significant cost savings. Russia’s answer is the Amur-SPG, a methane-fueled reusable rocket designed to replace the Soyuz-2. Roscosmos hopes each launch will cost about $22 million, well below the roughly $50 million it assigns to a Falcon 9 mission, with a first stage engineered for multiple flights.

The challenge is timing. As of January, Roscosmos expected the Amur-SPG to be completed around 2030—roughly 15 years after Falcon 9 first achieved a successful booster landing. Bakanov has said the immediate priority is proving the first stage can safely return and land. Roscosmos has already completed methane engine fire tests and selected landing sites in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region. Even Elon Musk, years ago, publicly suggested Russia should pursue full rocket reusability or risk developing technology that would already be outdated.

The full picture came into sharper focus this week as fresh reporting on Russia’s roughly $60 billion space revival highlighted how far the country still trails the industry leader. While Moscow counts its first operational satellites and conducts engine tests, SpaceX had completed 671 Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches as of July 2, with 668 full mission successes. The ambition inside Roscosmos is real, and so is the funding. Whether Dmitry Bakanov can close a lead measured in thousands of satellites and hundreds of launches remains the question hanging over every ruble Russia spends.

JBizNews Desk | Moscow
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

LONDON (VINnews) — A London woman has been convicted of hate crime offenses after targeting Jewish children and another member of the public during an antisemitic incident outside a Jewish school earlier this year.

Syeda Khatun, 39, was found guilty of several racially aggravated offenses following a trial in a London magistrates’ court. The convictions stem from a May incident in which prosecutors said she directed antisemitic insults at people gathered outside the school.

Authorities said the confrontation began as students were leaving school, with Khatun allegedly shouting abuse at members of the Jewish community, including children. When an adult intervened, prosecutors said the encounter escalated into a physical assault while antisemitic remarks continued.

She is due to be sentenced later this month.

British prosecutors said the case demonstrates that crimes motivated by antisemitism will be pursued through the courts. Police also said officers responded quickly and worked with prosecutors to secure the convictions.

The case comes as Jewish organizations and law enforcement have raised concerns about an increase in antisemitic incidents across London. In response, the Metropolitan Police Service has expanded patrols in Jewish neighborhoods and established a specialized unit dedicated to preventing hate crimes and protecting at-risk communities.

Yisroel R.

The NYPD’s 66th Precinct Conditions Team announced that officers have recovered an illegal firearm and dangerous drugs in the hours following the July 4 weekend.

The recovery came as officers continued enforcement efforts in the precinct following the festive holiday weekend.

A photo shared by the precinct showed the firearm, ammunition, and two magazines that were taken off the street, keeping the neighborhood safe.

Police said this was the second illegal firearm recovered by the 66th Precinct Conditions Team in less than a week, as officers continue working to keep residents in the precinct safe and remove illegal weapons from the streets.

Consumers who shop at Publix are being urged to check their freezers after one lot of GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries was voluntarily recalled over concerns it may be contaminated with E. coli.

Chile-based supplier Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. announced the recall on July 3 after receiving reports of illnesses among consumers who had eaten the product, according to a recall notice posted by Publix.

The recalled blueberries were distributed to Publix stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The recall applies only to 10-ounce GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries with lot code 60401 and a best-by date of Feb. 9, 2028. No other lot codes or best-by dates are included in the recall.

According to the recall notice, there have been reports of 12 confirmed illnesses associated with E. coli O145:H28 infections reported between May 11 and June 5.

E. coli O145 is a Shiga toxin-producing strain of the bacteria that can cause severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that may be bloody and vomiting. While most healthy people recover within about a week, infections can lead to a serious complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

Consumers who have the affected blueberries should not eat them and should either discard the product or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund, according to the recall notice.

Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. said it has instructed customers who received the affected lot to remove it from distribution while it works with regulators and retail partners. The company said it is investigating the source of the potential contamination and will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Microsoft said on Monday that it will eliminate roughly 4,800 jobs – or about 2.1% of its global workforce – as it restructures parts of the company to prioritize artificial intelligence investments and other long-term business goals.

The reductions will primarily affect Microsoft’s commercial and Xbox organizations, with additional changes planned across engineering teams as the company reshapes its operations to better serve customers and accelerate AI adoption. Microsoft has historically announced organizational changes near the close of its fiscal year as it sets spending plans for the year ahead.

In a separate message to Xbox employees, Xbox head Asha Sharma described the move as “the most significant restructure in Xbox history,” saying the gaming division plans to eliminate about 3,200 positions during fiscal 2027, including roughly 1,600 roles effective Monday. Sharma said four game studios will transition to new ownership or management as part of the restructuring, which she said followed years of heavy investment in content, Game Pass and platform expansion that did not grow as quickly as the company had expected.

In a message to employees, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the restructuring is designed to better align Microsoft’s workforce and investments with a rapidly changing technology landscape, while emphasizing that the layoffs are not the result of AI directly replacing employees.

“I also want to be direct that the roles eliminated today are not being replaced by AI,” Coleman wrote. “At the same time, what is true is that AI is changing how work gets done.”

Coleman acknowledged that artificial intelligence is automating some workplace tasks, saying employees across the company will need to continue developing new skills as the technology transforms business operations.

“Some of the tasks we do every day can now be automated,” she wrote. “We all need to keep learning, keep building new skills, and keep adapting as the work evolves.”

Microsoft said it considered alternatives before implementing layoffs, including redeploying more than 4,000 employees into new roles over the past year and reassigning another 500 workers this month. Coleman also pointed to a voluntary retirement program and the transfer of four gaming studios to new ownership or management.

The layoffs come as Microsoft continues investing heavily in artificial intelligence, data centers and cloud infrastructure while integrating AI tools across its product lineup. The broader technology industry has also been reshaping workforces as companies increase spending on AI infrastructure while looking to manage costs, with Amazon and Meta among the firms that have announced job cuts this year.

Coleman suggested Monday’s announcement may not be the last round of organizational changes.

“We are still early on this journey, and there will be more changes ahead; other parts of our business will need to make similar changes,” she wrote.

Microsoft said it will provide affected employees with financial support and career resources as they transition to new opportunities.

As Norway and Brazil were set to get back to play in the second half at New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, a special guest delivered the match ball to the head referee on the pitch. 

Hyundai Motor Company integrated Atlas, an advanced humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, into the Round of 16 match. Hyundai Motor, the official robotics partner of the World Cup, delivered the first-ever robotics-powered halftime activation to a live global audience. 

As the sold-out crowd in New Jersey, and the millions watching from home, looked on, Atlas did a twirl near the tunnel while holding the match ball. Then, he gave a slight bow before handing it to the referee to begin play once more. 

It was a key moment for Hyundai Motor Group as it underscored the company’s growing leadership in robotics as well as its commitment to advancing human-centered innovation through experiences that connect technology with people in meaningful ways. 

And what better place to do that than the World Cup. 

This activation brought advanced robotics to the world’s biggest tournament, marking the first public demonstration of Atlas’ real-world movement capabilities. Atlas was first introduced at CES 2026, but those who couldn’t catch it there saw what it was capable of in real time on Sunday. 

Also, this was the first-ever integration of a humanoid robot into a World Cup live match environment. 

“As part of Hyundai’s ‘Next Starts Now’ campaign, we wanted Atlas’s performance on the world’s biggest stage to demonstrate that the future isn’t something we imagine – it starts now,” Sungwon Jee, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer at Hyundai Motor Company, said in a statement. 

“At Hyundai, we are committed to developing human-centered innovation that integrates seamlessly into everyday life, and to presenting a new vision of future mobility expanded through robotics – showing that robotics can be a trusted partner in humanity’s progress through diverse and creative brand experiences.”

As Lee mentioned, Hyundai Motor’s global “Next Starts Now” campaign connects communities through football, while also inspiring the next generation of players, fans and innovators. The integration of Atlas on Sunday showed how conceptual demonstrations can turn into a real-life moment. 

Boston Dynamics worked hard to get Atlas right for the big moment at New York/New Jersey stadium. Atlas’s performance was powered by several core robotics capabilities to enable advanced movement and real-world interaction, including retargeting technology, reinforcement learning and whole-body control. 

The retargeting technology allows Atlas to translate and adapt human movements, which included the football-inspired celebration and gesture it featured on its spin near the tunnel. Then, reinforcement learning uses thousands of simulations to train and refine movements before Atlas is deployed. 

Finally, whole-body control coordinates movement across Atlas’ entire body, enabling fluid, balanced and dynamic motion – all of which were on display at halftime. 

“At Boston Dynamics, we have always taken inspiration from human athletic feats like gymnastics, dancing, parkour and now football to push forward the frontier of what robots can do in a way that connects with people,” Alberto Rodriguez, director of Robotics behavior at Boston Dynamics, said in a statement. “Working with Hyundai Motor Group and FIFA to create such a unique moment for fans was an exciting challenge for our team. The way we trained Atlas to perform these fun movements at the match is similar to how we teach the robot to take on real-world industrial applications. 

“It’s a great way to introduce people everywhere to the incredible potential of today’s AI-enabled robots.”

While the World Cup activation represents Hyundai Motor’s most visible demonstration of its robotics ambitions, the company continues to invest in robotics, autonomous systems and human-centered innovation as it remains focused on how these technologies can create meaningful experiences and help shape a more connected future for all. 

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LONDON (AP) — Like hundreds of other schools across the U.K., the Welsh school where Mark Morris teaches was forced to close its gates during Europe’s latest record-smashing heat wave.

With no air conditioning or fans, and intense sunlight coming in from windows that don’t open very far — some don’t even open at all — Morris said it would have been impossible to conduct his design and technology classes when the mercury hit a record 35.9 degrees Celsius (96.6 Fahrenheit) in Wales.

“Even in a normal summer, the heat on those south-facing windows becomes unbearable,” said Morris, who teaches high school children things like woodworking and food preparation. “If there’s anything that you need to turn the oven on, you can forget about it. There’s no way anybody could carry on.”

More than 1,000 U.K. schools closed for days or sent children home early in late June, when temperature records were toppled across Europe, disrupting learning and impacting the wider economy as working parents scrambled to find childcare.

A digital thermometer reads the temperature in the school at Beaconsfield Primary School in London, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Experts say the school closures have exposed how unprepared Britain is in coping with what climate scientists call a “new normal” of more intense and regular heat waves, with aging and poorly funded public infrastructure like schools, hospitals and care homes among the worst affected. Air conditioning is uncommon, and the insides of buildings often become suffocatingly hot because of poor ventilation.

The British government’s climate advisers said in a recent report that these buildings were “built for a climate that no longer exists today” — to keep warm in cold winters, not stay cool in prolonged periods of high temperatures.

In schools that stayed open during the June heat wave, children and teachers made do with low-tech solutions like mini handheld fans and water sprayer bottles to stay cool. Salads and popsicles replaced some hot dishes at lunch. Blinds were drawn and some sought refuge by lying in the semi-darkness on the floor, the coolest part of the room. Some even sat with their bare feet in buckets of water.

Still, with 30 bodies typically crammed inside each classroom, lessons could become a health hazard.

“We’ve had members teaching in extremely hot conditions, to the extent that we’ve had reports of members passing out in classrooms while trying to teach,” said Wayne Bates, a health and safety spokesperson with the teachers’ union NASUWT.

Along with other unions, Bates’ group has long called for Britain’s government to introduce a maximum workplace temperature.

No funding to fix schoolhouses ill-equipped to cope with heat
Many school buildings built in the 1950s to ‘70s are now well past their lifespan, Bates said. He added that four out of five schools still contain asbestos in the fabric of their buildings, making retrofitting air conditioners difficult.

A map of Great Britain on the all next to open classroom window at Beaconsfield Primary School in London, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Dave Woods, a head teacher at Beaconsfield Primary School in west London, said it’s not just older school buildings that suffer. In fact, he said the newer part of his campus, built barely a decade ago, does much worse in the heat compared to the old schoolhouse built in 1908. The latter feels cooler inside thanks to its high ceilings and thick exterior brick walls, he said.

“You would have thought in 2017, there would have been more thinking ahead because we already knew about changes to climate, changes to global temperatures,” said Woods, who is also vice president of the National Union of Headteachers.

Woods is considering installing air-conditioning in at least part of the campus, but money is tight because U.K. schools have been chronically underfunded for over a decade. Government funding for schools was drastically cut during austerity measures in the 2010s and never recovered, Woods said, and his school now gets just 7,000 pounds ($9,348) a year for repairs.

That doesn’t go far when fitting air conditioning through the school could cost close to 20,000 pounds ($26,700) and other issues like leaking roofs urgently need fixing, Woods said.

“We’re already looking at some longer-term things, like more tree planting to provide shade onto buildings, external screening onto windows or use of solar film to reflect some of the glare,” he said. “But nothing’s going to happen extremely quickly.”

Air conditioning advised as more heat is expected
The Climate Change Committee, an independent official group advising Britain’s government, said in a May report that by 2050, at around 2 C of global warming, heat waves could regularly exceed 40 C (104 F) in southern England.

It warned that without adaptation, the average number of days per year that indoor temperatures could hit 35 C in thousands of English schools will increase by 70% compared to the present day, leading to more days of lost learning and lower educational outcomes.

The committee said low-cost, “passive cooling” measures like blinds and shading should be used as a first approach. But in schools, care homes and hospitals most at risk, it said air conditioning should be installed within the next 25 years, ideally with low-carbon systems such as heat pumps that can do both heating and cooling.

That will cost the government, but investment and action are needed now to combat the impact of climate change, said Richard Millar, the committee’s director of adaptation.

“Our key message overall is that the effects being felt now, when we think about heat particularly, this isn’t something that we’ve historically thought about as one of the key hazards from weather or from climate change in the U.K.,” he said. “We increasingly need to think about heat as the evidence of the last few weeks shows us. And this is one of areas where we have a gap in terms of a proper plan for how this is led, particularly about the public services side of it.”

“It’s not just a future problem. Those impacts are here,” Millar added. “And we’re not prepared for today’s weather, let alone tomorrow’s.”

In the current strategic landscape of the Middle East, one of the most notable and insufficiently understood elements is the rising influence of Turkey, and of an emergent Sunni Islamic alliance of which it is part.

In this emergent bloc, Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan are the core players. Efforts are under way to draw both Saudi Arabia and Egypt toward this axis.

Ankara’s role, and that of the gathering of which it is part, is notable in that it combines close relations with the United States and other Western powers with support for and exploitation of anti-Western Islamist forces on the ground as a key element of its power-building.

This is an alliance openly opposed to Israel. The language now routinely employed by senior Turkish officials with regard to the Jewish state leaves little room for misinterpretation.

Turkish officials call for struggle against Zionism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a recent speech, said that “the genocidal, occupying, expansionist ideology called Zionism threatens not only me, not only our party, not only our alliance; it threatens everyone…. When we struggle against Zionism, we are not waging this struggle for ourselves or for personal reasons. We are doing it for our own survival and for the survival of our nation.”

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said in a June 6 speech that “just as we witnessed the liberation of Damascus, Aleppo, and Karabakh, God willing, one day we will also witness the liberation of Jerusalem.”

But while politicidal rhetoric is interesting to monitor, what matters most are the power plays and the strategy for building power on the ground used by Ankara and its allies.

In this regard, the potentially contradictory pillars of active support for Sunni political Islam and jihadi movements, and self-presentation as an ally of the West should be examined in detail.

Regarding the first aspect, Turkey offers active support to a variety of Sunni Islamist and jihadi authorities and organizations in the Levant and further afield.

The Turkish state is the key backer of the emergent Sunni Islamist regime of President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Syria. While Sharaa’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham movement was not a direct proxy of Ankara, the Turkish decision to maintain a Syrian insurgent enclave in northwest Syria against regime and Russian attacks made feasible Sharaa’s eventual march to Damascus and the destruction of the Assad regime.

Turkey, as a result, is the key external player in the new Syria. In an agreement signed on August 13, 2025, Ankara took on the role of training and shaping the new Syrian army and security forces. The goal is to build an army of 200,000 soldiers over the next five years.

Turkey linked to US sanctioned individuals

The new structures are dominated by Sunni Islamist commanders, including many directly linked to Turkey and including individuals designated for financial sanctions by the US Treasury Department because of their involvement in grave human rights violations.

These include Abu Hatem Shaqra, whose Turkish-linked Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction carried out sectarian killings in northern Syria during the war, including the brutal murder of a female Kurdish politician, Hevrin Khalaf, in October 2019. Shaqra is today a division commander in the new armed forces, with Ahrar al-Sharqiya redesignated as Division 86 of the New Syrian Army.

Other commanders of this type include Mohammed al-Jassim (Abu Amsha), a Turkish-aligned commander similarly sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in October 2023 for his involvement in kidnapping, extortion, and the forced displacement of Syrian Kurdish residents. Abu Amsha’s former Suleiman Shah Brigade is now Division 62 of the new army. And so on.

What is emerging under Turkish tutelage in Syria is a new phenomenon in the Middle East – namely, an Islamist-controlled state army.

Simultaneously, Turkey is the largest trading partner and primary economic anchor of the new Syrian regime. Turkish exports to Syria are at record levels, with the two countries targeting an annual volume of trade of up to $10 billion.

Elsewhere in the Levant, Turkey maintains an active Hamas office in Istanbul. This office and other Hamas facilities in Turkey play a direct operational role. That is, they are used to plan and direct attacks and to move funds. Hamas officials, up to and including the now deceased former head of the movement’s political bureau Ismail Haniyeh, travel (or traveled, in Haniyeh’s case) the region on Turkish passports.

In Lebanon, Turkey has been engaged in quiet and systematic influence building in recent years, centering on the Sunni northern city of Tripoli, and the Turkmen community in Akkar.

The recent statements by US President Donald Trump regarding a possible role for the Syrian government in Lebanon appear to reflect the influence that Turkish positions have on the highest reaches of the US administration. This influence goes via Special Envoy and US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, whose positions often echo those of Ankara. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, meanwhile, also frequently adopts positions reflecting the views of Qatar, Turkey’s close ally.

Regarding regional alliances, Ankara has over the last decade developed a close strategic partnership with Qatar, encompassing economic, military, and diplomatic elements.

Turkey is a major importer of Qatari natural gas. Turkey maintains a permanent military base in Qatar. The two countries share the anomalous position of support for movements of political Islam across the region, together with close links and involvement with the US and Western countries.

The third component of this “strategic triad” (as a study at Qatar-supported Al Jazeera referred to it) is Pakistan.

Turkey is Pakistan’s fourth largest source of arms, as Islamabad seeks alternatives to the West for its source of weaponry (the main exporter of arms to Pakistan is now China).

Turkey maintains extensive investments in Pakistan and consistently votes with Islamabad on issues such as Kashmir in the United Nations. On the deeper level, the two countries share a similar orientation of nationalism with an Islamic coloration, and a trajectory of historic alignment with the West now turning into something else.

While not linked by formal defense pacts, Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan have similar orientations and compatible and mutually beneficial capacities. Qatar’s vast financial reach, Turkey’s conventional military capacities, and Pakistan’s nuclear capability together form a powerful combination.

This triad is now presenting itself as an appropriate mediator in Mideast conflicts and the right partner for the US in the region for the period ahead (see Pakistan’s role in the US negotiations with Iran, which produced the current deeply problematic Memorandum of Understanding, as an example of the result).

In practice, the combination of support for political Islam and often for violent Islamist and jihadi organizations as a tool of power projection, combined with strong and deep links into Western systems and economies makes the current government of Turkey and its allies in Doha and Islamabad a major and emergent challenge both for Israel and for those wishing to assemble a coherent Western policy on the Middle East and beyond it.

This post was originally published on here.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yoel Yaakov Sperka zt”l, an outstanding talmid chochom, tzaddik, and yerei Shomayim whose entire life was defined by limud haTorah, harbotzas haTorah, and unwavering avodas Hashem.

Gentle in demeanor, refined in character, and deeply beloved by all who knew him, Rav Sperka leaves behind a legacy of Torah scholarship, humility, and selfless dedication that spanned decades.

From his earliest years, Rav Sperka devoted himself completely to the pursuit of Torah. Seeking to continue his aliyah, he traveled to Eretz Yisroel and learned at Yeshivas Ponovezh in Bnei Brak. There, he became a close talmid of Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, with whom he enjoyed a particularly warm relationship, and grew close to the Ponovezher Rov, Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman zt”l. Those formative years helped shape him into the distinguished marbitz Torah he would become.

He merited to learn under Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l in Lakewood, NJ, where he absorbed not only profound yedios haTorah but also the ideals of total devotion to Torah that would define the course of his life.

Rav Sperka then dedicated himself to teaching and spreading Torah. He served as a marbitz Torah in Los Angeles and in other communities, inspiring generations of talmidim through his profound scholarship and his gentle, caring approach.

He eventually made his home in Detroit, where he served as a rov for more than three decades. During those years, he became a beloved rov at Congregation Bnai Israel-Beth Yehudah, offering psak, guidance, encouragement, and Torah wisdom to numerous individuals and families. His shiurim reflected both remarkable depth and exceptional clarity, while his personal example of humility and yiras Shomayim left an indelible impression on all who encountered him.

Those who knew Rav Sperka speak of a man whose greatness was matched only by his modesty. Soft-spoken, aidel, and unfailingly gracious, he carried himself with quiet dignity. Every aspect of his life revolved around Torah and avodas Hashem. He sought neither recognition nor honor, content to spend his days immersed in learning, teaching, and serving Hashem with sincerity and purity.

His Torah scholarship lives on through his acclaimed seforim, Chazon Yoel, a collection of his original chiddushei Torah. The seforim reflect the brilliance of his mind, the breadth of his learning, and the depth of his understanding, and continue to illuminate the batei medrash of those privileged to study them.

Following his retirement from the Detroit rabbonus, Rav Sperka relocated to Lakewood, where he settled in the Pine River Village community, continuing to devote himself to limud haTorah, inspiring others through his quiet example until his final days.

The petirah of Rav Sperka is a tremendous loss for his family, his talmidim, the communities he served, and the broader Torah world. His life was one of complete dedication to Torah, marked by extraordinary scholarship, unwavering emunah, and exceptional refinement of character.

The levayah is taking place now at the Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, New Jersey. Watch the levayah live HERE. The aron will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah there.

Rav Sperka is survived by his devoted rebbetzin, Mrs. Fayge Sperka, together with a wonderful family of children and grandchildren who continue his legacy of Torah and yiras Shomayim.

The family will be sitting shivah at 142 Liberty Drive in Lakewood, NJ.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Tesla Inc. told buyers on Thursday that a bigger, three-row version of its best-selling SUV is finally on sale in the United States. In a post on its own social media channels, Tesla said customers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico can now order the Model Y Long Wheelbase — badged the Model Y L — with first deliveries expected in September.

The stretched SUV is built for families who found the regular Model Y too small in the back. It adds about 7 inches of total length and 6 inches between the front and rear wheels, and it swaps the standard car’s tight middle bench for a roomier two-seat-per-row layout. The result is a six-seat vehicle with captain’s chairs in the second row and a third row that adults can actually use. Tesla rates it at 325 miles of range and a 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds.

The price is the headline for most shoppers. The Model Y L arrives first as a fully loaded “Launch Series” that starts at $61,990, or about $63,380 once the mandatory delivery charge is added. That makes it the most expensive Model Y on sale — roughly $4,000 more than the $57,990 Model Y Performance and about $22,000 above the cheapest standard Model Y at $39,990.

That sticker surprised some in the auto business. Watchers had expected a U.S. price near $54,000, based on the roughly $4,000 premium the longer version carries over the standard car in China. Instead, Tesla reached for the top of the range. To soften the cost, the company is throwing in one year of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), one year of free Supercharging, one year of Premium Connectivity, and free choice of paint, interior color, and wheels for Launch Series orders.

Tesla is using a familiar playbook here. It often opens a new model with a loaded, higher-priced version to capture the most eager buyers first, then rolls out cheaper trims later. Whether more affordable Model Y L configurations follow will decide how competitive the vehicle really is against rivals.

And the rivals are real. The three-row electric family SUV, once a thin corner of the market, is now crowded. The Kia EV9 starts at $54,900 with up to 304 miles of range. The Hyundai Ioniq 9 starts at about $58,955 with up to 335 miles. Both undercut the Model Y L on price, which means Tesla is asking families to pay more for its badge and its Supercharger network at the exact moment Korean automakers are proving they don’t have to.

The bigger SUV also fills a hole in Tesla’s own lineup. The company has wound down its larger Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the U.S., leaving no roomy, more-than-five-seat option for shoppers who need one. The Model Y L steps into that gap. Third-row legroom of about 33 inches is now in the same range as gas-powered midsize SUVs like the Ford Explorer and Hyundai Palisade, according to figures Tesla provided.

Production is already running at Giga Texas in Austin, so this is a U.S.-built vehicle rather than an import. The longer Model Y first launched in China last summer, where it quickly became a hit, and later reached Australia, Malaysia, and other Asian markets. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk had said in August 2025 that U.S. production wouldn’t begin until roughly the end of 2026 — so the Thursday launch lands ahead of that earlier timeline.

The new model comes as Tesla’s overall numbers are improving. The company also said Thursday it delivered 480,126 vehicles worldwide in the second quarter, up 24.9% from the same period a year earlier. It was the second straight quarter of growth after a 6.3% rise in the first quarter. The Model Y remains the top-selling electric vehicle in the U.S., and research firm Cox Automotive reported that one of every three EVs sold in the country in the first quarter was a Model Y.

For everyday buyers, the takeaway is straightforward. Families who liked the idea of a Tesla but needed a real third row finally have one, with the range and quick acceleration the brand is known for. The catch is the price. At nearly $62,000 before options, the Model Y L is a premium buy in a segment where two well-reviewed competitors now cost thousands less. Tesla is betting there is enough pent-up demand — and enough loyalty to its charging network — to make that premium stick. The order books opened Thursday; the first driveways won’t see the vehicle until fall.

JBizNews Desk | Austin, Texas
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

The October 7, 2023, massacre triggered a profound reassessment within Israel’s defense establishment, leading to a sweeping overhaul of the IDF’s defense and operational doctrine from its long-standing doctrine of “conflict management,” which relied heavily on technology, deterrence, and passive defense.

Some of the key lessons and changes were detailed in a Kan News report on Monday morning.

Border Defense: From Technology to Troops

Before October 7, the IDF relied heavily on Gaza’s above- and below-ground barrier, including sensors, cameras, and automated “see-and-shoot” systems, as an almost impenetrable line of defense. The October 7 massacre demonstrated that technology without sufficient manpower can be neutralized quickly.

Under the new doctrine, the IDF has restored a reinforced version of traditional routine border security by significantly increasing the number of permanently deployed combat troops along Israel’s borders. Rather than relying primarily on technological warnings, armored, infantry, and combat engineering forces now maintain a constant physical presence on the front lines.

Security Buffers Inside Enemy Territory

Another major change involves the creation of broad security buffer zones inside the Gaza Strip and along the northern border. Before the massacre, Palestinian farmers were permitted to approach within just dozens of meters of the Gaza security fence, allowing Hamas to gather precise intelligence and plan its breach. In addition, Hamas carried out violent riots next to the border fence in the months and weeks leading to the October 7 massacre. Under the new policy, any movement within these buffer zones is considered an immediate threat and is met with live fire.

The goal is to create sufficient distance to provide Israeli forces with additional response time and prevent direct access to nearby Israeli communities.

Rebuilding Ground Forces

For decades, the IDF steadily reduced the size of its ground forces under the assumption that the era of large-scale ground maneuver warfare had passed and that Israel could rely primarily on its air force and relatively small special operations units.

The new doctrine reflects the conclusion that force size matters. The IDF is now significantly expanding its ground forces by establishing new divisions and brigades, including reserve brigades; extending mandatory military service and substantially increasing reserve duty; and replenishing its inventory of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and domestically produced ammunition in order to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

Immediate Authority for Field Commanders

The IDF has also formulated an entirely new General Staff alert protocol known as the “Ra’am” Order. The directive grants regional and divisional commanders independent authority to immediately mobilize both active-duty and reserve forces without waiting for approval from General Staff headquarters. The goal is to eliminate the approval bottlenecks that hampered the military’s response on October 7.

Flexible Response Options

The new doctrine also replaces the previous one-size-fits-all response model. Instead of each sector having a single standard response plan, every regional command now has a broad range of operational responses tailored to different scenarios, from localized incidents to multi-front attacks, allowing for greater flexibility and faster decision-making during emergencies.

Greater Force Presence and Rapid Mobilization

The IDF has significantly reinforced the standing combat units deployed along Israel’s various fronts. Alert times and mobilization procedures have been dramatically shortened, and the military no longer assumes it will receive days or even hours of advance intelligence warning before needing to deploy forces.

A New Security Brigade

Another structural reform is the establishment of a new Security Brigade within the Operations Directorate. The brigade is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all aspects of military security under one command, including information security, the protection of military bases and installations, personal security, and territorial defense. Its creation is intended to ensure uniform, stricter, and closely supervised security standards across all border sectors and military installations, regardless of whether a particular front appears quiet at any given time.

The Bottom Line

Overall, the IDF has shifted from a doctrine of “conflict management” based on technology and deterrence to one focused on permanent wartime readiness, reinforced physical defenses along the front lines, and a strategy focused on rapidly transferring the fighting into enemy territory.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

U.S. stocks opened higher Monday, July 6, in the first session after the July 4 holiday weekend, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing past 53,000 for the first time as semiconductor shares rebounded and oil prices slid. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% shortly after the opening bell, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.7%, and the Dow gained 105 points, or 0.2%, exceeding 53,000 for the first time. The gains built on a strong prior week and came against a busy backdrop: a soft June jobs report that has traders rethinking the Federal Reserve’s next move, falling crude as Middle East supply recovers, and President Donald Trump ringing the opening bell from the Oval Office to promote his new Trump Accounts program.

The clearest signal for households came from the labor market. The Labor Department reported last week that the U.S. economy added just 57,000 jobs in June, the fewest in four months and well below forecasts of about 110,000, with the unemployment rate at 4.2%. Under Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, the central bank has been weighing whether to raise interest rates again this year to hold down inflation, an unusual stance at a time when much of the world is cutting. The weak hiring number cooled those bets: futures now imply roughly a 50% chance of a September rate hike, down from about 66% before the report.

Politics shared the stage with the numbers. Trump rang the opening bell Monday at both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq from the Oval Office, using the moment to showcase Trump Accounts, which give children a $1,000 government seed contribution and have drawn more than 6 million family sign-ups. Overseas, Iran held the main procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran, and the Russia-Ukraine war escalated ahead of a NATO summit this week, though neither rattled the early tone.

At the open, the Dow traded just above 53,000 after climbing nearly 2% last week. The S&P 500 sat near 7,520 and the Nasdaq Composite pushed higher on the back of chips. The technology sector led the way, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF up more than 2%.

Market movers

Chip equipment makers led the rally on fresh Wall Street calls. Lam Research sat at the top of the S&P 500, up more than 4%, after Morgan Stanley raised its price target, while Applied Materials and KLA Corporation each rose just under 4% on target hikes from the same firm. ASML Holding, the Dutch chip-gear giant, gained about 4% after Bernstein lifted its price target by more than 30% to $2,300.

Memory and testing names ran with them. Western Digital jumped about 10% and Teradyne climbed 8%, with Marvell Technology and Oracle also higher. In premarket trading, Universal Display gained 8% and Element Solutions rose 6.5%.

The day’s biggest surge came from a power-and-AI deal. TeraWulf jumped more than 16% after Anthropic signed a 20-year agreement to use its Kentucky data center, a roughly 400-megawatt project expected to generate more than $19 billion in revenue over the initial term, with first power slated for the second half of 2027. Comcast rose about 0.5% after its U.K.-based Sky agreed to buy rival ITV’s television business. SpaceX, which went public June 12, gained about 1% to $163.75 ahead of its addition to the Nasdaq-100 before Tuesday’s open.

Not everything rose. Icon PLC fell 6%, Loar Holdings dropped 3.5% and Honeywell declined 2% in premarket trading.

Commodities and volatility

Oil kept sliding, easing pressure at the pump. West Texas Intermediate traded near $68 a barrel, down on the day, while Brent held around $71.50. Prices are falling as commercial shipping recovers through the Strait of Hormuz and the prospect of more OPEC+ supply raises the risk of a glut. Gold stayed firm as a safe harbor, trading above $4,100 an ounce Monday, supported by the weak jobs data and lower oil. Wall Street’s fear gauge, the VIX, hovered near 16, a calm reading that signals little stress in the market.

The day ahead

Trading is light on company news this Monday after the holiday, but the week fills up quickly. SpaceX officially joins the Nasdaq-100 before Tuesday’s open, the same day Samsung Electronics releases preliminary second-quarter earnings. Investors will also track the NATO summit and any signal from Fed officials on whether June’s soft hiring changes the rate debate. For now, the market’s message is steady: record highs on the Dow, a rebound in the chips that have driven this year’s gains, and cheaper oil taking some heat out of inflation worries.

JBizNews Desk | New York
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Rav Meir Dovid Shmueli, rosh yeshivah of Yeshivas Chazon Dovid and a prominent maggid shiur at the Moussaieff Shul, publicly apologized Sunday evening for comments he made about Arab medical personnel in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas massacre, saying the remarks did not reflect his Torah values or personal beliefs.

The unusual reconciliation meeting took place at the Sukkat HaShalom center in Abu Ghosh and was attended by Arab physicians and other healthcare professionals.

The gathering was organized by attorneys Amit Hadad and Eli Perry, together with former Shomron Regional Council chairman Bentzi Lieberman. Hosting the event were former Abu Ghosh council head Issa Jaber and Abdul Abd Rahman, a local resident and court interpreter.

Addressing those in attendance, Rav Shmueli said, “The things I said after October 7 were a serious mistake spoken out of shock and overwhelming pain. They simply should never have been said, and they are completely contrary to my Torah and my values.”

“I came here tonight, to Abu Ghosh, to look the Arab medical teams in the eye and ask for forgiveness. Every sector has wonderful people, and Arab doctors devote themselves every day to saving lives, just like Jewish doctors. They are an example of humanity. The full responsibility is mine. My guiding principle is unity and peace, and where there is peace, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is present.”

Attorney Amit Hadad said the initiative grew out of conversations he had with Abdul Abd Rahman.

“When we met in Abu Ghosh and spoke, the subject of Rav Shmueli’s remarks came up,” Hadad said. “It troubled me because I knew they did not reflect who he really is. Abdul immediately suggested hosting the rav here at Sukkat HaShalom to create the necessary dialogue.”

He added, “The public and emotional challenge of standing up, retracting painful statements, and expressing public remorse is enormous, and that reflects this rav‘s greatness. When we suggested that he come, he didn’t hesitate for a moment. He was happy to come, look people in the eye, and say, ‘I made a mistake.’ We are all descendants of Avraham, and we all want to do good. That is the power of this evening.”

Former Abu Ghosh council head Issa Jaber accepted the apology, saying, “What unites us is greater than what divides us, and when a great person asks for forgiveness, it is a great thing.” He also noted that approximately 40 percent of Israel’s physicians are Arabs.

Dr. Muayad Qawasmeh, an East Yerushalayim physician who works at the Magen David Adom blood bank, also spoke about his experiences during the war.

“After the war began, we collected blood donations, including in East Jerusalem,” he said. “We collected 4,000 units of blood from Jews, Arabs, and Druze. We gave that blood to everyone who needed it, without regard to religion, race, gender, or whether the patient was Jewish or Arab.”

{Matzav.com}

Researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences have identified a mechanism by which cancerous tumors can redirect a normal immune system process to support tumor growth, a discovery they say could lead to new treatment strategies that restore the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. 

The study was led by Dr. Merav Cohen and doctoral students Roi Balaban and Ori Moskowitz and was published in the journal Science Immunology. 

The research focused on macrophages, immune cells responsible for removing damaged and dead cells from the body. While this process normally helps maintain healthy tissue and prevent inflammation, the researchers found that within cancerous tumors it can instead change the behavior of the immune cells in ways that promote tumor development. 

To investigate the process, the team developed a new technology called Effero-seq, which tracks changes in immune cells after they engulf dead cells. Using the method, the researchers found that macrophages that consumed dead cancer cells underwent what they described as “reprogramming,” activating genes associated with tumor growth. 

Study finds how tumors hijack immune defenses

The team used a melanoma model to examine the effects of the altered immune cells. They found that macrophages that had consumed dead cancer cells encouraged the formation of new blood vessels inside tumors. The additional blood vessels supplied tumors with oxygen and nutrients, allowing them to grow more rapidly.

The researchers also found that these macrophages became less responsive to signals that normally trigger anti-cancer immune activity. 

The researchers expanded the study by analyzing data from patients with uveal melanoma, a form of eye cancer. They found that patients whose tumors showed higher expression of immune cells carrying the genetic signature identified in the study generally had lower survival rates. 

According to Dr. Cohen, the findings offer new insight into how tumors influence the immune system to support their own growth. 

“The better we understand these mechanisms, the better equipped we will be to develop treatments that block them and restore the immune system’s ability to fight cancer,” she says.

“This research points to a new and promising therapeutic target, one that focuses not only on the cancer cells themselves, but also on the processes that enable them to thrive.” 

This post was originally published on here.

Former hostage Rom Braslavski has revealed for the first time the intense religious pressure he endured while being held captive by terrorists, describing repeated efforts to persuade him to convert to Islam and the profound spiritual transformation that instead led him to embrace Judaism.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 14, Braslavski said his captors relentlessly urged him to abandon his faith.

“All day they talked to you about Muhammad, the Quran, ‘Come join us. You’re wrong and we’re right,'” Braslavski recounted. “They tried to convince me to convert to Islam many times.”

Braslavski said the pressure was not limited to him, claiming that many Jewish hostages ultimately agreed to convert as a survival tactic.

“At least 60% of the Jewish hostages converted to Islam in captivity. They said it was just a game. And I admit that I also considered it. But I told myself, ‘G-d in heaven is looking at you and knows everything. I will not play this game.’ I decided not only would I not convert to Islam, but I would touch on their sensitive issues.”

Rather than distancing himself from Judaism during captivity, Braslavski said the ordeal inspired him to become more committed to his faith.

“Before October 7, I wasn’t a person of faith. I didn’t keep Shabbat. I grew up in Neve Yaakov, which is a very haredi neighborhood, but I went against the current. My family is still like that to this day. On October 7, I fully returned to religion.”

Braslavski also recounted an unexpected conversation with a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad sheikh, whom he approached for guidance because he could no longer remember the traditional Jewish prayers.

“I told him, ‘Listen, I want to pray to G-d, but I don’t remember the prayers-they’re long and in the siddur.’ He told me, ‘Take what you remember and create your own prayer.’ Since then, I repeated, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me,’ several times a day. I also said another few lines that were etched in my memory from the prayer book. That’s how I built my own prayer, and I prayed three times a day.”

According to Braslavski, the issue of conversion resurfaced later in his captivity, when the same sheikh encouraged him to adopt Muslim prayer practices.

When the subject of conversion came up again, Braslavski said the sheikh told him, “Pray five times a day, like us.”

Braslavski said he politely refused, determined to remain faithful to Jewish practice despite the circumstances.

“I said, ‘No, we pray three times a day,'” he recounted. “Today, there hasn’t been a single Shabbat that I haven’t observed. I observe every Shabbat, and I will continue to keep [Shabbat] for the rest of my life.”

{Matzav.com}

Photo credits: Richard Mayfield; Don Pollard/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul; U.S. Military; Hudson River Park; Red Arrows; Royal Air Force, Battery Park; New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services; FDNY; NYPD; Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation; and the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.

Millions of residents across New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey, and Connecticut remain under a Flash Flood Watch as a slow-moving storm system brings repeated rounds of torrential rain, dangerous flash flooding, and strong thunderstorms through Monday night.

The National Weather Service warned that rainfall rates could exceed two inches per hour, with isolated locations receiving as much as six inches of rain before the storm exits the region. Because many of the storms are expected to move repeatedly over the same areas, forecasters say flash flooding can develop rapidly, even outside traditionally flood-prone locations.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani activated the City’s Flash Flood Emergency Plan on Sunday night, mobilizing agencies across the five boroughs ahead of the storm.

“City workers are doing everything possible to prepare for this storm — clearing catch basins, inspecting flood-prone neighborhoods, reaching out to New Yorkers living in basement apartments and positioning emergency response teams across the five boroughs,” Mamdani said.

He urged residents to remain vigilant, adding: “Now it’s time for all of us to do our part. Limit travel if you can, plan for delays and take these warnings seriously. If heavy rain begins, if the winds pick up or if you hear thunder — get inside and wait out the dangerous conditions.”

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Sanitation, and Department of Transportation spent the weekend clearing storm drains and catch basins while specialized emergency crews and equipment were pre-positioned throughout the city in anticipation of flooding.

Officials are also encouraging New Yorkers to check on neighbors—particularly those living in basement apartments, which are especially vulnerable to rapidly rising floodwaters.

Although the greatest flash flood threat shifted overnight toward Long Island and Connecticut, meteorologists stress that New York City and northern New Jersey remain at risk. Any location across the Tri-State area could experience localized rainfall exceeding two inches per hour, overwhelming drainage systems and flooding roads, highways, subway stations, and low-lying neighborhoods.

The storm follows several days of extreme heat and powerful thunderstorms that swept through the region over the Independence Day weekend. Some of those storms produced hurricane-force wind gusts on Long Island, toppling trees and leaving debris that could further clog drainage systems during the current deluge.

Transportation disruptions are already mounting across the region.

As of Monday morning, Newark Liberty International Airport reported 47 flight delays and 53 cancellations. LaGuardia Airport had 59 delays and 124 cancellations, while John F. Kennedy International Airport reported 97 delays and 74 cancellations.

Transit agencies are also warning of delays. NJ Transit has already reported weather-related impacts, while the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the New York City subway system can generally handle rainfall rates of up to 1.75 inches per hour. Rainfall exceeding two inches per hour could overwhelm parts of the system and lead to flooding in stations and tunnels.

Forecasters expect periods of heavy rain to continue through Monday night before the storm gradually moves south. Wet conditions may linger into Tuesday morning before drier weather arrives. Wednesday is expected to bring partial sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s, although heat and humidity are forecast to build again later in the week with another chance of thunderstorms by Friday and Saturday.

Officials continue to urge residents to avoid driving through flooded roadways, never enter floodwaters on foot, monitor weather alerts, and expect significant travel delays throughout the day.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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Blackstone Inc.’s data center arm QTS is walking away from what would have been the largest data center campus on earth. In a withdrawal notice filed at the Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday, July 2, lawyers for QTS told the court the company had decided to terminate the Digital Gateway project and pull its associated filings. The move ends a years-long legal fight over a 2,100-acre site in Prince William County and hands a clear defeat to the developer and its parent, private equity giant Blackstone.

The project, known as the Prince William Digital Gateway, was enormous. Plans called for up to 37 data center buildings and more than 22 million square feet of computing space along Pageland Lane, next to Manassas National Battlefield Park about 35 miles west of Washington. At full build-out it would have been the biggest data center complex in the world—a footprint roughly twice the size of New York’s Central Park, with power needs rivaling a small city.

QTS, which was developing the land alongside Compass Datacenters, said the decision came after careful consideration. The company noted the project had cleared years of planning, analysis, and public review, and had been approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. QTS said the campus would have delivered tens of billions of dollars in capital investment, along with local tax revenue and thousands of construction and permanent jobs for the county.

The dispute goes back to December 2023, when the county board—then led by Chair Ann Wheeler, a Democrat who backed data centers—approved the rezoning after a marathon 27-hour public hearing at which more than 400 people spoke. Opponents sued almost immediately, arguing the county broke state and local rules governing public notice requirements and rushed the vote through before a new, more skeptical board took office.

The courts agreed. Last August, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving ruled the rezonings void because of improper public notice. On March 31, the Virginia Court of Appeals unanimously upheld that decision. Two lawsuits drove the challenge, one led by the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and another by the American Battlefield Trust, a preservation group focused on the nearby Civil War site.

One by one, the project’s backers dropped out. Prince William County withdrew from the appeal in April under Chair Deshundra Jefferson, a Democrat and longtime data center critic, followed by co-developer Compass Datacenters. That left QTS as the last party still fighting. The company had filed its appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court on April 30, just hours before the deadline, but has now abandoned it.

“Truth and accountability prevailed today,” said Chap Petersen, the attorney representing local residents and the American Battlefield Trust. The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, which organized much of the opposition, told supporters that the rule of law and the common man had prevailed. Mac Haddow, president of the Oak Valley Homeowners Association, had earlier called the litigation something that never should have happened.

The fight was costly for taxpayers. Prince William County spent close to $2 million defending the rezoning before its board reversed course—a figure opponents repeatedly cited as public money spent against the county’s own residents.

The collapse is more than a local zoning story. It comes as the data center industry faces growing public resistance across the country. Communities from Virginia to the Midwest have pushed back on the strain these facilities place on power grids, water supplies, and electricity bills. In a June report, the U.S. Energy Department projected total U.S. electricity demand would rise about 2.15% in 2026, driven largely by a roughly 5% increase in commercial demand tied to data center growth.

The timing also fuels a broader debate over whether the AI infrastructure boom has run ahead of real demand. This week, reports that Meta Platforms was exploring ways to market excess computing capacity rattled investors already worried about overbuilding. A retreat of this size by a Blackstone subsidiary—on a flagship project it defended for years—does little to quiet those concerns.

For Blackstone, which manages more than $1.27 trillion in assets and has made data centers a centerpiece of its infrastructure and real estate strategy, the loss is a reminder that community opposition has become a meaningful business risk. Land deals, permits, and court challenges can now derail projects that once appeared certain to move forward. Several landowners who had signed agreements with QTS are already seeking to exit their contracts. The company says it remains committed to the region—but for the Digital Gateway, the project is over.

JBizNews Desk | Prince William County, Virginia
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s Education Ministry has issued nationwide guidelines requiring all state schools to allow students who wish to lay tefillin during the school day, establishing a uniform policy after years of differing practices among individual schools.

The directive, published Monday in a new director-general’s circular, requires school principals to adopt formal policies allowing the Jewish prayer ritual on campus. Schools must designate an appropriate location and schedule for students to lay tefillin, while ensuring the practice takes place only during breaks and does not interrupt classroom instruction.

Until now, decisions on the issue had largely been left to individual principals, resulting in inconsistent policies and occasional disputes between school administrators, students and parents.

Under the new guidelines, students will be responsible for bringing their own tefillin and ensuring the practice does not cause them to miss classes or arrive late. The ministry also encouraged school administrators to discuss the policy in advance with teachers, parents and student representatives to help ensure its smooth implementation.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch said the directive is intended to provide clarity and consistency across the country’s state school system.

He said the absence of a uniform policy had created unnecessary uncertainty for schools and families and that the new guidelines ensure students who wish to pray and lay tefillin can do so in an orderly and respectful manner.

The move formalizes a nationwide standard on an issue that has periodically sparked debate in Israeli schools over the balance between religious expression and school administration.

The full financial impact of this weekend’s powerful storms is still being assessed, but early estimates indicate that millions of dollars in damage have been inflicted across the Lakewood area as residents continue the long cleanup and recovery process.

Across Lakewood and neighboring communities, countless homeowners spent the weekend clearing debris after large trees and heavy limbs crashed onto roofs, garages, sheds, and vehicles. In many neighborhoods, fences were flattened, siding and roofing sustained damage, and yards were littered with debris.

The storms also caused widespread damage to utility infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands of customers without electricity at the height of the outages. Utility crews have been working around the clock to restore service, but as of Monday morning, nearly 2,000 JCP&L customers in Ocean County remained without power as repairs continued. Crews are still replacing damaged poles, repairing downed wires, and removing hazardous trees.

For many residents, the cleanup is only the beginning. Homeowners whose properties sustained damage are encouraged to contact their insurance companies as soon as possible to begin the claims process and determine what repairs and losses may be covered under their policies. Experts also recommend documenting all damage with photographs before cleanup begins whenever it is safe to do so.

Municipal crews, utility workers, emergency responders, and volunteers have been working tirelessly since the storm swept through Friday evening, clearing blocked roadways, removing dangerous trees, and helping restore normalcy to affected neighborhoods.

While power has been restored to the vast majority of customers, many families are still dealing with the aftermath of one of the most destructive summer storms to impact the region in recent years, with cleanup efforts expected to continue for days.

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, Blue Owl Capital told shareholders in two investor letters that it would again cap quarterly withdrawals at 5% from its two largest private credit funds, after clients asked to pull far more cash than the funds would release. The letters, signed by Blue Owl co-president Craig Packer and fund president Logan Nicholson, marked the second straight quarter that the firm’s flagship credit funds drew the heaviest exit requests in the industry.

Across the wider market, the numbers are stark. Investors sought to withdraw billions from non-traded private credit funds in the second quarter, and because most vehicles limit redemptions to 5% of net assets each quarter, roughly $14 billion of investor money is now stuck behind those limits, according to data from Robert A. Stanger & Co. The private credit market these funds sit inside is worth about $1.8 trillion.

Here is how the cap works. When a fund lets only 5% of shares out but 17% of investors want to leave, everyone who asked gets paid a slice — roughly 29 cents for every dollar requested — and has to line up again next quarter. There is no guarantee the rest gets paid if the exit requests stay high.

At Blue Owl, investors in the roughly $34 billion Blue Owl Credit Income Corp., one of the largest funds of its kind, asked to pull 18.8% of their shares, or about $3.6 billion, in the second quarter. That was down from $4.2 billion three months earlier. The firm’s smaller Blue Owl Technology Income Corp. saw requests for 38.1% of shares, or about $1.1 billion. Together the two funds faced $4.7 billion in withdrawal requests, below the $5.3 billion they saw in the first quarter.

Packer and Nicholson told investors the flagship fund was in no danger of a forced sale. “OCIC does not need to sell a single private loan to satisfy the tender offer,” they wrote, noting that 90% of the fund’s investors chose to stay and that the fund has taken in $1.2 billion of new money this year.

Blue Owl was not alone. Blackstone capped withdrawals at 5% on its $79 billion Blackstone Private Credit Fund after requests reached 10%. Cliffwater limited its $33 billion Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund to 5% after investors asked to redeem about 17% of shares, tightening from a 7% cap a quarter earlier. Apollo Global Management capped its $26 billion Apollo Debt Solutions fund at 5% after requests hit nearly 17%, or $2.4 billion. In Europe, Switzerland’s Partners Group restricted its $8.6 billion Global Value fund to 5%, though it said it honored every request in full and still pulled in $275 million of fresh money.

What is driving the exits is fear, not yet losses. Private credit funds are big lenders to software companies, which make up roughly a quarter of these portfolios, and investors worry that artificial intelligence tools that write their own code will eat into those borrowers’ revenue. Fund managers say the loans themselves are still performing. Blue Owl told investors there is a “meaningful disconnect” between the public alarm over private credit and what it sees inside its own book.

The money at stake belongs largely to wealthy individuals who bought into so-called semi-liquid funds over the past few years, drawn by higher yields than they could get in public markets in exchange for giving up easy access to their cash. Many are now learning that the “semi” in semi-liquid does real work. Some of the current wave, managers say, is simply backlogged demand from investors who were blocked by caps in the prior quarter and are trying again.

For the firms that run these funds, the stakes are their share prices and their standing with the wealth-management channel that feeds them new clients. Blue Owl stock has fallen about 56% over the past year, though it rose roughly 6% after Thursday’s letters suggested the redemption wave may be easing — the combined $4.7 billion in requests came in below the prior quarter. Blackstone, Ares Management, KKR and Apollo shares all fell sharply in early June as the caps piled up.

Whether the pressure fades or feeds on itself is the open question. Goldman Sachs has projected that private credit funds could shrink by $45 billion to $70 billion over the next two years if retail investors keep pulling out. For now, the funds are holding the line at 5%, betting that steady loan payments and slowing requests will outlast the storm.

JBizNews Desk | New York
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The Knesset House Committee on Sunday began preparing the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study for its second and third readings, as lawmakers debated whether the legislation would serve merely as a declaration of principle or carry significant legal consequences.

The revised bill, following comments from the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, states that Torah study is a fundamental value of the heritage of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The legislation seeks to formally recognize Torah study as a foundational national value and establish it as a consideration alongside other fundamental values in Israeli law.

During the committee discussion, Knesset Legal Adviser Adv. Sagit Afik said it had not been made clear during earlier deliberations whether the proposal was intended to be purely declarative or to have practical legal effect.

Because the proposal is a Basic Law, Afik warned that it could have implications beyond a symbolic statement. She said the committee’s discussions ahead of the second and third readings would help define the legislature’s intent and stressed that if lawmakers do not intend for the law to have operative consequences, that should be stated explicitly in the legislation.

Deputy Attorney General Adv. Avital Sompolinsky echoed that position, saying that if the proposal is intended only as a declarative statement, it should be drafted differently.

Representatives of Israel’s Finance Ministry cautioned that the legislation could have significant economic ramifications if courts interpret it as having practical legal force.

The ministry’s legal adviser, Dudi Kopel, warned that if the law were interpreted as giving Torah study precedence over the principle of equality, it could affect military conscription policy, government spending related to those subject to the draft, and eligibility for benefits granted to Torah scholars.

Rom Brav of the Finance Ministry’s Budget Department added that the legislation could be used to justify policies that conflict with Israel’s broader economic interests, particularly regarding the integration of chareidi men into military service and the workforce.

Brav also presented economic data showing that each month of reserve duty costs the Israeli economy an average of approximately 50,000 shekels per reservist. He said the economic cost of reserve service since the beginning of the war has reached roughly 170 billion shekels, with an additional 115 billion shekels in government expenditures.

He warned that if the law were interpreted to permit draft exemptions or restore benefits to those subject to military service, it could place an even greater burden on reservists and active-duty soldiers while harming the Israeli economy.

During the discussion, MK Yinon Azulai asked whether the proposed Basic Law would itself exempt chareidim from military service. Afik responded that it would not and explained that any exemption from military service would require separate legislation.

Azulai said the purpose of the proposal was to provide judges with “another weight on the scale” when balancing the value of equality against the value of Torah study.

MK Yitzchak Pindrus said the law is intended to serve as a “signpost” for the judiciary, giving Torah study the status of a fundamental value to be weighed alongside other constitutional principles.

MK Moshe Abutbul emphasized that the Jewish people must always have “a tribe devoted exclusively to Torah study.”

“There is the sefer and there is the sword,” he said, “and both descended from Heaven bound together.”

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday published the final official text of the proposed Security Service (Integration of Yeshiva Students) Law, which would add an entirely new chapter to Israel’s Security Service Law granting immunity from arrest, criminal investigations, and enforcement proceedings to yeshiva students eligible for military service, Kikar H’Shabbat reported.

The bill is a temporary measure that would take effect immediately and remain in force until November 30, 2026. Its stated purpose is to completely suspend the wave of arrests and sanctions against the Chareidi community while formally recognizing the importance of full-time Torah study.

For the first time, the legislation would establish a comprehensive legal framework protecting yeshiva and kollel students whose full-time occupation is Torah study, allowing them to continue their studies without fear of criminal prosecution or military and police enforcement actions following the expiration of previous legal arrangements.

Under the proposed law, a ben yeshiva eligible for immunity must study full-time in a recognized yeshiva or kollel and may not engage in any other occupation. To qualify, yeshiva bochurim must study at least 45 hours per week, while avreichim must study at least 40 hours per week. The defense minister would determine the official vacation periods that would not affect eligibility.

To receive immunity, bnei yeshivos must submit written declarations affirming that they meet the requirements. The Rosh Yeshiva must also submit a declaration confirming the student’s eligibility and must report to the military by the 14th of every calendar month if the talmid leaves the yeshiva. The bill also imposes penalties on yeshivos that submit false information. A Rosh Yeshiva who receives financial penalties or fines for false reporting involving five or more students would lose the authority to certify future declarations on behalf of his students.

The legislation also establishes a dedicated military committee to review applications for the suspension of criminal proceedings. The IDF Chief of Staff would be required to establish the three-member committee within seven days of the law taking effect. It would be chaired by a colonel appointed by the Military Advocate General and include two lieutenant colonels appointed by the head of the IDF Personnel Directorate. The committee would have broad authority to obtain information from relevant government agencies in order to verify applicants’ eligibility.

Once the law takes effect, eligible bnei yeshivos would be able to submit online applications requesting the suspension of criminal proceedings against them. While their applications are under review, they could not be arrested under any circumstances. Even if an indictment has already been filed or a final court ruling has been issued for failure to report for military service, all legal proceedings and enforcement of any sentence would be suspended immediately. Talmidim would have 30 days from the law’s effective date to submit their applications.

Alongside these protections, the bill includes strict oversight measures intended to prevent abuse of the arrangement. The defense minister would publish an official list of recognized yeshivas based on recommendations from the Vaad HaYeshivos in Eretz Yisrael. The list would be made publicly available on the IDF Personnel Directorate’s website and at military recruitment offices.

Special inspectors would be appointed to monitor compliance, with the defense minister authorized to use the Education Ministry’s existing inspection system. Inspectors would be required to conduct surprise inspections at every recognized yeshiva once every three months.

One of the bill’s strongest enforcement provisions states that if inspectors find that 20 percent or more of a yeshiva’s registered students are repeatedly absent, the institution will first receive a warning. If the excessive absenteeism continues, the yeshiva will be removed from the list of recognized institutions. Its students would lose their legal immunity unless they promptly enroll in another recognized yeshiva that complies with the law’s requirements.

The Defense Ministry would also be required to report to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee every three months on the number of inspectors employed, the inspections conducted, and their findings.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Iran turned the funeral procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through Tehran on Monday, July 6, into a mass call for revenge against the United States and Israel, with the day’s defining image a billboard showing President Donald Trump with a bullet pointed at his head. Mourners pelted it with stones as they passed beneath, and leaders of Hezbollah and other allied militant groups marched among the crowds. As the largest gathering of the week filled the streets, Iran’s military spokesman said on state media that the armed forces were on full alert, had used the ceasefire to sharpen their capabilities and had updated their “target bank,” warning that any new attack would draw a harsher response than before.

The revenge message ran straight from the top of Iran’s military and government. Army commander-in-chief Major Gen. Amir Hatami told broadcaster IRIB that Khamenei’s death had hardened Iran’s resolve to avenge him. The Supreme National Security Council said in a weekend statement that the country’s message was resistance against its enemies and vengeance for its slain leader. Crowds chanted that their one word was revenge.

Delegations from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, marched in the procession alongside Hamas, the Houthis and Kataib Hezbollah — the network Tehran calls its “Axis of Resistance.” Mourners waved Hezbollah’s yellow flags and the red flags that signal revenge in Shiite tradition. On Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met senior Hezbollah officials, including Mohammed Fenish, and called the group’s role in the war a “historic turning point,” according to state news agency IRNA.

Much of the anger was aimed squarely at Washington. Beyond the stoned billboard, women in black chadors held red placards reading “KILL TRUMP” in English, an effigy of Trump was strung up along the route, and a eulogist called for the president’s death from the stage. Placards also targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President JD Vance and War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Iran has repeatedly denied plotting to kill Trump. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz answered that Khamenei had been killed because he led a plan to destroy Israel, and that any Iranian leader who tried again would meet the same end.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 37 years, was killed on February 28 at age 86 in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike at the start of the war. Four members of his family died in the same strike. Their coffins were driven Monday on a truck decorated to resemble the grating around a Shiite shrine, moving toward Azadi Tower as fire hoses misted water over the crowds in the heat.

For business, the story runs through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries much of the world’s oil. Iran paused its talks with the United States for the funeral week, and Trump said he was giving Tehran time off from the negotiations. That pause matters to energy markets, because the war shut most shipping through the strait earlier this year and drove crude sharply higher before a fragile ceasefire reopened the route.

Prices have since fallen back toward pre-war levels. By the end of last week Brent crude was near $72 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was around $68, both close to where they traded on February 27, the day before the war began. Oil was heading for a fourth straight weekly loss as tankers returned to the strait and the war premium drained out of prices.

Supply is loosening too. OPEC+ agreed Sunday to raise output by 188,000 barrels a day, its fifth straight increase since the war began. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have brought exports back close to pre-war levels, lifting combined flows through the strait above 10 million barrels a day. Citigroup expects Brent to keep sliding toward $60 a barrel by year-end as shipping normalizes and Chinese buying softens.

The calm is easily rattled. Tracking data showed at least eight tankers turning back at the strait on Saturday after trying to slip through by hugging the Omani coast, a sign captains remain wary. Maritime authorities describe traffic as steady but not yet growing, and the strait’s security is expected to come up at this week’s NATO summit.

Iran’s government is using the vast turnout, which officials say could reach 15 to 20 million and would rank as the country’s largest state funeral, to project strength while its new leader stays out of sight. Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over in March and is believed to have been wounded in the strike that killed his father, has not appeared in public. The procession continues this week from Qom into the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before Khamenei is buried Thursday in Mashhad. Netanyahu is expected in Washington to meet Trump as early as next Monday, a session likely to shape whether the ceasefire — and oil’s calm — holds.

JBizNews Desk| Washington
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EasyJet said on Sunday it has agreed in principle to a takeover by Castlelake, the U.S. investment firm, capping weeks of resistance with a cash deal that values the British budget airline at £5.23 billion.

The Minneapolis-based private credit firm offered £6.90 per share in cash, giving the airline an equity value of about £5.2 billion, or £5.5 billion on a fully diluted basis. In its statement, EasyJet said its board concluded the fifth proposal had reached a level it “would be minded to recommend” to shareholders after reviewing the offer with its advisers.

The agreement followed weeks of negotiations. Castlelake first approached the airline on May 29 with an offer of 560 pence per share, gradually increasing the bid to 690 pence. EasyJet rejected the earlier proposals, calling them “highly opportunistic” and arguing they undervalued the company. Even after turning down a £4.93 billion offer last month, the airline agreed to provide limited commercial information so discussions could continue.

The timing proved significant. Castlelake launched its bid as EasyJet faced higher jet fuel costs and softer travel demand following the U.S.-Iran war and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The airline’s shares closed Friday at 558.2 pence, roughly 20% below the takeover price, making the offer increasingly attractive despite the board’s earlier resistance.

Not all investors are convinced. Some shareholders had hoped for at least £7 per share, raising questions about whether the final proposal will receive enough support. The companies have extended the UK’s “put up or shut up” deadline until 5 p.m. London time on August 3, allowing additional time to finalize the transaction.

To satisfy European airline ownership rules limiting non-EU control, Castlelake structured the bid with EU-based partners, including Brookfield, along with aviation executives Mark Breen and Peter Bellew. Bellew, a former EasyJet chief operating officer, left the airline in 2022. Castlelake said it intends to invest in the carrier’s long-term growth and fleet modernization.

For travelers, ownership changes rarely affect flights immediately, but they can reshape an airline over time. Private equity owners often streamline operations, adjust route networks and renegotiate aircraft purchases, decisions that ultimately influence ticket prices, schedules and expansion plans. As one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers, EasyJet’s future strategy could affect millions of passengers.

The proposed acquisition also adds to concerns over the shrinking number of major companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. If the deal closes, EasyJet would become another well-known British company to leave the public market, continuing a trend that has drawn growing attention from UK policymakers seeking to strengthen London’s position as a global financial center.

JBizNews Desk | London
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The sudden collapse of summer camp company Simad Holdings, whose owners had emptied it of its cash, struck Tel Aviv investors with dismay. Towards the end of May, less than six months after it raised NIS 620 million in a bond offering in Tel Aviv, the New York-based company was plunged into a debt crisis, in what is emerging as one of the fastest crashes in the history of the local stock market.

On the way to the severe irregularities that led to its fall, Simad leapfrogged over a long series of watchdogs without difficulty, won the confidence of some of Israel’s biggest investment managers, and left its local creditors in a hopeless situation.

Behind the swift downfall of Simad Holdings lie its owners, brothers Michael and David Shabsels. “Globes” traced the story of the fall of the brothers, well-known figures in the New York Jewish community, who were dubbed “summer camp kings.” The two began in the magazine business, built a real estate empire, and won a reputation as generous donors. Beneath the surface, however, the brothers took on huge debts, estimated at over $1 billion.

“You could make a movie out of this event,” said one of the people close to the business of the collapsed company. “So many questions arise — how did the Shabsels brothers manage to operate in such a problematic way under the radar for so long? And how do you get to liabilities like these without anyone stopping for a moment?”

From a sports magazine to real estate

At the center of the Simad movie, which will presumably never be produced, stand the Shabsels brothers, Michael (56) and David (49), who grew up in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended private schools there.

The brothers set up their first business venture while studying at university in the 1990s, born of their love of sport in general and basketball in particular. While he was studying economics at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, Michael Shabsels, the older of the two brothers, founded University Sports Publications, a publisher of sports magazines mainly about college teams.

According to its website, University Sports Publications grew into the leading publisher in its field, reaching over 800 colleges and universities in North America, and its magazines are considered “vital collectibles for each team’s fans, whether students, alumni, staff or general public.”

A few years later, the younger brother David joined the business after completing art studies at Adelphi University in New York and at UMass Lowell. At that time, he devoted much of his time to college basketball and even won a full scholarship.

Israeli Shahar Nahmias, who was studying for a degree in computer science at UMass Lowell, played basketball alongside David Shabsels. Nahmias, a member of Kibbutz Gadot and the kibbutz‘s business manager, was appointed by the Shabsels brothers as chairperson of Simad Holdings, which now places him in opposition to his old friend, demanding that he meet his commitment to the Israeli bondholders.

As mentioned, at the end of his studies David Shabsels joined his older brother in the sports magazines business, which took off at that time and enjoyed high circulation. In 2009, the brothers sold their 50% holding in University Sports Publications for $37.5 million, capital that enabled them to turn to the summer camps and real estate businesses, through Damis Holdings (the company’s name is made up of the first letters of their names), which, like Simad Holdngs (the same name in reverse), has recently filed for bankruptcy in the US.

According to its website, Damis Holdings holds some 80 assets worth an aggregate $1 billion. Besides the thirty summer camps for Jewish children in the US (which are held under Simad Holdings), it owns commercial centers, offices, water parks, and hotels.

According to a source familiar with the details, the company comprises dozens of privately held companies, most of which manage a single asset. In total, the amount of real estate space it owns is huge, and includes some 1,800 multi-family rental housing units.

A complicated web of debts

On the Damis website, the Shabsels brothers describe themselves as “astute investors with a keen eye for opportunity” who “continuously seek out compelling investment opportunities.” But beneath the polished surface and what appears to be a prosperous real estate empire lies a complicated web of debts and mortgages, the first hint of which came last month. Its huge dimensions have steadily been revealed since then.

The Pandora’s box was opened in late May, as mentioned, when Simad Holdings’ Israeli board discovered that owner and CEO Michael Shabsels had taken $32 million (NIS 100 million) from the company without impediment and transferred it to his personal account.

This left Simad Holdings without sufficient cash to cover its interest payment to bondholders at the beginning of June, as a result of which trading in its bonds on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was suspended and the Israel Securities Authority opened an investigation.

Within a short time, it emerged that the debt to the Israeli bondholders was just the tip of the iceberg of the debt the brothers had accumulated through the companies they owned. This led Simad Holdings to seek Chapter 11 protection from its creditors, as is customary in US bankruptcy proceedings.

Alongside the suit filed by Simad Holdings’ Israeli creditors, whom the brothers owe some $210 million ($270 million including interest), similar suits were filed by additional creditors who had extended loans to the summer camps, estimated at more than $100 million.

In addition, dozens of privately-held companies owned by the Shabsels brothers also filed for Chapter 11 protection. According to the documents, the brothers privately own real estate assets (commercial properties, offices, and so on) with liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the snowballing of the brothers’ debt was apparently driven by merchant cash advance loans totaling $140 million. Merchant cash advances (MCAs) are an unregulated market in the US for quick, short-term loans, usually for up to 2 years.

“These are very expensive loans, usually taken by small businesses that have no access to the established banking system,” a source familiar with the details explained. “These loans can even require weekly repayments, and the terms include personal guarantees and the payment of a percentage of the business’s cash and credit card income.

“Michael Shabsels took MCA loans of between half a million and a million dollars on dozens of assets, and the repayments reached the monstrous dimensions of over $200 million. He told the lenders that if necessary they could be repaid from the income of the summer camps.”

“In order that the MCA lenders would not lay their hands on the summer camps’ income, Simad was forced to run to court and file a Chapter 11 petition. It’s bizarre how two separate law firms — of the bond trustee and of the company — didn’t see the records of the previous interconnected mortgages,” sources close to the company said.

At the center of the claims over the collapse of Simad Holdings is the elder Shabsels brother, Michael, described by those who have met him as “a very sharp and charismatic man who gives the impression of being a very successful person.” By contrast, his brother David is described as “sensitive and pleasant.” An acquaintance of the two told “Globes” that it was Michael who took the loans and the risks, and, as he put it, “not only harmed the investors, but also his younger brother.”

People close to both of them say it could be that Michael’s ambitious nature engendered the collapse. Evidence of that is a motivational video entitled “Business Resilience in Challenging Times” recorded and uploaded to YouTube in 2020, in which he says, “Anyone who is a business owner must always have the mindset that they are never going to fail and never going to give up no matter how bad business gets. The only thing worse than the business being bad is if you throw in the towel, and then for certain you’re done.”

In recent years, the Shabsels brothers have cultivated an image of philanthropists and community leaders. Michael and his wife Alyssa are members of the international board of United Hatzalah, and Michael is a member of the advisory board of the Olami organization, which offers mentoring and networking for Jewish students in the US, while David is known as a benefactor of the Orthodox Union organization.

Two years ago, the brothers hosted an event for the Nevut organization, which supports IDF lone soldier veterans returning to the US in their transition to civilian life, at their summer camp at Westhampton in New York State. This image worked well on the underwriters and financial institutions in Israel. “They told us that they support IDF lone soldiers,” a source who was present at one of the company’s meetings with financial institutions said.

A person who knows both of the brothers describes them as “family men who love reading, playing basketball, and watching movies,” adding “These are very well-known people in the Jewish community in New York.” A New York Jewish businessman says, “There’s almost no-one in the Orthodox and Reform community who doesn’t know their summer camps.”

Separating land from the asset

As mentioned, behind the image of success and the generous donations, the way that the brothers ran their businesses was dubious. “They loved debt,” a source who worked with the Shabsels family recently told US real estate website “The Real Deal,” saying that they wanted as much leverage on their assets as possible.

In that article, it was claimed that after they bought properties, the brothers separated the land from the asset in order to obtain mortgages on both parts, increasing the finance they received. Later they would lease out the land and the asset, which led to a series of lawsuits against them from their partners in some of the summer camps.

For example, in 2021, the partners in the Kiwi Country Day Camp in Westchester County (siblings Karla and Ivan Bellotto) sued the Shabsels brothers alleging that they were planning a hostile takeover and had acted to dilute their share of the partnership; had refinanced the asset and taken the proceeds for themselves; and had prevented access to the books. Similar claims were made in lawsuits filed by other of the brothers’ partners at Camp Lavi in Pennsylvania.

This conduct, however, eluded the gaze of all the Israeli watchdogs, including the Israel Securities Authority, which raised no red flags, and rating agency Midroog, whose representatives visited Simad Holdings’ properties and went on to award the offered bonds a relatively high A3 rating. It also went unnoticed by investment houses More, Meitav, Yelin Lapidot, Finessa, Kabin, and Migdal Capital Markets, and by insurance company Harel, all of which bought the bonds that the company issued.

In the course of the offering, the Shabsels brothers came to Israel to meet the investment managers of the financial institutions. “The professionals claimed that all the background checks had been carried out and they came out clean. We have no way of checking independently. If it’s fraud and they concealed information, it’s very hard to know. We focused on trying to understand how the business itself worked,” one senior manager who invested in the offering said.

Another investor who was present at one of the meetings said, however, “What they presented sounded very unrealistic, and so we didn’t participate in the offering. There’s no reason that companies that don’t receive credit in the US should obtain money from Israeli investors. There’s probably a reason a bank located in the area where they work, and familiar with the activity and the people, says no to them. So we, who are thousands of kilometers away from their activities, should say ‘No problem, we’ll give you credit’?”

As far as is known, there is currently no contact between the Shabsels brothers and the Israeli creditors and board of directors. “At the beginning they spoke to them, but lately there has been a complete break in relations,” a source familiar with the details said.

Sources who were formerly in touch with the pair explain the reason for the breach. “The brothers were ousted from the company, their management powers were taken away from them, and an administrator was appointed by the court. Now no one is talking to them, and there is nothing to be in touch about. They are no longer of interest to the management of the settlement, and from now on they will be dealt with on the legal and criminal plane.”

Globes has not managed to obtain the response of the Shabsels brothers to the report.

This post was originally published on here.

Israel’s political landscape has tightened dramatically, with a new poll showing Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party locked in a tie for first place, each projected to win 23 Knesset seats. The survey, released Sunday by Kan News, marks the first time in the current election campaign that the two leading parties have been dead even.

Compared to the previous poll, Likud slipped by one seat while Yashar gained one, resulting in the 23-23 tie. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party remained in third place with 16 seats, unchanged from the previous survey.

Among the mid-sized parties, the Democrats, Otzma Yehudit, and Yisrael Beiteinu each received nine projected seats. Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu gained one seat compared to the previous poll, indicating modest momentum.

The chareidi parties also posted encouraging numbers. United Torah Judaism climbed by one seat to eight mandates, matching Shas, which remained steady at eight seats. Hadash-Ta’al was projected to receive six seats, Religious Zionism five, and Ra’am four. The Miluimnikim party (2.3%), Blue and White (1.9%), and Balad all fell below the electoral threshold.

Under the current projections, Netanyahu’s governing coalition would secure 53 seats, while parties opposed to him would control 67 seats.

The poll also examined a hypothetical new party led jointly by Yuli Edelstein, Ayelet Shaked, and Gilad Erdan. Such a party would be expected to win six seats, drawing support primarily from Likud, Yashar, Bennett’s Beyachad, and Religious Zionism. Under that scenario, Netanyahu’s bloc would fall to just 50 seats.

The survey also found a significant shift in public opinion regarding the race for prime minister. For the first time, Eisenkot narrowly edged out Netanyahu in a head-to-head matchup, with 41% saying Eisenkot is better suited to serve as prime minister, compared with 40% for Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, however, maintained a clear advantage when matched against Bennett, leading 41% to 33% in the poll’s prime minister preference question.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump made 327 individual stock purchases on April 8, 2025, worth as much as $12.8 million, one day before he announced a pause on his sweeping tariffs and sent the market into one of its largest single-day rallies on record, according to his annual financial disclosure filed Monday with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The purchases, detailed in an analysis published Thursday, centered on the mega-cap technology stocks that had been hit hardest by his trade plan.

The buying spree focused on some of the world’s largest publicly traded companies. Trump purchased between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of shares in Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia on April 8, alongside investments in scores of other companies, according to the disclosure.

The timing has drawn attention. On April 2, Trump unveiled broad new tariffs he called “Liberation Day” tariffs, triggering a sharp four-day market selloff. Then, on the morning of April 9, he posted on social media that it was a “GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” before announcing a 90-day pause on most of the tariffs later that day. The S&P 500 surged nearly 10%, one of its strongest single-day performances on record, while many of the technology companies Trump had purchased rebounded sharply.

The financial disclosure spans more than 900 pages and covers Trump’s financial activity throughout 2025. According to the analysis, April 8 ranked as his 11th-busiest trading day of the year—more than five times his average daily buying activity of approximately 62 transactions.

Federal ethics laws require executive branch officials, including the president, to disclose securities transactions exceeding $1,000 within 45 days. However, disclosure forms report transactions in broad dollar ranges rather than exact purchase prices and do not indicate whether the trades were executed personally or through professionally managed investment accounts.

The disclosure comes during another week in which Trump’s public statements coincided with market-moving developments. On Thursday, he posted “Thank you Micron!” on Truth Social after Micron Technology announced a $250 million commitment to support Trump Accounts, the new federal savings program for children. Earlier financial disclosures showed Trump already owned shares of Micron, meaning the company’s stock gains increased the value of his personal holdings.

The White House has consistently maintained that Trump’s assets are held in a trust managed by his children and that appropriate safeguards exist to prevent conflicts of interest.

Nevertheless, the disclosures have renewed debate among ethics experts over presidents owning actively traded securities while making policy decisions capable of moving financial markets.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist with the watchdog organization Public Citizen, said senior government officials possess unique access to economic information while also holding the power to influence financial markets, creating what he described as opportunities for potential self-enrichment.

Earlier ethics disclosures released in May also showed Trump actively buying and selling shares of major technology companies including Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms during the first quarter of 2026. Some of those transactions occurred near significant government actions affecting the companies, including an Nvidia purchase roughly one week before the U.S. Commerce Department approved certain AI chip exports to China.

Beyond Trump’s personal investments, the disclosures underscore how closely financial markets have tracked policy decisions throughout his second term. Tariff announcements, trade negotiations, export restrictions and regulatory actions have repeatedly triggered large swings across stock, bond and commodity markets, increasing investor attention on both government policy and executive communications.

For the companies involved, presidential attention can create both opportunities and challenges. Public endorsements may boost investor confidence, while tariffs, export controls and other policy decisions can significantly influence corporate earnings, supply chains and stock prices.

For Wall Street, the latest disclosure adds another layer to an ongoing question that has defined much of Trump’s second term: how investors should value companies and manage risk when government policy—and the individual directing much of it—can move markets in a matter of hours.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Leading haredi rabbinic authorities are urging the public to avoid the main access road to the tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes in Tiberias, saying recent changes along the city’s waterfront have created conditions they believe are inconsistent with religious standards of modesty.

The appeal, first reported by Kikar Hashabbat, was issued by Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch and endorsed by members of the Eida Haharedit as well as several rabbis serving in Tiberias.

According to the report, the dispute centers on a newly opened public beach located along the primary route connecting Tiberias’ ancient cemetery with the tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes, one of Israel’s most frequently visited Jewish pilgrimage sites. Rabbinic leaders contend the beach was opened without measures they consider necessary to maintain standards of modesty, resulting in scenes they say are inappropriate for the area’s many religious visitors.

The rabbis said they are asking worshippers to use an alternate road to reach the site, citing the halachic principle that when another route is available, it should be used to avoid exposure to objectionable conditions.

In addition to advising individuals to avoid the road, the rabbis called on Torah institutions, yeshivas and girls’ schools not to rent facilities in the immediate vicinity until the matter is resolved.

The report said local rabbis, led by Rabbi Avraham Halberstam, initially sought to resolve the issue through discussions with municipal officials. After those efforts did not produce a solution, the matter was brought before Sternbuch, who backed a broader public campaign.

The Eida Haharedit later issued a separate statement supporting the initiative, while additional rabbis in Tiberias signed a similar appeal encouraging visitors to avoid the main road and instead use alternate access to the tomb.

The campaign comes as Israel approaches the annual bein hazmanim vacation period, when thousands of yeshiva students and haredi families travel throughout the country and visits to the tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes traditionally increase.

City officials had not publicly responded to the rabbinic statements as of Sunday.

Shlomo Amselag, a resident of Otniel who had been visiting family in Beitar Illit, left the home on Motzoei Shabbos and failed to return, prompting an immediate large-scale search after he was reported missing at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Dozens of volunteers from the Etzion-Yehuda Police Rescue Unit in the Judea and Samaria District joined officers from the Yehuda police region and local residents in the search effort. Teams deployed advanced technological equipment while combing the area for hours.

At approximately 4:00 a.m., rescue volunteers located Amselag in the Rozmarin area of Yerushalayim, several kilometers from where he had disappeared. He was safely reunited with his family.

Police expressed gratitude to everyone who participated in the search and helped publicize information about the missing man.

“Thank you to everyone who assisted, publicized, and shared information about his disappearance,” the police said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

I look at my tiny baby sleeping peacefully in the ICU.

But my heart knows the truth this is only the beginning of our battle.

A battle for his life and for my strength to keep going.

My name is Miriam.

My baby’s name is Baruch.

He is only two months old.

He should be sleeping peacefully in my arms.

He should be growing, smiling, and filling our home with joy.

He should be wrapped in blankets, not surrounded by doctors, tests, medicine, and pain.

But Baruch is suffering.

His tiny kidneys are not working the way they should.

The doctors are still trying to understand exactly what is happening inside his little body.

We still do not have all the answers.

But one thing is already painfully clear:

My baby is in terrible pain.

And this is not something that will end tomorrow.

I look at my tiny baby sleeping peacefully in the ICU.

But my heart knows the truth: this is only the beginning of our battle.

A battle for his life — and for my strength to keep going.

Since Baruch became sick, our whole life has changed.

There are appointments.

There are tests.

There are medicines.

There are long days of fear and long nights with almost no sleep.

I hold him in my arms and try to stay calm.

I whisper to him that Mommy is here.

That everything will be okay.

But inside, I am falling apart.

Donate today!

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.

Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq.

Mourners chant and perform mourning rituals as they make their way to the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners chant while holding flower-framed portraits of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during Khamenei’s funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A mourner carries a sign reading “We Will Kill Trump” as people make their way to the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Revolutionary Guard members and clerics mourn on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque as preparations are underway ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The casket of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, is displayed alongside the caskets of Khamenei and other members of his family during a viewing ceremony ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A mourner weeps as he attends the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A cleric stands as mourners walk through the courtyard of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The coffins of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family are displayed on a platform before the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. A Quran verse in Persian on the backdrop reads, “Say, ‘I only advise you of one thing: that you stand for Allah, in pairs or individually.'” (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mementoes are written on a barricade placed on the street leading to the residence of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei where he was killed during the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Shops are closed in Tehran old main bazaar due to the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown in the banner on top, and members of his family, who were killed during the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric raises his fist after leading a prayer during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A mourner weeps during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A banner depicting President Donald Trump is held aloft as mourners gather during funeral prayers held as part of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family outside the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners gather during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Un grupo de personas lanza consignas al congregarse en la plaza de la Revolución Islámica para la procesión fúnebre del fallecido líder supremo de Irán, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei, bajo una valla publicitaria que muestra la imagen de Jamenei, en Teherán, Irán, el lunes 6 de julio de 2026. (Foto AP/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners attend the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners write messages on a wall, including one in English that reads “We will kill Trump,” during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners pray on a road adjacent to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque, top, during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Hadi Zand/ISNA via AP)

A little girl raises her fist from atop a man’s shoulders as mourners gather during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A man weeps during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A boy peeks from behind a sign depicting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overlaid with crosshairs and the words “There will be blood” during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Men beat their chests aboard a subway train as they travel to attend the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners chant slogans while gathered in Islamic Revolution Square for the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei beneath a billboard depicting Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners hold portraits of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei while gathered in Islamic Revolution Square for the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mourners fill a boulevard as they make their way to the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The truck carrying the coffin of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family , center , makes its way through mourners during the funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) ADDITION – adds that the truck carries also the coffins of other members of his family

Mourners surround a truck carrying the coffins of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family during the funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Uniformed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wave a Shiite religious flag during the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners walk through a subway station as they make their way to the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The truck carrying the coffins of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family makes its way through mourners during the funeral procession toward Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Labor Department reported on Thursday that U.S. employers added just 57,000 jobs in June, well short of the roughly 115,000 economists had expected, while May’s gain was revised down to 129,000 and the unemployment rate slipped to 4.2%. On an ordinary day, a hiring miss that large would knock stocks lower. Instead, the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed to a fresh record high ahead of the July 4 holiday, and Wall Street barely blinked.

That reaction has become the defining habit of 2026. One shock after another — a soft labor report, a war in the Middle East, a sudden sell-off in chip stocks — keeps landing, and the market keeps shrugging it off and grinding higher. As the second half of the year begins, the biggest banks are now telling clients to expect more of the same.

Goldman Sachs is among the most confident. Strategist Ben Snider raised the firm’s year-end target for the S&P 500 to 8,000 from 7,600, roughly 7% above where the index trades now. His team lifted its earnings forecast to $340 per share for 2026, a 24% jump from last year, and to $385 for 2027. Snider expects companies tied to artificial intelligence spending to account for about half of that profit growth.

Goldman is not alone. Deutsche Bank also carries an 8,000 target for the index, and Morgan Stanley sits in the same camp of firms projecting a 17% full-year gain. The common thread in their notes is that corporate earnings, not cheap money, are powering this rally — a point that matters for anyone whose retirement savings or pension is tied to these benchmarks.

The first-half scorecard explains the confidence. Over the six months through June, the Dow climbed 8.9%, its best start to a year since 2021. The broad S&P 500 rose 9.6%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 12.8%, and the small-cap Russell 2000 surged nearly 22% — its strongest first half since 1991. The S&P 500 also posted its best quarter since 2020.

The engine has been artificial intelligence. Semiconductor stocks jumped more than 80% in the first half, with Micron up more than 260% for the year. But the run has grown wobbly. In late June and early July, investors began cashing out of the highest fliers. Micron and Sandisk each fell more than 10% in a single session, Applied Materials slid sharply, and Caterpillar, an AI-infrastructure winner, pulled back almost 7%.

That rotation is why Thursday’s record on the Dow leaned on steadier names. Apple and Microsoft did much of the lifting, and defensive corners of the market — utilities, health care, and consumer staples — outperformed as money moved out of technology. It is a quieter, more cautious version of the same bull market, but a bull market still.

The Federal Reserve backdrop helps explain why weak jobs numbers no longer scare investors. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, speaking Wednesday at a European Central Bank conference in Portugal, said inflation risks have eased substantially, though he cautioned that “prices are too high.” With hiring cooling, traders are reading the data as a reason for the Fed to hold rates steady or cut them, rather than raise them — an outcome the market prefers.

Not everyone is convinced the good times can last. Stock valuations sit near record highs by some measures, and skeptics warn the AI boom echoes the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s. Christopher Harvey, chief equity strategist at CIBC Capital Markets, sees a more modest gain of about 8.8% this year and points to strains in credit markets and doubts about whether AI spending will ever pay off. Bank of America is more cautious still, with a target closer to 7,100. Their warning is simple: the bet only works if corporate earnings keep beating expectations. If profits disappoint, richly priced stocks have little cushion.

Geopolitics remains the wild card. U.S. and Iranian officials resumed talks in Doha this week, and President Donald Trump told reporters that progress toward Iranian denuclearization was “moving along well.” Oil settled around $69 a barrel for WTI crude, easing back toward pre-war levels — a relief for consumers and for companies that depend on fuel and shipping costs.

U.S. markets were closed Friday, July 3, for Independence Day and reopen Monday. The real test of Wall Street’s conviction arrives with second-quarter earnings season, which kicks off in mid-July. If corporate America delivers the profits the bulls are counting on, the path toward 8,000 stays open. If it stumbles, the market’s long streak of shrugging off bad news may finally be put to the test.

JBizNews Desk | New York
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded Sunday evening to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s statement condemning the government’s announcement that it will not recognize the High Court’s ruling regarding the Second Authority Council for Television and Radio.

Baharav-Miara claimed that the government’s statement “undermines the fundamental principles of the rule of law.”

“The irony is staggering,” Ben Gvir said. “The same Gali Baharav-Miara who used the Shin Bet to monitor me now claims that the government is ‘undermining the fundamental principles of the rule of law.’

“I have news for you, Madam: We will complete the judicial reform in full, and you will be the one held accountable for the frame-ups, the criminal selective enforcement, and the undermining of the rule of law.”

Earlier, in a submission to the High Court, Baharav-Miara stated: “Today’s government decision is another serious attempt to thwart judicial rulings and intimidate those who seek to implement them. This undermines the fundamental principles of the rule of law.”

Prior to Baharav-Miara’s statement, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said that the government’s decision does not call for noncompliance with the High Court’s ruling on the Second Authority Council.

“I want to clarify the statement approved by the government today regarding the Communications Minister’s proposal,” Fuchs wrote on X. “Contrary to media reports, there is not a single word in the statement calling for noncompliance with the High Court’s ruling. Rather, it expresses sharp criticism of a ruling that contradicts the explicit language of the law. The government declared that it will use all legal means at its disposal to overturn the decision in the future.”

He added: “How do legal means suddenly become noncompliance with a court ruling?”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

BANGKOK (AP) — China’s navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific in a rare move that drew protest and concerns from countries in the region.

The missile was launched at 12:01 p.m. and carried a dummy warhead, according the official Xinhua News Agency. China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, then firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead. That previous launch in international waters was the first in decades since 1980.

The launch was part of routine annual training, complied with international law and practice, and was not directed against any country or target, according to a short statement from Xinhua, which was reposted by the Ministry of Defense.

The 2024 launch mirrored testing that the United States does for its own ballistic missile fleet, which experts viewed as an assertion of China’s growing superpower status.

But Beijing’s militarization has also drawn concerns, with Australia, Japan and New Zealand criticizing the launch.

The New Zealand government said it was informed of the planned launch hours beforehand and noted that the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.

The zone was established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, which prohibits nuclear weapons throughout the region. China ratified the protocols in 1987, pledging not to test nuclear weapons within the zone or threaten to use them against signatories with territory in the region.

“It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters told The Associated Press in a statement.

The launch took place the same day Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense treaty meant to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific.

“Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilizing to the region,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Fiji in response to the test.

Japan’s Defense Ministry in a statement conveyed its concern about China’s increasing military activity and asked Beijing to “rethink” its missile testing so the projectiles would not fly over Japan or pose other security risks.

“China’s military activities, combined with its lack of transparency, have become a grave concern for Japan and the international society,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in Japan, citing Beijing’s active military activities around Japan and its increased military spending.

Beijing brushed off the criticism Monday.

“We hope that the relevant countries will avoid overinterpretation,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.

The concern is a result of lack of clear information, said Drew Thompson, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “China’s military modernization and buildup have occurred without concurrent increases in openness and transparency, resulting in uncertainty about China’s intentions.

China maintains a “no first use” of nuclear weapons policy, but is also actively pursuing nuclear technology and weaponry as part of its long-term strategy to modernize the People’s Liberation Army.

China has a fleet of six ballistic-missile submarines and 59 nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a Washington-based think tank.

In its latest report to Congress on China’s military capabilities, released in late 2025, the Pentagon said China had an estimated stockpile of around 600 nuclear warheads in 2024, adding that the PLA remains on track to field more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

MSNBC host Al Sharpton sharply criticized the Trump administration during an appearance on MS NOW’s Deadline, accusing it of openly promoting what the infamous race-bater described as bigotry while rolling back decades of civil rights progress.

Reflecting on the nation’s history, Sharpton argued that Americans should celebrate the advances that have been made while remaining vigilant against efforts to reverse them.

“I feel that one should celebrate the progress made and that we ought to be energized to stop those that are trying to bring us back to some of the progress that was made, when we look at the fact that you had the Voting Rights Act, just about nullified by this Supreme Court. Many of whom were nominated by Donald Trump. When you look at what they have done today, you’re looking at the undoing of the Civil Rights Act of 64. You’re looking at undoing Act 65. You’re looking at women’s rights. You’re looking at those that have tried to make freedom of religion mean that this is a Christian nation. I’m a Baptist preacher, but freedom of religion is freedom of religion. I think they’d be the Founding Fathers. I don’t know if they’d be disappointed because some of them had some, in my opinion, questionable positions, but I think they would all say, ‘This is not what we projected.’”

Sharpton went on to accuse the administration of no longer attempting to conceal what he views as its motives, arguing that its actions are carried out without shame.

“I think what is so brazen about this is the shamelessness. They don’t even try to hide the grift or the fact that they are, in fact, bigoted. They, in fact, use it as a badge of honor when you take January 6 people and elevate them. How can you say that we are the patriots when you reward those that would defile the Capital of this nation and want to stop a duly certified election from being certified?”

A global insider trading ring that federal prosecutors in Manhattan once billed as a signature white-collar takedown has wound down with almost no one going to prison, capped last month when former investment banker Benjamin Taylor pleaded guilty in New York federal court and walked away without a jail sentence. According to court records in United States v. Taylor in the Southern District of New York, Taylor, 42, flew voluntarily from France to enter his plea to a single conspiracy count and was sentenced in June, closing out one of the last open threads in a case first charged in 2018.

The outcome is a quiet embarrassment for the government. When the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictments in 2019, then-Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss described a wide-ranging international scheme spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Greece, Israel and Hong Kong. Prosecutors alleged that Taylor and former colleague Darina Windsor—investment bankers working in London who, according to emails cited in the case, addressed each other as “Pops” and “Popsy”—stole confidential deal information and sold it to middlemen who passed it to traders. The government said the pair took in more than $1 million in cash, luxury trips and expensive watches, and that the tips fed tens of millions of dollars in illegal profits.

Years later, the enforcement math looks thin. Taylor avoided prison entirely. His ability to remain in France, which generally does not extradite its own citizens, blunted the government’s leverage for years and allowed him to negotiate his return on favorable terms. For a case built on the promise of deterrence, the light outcome sends an awkward signal to Wall Street: a banker can allegedly sell secrets across three continents and, with the right passport and enough patience, largely run out the clock.

That is the business story underneath the courtroom drama. Insider trading enforcement is supposed to protect the basic fairness of public markets—the idea that an ordinary investor buying a stock is not trading against someone with stolen information. When a marquee prosecution fizzles, it chips away at that confidence and hands defense lawyers a fresh talking point about how manageable the downside really is.

The gap is not that the Justice Department stopped bringing cases. It is that outcomes have grown uneven. In a separate matter, the Southern District of New York, under U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, secured a 26-month prison term in May for Paul Jorgensen, the former chief revenue officer of Doximity, who prosecutors said earned more than $2.5 million trading ahead of his own company’s earnings announcements. Prosecutors have also leaned more heavily on sophisticated data analytics to identify suspicious trading activity without waiting for a whistleblower. The investigative tools have improved. The consistency of the punishment has not.

For compliance officers at banks and trading firms, the split screen carries a practical lesson. Cross-border cases remain slow and difficult to resolve, particularly where extradition is unavailable, and firms cannot rely on prosecutors to clean up misconduct that begins within their own organizations. That places greater importance on internal controls, including trade surveillance, communications monitoring, and employee-attestation systems designed to catch the misuse of confidential information long before it becomes the subject of a federal indictment.

The prosecutors who built the case are unlikely to describe it as a failure. Several defendants tied to the insider trading ring, including a former Goldman Sachs banker, were convicted along the way, and the government ultimately secured guilty pleas from multiple participants. But measured against the breadth of the original allegations—seven countries, stolen merger information, and promises of a powerful deterrent—the final ledger contains far more headlines than prison sentences.

For investors, the takeaway is simpler than the legal arguments. The possibility of prison is what gives insider trading laws their deterrent force. When some of the government’s highest-profile cases conclude with defendants remaining free, the protection those laws are intended to provide for everyday investors becomes a little weaker, and the next person considering whether to trade on stolen information has one more reason to believe the risks may be manageable.

JBizNews Desk | New York
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Sunday that the growing influence of democratic socialist candidates within the Democratic Party represents a serious danger to the nation’s political system, echoing President Donald Trump’s recent Independence Day message urging Americans to reject the movement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, the Louisiana Republican said candidates aligned with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are gaining momentum in Democratic primaries across the country and argued that voters should pay close attention to the trend.

Johnson characterized democratic socialism as “a serious threat to our whole system of government,” arguing that the movement represents a direct challenge to America’s longstanding political principles rather than simply another faction within the Democratic Party.

Drawing comparisons to the Cold War, Johnson invoked the warnings of President Ronald Reagan about communism, saying the threat is no longer coming from overseas but from within the United States.

“The barbarians are inside the gate,” Johnson said, contending that today’s Democratic Party has changed dramatically from previous generations. He also claimed that many Democratic lawmakers privately acknowledge they are struggling to match the enthusiasm, fundraising, and grassroots support fueling the party’s progressive wing.

Johnson’s comments came one day after President Donald Trump delivered a speech on the National Mall commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, during which he portrayed democratic socialism as a rebirth of communism and called for an aggressive response.

In that address, which began nearly two hours late after severe storms forced the temporary evacuation of attendees, Trump likened democratic socialism to a cancer that must be removed.

The renewed attacks on the movement follow a series of primary victories by progressive candidates that have reshaped New York’s political landscape and intensified pressure on the Democratic establishment.

Mamdani, who became New York City’s first democratic socialist mayor in January, saw all three of his endorsed candidates prevail in the June 23 Democratic primaries, defeating incumbent Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman.

Democratic leaders have responded with varying degrees of concern. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who supported the defeated incumbents, urged fellow Democrats after the primaries to shift their attention to the general election.

Speaking to MSNBC, Jeffries said, “the enemy is Donald Trump and MAGA extremism.”

The democratic socialist movement continues to expand beyond New York, with candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America also competing in prominent races in Colorado, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The movement traces much of its modern political momentum to the presidential campaigns of Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump reported a $10.71 million licensing fee from Amazon’s film studio in a federal financial disclosure released Tuesday, a filing that put a hard dollar figure on one of the most striking business turnarounds of his second term: his shift from sworn enemy of Jeff Bezos into a close commercial partner.

The payment came from Amazon MGM Studios for “Melania,” the documentary about the first lady that the studio licensed in early 2025. Trump’s disclosure, a mandatory annual filing, listed the fee as part of more than $2.2 billion in total 2025 revenue, roughly double what he reported the year before. Most of that income came from the family’s cryptocurrency ventures, but the Amazon line drew attention because of who signs the checks.

Amazon paid about $40 million to acquire “Melania” and spent a reported $35 million marketing it, unusually large sums for a documentary that took in only $16.6 million at the global box office. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the price “bribery in plain sight.” Bezos rejected that, saying customer demand rather than politics drove the purchase and that it looked like a sound business decision.

The numbers land as a new book details how far the two men have traveled. In “Regime Change,” New York Times correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan recount that in July 2017 Trump asked aides whether the government could break up Amazon, cursed Bezos by name, and vented about The Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Former aide Anthony Scaramucci described the scene.

By this year, the hostility was gone. Haberman and Swan write that at a dinner after the 2024 election, Bezos told Trump the Post was his “worst investment” and complained that its business managers would not listen to him. Trump, who had long refused to believe Bezos could not steer the paper’s coverage, said he eventually came around: he doubted the billionaire in his first term, then believed him.

For Bezos, staying close to the White House is not sentiment. It is protection for his most valuable government business. His rocket company, Blue Origin, depends on federal contracts and competes directly with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The U.S. Space Force awarded Blue Origin roughly $2.3 billion in national security launch work, and the company holds a $3.4 billion NASA contract to help build a lunar lander for the Artemis moon program. Amazon itself paid Blue Origin about $1.8 billion last year to launch satellites for its Project Kuiper broadband network. Blue Origin flew its heavy New Glenn rocket for the first time in January 2025 but still lags SpaceX, which launches far more often — a gap that makes federal goodwill valuable.

That web of contracts helps explain why Bezos has courted a president who once threatened his companies. After Trump’s feud with Musk erupted in 2025, Bezos spoke with the president directly and Blue Origin executives met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, pressing for more work. Bezos also donated $1 million through Amazon to Trump’s inauguration and sat in the front row as the president was sworn in.

The shift has been costly at The Washington Post. The paper lost more than $100 million in a single year, and in February 2026 it cut about a third of its staff, closing its sports desk, books coverage and several foreign bureaus. Bezos had already redirected the opinion section to focus on personal liberties and free markets, a change that triggered resignations and mass subscriber cancellations. Publisher Will Lewis stepped down after the layoffs, and finance chief Jeff D’Onofrio was named interim publisher and chief executive.

Bezos has defended the moves as business decisions rather than political ones. Critics, including former Post editor Martin Baron, argue the opposite, saying fear of retaliation against Amazon and Blue Origin pushed Bezos to soften the paper.

For companies watching Washington, the arc carries a plain lesson. A president who once floated using antitrust law to break up the country’s largest online retailer now counts its founder as an ally, and that founder’s studio, rocket firm and satellite network all do business shaped in part by federal decisions. The Amazon fee is a small slice of Trump’s income, but it is a visible marker of how commercial and political interests have merged at the top of American business.

Whether the alliance holds is another question. Trump’s relationships with billionaires have proven changeable, as his public rupture with Musk showed. For now, Bezos remains inside the tent, his contracts intact and his newspaper reshaped.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Hamas is expected to announce the dissolution of the body that has effectively served as its government in Gaza, according to two Hamas sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat. The move is reportedly intended to clear the way for the “Gaza Management Committee,” also known as the technocrats committee, to enter the Strip and assume administrative authority.

According to the report, the body set to be dissolved is the “Committee to Follow Up on Government Activity,” which has functioned as Hamas’s governing arm in Gaza. The incoming technocrats committee is headed by Ali Shaat.

One Hamas source said the announcement dissolving the committee could come as early as Monday, while another said only that the move is expected soon without giving a specific date.

At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian faction sources said a new round of talks is expected to be held in Cairo within two days in an effort to narrow gaps over the second phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The report says Cairo is also expected to host meetings within roughly 48 hours with Palestinian factions, led by Hamas, as mediators including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey continue trying to stabilize the agreement and advance its next stages.

The sources also said there is information indicating that Nikolay Mladenov, Gaza’s representative on the “Peace Council,” has arrived in Egypt to take part in the discussions alongside American officials involved in the council and international stabilization forces. However, his participation could not be independently confirmed, and people around him have previously said his involvement depends on progress in negotiations over the agreement’s clauses following Hamas’s response, and the response of other factions, to the latest updated proposals.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, the Government of Canada announced that Prime Minister Mark Carney will refer Alberta’s proposal for a new West Coast oil pipeline to the federal Major Projects Office, formally advancing a line built to carry Canadian crude past the United States to buyers in Asia. Standing beside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary, Carney called it an approach that gives businesses the certainty they need to build.

The project, labeled the West Coast oil pipeline, would move more than 1 million barrels of oil a day from Bruderheim, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton, to the Roberts Bank marine terminal in Delta, British Columbia, just south of Vancouver. From there, tankers would ship the crude to Asian markets. The route closely follows the existing Trans Mountain corridor, allowing the partners to avoid opening British Columbia’s northern coast, where an oil tanker ban remains in force.

Alberta’s submission package puts the cost between C$35.2 billion and C$43.7 billion, including contingency. The province says it has already spent C$18.3 million on planning.

Who builds it and who pays. The ownership group brings together the federally owned Trans Mountain Corporation, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corporation (TSX: PPL). Canada and Alberta would be the majority owners, splitting the bulk of the project between Trans Mountain and the Alberta commission. Pembina would hold a 10% economic interest through construction, with an option to increase its stake by another 10% once the pipeline enters service.

Pembina made clear it is not putting money at risk yet. The company said it will retain full discretion over any final investment decision and will not commit its own capital before that decision is made. Scott Burrows, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pembina, called the project a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build nation-scale energy infrastructure. The company has targeted September to finalize definitive agreements.

Why it matters for the economy. Carney has set a goal of doubling Canada’s non-U.S. exports over the next decade. More than 90% of Canadian energy exports currently go to the United States, forcing Canadian heavy crude to sell at a discount because it has limited access to other markets. A second Pacific export route, in addition to the Trans Mountain Expansion that entered service in 2024, would give producers greater bargaining power and could narrow that price discount, increasing revenue for both energy companies and governments.

The government estimates construction could support approximately 140,000 jobs at peak activity, including about 45,000 in Alberta and 70,000 in British Columbia. Once operational, the project is expected to support roughly 50,000 direct and indirect jobs annually.

Getting British Columbia on board. Earlier Thursday, Carney appeared in Vancouver with British Columbia Premier David Eby to announce a separate agreement the Prime Minister said could unlock more than C$200 billion in new investment, with British Columbia serving as the “linchpin.” Ottawa pledged to maintain the northern oil tanker ban, compensate British Columbia for environmental risks if the project proceeds, and assume financial responsibility for potential spill liabilities. Eby said the agreement does not obligate him to support the pipeline but confirmed the province would not challenge a federally approved project in court.

The pipeline proposal is paired with a second agreement. On the same day, Canada, Alberta, and the Oil Sands Alliance—Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Suncor Energy, Cenovus Energy, Imperial Oil, and ConocoPhillips—signed a memorandum of understanding supporting the Pathways carbon capture and storage project, which aims to reduce oil sands emissions by 16 million tonnes annually. Companies meeting those targets would see carbon compliance costs increase more gradually. Final agreements are expected later this fall.

Not everyone is convinced the economics justify the investment. No private company has offered to finance and build the project independently, leaving the federal and Alberta governments responsible for most of the cost. Janetta McKenzie of the Pembina Institute—an environmental policy organization unrelated to Pembina Pipeline—said the lack of private investment raises legitimate questions, arguing that expanding existing infrastructure would likely cost less than building a new line. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Carney for maintaining the northern tanker ban and argued the private sector should build the project without government ownership.

For now, the referral to the Major Projects Office formally starts the federal review process. Ottawa plans to decide by October 1, 2026, whether to designate the pipeline a national-interest project under the Building Canada Act, while Indigenous consultations begin immediately. Smith, who has said Alberta should double oil production to 8 million barrels per day over the next 10 to 15 years, called the proposal transformational infrastructure that would generate lasting wealth for Canada.

JBizNews Desk | Calgary, Alberta
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) On the seventh day of July, 1888, a ship docked at Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson from lower Manhattan, and a crowd surged forward to catch a glimpse of one man. By some accounts a hundred thousand people had gathered. The immigrant masses of the Lower East Side — Jews who had fled the villages and cities of the Russian Empire’s Pale of Settlement for the chaos of the treifah medinah — had, for one shining moment, their own gadol. Rabbi Jacob Joseph, the Vilna Maggid, “Rav Yaakov Charif,” had come to be Chief Rabbi of New York.

A Talmid of the famed Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l, and the Rav of whom the RJJ Yeshiva would be named after, he would tragically pass away fourteen years later on the 24th of Tammuz, paralyzed and penniless at the age of sixty-two.

His levaya would draw more than fifty thousand mourners — and end in a riot, with debris hurled from a factory window onto the heads of Jews who had come to honor him. Between those two crowds lies one of the most heartbreaking, and ultimately most instructive, stories in American Jewish history.

From the Pale to the Yerushalayim of Lita

Rav Jacob Joseph was born in 1840 in Krozhe (Kražiai), a town in the province of Kovno (Kaunas), in what was then Czarist Russia and is today Lithuania. This was the heartland of Litvishe Yiddishkeit — a region of dense Torah scholarship where the misnagdisha tradition of rigorous, intellectual Talmud study reigned. He drank deeply from its wellsprings, studying in the Nevyozer Kloiz under Rav Yisrael Salanter zt”l, the father of the Mussar movement, and in the great yeshiva of Volozhin under the Netziv. In Volozhin his brilliance earned him the title by which he would forever be known — “Rav Yaakov Charif,” Rabbi Jacob the Sharp.

The Mussar Maggid

What is often forgotten is that Rabbi Joseph was not merely a brilliant lamdan but a devoted disciple of the mussar movement. Around 1875, he established a yeshiva in Kovno built on the mussar model of his rebbe, Rav Yisrael Salanter, gathering young men and laboring to plant in their hearts refined middos and yiras Shamayim. He would infuse mussar into his talmidim gently — b’ketzev u’v’hagbalah, in measure and with restraint — never overwhelming them, but drawing them steadily toward good character and upright conduct. His whole approach, mind and heart together, remained thorough mussar, and the bond he formed with Rav Yisrael Salanter would shape him for the rest of his life.

He served as rav in a succession of Lithuanian communities — first in Vilon, then for several years as rav and av beis din in Yurburg (Jurbarkas), a town of dense Jewish population on the banks of the Neman River near the Prussian border, and afterward in Zhagory (Žagarė), whose community actively sought him out.

Everywhere he went, his fame as a darshan and a baal mussar spread.

But there is a detail in his years of rabbanus that is as revealing as it is heartbreaking. Rabbi Joseph was a man of overflowing acharayus and generosity of spirit — who could not bear to see the poor of his community suffer. Time and again he would borrow money from the local parnasim against his own future salary in order to relieve the needy. He did this in Vilon, in Yurburg, in Zhagory, and later in Vilna — and the debts followed him from town to town, growing heavier with the years. “Yaakov sought to dwell in tranquility,” as the phrase from the parsha goes; but tranquility never came. His own kindness kept him perpetually in the red, so that even before he ever set foot in America he was, in a sense, a rav who had impoverished himself for his people.

Maggid of Vilna

In the summer of 1883 came the appointment that would define him. The holy community of Vilna — a city so exalted in Torah that it was called the “Yerushalayim of Lita,” the Jerusalem of Lithuania — selected him as its maggid, its official preacher. Because Vilna, out of its own reverence, had famously appointed no official chief rav, enormous spiritual authority devolved upon the maggid, who addressed the entire community on fixed occasions. Rabbi Joseph succeeded in this role the renowned Rav Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, later known the world over as the Ridvaz. His derashos in Vilna were legendary — a rare fusion of penetrating lomdus, machshavah, and mussar, delivered with a power that could move an entire congregation to teshuvah. Crowds of scholars would stand pressed together to hear him, and even his opponents conceded the force of his words.

The Parable of the Stones

Not everyone in Vilna welcomed his appointment; some rose in opposition. In his very first derashah, rather than answer them with rebuke, Rabbi Joseph told a mashal that captured his whole approach to conflict. If a man hurls a stone at a heap of ordinary stones, he said, he does no more than add to the heap — or damage it. But when a person who is whole and at peace within himself is struck with insults and abuse, those very stones become, to him, precious gems.

A man full of shalom is not diminished by what is thrown at him; he transforms it into something valuable. It was a philosophy of leadership he would need, more than he could then have imagined, in the years ahead.

Why America Needed Him — and Why He Almost Didn’t Come

To understand what drew New York’s Jews to a Rav and maggid in distant Vilna, one must understand the political and demographic earthquake underway. In the aftermath of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II (among whom’s assassin was a pregnant Jewish female anarchist) – there were massive anti-Semitism and pogroms.   Between 1881 and 1924, driven by pogroms, the May Laws, and grinding economic persecution in the Russian Empire, some two and a half million Central and Eastern European Jews would flee to the United States.

They poured into the tenements of the Lower East Side of Manhattan — and they arrived into a spiritual vacuum. There was no organized kehillah, no chief rabbinate, no communal self-discipline of the kind that had governed Jewish life in Europe.

Unlike in Britain, where the Chief Rabbinate enjoyed official government recognition, the American First Amendment guaranteed that no government would ever appoint or empower a rabbi. Order, if it came, would have to come from the community itself.

The Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations — a federation of eighteen synagogues headed by the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol on Norfolk Street, founded back in 1852 — set out to find such a rav. In their letters they made clear they were not seeking a preacher merely, but a scholar who was a gaon in Torah, a master of upright middos and yiras Hashem, beloved and respected by all who knew him, who could with Hashem’s help restore Torah to their land.

Rabbi Joseph was not so eager to leave Vilna.

It was well known that America was a treifah medinah, and that it was largely the less observant of the European masses who had emigrated there. But seeing also the significance of building Torah in a new land, he accepted. His own Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Salanter had left Kovno and had settled in Koenigsberg Germany, precisely for that reason as well, and Rav Yaakov Yosef would follow suit.  Indeed, it was in Koenigsberg that Rav Salnter had first anonymously published the Tomer Devorah with an anonymously penned “Igeres HaMussar” that was eventually re-published by Rav Yitzchok Blahzer with some changes. 

His reply was a model of humility: he protested that he was unworthy of such honor, and davened that Hashem grant him success in the holy work. In one letter he wrote movingly that he was taking the position not “for bread and salt” — not for parnasah — but only to teach Torah and to spread it, invoking the words of Dovid HaMelech, “the way of Your mitzvos I will run, for You have broadened my heart.” Other gedolim who had been approached — among them the son of Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor and Rav Tzvi Hirsch Rabinovitch — hesitated to make the journey; it was Rabbi Joseph who ultimately answered the call.

When word spread through Vilna that its beloved maggid would cross the sea to serve as chief rabbi in a distant land, the city was thrown into turmoil. Delegations of the community’s most prominent laymen, together with his devoted talmidim, came to plead with him not to abandon his post. His own brother, Reb Avraham, wrote him a letter of parting so tender that it survives to this day — praising him as a man precious in their eyes, sharp of mind and full of yiras Shamayim, and lamenting that New York was drawing away the crown of Vilna’s beis midrash. Fittingly, Rabbi Joseph tied his farewell derashah to Parshas Lech Lecha — Hashem’s command to Avraham to “go forth from your land” toward an unknown destiny — and blessed the assembled kehillah before he departed.

Vilna would never quite forgive America for taking him.

The Grand Arrival

The crossing brought him on the German steamship Aller, which reached the harbor at the close of Shabbos. The Association had arranged everything through its representative, and Rabbi Joseph was lodged over Shabbos at a hotel near the waterfront, remaining there through the day. On Motzaei Shabbos the carriages of the communal delegations came for him, and the wagons of the welcoming crowds filled the streets so densely that the city itself seemed to halt.

It was a scene without precedent for an immigrant rav — the kind of reception a European Jew fleeing the Czar could hardly have imagined in the New World. He was escorted to a home provided for him at the corner of Henry and Jefferson Streets, in the heart of the Lower East Side. When he entered, the assembled dignitaries rose and waited on his words; he opened with divrei chizuk, and the parnas who headed the delegation declared that the honor was not theirs to give but Hashem’s to bestow — a chesed granted before it was even asked.

Yet the warmth was not universal.

The Reform-controlled Anglo-Jewish press mocked him as a foreigner who understood nothing of America; the New York Tribune ran a column pointedly headlined “Will He Be an Autocrat?” Even some native Orthodox spokesmen bristled at the idea of submitting to a newcomer who spoke no English.

But when he delivered his first public sermon on Shabbos Nachamu at the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, the building was packed to bursting. Crowds who could not get in filled Norfolk Street between Grand and Broome, clamoring for a foothold in the doorway, and police had to be called just to keep order.

His oratory was of a different character than the immigrants were used to — refined, measured Ashkenazic Yiddish, weighing each word, never flailing his arms or swaying in the demonstrative manner of the Galician and Russian maggidim, but reasoning in the manner of the truly great darshanim.

The sermon was a triumph, reported favorably even by the anti-Orthodox press.

Israel and the Centennial

One episode from his early years deserves to be far better known, for it shatters the caricature of Rabbi Joseph as a foreigner incapable of embracing America. In the spring of 1889, the United States prepared to mark the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as first president. Rabbi Joseph issued a stirring Hebrew “Kol Korei” — a public proclamation — calling upon the Jews of America to join, heart and soul, in the national celebration. The New York Herald of April 20, 1889 reported it under the headline: “Israel and the Centennial — Chief Rabbi Jacob Joseph Issues an Eloquent Proclamation, Inviting the Hebrews of America to Join Heart and Soul in the Celebration of Washington’s Inauguration.”

In it he invoked hakaras hatov — gratitude — to the country that had opened its gates to the persecuted Jews of the Old World and granted them freedom and refuge. Here was the same immigrant the Reform press had dismissed as hopelessly foreign, summoning American Jewry to patriotism and thankfulness toward their new home.

Cleaning Up the Chaos

When Rabbi Joseph arrived, New York’s kashrus was in a state of absolute anarchy. Kosher shechitah was scattered among some fifteen small butcheries, many employing shochtim of questionable learning and yiras shamayim, all beholden to the abattoir owners. In most slaughterhouses, the halachically required bedikah – the examination of the lungs was simply skipped — the owners would not spare the shochet the time.

Rabbi Joseph went to work. He tested every shochet, replaced the unqualified, and brought in thirty or forty more from Europe. He ordered that all lungs be examined. He invented the plumba the lead seals — and ordered that they be affixed to every kosher carcass and to the leg of every kosher fowl, and he appointed mashgichim to travel from slaughterhouse to slaughterhouse inspecting the chalafim – the knives.

When his system, at first confined to downtown, proved its worth, pious Jews living uptown clamored to have it extended to their neighborhoods; a meeting was held for that purpose at Bloomingdale’s Rooms on 60th Street and Third Avenue. (Only later, in 1930, would it be expanded to the full city block that it is now).

Rav Yaakov Yoseph threw himself into education as well, taking a personal role in the young Yeshiva Etz Chaim on the Lower East Side — the first yeshiva in America, forerunner of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary — visiting to farher the older bochurim himself, and helping newly arrived Talmidei Chachomim find their footing with semichah and positions.

Ties to the Gedolim of Yerushalayim

Even from across the ocean, Rabbi Joseph remained bound to the great Torah centers of the Old World. Throughout his American years he maintained a strong and constant connection with the gedolim of Yerushalayim, corresponding with Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin — the Maharil Diskin of Brisk — and with Rav Shmuel Salant, among others.

Letters between them survive, including correspondence with the Central Committee of the Ashkenazic community of Jerusalem. The tzedakah component of his kashrus system was bound up, too, with supporting the poor and the institutions of Eretz Yisrael. He was a Lithuanian gadol transplanted to Manhattan who never severed the roots that had formed him.

For a time — and it is important to remember this — there was genuine ahavah around him. In the first period of his tenure a great love enveloped the Gaon Rav Yaakov Yosef; his derashos left a powerful impression and were the talk of the community, and admiring articles filled the Yiddish papers of New York. Had the story ended there, it would have been a triumph. But the golden hour did not last.

The Torah He Left Behind

The year he was called to New York, Rabbi Joseph had published his one sefer, L’Beis Yaakov (Vilna, 1888) — a collection of drashos and chiddushim on the parsha. It is a window into the mind of this tzaddik and Gadol, and its themes are hauntingly prophetic of the life that awaited him.

On Parshas Matos, he takes up the request of the Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven, who came to Moshe asking to settle on the eastern bank of the Yarden. The Midrash faults them: they built pens for their flocks before homes for their children, placing their money before their souls. Rabbi Joseph, quoting the words of Koheles — “the heart of the wise man is on his right, and the heart of the fool on his left” — probes precisely how a person orders his priorities, what he treats as ikkar, the essential, and what he relegates to tafel, the secondary.

It is the question of a leader who would spend his life insisting that the community place its spiritual welfare — its kashrus, its chinuch, its Shabbos — above the convenience of cheaper meat.

On Parshas Va’eschanan, he addresses the anguished tefillah of Moshe Rabbeinu, who begged to enter Eretz Yisrael and was refused. Rabbi Joseph draws out how a tzaddik pleads for undeserved kindness — slach na — asking the Ribbono shel Olam to act not according to strict measure but with grace and mercy.

In his derashos on Parshas Lech Lecha — the very parsha he chose for his farewell to Vilna — he dwells at length on Avraham Avinu and the ideal of serving Hashem lishmah, purely for its own sake, with no thought of reward. Citing the mishnah in Avos that one should not be like a servant who serves his master in order to receive a prize, Rabbi Joseph wrestles with the paradox that Avraham Avinu, who served with utter selflessness and expected nothing, was showered with reward precisely because he sought none.

He draws, too, the contrast between mitzvos performed b’tzin’a — quietly and modestly, like the tzedakah that the Gemara says exceeds even the greatness of Moshe Rabbeinu — and the public kiddush Hashem of b’farhesya, the open sanctification of Hashem’s Name that spreads emunah and inspires a generation.

Avraham Avinu’s calling, he explains, was the latter: to publicize the Name of Hashem in the world and plant belief in the hearts of others. It is impossible not to hear, in these lines, a foreshadowing of the author’s own life — a public avodah of building visible Torah for an entire immigrant community, undertaken lishmah and rewarded, in this world, with almost nothing.

And on Parshas Shoftim, discussing why the Torah interrupts the laws of war to speak of the eglah arufah — the ceremony over an unsolved murder — he explores how acts of harshness and acts of mercy each have their proper place, and how a person’s maasim and deeds ripple outward far beyond his own intention. He writes there, too, of the tragedy of the great man whose forceful nature, meant to serve holiness, is misdirected by the world around him. Read against the life he was about to live, these derashos are almost prophetic in their foresight.

The Tragedy

His accomplishments were real and lasting. This author believes that the plumba lasted well into the 21st century – before every place bought their own plastic covering machines and printed labels.

But the office itself was doomed. To fund his hechsher – supervision, a small charge was placed on kosher meat and poultry — an arrangement that the leading gedolim of Lithuania had formally endorsed in a signed proclamation supporting a tzedakah levy for the poor.

The housewives protested the added pennies.

The butchers and shochtim, freed for the first time in years from doing as they pleased, resented the discipline. Rival rabbis, whose independent hashgacha income now dried up, joined the assault — and branded the fee “korobka,” the hated tax the Czarist government had imposed on kosher meat back in Russia. Once that emotional charge was hurled, reasoned discussion was over. The socialist and anti-religious Yiddish press — voices that opposed the very idea of a centralized Orthodox authority — pounced, painting the Chief Rabbi as a robber of the poor and even spreading false rumors about his personal life. Let’s recall this was the same media that held Yom Kippur Balls.

Then came the geographic fracture. The Jews of the Lower East Side were not one community but many — Litvaks, Poles, Galicians, Romanians, Hungarians — each carrying the loyalties of its region of origin.

Because the Chief Rabbi and his dayanim were all Litvaks, the Galician and Chassidic Jews felt shut out.

In 1889 the Sherpser Rav, Rabbi Yehoshua Segal — who had come from Galicia and commanded a wide following among Galician and Chassidic immigrants — was proclaimed a rival “Chief Rabbi” by two East Side congregations. Then in 1893 a third claimant, Rabbi Vidorowitz, arrived from Moscow and declared himself Chief Rabbi of the entire United States and Canada. The title, once a beacon of hope, curdled into a mockery. Rival batei din issued competing hashgachos on the very same slaughterhouses, and the chaos only deepened.

Through it all, the parable of the stones proved prophetic. When his own supporters tried to publicly brand his rabbinic opponents’ supervision as treifah, Rabbi Joseph stopped them. “They need their hashgacha for parnasah,” he protested.

Even bloodied and humiliated in the Yiddish press, he would not sink to attacking others in the low, vicious manner in which he was being attacked. Perhaps, the historians observe, he was simply too modest and too humble to survive the rough-and-tumble of the New World.

Nowhere was his character clearer than in his public derashos. On one Erev Yom Kippur he stood before his community and led them in a searing bakashas mechila — a request for forgiveness — pleading with them to forgive one another and to make shalom – peace. The nations of the world, he observed, live by the verse “by your sword you shall live”; but we, Klal Yisrael, seek forgiveness and pursue peace. It was the same neshamah that had told the parable of the stones in Vilna, now poured out on the shores of a new and unforgiving world.

By the mid-1890s the Association could no longer pay him; the butchers took over the payment of his salary and then, by 1895, refused to continue; and the Chief Rabbi of New York was left penniless once more — as he had so often been in Europe, though now with no community able to redeem him.

Around 1897, he fell vistim to a stroke r”l, leaving him bedridden for his final years. He was still, in name, the Chief Rabbi in the spring of 1902 when the great kosher meat boycott erupted — four hundred East Side butchers and then twenty thousand women, led by Fanny Levy and Sarah Edelson, taking to the streets, smashing shop windows and setting meat ablaze to protest a sudden spike in prices — but he lay paralyzed and largely forgotten. He passed away on the 21st of Tammuz, 1902, at the age of sixty-two, his sufferings having taken their toll.

The Honor Withheld, and Then Restored

In death came the honor that New York City had denied him. Forty rabbis gathered at his kever, each vying to deliver the hesped – the eulogy. Congregations competed for the privilege of burying him; the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol won the right, interring him in its plot at Union Field Cemetery in Ridgewood, Queens, where the graves nearest his became instantly precious. More than fifty thousand Jews escorted him — one of the largest funerals New York had ever seen.

It should have been his vindication. Instead, as the cortege passed the R. Hoe & Company printing-press factory at 504 Grand Street, workers hurled water, wood, iron, and paper down onto the mourners, and two hundred policemen came in with swinging clubs. Jewish oral tradition long blamed Irish antisemitism, though more recent research suggests the factory hands were largely German. Either way, even his funeral could not be spared tumult — stones, once more, thrown at a man of peace.

And yet his name endures. The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School — RJJ, carries his memory forward to this day, a beis medrash that would shape generations.  

The “Mama Yeshiva,” as it was affectionately called by students and supporters, was created by Rabbi Jacob Joseph and Rabbi Samuel Andron in 1900. After Rabbi Joseph’s passing two years later, Rabbi Andron renamed the school for his friend.  After Rabbi Joseph’s death, his son Raphael and Samuel I. Andron obtained a charter from the New York Board of Regents in 1903 to establish a school in his name. The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School was known for its rigorous Talmudic curriculum and remains open to students from nursery age through the twelfth grade.

Its founders originally established the school on Manhattan’s Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. It moved to Henry Street in 1907, and expanded to a second building in 1914. Lazarus Joseph (1891–1966), grandson of Rabbi Jacob Joseph, and New York state senator and New York City Comptroller, played an active role as a board member in the school.

A great-grandson who bore his name, Captain Jacob Joseph, gave his life at Guadalcanal as the youngest captain in the United States Marine Corps; a Lower East Side playground, bounded by Henry and Rutgers Streets, honors him still.

Rav Yaakov Yoseph writes, in his sefer L’Beis Yaakov, that the mark of a person is what he treats as ikkar and what as tafel — whether he builds pens for his flocks before homes for his children.

He then lived a life in which he placed the community’s collective neshamah above every personal comfort, and was broken for it. He explained that a person’s highest avodah is when it is done lishmah, for its own sake and not for reward — and he received, from this world, far less than his due. And he taught, in a Vilna parable that would become the story of his life, that a man of true shalom is not diminished by the stones hurled at him, but transforms them into gems.

But the ledger in Shamayim is not the ledger of those East Side butchers who destroyed him. A man is measured not by whether his mission succeeded in the eyes of the world, but by the yearning of his heart and the integrity of his conduct. By that measure — the measure of a baal mussar who impoverished himself for the poor of every town he served, who came not for money and fame but to spread Torah, who would not slander even his tormentors, who spent himself utterly for Klal Yisrael, lishmah — Rabbi Jacob Joseph, “Rav Yaakov Charif,” the beloved Chief Rabbi of New York, stands very tall indeed. Yehei zichro Boruch!

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Russia launched waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv early Monday, killing at least 18 people in an attack that exposed widening gaps in Ukraine’s air defenses, local authorities said.

All of the ballistic missiles launched by Russia struck their targets, underscoring Kyiv’s worsening shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. The attack came hours after Ukraine’s president warned that a large-scale attack was imminent.

A further 60 people were wounded, according to local officials, as emergency workers combed through rubble looking for survivors at residential high-rise buildings in two locations that suffered direct hits.

The new attack came days after a Russian strike killed 31 people in the capital on Thursday, the deadliest for the capital this year. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the bombardment was retaliation for Ukraine’s recent long-range strikes, which have caused severe fuel shortages and pressured President Vladimir Putin.

More than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine’s advances in drone technology have given it an edge in recent months, analysts and Western officials say. Strikes on supply routes behind the front line have stripped the Russian army of momentum on the battlefield, they say, slowing its advance and driving up the cost.

But Russia is now exploiting a different kind of momentum: vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s air defenses, which remain heavily reliant on the U.S. Patriot systems to intercept ballistic missiles it can rarely shoot down any other way. The war in the Middle East has strained the global supply of Patriot interceptors, already produced in limited numbers — a shortage now most of all being felt in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at the country overnight, targeting mainly Kyiv, and 29 ballistic missiles that were launched struck their targets, underscoring how little Ukraine can do to stop them.

“To intercept ballistics, we need the means for interception,” Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on national television, commenting on the attack. “Russians are certainly using the fact that there is a serious deficit of interceptor missiles now, in Ukraine and the world.”

Ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Ukrainian forces had performed well against drones and cruise missiles but not against Russian ballistic missiles — a shortfall he blamed on insufficient interceptor supplies. He urged U.S. and European partners to leave the summit with strong decisions to bolster Ukraine’s air defense and protect civilian lives.

“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep “vanquishing” residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he said in a statement following the attack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack targeted weapons factories in Kyiv, including sites it said produce drones, sea drones, armored vehicles and missiles, as well as facilities that repair air defense systems and fuel and energy infrastructure in the city and surrounding region. The claims could not be independently verified.

Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukraine have repeatedly hit civilian areas. More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war, according to the United Nations.

“These are residential buildings. Places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, in a post on Telegram.

A residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed, he said. In the Darnytsia district, several multistory buildings were damaged and people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Khrystyna Piatetska, 20, a resident of Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, said she began screaming after the first strike, which was followed by a second blast that blew out the windows in her apartment building.

The lights went out, the smell of burning filled the air and the stairwell was thick with smoke, she said.

“When we were leaving the building, bodies were lying there,” Piatetska said. “When we got downstairs, cars started exploding, and we came out from under the rubble straight into the fire.”

Halina Ivanivna, a 61-year-old Kyiv resident, said she woke to the sound of the first strike at around 2 a.m. Moments later, her apartment building began to collapse around her.

“Everything was falling down,” she said. Water poured through the building as smoke filled the air while emergency crews rushed to evacuate residents.

About five minutes after the initial impact, a second strike hit, she said.

Meanwhile, an energy provider in Russia-occupied Crimea reported a blackout across the peninsula due to “external impact.” The Moscow-appointed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said Ukrainian attacks cut power supplies to the city early Monday, but it was later restored using backup equipment.

Russia’s Yaroslavl region Gov. Mikhail Yavrayev said two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of the same name. He said over 70 Ukrainian drones were downed as they attacked the city. Yavrayev didn’t say if any facilities were damaged, but Astra online news outlet said the attack targeted an oil refinery in the city, causing a fire.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 519 Ukrainian drones overnight.

(AP)

IDF officers and Lebanese Army officers have opened a U.S.-mediated communication channel in recent days to establish clear criteria for what qualifies as a “Hezbollah-free zone” ahead of a planned pilot Israeli withdrawal from two villages in southern Lebanon, according to a report on Kan News.

A source familiar with the details told Kan that Lebanese officials understand Israel’s need for clear benchmarks, particularly in light of past experience and longstanding ambiguity over what exactly constitutes an area free of Hezbollah presence. At this stage, Lebanon is not pressing Israel to begin the withdrawal immediately, even though the process is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

In the past, Israel passed intelligence to the Lebanese Army through the mechanism regarding Hezbollah activity, but that information was leaked to the terror group. This time, as part of the new discussions, Israel provided Lebanon with a list of Lebanese officers — some of them relatively senior — who were previously suspected of passing information to Hezbollah, along with a demand that they not be included in the new mechanism.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a small meeting Sunday night with senior defense officials focused on Lebanon. So far, Israel has not withdrawn from the two pilot areas, and an Israeli source told Kan that Jerusalem is “waiting for confirmation from the Lebanese Army and from U.S. Central Command that the Lebanese forces are ready to enter and take control of the areas chosen for the pilot.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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The Israeli Navy has significantly reinforced its forces in the Eilat area following Shin Bet chief Dovid Zini’s warning of a possible enemy infiltration into the city, Maariv reported on Sunday.

Advanced “Super Dvora” patrol boats have been deployed to the Red Sea area, combining powerful fire capabilities and rapid response, as part of the Navy’s security measures to protect Eilat.

One of the main challenges in defending Eilat is the lack of maritime depth, as the defense buffer opposite Jordan and Egypt consists of only a few hundred meters. The Navy’s current operational concept relies on fast Tzira-class patrol boats to respond to infiltrations by jet skis or swimmers, alongside larger “Dvor” and “Dvora” patrol boats designed to counter larger-scale incursions.

A military official in the Southern Command said that the 80th “Edom” Division, which is responsible for securing the area, continues operating with its regular force deployment and is prepared for a wide range of threats.

“We are preparing for every scenario you can think of,” the official said. “We understand there is a broad spectrum of threats we must be ready for—from the Egyptian and Jordanian borders, to the maritime border, possible Houthi activity, and other terrorist organizations.”

The IDF sought to downplay any direct connection between the naval reinforcement and Zini’s warning. A military official stated, “The Navy’s deployment in the Eilat sector is based on operational assessments conducted by the Naval Forces. There is no connection between the changes in force deployment and the reinforcement of naval vessels in the Red Sea and the statements made by Shin Bet chief David Zini.”

However, military analysts have cast doubts on the IDF’s statements regarding threats to Eilat. Shortly after Zini’s warning regarding Eilat was revealed, reports emerged that a suspicious vessel intercepted off the coast of Eilat several weeks earlier was likely an enemy unmanned surface craft designed for intelligence gathering or carrying explosives. Even after the incident was revealed, at least one military analyst asserted that “someone is hiding the full truth about the incident.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The race to commercialize quantum computing reached another milestone Thursday as IQM Quantum Computers made its public market debut, but investors gave the Finnish technology company a cautious welcome.

Shares of IQM fell about 3.4% on their first day of trading on the Nasdaq, after the company completed a $1.8 billion merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The company now trades under the ticker IQMX, becoming the first European quantum computing company listed on a major U.S. exchange.

Trading was volatile throughout the session.

The stock dropped as much as 7.5% before recovering some losses to close lower, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding valuations for companies operating in one of the world’s newest and most promising technologies.

IQM reached the public market through a merger with Real Asset Acquisition Corp., a SPAC created to acquire a private business. The transaction valued the Finnish company at approximately $1.8 billion before additional capital was raised.

The deal generated roughly $233 million in new funding through the merger and a related private investment. Following the transaction, IQM expects to hold more than $450 million in cash, giving the company significant resources to continue developing its technology.

Quantum computing is an expensive business.

Building quantum computers requires specialized equipment operating at temperatures close to absolute zero, along with years of intensive research and engineering before commercial returns can be realized.

Unlike many startups, IQM already has paying customers.

The company develops complete quantum computing systems—including hardware, software, and cloud-based access—and serves research institutions and national computing centers such as VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Germany’s Leibniz Supercomputing Centre.

According to the company, it has built more than 30 quantum computers, delivered 18 systems to customers, and expanded its customer base from eight paying clients in 2024 to 22 during 2025.

Even so, the business remains in its early stages.

IQM generated approximately $36 million in annual revenue during its latest fiscal year and has yet to report a profit. Chief Executive and co-founder Jan Goetz has argued that IQM stands apart from many competitors because it is already delivering working machines rather than simply pursuing laboratory research.

One disclosure in the company’s prospectus drew particular attention.

IQM warned investors that large-scale commercial adoption of quantum computing may never occur. While similar risk disclosures appear throughout the industry, the unusually direct language highlighted the uncertainty that still surrounds the technology despite growing investor enthusiasm.

The company enters a rapidly expanding market.

Several quantum computing companies have pursued public listings during 2026, many through SPAC mergers. Rival Infleqtion debuted on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this month, while companies including Pasqal of France and Xanadu Quantum Technologies of Canada have also announced plans to access public markets.

Investors remain cautious after the previous SPAC boom in 2021, when many highly valued startups later struggled to meet expectations.

Competition is also intense.

IQM’s superconducting technology competes directly with systems being developed by IBM, Google, and publicly traded Rigetti Computing, while rivals including IonQ, D-Wave, and Quantinuum are pursuing different quantum computing architectures.

Government investment continues to accelerate the sector.

President Donald Trump has signed executive actions intended to strengthen U.S. leadership in quantum technology, while the U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of deploying a scientifically useful, fully reliable quantum computer by 2028.

IQM has already established a research center in Maryland and installed a quantum computer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, giving the Finnish company an expanding presence in the American market.

For investors, the opportunity is significant—but so is the risk.

Quantum computing has the potential to transform industries ranging from pharmaceutical research and advanced materials to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Yet meaningful commercial adoption could still take years, and companies like IQM continue investing heavily while generating relatively modest revenue.

Thursday’s subdued market debut suggests Wall Street remains optimistic about quantum computing’s long-term promise while remaining cautious about how quickly that promise will translate into profits.

The company also began trading in Helsinki, maintaining a home-market listing alongside its new U.S. shares. For now, IQM has capital, customers, and ambitious growth plans—but investors are still deciding what that future is worth.

JBizNews Desk | Helsinki

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As the Knesset advances the legislation for Basic Law: Limmud Torah, senior officials at the Finance Ministry have launched an incitement campaign against the law, cloaked in analytical jargon, claiming that the law could cost the Israeli economy hundreds of billions of shekels and increase the burden of reserve duty on those who serve.

“The Finance Ministry strongly opposes the bill and warns that if the right to Torah study is elevated above the principle of equality, it will severely distort budgetary priorities and redirect substantial government resources and benefits,” ministry officials said. “The ministry further clarifies that because of the bill’s broad wording, it is currently impossible to estimate its precise cost, but it presents serious economic and legal risks to the Israeli economy.”

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich rejected the position taken by his ministry’s professional staff, saying: “This is complete ignorance. The law won’t cost a single shekel.”

UK MK Uri Maklev responded to the incitement campaign by stating: “This is not a professional document—it’s a document filled with delusions, incitement, and lies, designed to turn a value-based law into a budgetary law and measure the Torah world through Treasury spreadsheets.”

“With just a few words in the proposed law, they’ve already managed to jump to budget allocations, government funding, public services, and employment. The only thing they didn’t claim is that the law will have a dramatic impact on the global economy—but they wrote everything else.”

“Limmud Torah is the lifeblood of the Jewish people throughout the generations. A state must recognize its foundational values, and in a Jewish state, Limmud Torah is a central and fundamental value.”

The Shas party also issued a statement, saying: “We’re seeing a panic campaign being waged by Finance Ministry officials against the Basic Law: Limmud Torah, based on false propaganda, fabricated data, and baseless fear-mongering.

“The public no longer takes seriously officials who exploit their positions to advance a political agenda. The overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens respect the Torah and value those who devote themselves to its study.”

“Shas will continue to stand firmly alongside Lomdei Torah scholars, and at the same time will continue to assist and support IDF soldiers and reservists.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)