MatzavMortgage rates declined again this week, reaching their lowest point in nearly three years, though housing market activity continues to show signs of weakness.
Freddie Mac reported that the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.01 percent, down from 6.09 percent the previous week. At this time last year, the same loan averaged 6.85 percent.
“This lower rate environment is not only improving affordability for prospective homebuyers, it’s also strengthening the financial position of homeowners,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.
Khater added that refinancing demand has surged compared to last year, noting that applications have more than doubled. That increase has enabled many recent buyers to cut thousands of dollars from their yearly mortgage costs.
Rates on 15-year fixed mortgages, commonly used for refinancing, also moved lower, declining to 5.35 percent — the lowest level recorded since October 2024.
The easing in mortgage rates follows a recent decline in the 10-year Treasury yield, which typically influences home loan rates.
After beginning 2025 near the 7 percent mark, longer-term mortgage rates started to ease in July as investors adjusted expectations in anticipation of Federal Reserve rate reductions.
While the lower rates have modestly improved buying power for consumers, they have not yet translated into a meaningful rebound in home sales.
According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes dropped 8.4 percent in January compared to December, marking the sharpest monthly decline in almost four years.
Severe winter conditions likely played a role in slowing activity, but elevated home prices also remain a barrier. The median price for an existing home climbed to $396,800 in January — a record for the month — amid continued limited inventory. That figure represented the 31st straight month of annual price increases, NAR reported.
Industry analysts expect mortgage rates to remain in the low-6 percent range throughout 2026, suggesting that additional rate declines may be modest.
Jake Krimmel, senior economist at Realtor.com, cautioned that even if borrowing costs fall further, the persistent shortage of homes could offset any benefit.
“Without a significant return of supply through the easing of the mortgage ‘lock-in effect,’ lower rates may simply reignite competition and spike prices,” Krimmel said.
{Matzav.com}
MatzavU.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee delivered a blunt message to Tehran, saying Iran must agree to a comprehensive deal dismantling its nuclear ambitions or risk American military force.
In an interview with Fox News, Huckabee stressed that Iranian leaders should take President Donald Trump’s warnings seriously and not assume they are rhetorical.
“If there’s not a deal, and a deal means they get rid of their nuclear enrichment, they don’t have any more aspirations for nuclear weapon, they quit killing their citizens, and they start lowering the inventory of ballistic missiles and especially the range – if they don’t do that, President Trump has said there is no deal,” said the Ambassador.
Huckabee added that any miscalculation by Iran regarding Trump’s resolve would be a serious mistake. “If they don’t believe President Trump will do what he says in a military action, then they’re not real smart and they certainly have a short memory. They don’t remember what happened to them last summer,” he said, referencing U.S. strikes carried out in June against Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer.
Turning to the situation in Gaza, Huckabee addressed the aftermath of the war and President Trump’s recent inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, which is tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts in the region.
“The great tragedy of Gaza is that it could have been Singapore, but Hamas turned it into Haiti. They built an underground system of tunnels that is larger than the London Underground, over 500 miles of tunnels, to the express purpose of carrying out terrorist activities,” he said.
Huckabee also made clear that, in his view, Israel should not be responsible for funding the rebuilding of Gaza under current circumstances.
“Absolutely not, and I’ll tell you if anything, there ought to be reparations to Israel for the extraordinary fight that they have had to conduct to get their hostages back – 252, including many Americans – and to pay reparations to the families for the 1,200 people who were murdered, massacred and mutilated by these hideous disgusting savages of Hamas,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Moshe Nusbacher zt”l, a revered talmid chacham who devoted his life to spreading Torah and yiras Shamayim within the batei midrash while remaining remarkably unassuming. Known as a profound talmid chochom and a master of Toras hanistar, he passed away at the age of 78.
Rav Nusbacher was born on the 25th of Elul 5707 to his father, Rav Avraham Yosef Nusbacher.
In his youth, he studied at Yeshivas Or Yisrael L’tzeirim in Petach Tikvah, where he absorbed Torah from the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yosef Rozovsky.
He later continued his learning at Yeshivas Ponovezh, cleaving closely to the roshei yeshiva, Rav Shmuel Rozovsky and Rav Mordechai Shlomo Berman.
Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife, Rebbetzin Yonah, a daughter of the Chabad mashpia, Rav Nachum Goldschmidt.
Rebbetzin Yonah leads spiritual support and guidance for women and girls rescued from Arab villages by Yad L’Achim.
Together, Rav Moshe and his wife established a home firmly founded upon Torah and yirah. For many years, Rav Nusbacher delivered shiurim with penetrating depth and exceptional clarity.
Over the course of his life, he served as rosh kollel in Ramat Hasharon, a ram at Yeshivas Or Yosef in Chadeira, was among the founders of Yeshivas Shaarei Dovid Premishlan, and served as one of the roshei yeshiva at Yeshivas Shaar HaTalmud in Kiryat Herzog. He also headed Kollel Adabra Be’eidosecha.
He was deeply connected, heart and soul, to Rav Dovid Chai Abuchatzeira of Nahariya, who described him as one of the hidden tzaddikim of the generation whose true greatness was known to few, a towering talmid chochom in the hidden dimensions of Torah.
He merited to leave behind an outstanding mishpacha. Among his sons are Rav Yechezkel Nusbacher, author of the sefarim Adabra Be’eidosecha; Rav Nachum Nusbacher, rosh yeshiva of Shaar HaTalmud; and Rav Shalom Nusbacher.
The levayah took place at his home at 17 Rechov Harav Herzog in Bnei Brak and proceeded to Segulah Cemetery in Petach Tikvah for kevurah.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
MatzavSen. John Fetterman (D-PA) forcefully criticized the prospect of a renewed agreement with Iran, describing the Islamic Republic as a “cancer” and arguing that only strength can deter its nuclear ambitions.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News as tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran, Fetterman questioned how the United States could permit Iran to move closer to a nuclear weapon. “How could you allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb? Now, people have always said that. Well, you know, [President Donald Trump] actually did something to actually prevent Iran from doing that,” said Fetterman.
He pointed to reports about Iran’s uranium stockpile and suggested military action may be warranted. “If they have 900 pounds of near weapons-grade uranium why wouldn’t you strike that? Why wouldn’t you hold them accountable that way? And now here we are again, and now we’ve demonstrated that’s the only thing Iran ever responds to is strength and power,” he continued.
Fetterman went further, expressing doubt that diplomacy alone would succeed and suggesting additional military measures could be necessary. He said the United States would likely have to strike again “because I don’t think you can’t really trust and negotiate with them. You can’t negotiate with cancer. You have to attack it and go right at it with superior force.”
His remarks come as the United States engages in diplomatic discussions with Iran, while at the same time increasing its military footprint in the Middle East in case negotiations collapse. President Donald Trump has ordered additional forces into the region as talks proceed.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the President is considering a limited, initial military strike intended to pressure Iran into complying with U.S. demands on a nuclear agreement.
According to the report, such a step would aim to compel Tehran to negotiate seriously without escalating into a broader war that could trigger significant retaliation.
Earlier Thursday, Trump cautioned that failure to reach a nuclear agreement would carry consequences, warning that “bad things” will happen if Iran does not come to terms.
At the same time, the President indicated that diplomatic efforts are progressing but emphasized that any accord must be substantial. “Now, we may have to take it a step further – or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days,” Trump added.
Fetterman, who has emerged as one of Israel’s most outspoken supporters within the Democratic Party, recently reiterated his backing for the Jewish state during an interview with i24NEWS.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasLATRUN (VINnews) – Former hostages Nimrod Cohen and Matan Angrest, who served in the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade, joined a ceremony on Friday marking the completion of training for new Armored Corps recruits.
The soldiers concluded a march to Yad Lashiryon, the Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum near Latrun, where they received the corps’ signature black beret.
At the event’s conclusion, Cohen and Angrest, alongside Chief Armored Officer Brig. Gen. Ohad Maor, presented certificates of excellence to outstanding trainees.
“This occasion is the fulfillment of the commandment of every soldier and commander in the IDF: no one is left behind,” Maor said during the ceremony.
“Matan and Nimrod, we are very moved that you are here. We waited for this moment. A big embrace from us,” he added.
Cohen and Angrest were abducted from their tanks by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel. Members of their tank crews were killed, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.
Both have expressed a desire to return to military service.
The emotional appearance by the two former hostages accentuate themes of resilience and solidarity within the IDF’s Armored Corps.
The Lakewood ScoopA countywide high-visibility traffic enforcement initiative aimed at curbing dangerous driving and reducing fatalities will take place in Ocean County next week, authorities announced.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, in coordination with local law enforcement agencies, will participate in the statewide “Goal: Zero” campaign on Monday, February 23, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The effort comes in response to a sharp increase in traffic deaths across New Jersey.
According to officials, 57 people have been killed on New Jersey roadways so far in 2026, including seven fatalities in Ocean County alone.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said the initiative is focused on aggressive enforcement against speeding, impaired driving, and other hazardous behaviors.
“Goal: Zero is not a slogan — it is a commitment,” Billhimer said. “Every fatal crash is preventable, and law enforcement will use every tool at its disposal to hold careless and reckless drivers accountable.”
This month’s enforcement detail is being held in remembrance of Tim O’Donnell and his five-year-old daughter, Bridget, who were killed by an impaired driver on February 22, 2016, on the New Jersey Turnpike. Following the tragedy, Tim’s wife, Pam, established the Catch You Later Foundation to promote safe driving and prevent similar incidents.
The Goal: Zero campaign was originally launched in 2024 by Holmdel Township Patrolman Matt Menosky, bringing together dozens of municipalities to address unsafe driving. The initiative is symbolized by a bright green logo representing visibility and safety, along with a black mourning band honoring lives lost in traffic crashes.
Officials emphasized that increased patrols and enforcement will be visible throughout the county during the operation, with the ultimate goal of eliminating roadway fatalities.
The Lakewood ScoopDon’t pack away your shovels and boots just yet.
According to several weather models, an upcoming storm could hit Lakewood with up to eight or more inches of snow.
The storm is expected to hit around noon on Sunday, and last through Monday afternoon.
Yeshiva World NewsThe Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel, Harav Aharon Teitelbaum, embarked on a meaningful trip this week to Romania and the United Kingdom, traveling first to Siget in honor of the yahrtzeit of his illustrious ancestor, the Kedushas Yom Tov zy”a, and then continuing on to Manchester to provide chizuk to the local Satmar kehilla.
The Rebbe departed from New York to Siget for the hilula of his zeide, the Kedushas Yom Tov zy”a. On the night of the yahrtzeit, the Rebbe held a seudas hilula together with talmidim of Yeshiva Gedolah – Etz Chaim, Shiur Gimmel. In the early morning hours, the Rebbe was oleh to the tzion, followed by Shacharis and a l’chaim with the assembled chassidim.
From Siget, the Rebbe traveled to Manchester, where he arrived in honor of the chanukas habayis of the new Heichal HaTorah “Lev Aharon” at the Satmar Beis Medrash. The Rebbe participated in a special gathering with the talmidim of the yeshiva ketanah.
During his visit, the Rebbe paid a visit to the home of the Av Beis Din of Satmar Manchester and also visited the Hordanka Rebbe. He then toured the new heichal and participated in the central chanukas habayis and Rosh Chodesh seudah.
The Rebbe was kovea mezuzos in the new heichal and held a l’chaim, followed by a special event with the children of the Talmud Torah. He later delivered divrei kodesh to the students of the Bais Chinuch for girls, further strengthening the mosdos and families of the kehilla.
A Rosh Chodesh seudah was also held at the home of the philanthropist Reb Chaim Yosef Greenfeld, after which the Rebbe departed Manchester, leaving a strong impression of chizuk and hisorerus among the kehilla and chassidim.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Vos Iz NeiasJERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike on a Hamas command center in Lebanon’s Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the coastal city of Sidon, the military announced Friday.
“The command center that was struck had been used in recent months by Hamas terror operatives for preparations for terror activities against IDF troops in Lebanese territory, and included training intended to advance various terror attack plans against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
The military added that the site was embedded “in the heart of a civilian population, cynically exploiting the village’s residents to advance the organization’s terror objectives and using them as human shields.”
According to the IDF, Hamas’s activities at the command center constituted a violation of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone fired missiles into the camp’s Hittin neighborhood, injuring an unspecified number of people. At least one person was killed and several wounded in the strike, the agency said, citing local sources. The building targeted was previously used by a Palestinian security force and recently served as a kitchen, per the report.
The strike is a relatively rare direct Israeli action against Hamas in Lebanon, where operations have more commonly focused on Hezbollah targets since the November 2024 truce took effect.
Hamas has previously denied operating military sites in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and condemned similar past Israeli claims as fabrications.
Vos Iz Neias
The Lakewood ScoopFeeling inspired? The Annual Public Health Awareness Competition is open now in recognition of the 2026 National Public Health Week theme: “Ready. Set. Action.”
Ocean County students from all grades can participate for a chance to win prizes and special recognition from the Ocean County Board of Health!
The deadline is March 27, 2026. Artwork can be sent to [email protected] or to the Ocean County Health Department, 175 Sunset Avenue, PO Box 2191, Toms River, NJ 08754.
Multiple winners will be selected. Please put the student’s name, grade, and school on all artworks.
The 2026 topics are:
1st Grade-2nd Grade: Physical Activity or Dental Health
3rd Grade-5th Grade: Environmental Health or Communicable Disease
6th Grade-8th Grade: Emergency Preparedness and Planning or Substance Use Prevention
9th Grade-12th Grade: Youth Mental Health or Create an Empowered County
Attachments contain contest criteria and a promotional flyer for posting. These documents are also available at the health department website at oceancountyhealth.gov.
Ocean County Health Department Public Health Coordinator, Daniel Regenye, explained that each year the competition gets bigger and better.
“This is one of our favorite events of the year, and the students do such a great job. It has become such a wonderful opportunity for students to learn many of the important public health topics that impact their communities while having some fun and expressing their creative side.”
“Everyone looks forward to seeing the students coming up with so many unique and great ideas, not only to showcase their artistic skills but to act as young public health ambassadors as well,” added, Jennifier Bacchione, Ocean County Commissioner Deputy Director, and Liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health. We are anticipating more of the same in 2026 and cannot wait to see the results.”
[Press Release]
MatzavOn Motzaei Shabbos Mishpatim, the Beren dining room of Beis Medrash Govoha was transformed into an elegant setting befitting a beautiful simcha — the annual Talmudo B’Yado Melave Malka. At the center of the room stood seforim shranks displaying the newly printed kuntreisim, the very reason for the celebration.
The evening honored the accomplishments of the talmidim who were mesayem the rigorous three-year program with the publication of their kuntreisim. The mesaymim were joined by their families — wives, parents, in-laws, and grandparents — to mark this milestone. The crowd of over 400 participants also included the Roshei Yeshiva of BMG, Roshei Chaburah, editors, and other chashuve guests who came to share in the simcha.
Rabbi Yitzchok Wagner, Director of Talmudo B’Yado, opened the evening by explaining the nature of the simcha. He related that several years ago, a yungerman in BMG who had been married for some time and had not yet been zoche to children went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l seeking a bracha. Knowing that Rav Chaim would often advise such individuals to write a sefer, this yungerman, who had completed Talmudo B’Yado, arrived with his published Talmudo B’Yado kuntres in hand.
When Rav Chaim suggested that he write, the yungerman quietly placed his kuntres on the shtender. Rav Chaim warmly bentched him, but as he turned to leave and reached to retrieve his work, Rav Chaim stopped him firmly: “This stays with me.” In that moment, Rav Chaim affirmed the profound value of written Chiddushei Torah — not only from renowned talmidei chachamim, but from every sincere ben Torah. Talmudo B’Yado seeks to instill that same appreciation, teaching participants to recognize that their Torah, carefully developed and committed to writing, truly matters. How great, then, was the simcha this evening with the publication of 63 new kuntreisim, representing the amal and yegiah baTorah of these chashuve yungerleit.
Rabbi Wagner then introduced the Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Malkiel Kotler, who has guided Talmudo B’Yado since its founding 18 years ago. The Rosh Yeshiva spoke about the immense benefits of writing in developing one’s learning and truly making it part of oneself. He shared about a certain Talmid Chacham who, in his later years, struggled with his former ability to learn. Yet when presented with Torah he had written decades earlier, he was able to recognize it and learn it anew. What he had written had become part of him — something his mind could still access. This, the Rosh Yeshiva explained, is what every talmid who works to write his chiddushei Torah can achieve.
A noticeable buzz passed through the crowd as the next speaker was introduced: the new Mashgiach of BMG, HaRav Reuven Hechster. The Mashgiach discussed how the Chofetz Chaim mentions many times that one must find a practical way to fulfill the chiyuv of Tzipisa L’Yeshua — bringing the Geulah closer. He quoted Rav Shlomo Kluger, who writes in the hakdamah to his sefer Tuv Taam V’Daas that every measure of Torah that is written and published brings the Geulah nearer. Just as the Gemara teaches that Moshiach will come only after a certain number of neshamos enter the world, so too there is a measure of Torah that must be publicized to pave the way for his arrival. Through the efforts of Talmudo B’Yado and the talmidim who are learning to write and publish their Torah, there is a tangible kiyum of the inyan of bringing Moshiach closer.
The final speaker was a Rosh Chaburah in BMG and for Talmudo B’Yado, R’ Ohad Ben-Moshe. Rabbi Ben-Moshe developed the idea that a yungerman who toils in a sugya is creating his own world within that Torah, as Chazal teach that it becomes his Torah. The completion of that process occurs when the yungerman commits his Torah to writing; at that point, he achieves a complete kinyan in the material. Of course, this is only possible with the encouragement and support of the yungerman’s wife and family, who often sacrifice precious time to enable him to invest the necessary effort to reach these lofty levels. Thus, the evening was truly a celebration for all involved, as these new kuntreisim — tangible expressions of hard work — were published.
The night concluded with spirited dancing befitting a true siyum and simcha shel mitzvah. Participants expressed how deeply moved they were by the special atmosphere and energy that filled the room. As one attendee put it, “this is a simcha at which everyone present is a baal simcha!” Rabbi Wagner closed by wishing all participants continued growth, going meichayil el chayil, and noted that the Amudei Ohr Publication Center, also operated by Talmudo B’Yado, stands ready to assist them in continuing to write and publish their chiddushei Torah.
Now entering its 19th year, Talmudo B’Yado has seen over 2,500 talmidim already mesayem the program. Enrollment takes place twice annually, at the beginning of the summer and winter zmanim. For more information, contact Rabbi Wagner at 732-367-1060 ext. 4266.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Belgian collector who put up for online auction a series of World War II photographs showing the final moments of 200 Greeks executed by a Nazi firing squad signed a preliminary agreement with Greece on Friday and has withdrawn the photos from sale, Greece’s Culture Ministry said.
Greece is seeking to obtain the photos after declaring them part of Greek heritage.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced the preliminary agreement after experts visited the collector, Tim de Craene, in Belgium on Friday and verified that the photos were genuine. She did not provide details of the agreement or specify how Greece will obtain the photos.
Twelve pictures showing 200 political prisoners being led to their deaths on May 1, 1944 appeared for sale on eBay on Saturday. They are the only photographic evidence that has come to light of an execution that was a seminal moment in Greece’s World War II history.
The execution took place at a shooting range in the Kaisariani suburb of Athens. The photographs show men being led through a gateway and down a path, several looking directly at the camera as they walk. Another shows them lined up in front of a wall.
Experts sent by the culture ministry to Belgium to examine the photos found they were part of a much larger collection of images taken by Wehrmacht Lieutenant Hermann Heuer while he was stationed in Greece in 1943-44 during the Nazi occupation of the country. They determined the entire collection of 262 photos, as well as some documents included with the pictures, was genuine.
The Kaisariani executions of 200 communist political prisoners were one of the worst atrocities during the Third Reich’s occupation of Greece and remain a significant moment in the country’s history.
As World War II ended, a vicious civil war between Western-backed government forces and communist fighters broke out and lasted until 1949. Its wounds have still not entirely healed.
Shortly after the photos were posted for sale, a memorial at the site in Kaisariani to those killed was vandalized, with plaques listing their names smashed.
“Historical memory will not be erased, no matter how much it bothers some people,” Kaisariani municipality said in a statement, adding that it would repair the monument. The photos, it said, had caused “a chill of emotion for the heroic, valiant stance of the 200 communist heroes who stood up against the firing squad.”
Vos Iz NeiasJERUSALEM (VINnews) – Palmer Luckey, the founder of U.S. defense technology company Anduril Industries, conducted a secret two-day visit to Israel earlier this week, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defense officials, according to Israeli media reports citing TheMarker.
The purpose of the visit, which was not publicly disclosed at the time, remains unclear. Sources familiar with the meetings told outlets including Haaretz and Calcalist that Luckey may have explored potential business partnerships with Israeli defense firms and startups, as well as opportunities to market Anduril’s products to Israel’s defense establishment.
Luckey, a self-described “radical Zionist,” also held discussions with executives at major Israeli defense companies and emerging defense-tech ventures during the trip.
Anduril Industries, founded by Luckey — the Oculus VR creator — has emerged as a major disruptor in the military technology sector. The company focuses on autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and advanced drones, challenging established giants such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and RTX.
Anduril develops revolutionary tools independently and pitches them directly to the U.S. armed forces, operating with the speed and efficiency of a startup rather than the bureaucratic processes common among traditional defense contractors.
A key focus of Anduril’s work is redefining aerial warfare through large, jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These drones’ capabilities are gradually approaching those of manned fighter jets.
The company’s “Fury” unmanned warplane, designated YFQ-44A, is designed as a “loyal wingman” to operate alongside crewed aircraft such as the F-22, F-35, F-15EX and future platforms. Under this concept, a manned fighter acts as a mothership or command post, with the pilot directing a fleet of AI-enabled unmanned jets for air-to-air combat and other missions. This model represents a transitional step toward fully autonomous aerial warfare.
While details of the discussions between Netanyahu and Luckey were not disclosed, observers suggest the meetings could pave the way for significant collaborations in defense technology in the coming years. Anduril is currently pursuing a valuation of around $60 billion amid rapid growth in the sector.
No official statements were issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Anduril or U.S. defense authorities regarding the visit.
MatzavSenior Israeli defense officials have informed their American counterparts that Iran is dramatically accelerating its missile production, raising concerns that the Islamic Republic could amass 5,000 ballistic missiles by the end of 2027. According to updated assessments, Iran is currently producing roughly 100 missiles per month — a pace that may continue to increase.
The warning comes as the United States remains engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. However, Israeli officials are emphasizing what they describe as a more immediate and tangible threat: Tehran’s rapidly expanding ballistic arsenal. Military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua reported in Ynet that during recent high-level security discussions, Israeli defense leaders presented updated intelligence outlining the scale and speed of Iran’s missile buildup.
Iran’s strategy, according to the assessment, is based on overwhelming volume. While Israel fields advanced air defense systems such as the Arrow, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome, Iranian planners are believed to be banking on the fact that even the most sophisticated systems have limits. Sustained, large-scale barrages are intended to saturate Israel’s defensive shield and inflict significant damage on civilian areas and strategic sites.
Israeli intelligence and air force officials reportedly view these figures not as theoretical projections but as operational planning realities. Sources indicate that the situation could have been even more severe. Without a series of covert disruption and deterrence efforts carried out under Operation “Am KeLavi,” Iran’s stockpile might have reached as many as 8,000 missiles by the end of the decade. Those efforts are said to have slowed the expansion, though not halted it entirely.
Israeli officials are careful not to appear as though they are pushing Washington toward a broader conflict, but they have intensified engagement with the Pentagon in an effort to refocus attention on the missile threat. The Israeli message, according to sources familiar with the discussions, is that the danger is not limited to Israel. Iranian ballistic missiles also pose a direct threat to American bases in the Middle East, regional allies, and overall U.S. freedom of action in the region.
Within Israel’s defense establishment, the central question is whether the acceleration of Iran’s missile production can be curbed before the projected numbers become a strategic reality. For Israeli planners, the concern is no longer abstract. The threat consists of advanced missiles equipped with explosives and guidance systems, and the effort to counter it has become a race against time aimed at preventing a lasting shift in the regional balance of power.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasWASHINGTON (VINnews) — President Donald Trump appeared to foreshadow weaker economic growth before the federal government released fourth-quarter GDP figures.
In a Truth Social post at 7:50 a.m. ET Friday, Trump wrote, “The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP. That’s why they are doing it, in mini form, again.”
Forty minutes later, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.4% in the fourth quarter, down three percentage points from the previous quarter and below economists’ expectations of 2.5% growth.
Trump’s post referenced last year’s 43-day government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, and the Congressional Budget Office had estimated the lapse could reduce Q4 GDP by up to two points.
Trump has previously disclosed economic data before official releases, raising questions about possible policy violations and whether traders were receiving advance information. Executive branch rules prohibit public commentary on economic data until 30 minutes after release.
A White House official told CNBC that the president’s post was consistent with his prior commentary on the economic impact of the shutdown and did not constitute an early disclosure of sensitive data
Vos Iz NeiasLIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — American freeskier Hunter Hess and three of his teammates have qualified for Friday’s 12-man halfpipe Olympic final, when they will have a shot at delivering the first gold medal in nearly two weeks of freeskiing or snowboarding at the Livigno snow park.
Hess was thrust into the spotlight at the Milan Cortina Games when U.S. President Donald Trump called him a “loser” after the athlete had said that “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Hess made a “L” sign with his hand, with L meaning “loser,” against his helmet after his first qualifying run on Friday. He then told reporters that he stands by the statement that had drawn Trump’s ire, while also reiterating that he loves his country.
Hess will be joined by fellow Americans Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper and Birk Irving in the final.
Brendan MacKay of Canada topped qualifying, when skiers got two runs down the halfpipe, with their best score counting. Two other Canadians also advanced.
Reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand missed the cut after crashing on both of his qualifying runs.
Elizabeth Lemley won gold in women’s moguls freeskiing at the Winter Games, but the moguls events are held at a separate venue in Livigno. The Livigno snow park hosts the halfpipe, slopestyle and big air events for freeski and snowboarding.
MatzavFour habitual transit offenders were taken into custody by NYPD officers over a 24-hour period this week, only to quickly return to the streets because of New York’s bail reform laws, the NY Post reports.
Officers in Manhattan identified and arrested the suspects in separate incidents on Monday and Tuesday after recognizing them as individuals wanted in connection with multiple theft cases. By Wednesday, three of the four were already back out, while the fourth remained hospitalized awaiting arraignment and is also expected to be released without bail.
Under current state law, judges are prohibited from imposing bail for most non-violent offenses, a policy critics argue allows repeat offenders to cycle in and out of custody.
“Most of these cases get [declined] by the DAs, or they’re released from court to go find another victim,” one frustrated cop told The NY Post. “There’s a ‘permission structure’ that’s created.”
Among those arrested was Joseph Zimmerman, 56, who has been arrested 47 times in the past. He was taken into custody Monday and charged in connection with two recent pickpocketing incidents, according to sources.
Prosecutors allege that Zimmerman stole a wallet from a man’s bag on Friday, taking a debit card and $300 in cash. He is also accused of stealing $100 and a card from another person on Feb. 2 and later using the card to make unauthorized purchases at a nearby Foot Locker.
Ronielle Howell, 34, who resides in a Brooklyn homeless shelter, was arrested Wednesday and charged with stealing a cellphone from a subway rider in Manhattan on Feb. 7.
According to sources, Howell allegedly trailed the victim into the subway system before grabbing the phone and fleeing.
Luis Maldonado, 49, who has 12 prior arrests, was apprehended Tuesday at the subway station at St. Nicholas Avenue and 184th Street after officers on patrol recognized him. Maldonado, who was already on probation, was sought in connection with the alleged theft of a cellphone from a sleeping subway passenger on Jan. 16.
In a separate incident, Danny Rijos, 50, described by authorities as a repeat offender with at least 36 prior arrests, was arrested in the Bronx shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday. He was charged with grand larceny and drug possession tied to an alleged Feb. 8 incident at White Plains Road and East 241st Street, sources said.
Rijos remains hospitalized, delaying his arraignment, and investigators are reviewing several additional cases across multiple boroughs that may be linked to him.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has made reducing subway crime a priority, responding to persistent complaints from commuters. Still, efforts to curb repeat offenses have faced obstacles.
The NY Post reported in September that 63 repeat transit offenders — responsible for more than 5,000 arrests combined — had been charged with various crimes, yet only five were still behind bars at the time.
In March, police arrested five of the most frequent transit offenders, who together had accumulated nearly 600 arrests, as part of Tisch’s quality-of-life initiative. Three of them were jailed temporarily.
Department statistics indicate that subway crime across the five boroughs declined 7% over the past two years. However, incidents have increased 11% so far this year compared to the same period last year.
Through Sunday, police recorded 293 transit-related crimes in 2026, up from 264 during the corresponding period in 2025.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasNEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s largest nursing strike in decades is poised to end after more than 4,000 nurses seeking better staffing and job security at NewYork-Presbyterian reached a tentative contract agreement with management early Friday.
The New York State Nurses Association said union negotiators and administrators at the last of three major hospital systems hit by the more than monthlong walkout approved a tentative deal but did not disclose details.
The proposal now goes to union members for a vote. If ratified, nurses would return to work as early as next week.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative settlement with NYSNA, through the mediator, that reflects our tremendous respect for our nurses — the settlement is still subject to ratification,” NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson Angela Karafazli said in a statement.
The roughly 4,200 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian had been the last remaining on the picket line during bitterly cold temperatures in what their union said was the largest and longest walkout of nurses in the city’s history.
“For a month and a half, through some of the harshest weather this city has seen in years, nurses at NYP showed this city that they won’t make any compromises to patient care,” NYSNA president Nancy Hagans said. “The wins of our private sector nurses will improve care for patients, and their perseverance and endurance have shown people worldwide the power of NYSNA nurses.”
Some 10,500 nurses in the Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals ratified new three-year contracts on Feb. 11. The union said the Montefiore and Mount Sinai deals included pay raises of more than 12% over three years.
That deal also maintained nurses’ health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs and included new protections against workplace violence, particularly for transgender and immigrant nurses and patients, and introduced safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence in hospitals.
NewYork-Presbyterian nurses rejected the proposals in the Feb. 11 deal.
The strike began Jan. 12 at three of the city’s largest and most prestigious private health systems.
Hospitals hired legions of temporary nurses to fill in staffing gaps during a demanding flu season, raising concerns among some of the hospital system’s most vulnerable patients and their families.
During a bumpy, contentious negotiation, hospitals complained the union’s demands were unreasonable and exorbitant. Nurses countered that top hospital executives make millions of dollars a year while saddling nurses with unmanageable workloads.
An arbitrator this month awarded nearly $400,000 to some nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital for having to work while short-staffed in 2023 and 2024, the union said, heralding the decision as evidence of the problems that prompted the strike. NewYork-Presbyterian responded that “safe staffing is always a priority” and that it has hired hundreds of nurses in the last three years.
The strike did not affect every hospital in the NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore systems, and nurses at city-run hospitals did not participate. Other private hospitals also reached last-minute deals with the union.
The Lakewood ScoopA pre-Purim meeting with various Lakewood Township departments – including representatives from all emergency services departments – was held this morning in order to ensure that Purim in Lakewood can be enjoyed safely and with as few disruptions as possible.
Items discussed were, the placement of crossing guards at key intersections throughout town, light towers, construction suspension and more.
The meeting was held at Police Headquarters.
Vos Iz NeiasJERUSALEM (VINnews) – Amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, the Israel Defense Forces reiterated Thursday that there are no changes to Home Front Command guidelines for the Israeli public.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin addressed the public in a video statement, acknowledging widespread discussion and concern regarding developments involving Iran.
“We are monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse regarding Iran,” Defrin said.
He emphasized the military’s heightened state of readiness: “The IDF is on high alert in defense, our eyes are open in all directions, and our finger is on the trigger more than ever in response to any change in the operational reality.”
Defrin stressed that current instructions remain unchanged and urged the public to rely solely on official sources.
“There is no change in the instructions,” he added. “Please adhere only to the announcements of the IDF Spokesperson and the Home Front Command through official channels only.”
The statement comes as Israel remains vigilant amid ongoing friction with Iran, including concerns over potential escalation, missile threats and broader Middle East instability. Israeli officials have repeatedly assured the public of preparedness while cautioning against rumors and unverified reports that could cause unnecessary alarm.
The IDF continues to conduct situational assessments in coordination with relevant security bodies.
Vos Iz NeiasToday, 3 Adar, is the Yahrtzeit of הרב מרדכי יפה
Today, the 3rd of Adar, we mark the yahrtzeit of one of the most remarkable Torah personalities of the early modern era — HaRav Mordechai Yaffe of Prague, whose influence on Jewish law, mysticism, and philosophy echoes through the centuries to our very day. He passed from this world on 3 Adar 5372 while serving as the Chief Rabbi of Posen, leaving behind a legacy as carefully structured — and as layered — as the ten volumes of his masterwork, the Levush Malchus.
But to understand the Levush, we must first understand the man. And to understand the man, we must begin with a remarkable story.
One afternoon, while walking on the outskirts of town, HaRav Mordechai Yaffe — a man of striking appearance and noble bearing — found himself approached by a gentile woman who, captivated by his handsome face, sought to draw him into sin. He faced what every person of faith fears: temptation that is sudden, close, and powerful.
The Rav’s eyes swept the road. Nearby — a canal, foul-smelling and filled with sewage.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped in.
The stench permeated all ten garments he wore. The woman, repulsed, fled. And HaRav Yaffe emerged — clothes ruined, dignity perhaps bruised, but his neshamah (soul) as pristine and unblemished as the moment Hashem had fashioned it.
Family tradition holds that in the merit of this supreme act of self-sacrifice — this willingness to destroy his external appearance in order to guard his inner purity — the Almighty granted HaRav Yaffe the ability to author ten volumes of halachic discourse. He named them Levushim — “garments” — one for each of the soiled robes he had worn that day. What had been soiled in service of Heaven became the very symbol of his life’s work.
And when HaRav Yaffe turned his eyes Heavenward after this ordeal, tradition records that he offered a heartfelt prayer: “May the next ten generations that descend from me be repulsive in appearance, so that they should not encounter the challenges associated with physical beauty.” That prayer was answered. For ten full generations, his descendants bore little resemblance to their distinguished ancestor — until, in the eleventh generation, both the outer beauty and the radiant inner character of the Levush returned.
There is perhaps no better introduction to Rav Mordechai Yaffe than this story. Here was a man who understood that the garments of the body mean nothing if the garments of the soul are torn. Here was a man who would sacrifice everything external — appearance, comfort, dignity — to protect the sacred internal. And here was a man whose greatest literary achievement was built not merely on scholarship, but on the hard-won spiritual victories of a lifetime.
HaRav Mordechai ben Avraham Yoffe was born around 5290 (1530 CE) in the holy community of Prague — a city already distinguished in Torah, already steeped in centuries of Jewish memory. The Altneuschul, perhaps the oldest functioning synagogue in Europe, cast its shadow over a kehilla that had survived crusades, blood libels, and expulsions, yet continued to produce Torah giants with stubborn regularity.
Into this world came Mordechai Yaffe — and his lineage alone was enough to make the angels take notice.
His ancestry traced back through an unbroken chain of Torah luminaries to Rashi himself — Rabbeinu Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040–1105), whose commentary on the Torah and Talmud remains indispensable to every Jewish student in every generation. Further back still, family tradition traced his line to Hillel HaZaken, the great Nasi of the Sanhedrin, and ultimately to the royal house of Malchus Beis David — the dynasty of King David himself.
This was not merely a matter of family pride. In the world of Torah, yichus — lineage — carries spiritual weight. It speaks of accumulated Torah, accumulated self-sacrifice, accumulated connection to the Divine. Young Mordechai entered the world carrying all of that on his shoulders, and he spent the rest of his life proving worthy of it.
If lineage was the foundation, education was the architecture. And HaRav Yaffe built his intellectual home under the greatest roofs available in 16th-century Europe.
The first and perhaps most profound influence on the young Mordechai Yaffe was HaRav Moshe Isserles (1530–1572), the towering Rema of Kraków. The Rema, whose glosses to the Shulchan Arukh would become the definitive guide for Ashkenazi Jewry for centuries, was both halakhist and humanist. It was the Rema who insisted that his student study not only Gemara and poskim, but also mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. This insistence would shape everything that followed.
Imagine the scene: a young scholar from Prague arriving in Kraków, fully prepared to immerse himself in Talmud — and his teacher, one of the greatest rabbis alive, pushing open doors the student had barely noticed. “You must understand the cosmos,” the Rema seems to have said. “You must grapple with philosophy. Torah is not afraid of knowledge — Torah is the source of all knowledge.”
That vision never left HaRav Yaffe.
He also learned under the great Maharshal — HaRav Shlomo Luria (1510–1574) — at his renowned yeshiva in Lublin. Where the Rema sought clarity and accessibility in psak halacha, the Maharshal demanded something harder: rigorous intellectual precision, critical analysis of text and tradition, and an unflinching pursuit of the truth that lay behind the received tradition. His magnum opus, the Yam Shel Shlomo, was not a work for the faint of heart — it was a relentless wrestling match with the Talmud itself.
Between these two giants — the Rema’s breadth and accessibility, the Maharshal’s depth and severity — HaRav Yaffe developed what would become his own distinctive voice.
The third pillar of his education was Rabbi Mattithiah ben Solomon Delacrut, a kabbalist who initiated HaRav Yaffe into the mysteries of the Zohar HaKadosh and the inner dimensions of Torah. Delacrut wrote commentary on astronomical and mathematical works alongside his mystical writings — a combination that must have resonated deeply with the young scholar who was already being shaped to see the unity of all knowledge.
Three teachers. Three worlds — halacha, critical analysis, mysticism. And one student determined to hold all three together.
Just as HaRav Yaffe was establishing himself as Rosh Yeshiva in his native Prague, history intervened with characteristic brutality. In 5321 (1561), Emperor Ferdinand I ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Bohemia. With no more ceremony than that, HaRav Yaffe — scholar, teacher, community leader — found himself a refugee.
He made his way to Venice.
In another man, exile might have meant bitterness, stagnation, the slow erosion of potential. For HaRav Yaffe, Venice became a crucible. The city’s Jewish ghetto — established in 1516 and home to Sephardic, Italian, and Ashkenazic communities — offered a remarkable panorama of Jewish diversity. Here were different minhagim, different approaches to scholarship, different ways of being Jewish. The young rabbi from Prague absorbed it all.
He also spent a decade immersed in the study of astronomy — not as a distraction from Torah, but as an expression of it. The Jewish calendar, with its intricate weaving of lunar months and solar years, demands astronomical sophistication. The calculations that govern Rosh Chodesh, that determine the great festivals, that synchronize the Jewish people’s experience of time — these are not merely mathematical exercises. They are acts of sanctification. To understand the heavens, for HaRav Yaffe, was to understand the divine architecture of time itself.
Venice was also a capital of Hebrew printing. The presses that had produced the first complete printed Talmud (Daniel Bomberg’s masterwork, 1520–1523) were still active. Torah knowledge was being disseminated at an unprecedented pace. HaRav Yaffe watched, absorbed, and planned.
He was already beginning to envision the Levush.
When HaRav Yaffe finally emerged from Venice in 5332 (1572), he began four extraordinary decades of rabbinic service — a career that reads like a map of the greatest Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.
Grodno (1572–1588): Sixteen years as Rav of this important Lithuanian community, part of the mighty Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth — then home to the largest concentration of Jews in the world.
Lublin (1588–1592): One of the most prestigious rabbinic posts in all of Poland. Here, at the crossroads of the great Lublin fairs — where Jewish merchants and scholars from across the continent gathered — HaRav Yaffe rose to become one of the leaders of the Va’ad Arba Aratzos, the Council of Four Lands. This remarkable institution was the parliament of Jewish self-governance in Eastern Europe, coordinating communal life, representing Jewish interests before the Polish government, and adjudicating disputes between communities.
Kremenetz: Service in Volhynia, deepening his connection to the diverse tapestry of Eastern European Jewish life.
Prague (1592–1599): Thirty-one years after being expelled as a young man, HaRav Yaffe returned to his birthplace — now as its Rav. The homecoming must have been extraordinary. The city had transformed under Emperor Rudolf II, who had made Prague his imperial capital. The great Maharal of Prague was also serving the community during this period. HaRav Yaffe walked the same streets his childhood self had walked, but now as one of the undisputed masters of Torah of his generation.
Posen (1599–1612): His final posting, as Chief Rabbi of one of the oldest and most distinguished Jewish communities in Greater Poland. He would serve here until his final breath on 3 Adar 5372 — the day whose yahrtzeit we mark today.
Throughout all of this — the exile, the wanderings, the years of communal service, the political engagements, the endless demands of rabbinic leadership — HaRav Yaffe was writing.
For nearly fifty years, he labored over his magnum opus. The concept had come to him in youth: a comprehensive code of Jewish law that would serve the Ashkenazic communities of Bohemia and beyond. Then Rabbi Yosef Caro’s Shulchan Arukh appeared, and HaRav Yaffe paused. Was there still room for his work?
He decided yes — but the reason why reveals everything about his character and vision.
The Shulchan Arukh was too brief. For all its brilliance, it gave rulings without sufficient reasoning. Even when Rabbi Moshe Isserles added his Mappah — his glosses incorporating Ashkenazic practice — the result remained, in HaRav Yaffe’s view, too compressed, too spare, too silent about the “why” behind the “what.”
And the Beis Yosef — Caro’s massive earlier work — was too expansive for practical use.
HaRav Yaffe would build the bridge. His Levush Malchus would be “midway between the two extremes” — providing clear rulings while explaining their reasoning, tracing their sources, illuminating their logic, and — most distinctively of all — connecting them to their mystical roots.
The work was organized into ten sections — ten “garments,” echoing the story of his great trial:
For the final three volumes, HaRav Yaffe issued a striking pedagogical instruction: study them in sequence — first philosophy, then astronomy, then Kabbalah. This was not arbitrary. It reflected a profound understanding of spiritual development: the human intellect must first be strengthened and disciplined through rational inquiry before it can safely ascend to mystical heights.
Of all HaRav Yaffe’s contributions to Jewish thought, perhaps none is more remarkable — or more consequential — than his integration of kabbalistic insight into practical halacha.
Later scholars would describe the Levush as “an exception among the codifiers in treating ritual-legal matters from a kabbalistic standpoint.” And they would add that HaRav Yaffe’s approach “tended to draw together the Talmudists and kabbalists, otherwise in danger of an open breach.”
Read that again. In danger of an open breach.
By the 16th century, the world of Torah scholarship was pulling in two directions. On one side stood the great Talmudists — masters of legal analysis, rigorous, text-driven, suspicious of what they saw as the emotionalism and obscurantism of mystical teaching. On the other side stood the kabbalists — heirs to the Zohar, inspired by the revolutionary teachings emerging from Safed, convinced that legal observance without its mystical dimensions was a body without a soul.
HaRav Yaffe refused to choose sides, because he understood that there were no sides. Torah is one. Halacha without Kabbalah is a map without a destination. Kabbalah without Halacha is wings without feet. His Levush demonstrated, volume after volume, that every legal ruling pulses with spiritual meaning, and that every mystical insight must eventually find expression in concrete observance.
This was not merely a theoretical position. It was a vision of Jewish wholeness — of a people who study law and experience transcendence as a single, unified act of devotion.
HaRav Yaffe lived in an age of intellectual revolution. The year 1543 — when he was a teenager in Prague — saw the publication of Copernicus’s challenge to everything humanity thought it knew about the heavens. The printing press was reshaping the transmission of knowledge. Philosophy was pressing hard against religious certainty throughout Europe.
HaRav Yaffe did not flinch. He engaged.
His commentary on the Rambam’s Guide of the Perplexed — the great medieval synthesis of Torah and Aristotelian philosophy — showed a scholar unafraid to wrestle with the hardest metaphysical questions: the nature of God, the purpose of the commandments, the mystery of prophecy. His decade of astronomical study in Venice bore fruit in a detailed commentary on the laws of the Jewish calendar and on Abraham bar Hiyya’s geographical-astronomical masterwork, Tzurat HaAretz.
The message was clear, and it echoed his beloved teacher the Rema: Torah does not fear knowledge. Torah is the source of all knowledge. The astronomer who maps the heavens and the sage who sanctifies the new moon are engaged in the same enterprise — the honoring of a cosmos created and governed by the One G-d.
The Levush taught that Torah is not merely a text — it is a living inheritance, passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, like a flame that never dims. It is therefore with a profound sense of personal connection that this biography is written, for the author is himself a direct descendant of HaRav Mordechai Yaffe — fifteen generations removed, yet bound to his ancestor by an unbroken chain of names, memory, and mission.
The genealogical line, preserved through extraordinary effort and the merit of the family’s dedication to its heritage, runs as follows:
שלשלת היוחסין
The Genealogical Chain
Note the remarkable detail at generation ten: Reb Moshe Kantor is described as Reb Moshe the Chassid, from the city of Grodno — the very city where the Levush himself served as Rav from 1572 to 1588. That his descendants maintained a presence in his first rabbinic posting across so many generations suggests a rootedness, a loyalty to place, that mirrors the Levush’s own loyalty to his people wherever he served them.
It is humbling to write the biography of an ancestor. It is also clarifying. The story of HaRav Mordechai Yaffe is not merely history — it is inheritance. The ten garments soiled in a canal. The ten volumes of the Levush. The fifteen generations of the chain. All of it speaks of a single, seamless truth: that Torah, once planted in a family, does not easily leave it.
HaRav Mordechai Yaffe passed from this world on 3 Adar 5372 — the day we mark today — while serving as Chief Rabbi of Posen, his pen finally stilled after nearly fifty years of building his monument to Jewish wisdom.
In the years and centuries that followed, he became known simply as “the Levush” — or the “Ba’al HaLevushim,” the Master of the Garments. When a Torah scholar is remembered not by his name but by his work, it is the highest tribute the tradition can offer. The Rambam. The Rosh. The Rema. The Levush. These are not just names — they are pillars.
The Levush Malchus has been reprinted in every generation. It sits on the shelves of yeshivot from Bnei Brak to Brooklyn. It is cited in responsa, consulted in shuls, studied in batei medrash. When a posek today considers a question about Shabbat or kashrut, about marriage law or civil law, the Levush is often in the conversation.
But perhaps the most lasting legacy of HaRav Mordechai Yaffe is not any specific ruling or commentary. It is the model he embodied — of a Torah scholar who understood that authentic Jewish life requires integration. Integration of halacha and Kabbalah. Integration of law and meaning. Integration of Torah and wisdom in its broadest sense. Integration of inner purity and outer action.
He demonstrated this with his scholarship.
He demonstrated it with his life.
And he demonstrated it, most vividly, on the day he leaped into a canal of sewage rather than compromise a single thread of his inner garment.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
Boropark24By BoroPark24 Staff
Check in with the BP24 Advisory for direction and guidance as you take to the road. We are here to help steer you in the right direction.
18th Avenue between McDonald Avenue and East 2nd Street will be closed from 5am to 9pm Saturday and Sunday through March 8, 2026 for mainline track repairs.
41st Street between 12 Avenue and 13 Avenue will be closed from 8am to 4pm Saturday through May 18, 2026 for boom, knuckle boom, and concrete pump to work on new building.
63rd Street between 14th Avenue and New Utrecht Avenue will be closed from 9am to 4pm Friday through February 20, 2026 to facilitate crane operation.
Avenue F between McDonald and East 2nd Street will be closed from 5am to 9pm Saturday and Sunday through March 8, 2026 for mainline track repairs.
Vos Iz NeiasWASHINGTON (AP) — A key inflation gauge accelerated in December, a sign that many prices are still rising more quickly than most Americans would prefer — and faster than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% a year.
Prices rose 0.4% in December from the previous month, up from 0.2% in November, the Commerce Department said Friday in a report that was delayed by the six-week government shutdown last fall. Compared with a year ago, inflation rose 2.9% in December, up from 2.8% in November.
Core prices — which exclude the volatile food and energy categories — also rose 0.4% in December from the previous month, up from 0.2% in November. Core prices jumped 3% in December from a year ago, faster than November’s 2.8% increase.
The figures show that inflation remains elevated, even as it has come down from a peak near 7% in 2022. With many prices still rising more quickly than they did before the pandemic, the report points to a key reason that many Americans remain unhappy with the economy, even as unemployment remains low and growth is solid.
Friday’s report also showed that consumers kept spending at a solid clip in December, when spending rose 0.4% from the previous month, the same as in November.
Vos Iz NeiasWASHINGTON (AP) — America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — increased at an 1.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday, down from 4.4% in the July-September quarter and 3.8% in the quarter before that.
A downturn in government and consumer spending contributed to the slowdown in fourth-quarter growth, the government said. Consumer spending rose just 2.2%, a significant slowdown from the third quarter’s healthy 3.5% gain.
The report underscores an odd aspect of the U.S. economy: It is growing steadily, but without creating many jobs. Growth was a fairly healthy 2.2% in 2025, yet a government report last week showed that employers added less than 200,000 jobs last year — the fewest since COVID struck in 2020.
Economists point to several possible reasons for the gap: The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has sharply slowed population growth, reducing the number of people available to take jobs. It’s one reason that the unemployment rate rose only slightly — to 4.3% from 4% — last year, even with the nearly non-existent hiring.
Some businesses may also be holding back on adding jobs out of uncertainty about whether artificial intelligence will enable them to produce more without finding new employees. And the cost of tariffs has reduced many companies’ profits, possibly leading them to cut back on hiring.
The economy is also unusual right now because growth is solid, inflation has slowed a bit, and unemployment is low, but surveys show that Americans are generally gloomy about the economy. In January, a measure of consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since 2014, yet consumers have kept spending, propelling growth.
Some of that spending may be disproportionately driven by upper-income consumers, in a phenomenon known as the “K-shaped” economy. Yet data from many large banks suggests lower-income consumers are still raising their spending, even if by not as much.
MatzavThe Gerrer kehillah has announced sweeping new measures aimed at curbing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within its community, joining other groups in Israel and abroad that have spoken out against the rapidly expanding technology. Under the banner “Shabbos Taharenu,” this coming Shabbos, Parshas Terumah, will be dedicated to raising awareness about the perceived spiritual and social dangers of AI. Drashos and public messages in Gerer shuls are expected to focus on confronting what leaders describe as the harmful influence of emerging technologies.
According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the Gerer community is launching a broad educational and regulatory initiative. Central to the effort is a letter from the kehillah’s Committee on Technology Affairs, outlining new rules that sharply limit interaction with AI systems.
The committee’s rabbonim, who say they have studied the issue extensively, formulated guidelines distinguishing between essential professional use and what they call “free dialogue” with AI systems. The latter—defined as conversational engagement with AI in a way that resembles speaking with another person—is described in the letter as a serious spiritual and social threat.
In the letter, dated for Shabbos Taharenu, Parshas Terumah 5786, the committee characterizes modern technological innovation as a powerful contemporary challenge. It states that members of the community have generally complied with previous rabbinic regulations, limiting technology use and relying only on filtered systems when necessary for livelihood.
However, the letter warns that the inclination toward misuse of technology constantly renews itself, citing the rabbinic teaching that “a person’s evil inclination renews itself daily.” The committee describes artificial intelligence as a “new structure” that has entered many professions within just a few years, producing content quickly and efficiently—even for individuals without prior expertise.
At the same time, the letter refers to AI as a “bad companion” or “golem,” warning that users can converse or correspond with it on virtually any subject. It claims that many around the world have adopted AI as a readily available and convenient companion, leading to what it calls shallow and addictive interactions. Beyond that, the letter cautions against exposure to harmful information that could be accessed through such systems.
The committee warns that the perceived danger extends to smartphones—including, it notes, even devices with religious certification—as well as to computers, including those with content filters.
As a result, the new regulations completely prohibit what is termed “Artificial Intelligence – without control,” defined as open-ended question-and-answer interaction that simulates conversation with a human being, whether through speech or writing. Limited use for professional purposes may be permitted when conducted “with control,” meaning the creation of specific outputs—such as images or other products—without any ongoing dialogue component.
The letter further states that the committee has developed methods enabling certain professional uses of AI while technically preventing free conversational interaction. The goal, it explains, is to allow necessary work-related functions without enabling open dialogue that could lead to deeper engagement or dependency.
The authors conclude by emphasizing the broader need to distance oneself from new technological developments in general, and from artificial intelligence in particular. They express hope for divine assistance in navigating what they describe as the challenges of the current era and in avoiding spiritual harm.
An attached appendix, signed by leading Gerer rabbonim, reportedly details the practical guidelines and new safeguards intended to protect households from the influence of advancing technology.
{Matzav.com}
Yeshiva World NewsThree men in their 30s were killed on Friday in a horrific crash involving four vehicles on Route 805 near the Yuvalim Junction in the Galil.
MDA teams who arrived at the devastating scene were forced to pronounce all three victims dead at the site. Two additional victims were transported to the hospital: a man approximately 50 years old in serious condition, unconscious with multi-system trauma, and a young man in his 20s in moderate condition, also suffering multi-system injuries.
MDA paramedic Pavel Solovyov and senior EMT Tal Eliyahu Yifrach described the horrific scene: “We saw a vehicle that was completely crushed, and inside were two men unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with very severe injuries to their bodies. About 15 meters away, we saw another man lying in a ditch, also unconscious. We performed medical examinations, but unfortunately the injuries of all three men were critical and we had no choice but to pronounce them dead. At the same time, additional MDA teams provided life-saving treatment to two injured victims, including a man around 50 in serious condition and a young man in his 20s in moderate condition, and evacuated them to the hospital.”
Police said officers and traffic accident investigators are currently at the scene examining the circumstances of the crash and directing traffic in the area.
In a separate overnight tragedy, two residents of Yokneam, both around 35 years old, were killed after their vehicle veered off Route 6 into a wadi near the Taibe area. A man and a woman who were traveling with them sustained serious injuries.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Lakewood Scoop
Vos Iz Neias(JNS) – The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria grew in 2025 at twice the rate of Israel’s overall population, according to a report compiled by former lawmaker Ya’akov Katz and first shared with JNS on Friday.
As of Jan. 1, 2026, 541,085 Jews lived in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, amounting to some 5.32% of the total population of the Jewish state, according to the West Bank Jewish Population Stats Report.
The population grew by 2.2% last year, exactly double the 1.1% growth rate of the nation’s overall population.
That figure, culled from Interior Ministry statistics, does not include the some 340,000 Jews living in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim despite it being part of Israel’s capital, the report noted.
Despite that, it showed a slight slowdown in growth in Judea and Samaria, which Katz attributed to the aging population.
Bet El, in the Binyamin region of southern Samaria, for example, had the country’s highest birth rate in 1986, when most of its residents were of childbearing age. Four decades later, many residents there and across Judea and Samaria are in their 60s and 70s, moderating growth.
The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria has grown 13.8% since 2021, when 475,481 Jews lived in the region liberated during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Some of the fastest-growing communities over the past year were Avigail and Asael in the South Hebron Hills in Judea, which recorded growth of 720% and 644.8%, respectively, Shacharit in Samaria (600%), Givat HaRoeh in Binyamin (169.4%) and Beit Hogla in the Jordan Valley (111.6%).
The largest localities were the Haredi cities of Modi’in Illit (in Samaria) and Beitar Illit (in Judea), with 92,339 and 74,760 residents, respectively, followed by the Judean Desert city of Ma’ale Adumim outside Jerusalem (40,800); Giv’at Ze’ev, also near the capital (25,630); and the Samaria city of Ariel (22,273).
Katz’s report lists several recently legalized towns as having only several residents, as they were previously registered in neighboring, established villages, and the Population Registry has yet to reflect those changes.
The natural growth of the disputed region’s Jewish residents is expected to result in a population in excess of 600,000 by 2030, 685,112 by 2035 and over one million by 2050, according to Katz’s data analysis.
A revolution
Katz credited Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—who also serves as a second minister in the Defense Ministry responsible for civilian issues in Judea and Samaria—and Israel’s minister for settlement and national missions, Orit Strook, for bringing about “a far-reaching revolution.”
Their “reshaping of Israel’s administrative and planning architecture has translated ideology into a surge in development,” Katz stated in a press release.
Over the past two years, Smotrich has overseen the establishment of 69 new communities, approved more than 60,000 housing units and designated tens of thousands of dunams (thousands of hectares) of land as state property, he explained.
The establishment of new towns has created Jewish territorial contiguity across about 82% of Judea and Samaria, Katz said, a development that could help thwart efforts to establish a Palestinian state in the area.
The former lawmaker said 7 billion shekels (about $2.2 billion) were invested in highways and that 140 Jewish farms were established throughout Judea and Samaria, reclaiming some 700,000 dunams (70,000 hectares, or 173,000 acres).
The ranches exert de facto control over nearly 1 million dunams (100,000 hectares, or about 247,000 acres), according to the report, an area it said was roughly four times larger than that of established Judea and Samaria communities.
Enforcement against illegal Palestinian construction was also stepped up, with demolitions quadrupling. In 2025, more unauthorized Arab structures were demolished than built for the first time, Katz said.
The changes were made possible by the transfer of dozens of key powers—about 70 in total—from the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration to a civilian deputy appointed by Smotrich, effectively giving the minister far-reaching powers over Judea and Samaria affairs, Katz emphasized.
Over recent years, Smotrich and Strook achieved “not merely growth in settlement numbers, but a revolution in governance,” stated the former MK. “By aligning authority, resources and vision, they have translated long-held national aspirations into irreversible realities.”
Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria.
On Sunday, Smotrich announced that Israel would be reopening the land registration process in Judea and Samaria for the first time since 1967, allowing for the registration of “extensive areas” of state land.
The announcement came one week after the Cabinet green-lit lifting confidentiality from land registry records; canceled restrictions on sales to non-Arabs; and abolished the need for prior approval for purchases.
That move came a week after the Interior Ministry moved to legalize five nascent communities in Samaria and the Jordan Valley.
Nearly 70% of Israeli citizens want Jerusalem to extend its full legal sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, according to a 2025 survey.
Fifty-eight percent of Israeli Jews believe that communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to the security of the country, according to a survey the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) published on March 11, 2025.
MatzavFlorida lawmakers have advanced a proposal to rename Palm Beach International Airport in honor of President Donald Trump, with the state Senate voting Thursday to approve the measure. The 25-11 vote followed earlier passage in the Florida House of Representatives, where lawmakers backed the bill by an 81-30 margin.
Support for the change came primarily from Republican legislators, while Democratic members voiced opposition to rebranding the airport.
“It’s misguided and unfair that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature ignored the voices of Palm Beach County by pushing forward a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport without giving County residents a real opportunity for input,” said Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat who represents West Palm Beach.
The legislation now moves to Gov. Ron DeSantis for consideration. The Republican governor has not publicly indicated whether he intends to sign the bill into law. His office did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment.
The White House also declined to comment on the measure. Representatives for Palm Beach County and the Trump Organization likewise did not provide immediate responses to requests for comment.
The airport renaming effort comes after Florida officials last year approved a separate plan to donate a parcel of downtown Miami property for the construction of Trump’s presidential library.
Trump relocated his primary residence to Florida in 2019. After living for years in a penthouse at Trump Tower in New York, he established his main home at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
Yeshiva World NewsIsrael’s anti-chareidi opposition leader Yair Lapid publicly flipped out after video emerged of Rav Sholom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Ateret Shlomo, dancing with his talmidim at a wedding to a familiar anti-Zionist song.
The wedding was that of Ariel Shammai, who had previously been arrested for not enlisting in the IDF. His arrest sparked widespread protests before he was ultimately released – during the levaya of Rav Sholom Ber’s mother.
The original lyrics of the song include lines that translate as, “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we do not recognize their laws.” In the version heard in the viral clip, the words appear to have been adjusted to include a reference to army enlistment, stating, “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we won’t show up at their recruitment offices.”
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Similar videos have previously prompted media outrage and political criticism from secular and anti-chareidi circles.
The latest incident quickly drew a furious response from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who shared the video on X and wrote: “Rabbi Sorotzkin, if not for the Jewish army that you insult and curse, you and your students wouldn’t be dancing — you wouldn’t be, at all.”
Except, of course, the Torah existed long before the IDF, will exist long after the IDF, and lomdei Torah will continue to uphold and protect the world forever.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Vos Iz NeiasSAN JOSE, Calif. (VINnews) — Three Silicon Valley engineers have been indicted on federal charges alleging they conspired to steal trade secrets from major technology companies and transferred sensitive data to unauthorized locations, including Iran, prosecutors said Thursday.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California charged Samaneh Ghandali, 41; Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40, also known as Mohammad Khosravi; and Soroor Ghandali, 32, all of San Jose, with conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. The defendants were arrested Thursday and made initial appearances in federal court in San Jose.
According to the indictment, the three gained access to confidential information through their employment at leading technology firms working on mobile computer processors. Prosecutors allege that Samaneh and Soroor Ghandali, who are sisters, worked at Google before moving to another tech company, while Khosravi worked at a separate firm.
Authorities say the defendants copied sensitive materials — including trade secrets related to processor security, cryptography and other advanced technologies — and transferred the files to personal devices, third-party platforms and work devices linked to each other’s employers. Some data was allegedly accessed while the defendants were in Iran.
Prosecutors also allege the defendants attempted to conceal their actions by submitting false affidavits to employers, deleting files and manually photographing confidential information displayed on computer screens. In one instance, investigators say Samaneh Ghandali used her phone to capture images of trade secret information shortly before traveling to Iran in late 2023.
U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said his office would “vigorously prosecute individuals who steal sensitive advanced technologies for improper gain or to benefit countries that wish us ill.”
Sanjay Virmani, the FBI’s special agent in charge in the region, said the case reflects a “calculated betrayal of trust” and emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting innovation and national security.
The defendants are scheduled to return to court Friday for identification of counsel. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in prison on the trade secret counts and up to 20 years on the obstruction charge.
An indictment contains allegations only, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Vos Iz NeiasDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues.
U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.
Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.
“Nuclear cooperation can be a positive mechanism for upholding nonproliferation norms and increasing transparency, but the devil is in the details,” wrote Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.
The documents raise “concerns that the Trump administration has not carefully considered the proliferation risks posed by its proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia or the precedent this agreement may set.”
Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to questions Friday from The Associated Press
Congressional report outlines possible deal
The congressional document, also seen by the AP, shows the Trump administration aims to reach 20 nuclear business deals with nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia. The deal with Saudi Arabia could be worth billions of dollars, it adds.
The document contends that reaching a deal with the kingdom “will advance the national security interests of the United States, breaking with the failed policies of inaction and indecision that our competitors have capitalized on to disadvantage American industry and diminish the United States standing globally in this critical sector.” China, France, Russia and South Korea are among the leading nations that sell nuclear power plant technology abroad.
The draft deal would see America and Saudi Arabia enter safeguard deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. That would include oversight of the “most proliferation-sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation,” it added. It listed enrichment, fuel fabrication and reprocessing as potential areas.
The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to questions. Saudi Arabia is a member state to the IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work but also inspects nations to ensure they don’t have clandestine atomic weapons programs.
“This suggests that once the bilateral safeguards agreement is in place, it will open the door for Saudi Arabia to acquire uranium enrichment technology or capabilities — possibly even from the United States,” Davenport wrote. “Even with restrictions and limits, it seems likely that Saudi Arabia will have a path to some type of uranium enrichment or access to knowledge about enrichment.”
Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran’s program.
The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.
Saudi-US proposal comes amid Iran tensions
The push for a Saudi-U.S. deal comes as Trump threatens military action against Iran if it doesn’t reach a deal over its nuclear program. The Trump military push follows nationwide protests in Iran that saw its theocratic government launch a bloody crackdown on dissent that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more reportedly detained.
In Iran’s case, it long has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. However, the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003. Tehran also had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — making it the only country in the world to do so without a weapons program.
Iranian diplomats long have pointed to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials increasingly have made the threat they could seek the bomb as tensions have risen with the U.S.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, has said if Iran obtains the bomb, “we will have to get one.”
Vos Iz Neias(AP) – For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children’s mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time.
Some of the biggest players from Meta to TikTok are facing federal and state trials that seek to hold them responsible for harming children’s mental health. The lawsuits have come from school districts, local, state and the federal government as well as thousands of families.
Two trials are now underway in Los Angeles and in New Mexico, with more to come. The courtroom showdowns are the culmination of years of scrutiny of the platforms over child safety, and whether deliberate design choices make them addictive and serve up content that leads to depression, eating disorders or suicide.
Experts see the reckoning as reminiscent of cases against tobacco and opioid markets, and the plaintiffs hope that social media platforms will see similar outcomes as cigarette makers and drug companies, pharmacies and distributors.
The outcomes could challenge the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms. They could also be costly in the form of legal fees and settlements. And they could force the companies to change how they operate, potentially losing users and advertising dollars.
Here’s a look at the major social media harms cases in the United States.
The Los Angeles case centers on addiction
Jurors in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube.
At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits will play out. KGM and the cases of two other plaintiffs have been selected to be bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury.
“This is a monumental inflection point in social media,” said Matthew Bergman of the Seattle-based Social Media Victims Law Center, which represents more than 1,000 plaintiffs in lawsuits against social media companies. “When we started doing this four years ago no one said we’d ever get to trial. And here we are trying our case in front of a fair and impartial jury.”
On Wednesday Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified, mostly sticking to past talking points, including a lengthy back-and-forth about age verification where he said ““I don’t see why this is so complicated,” reiterating that the company’s policy restricts users under the age of 13 and that it works to detect users who have lied about their ages to bypass restrictions.
At one point, the plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, asked Zuckerberg if people tend to use something more if it’s addictive.
“I’m not sure what to say to that,” Zuckerberg said. “I don’t think that applies here.”
New Mexico goes after Meta over sexual exploitation
A team led by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who sued Meta in 2023, built their case by posing as children on social media, then documenting sexual solicitations they received as well as Meta’s response.
Torrez wants Meta to implement more effective age verification and do more to remove bad actors from its platform.
He also is seeking changes to algorithms that can serve up harmful material, and has criticized the end-to-end encryption that can prevent the monitoring of communications with children for safety. Meta has noted that encrypted messaging is encouraged in general as a privacy and security measure by some state and federal authorities.
The trial kicked off in early February. In his opening statement, prosecuting attorney Donald Migliori said Meta has misrepresented the safety of its platforms, choosing to engineer its algorithms to keep young people online while knowing that children are at risk of sexual exploitation.
“Meta clearly knew that youth safety was not its corporate priority … that youth safety was less important than growth and engagement,” Migliori told the jury.
Meta attorney Kevin Huff pushed back on those assertions in his opening statement, highlighting an array of efforts by the company to weed out harmful content from its platforms while warning users that some dangerous content still gets past its safety net.
School districts head to trial
A trial scheduled for this summer pits school districts against social media companies before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California. Called a multidistrict litigation, it names six public school districts from around the country as the bellwethers.
Jayne Conroy, a lawyer on plaintiffs’ trial team, was also an attorney for plaintiffs seeking to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic. She said the cornerstone of both cases is the same: addiction.
“With the social media case, we’re focused primarily on children and their developing brains and how addiction is such a threat to their well-being and … the harms that are caused to children — how much they’re watching and what kind of targeting is being done,” she said.
The medical science, she added, “is not really all that different, surprisingly, from an opioid or a heroin addiction. We are all talking about the dopamine reaction.”
Both the social media and the opioid cases claim negligence on the part of the defendants.
“What we were able to prove in the opioid cases is the manufacturers, the distributors, the pharmacies, they knew about the risks, they downplayed them, they oversupplied, and people died,” Conroy said. “Here, it is very much the same thing. These companies knew about the risks, they have disregarded the risks, they doubled down to get profits from advertisers over the safety of kids. And kids were harmed and kids died.”
Resolution could take years amid dueling narratives
Social media companies have disputed that their products are addictive. During questioning Wednesday by the plaintiff’s lawyer during the Los Angeles trial, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement he made that the existing body of scientific work has not proven that social media causes mental health harms.
Some researchers do indeed question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy use of social media. Social media addiction is not recognized as an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the authority within the psychiatric community.
But the companies face increasing pushback on the issue of social media’s effects on children’s mental health, not only among academics but also parents, schools and lawmakers.
“While Meta has doubled down in this area to address mounting concerns by rolling out safety features, several recent reports suggest that the company continues to aggressively prioritize teens as a user base and doesn’t always adhere to its own rules,” said Emarketer analyst Minda Smiley.
With appeals and any settlement discussions, the cases against social media companies could take years to resolve. And unlike in Europe and Australia, tech regulation in the U.S. is moving at a glacial pace.
“Parents, education, and other stakeholders are increasingly hoping lawmakers will do more,” Smiley said. “While there is momentum at the state and federal level, Big Tech lobbying, enforcement challenges, and lawmaker disagreements over how to best regular social media have slowed meaningful progress.”
MatzavA growing shortage of basic milk products is being felt across Israel, with residents in numerous cities reporting empty dairy shelves and stores restricting purchases to a single carton per customer. What initially appeared to be isolated supply issues has developed into a wider disruption, leaving many consumers struggling to find milk in recent days.
Shoppers have shared images from supermarkets and neighborhood convenience stores showing barren refrigerators and posted notices limiting quantities. Some families say they have been forced to travel from store to store to secure milk, while others report cutting back on usage because of the scarcity.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he has been inundated with complaints about the problem. He stated that over the past several weeks, he has received dozens of reports each day from frustrated citizens. According to Smotrich, the root of the shortage lies in the centralized framework governing Israel’s dairy industry, which he described as “the distorted way in which the dairy market is managed in Israel.”
Smotrich reiterated his commitment to advancing a comprehensive dairy reform plan designed to introduce greater competition into the sector. He contended that resistance to the reform amounts to protecting entrenched monopolies at the public’s expense.
Posting a photograph from a grocery store in his community of Kedumim that displayed a notice limiting milk purchases per customer, Smotrich characterized the situation as unacceptable for a modern nation. Referring to the image, he wrote, “Now at our grocery store in Kedumim,” and added, “In recent weeks, I have received dozens of such complaints daily. This is an unacceptable reality in an advanced country like Israel, and it stems directly from the distorted way in which the dairy sector operates.”
He concluded by vowing to press ahead with changes to the system. “I am determined to fix this and, with G-d’s help, pass the dairy reform. Anyone who opposes it works for the monopolies and acts against the citizens of Israel, and I do not intend to give in to them. There could be plenty of milk here, it could be cheap here,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasLONDON (AP) — Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Following one of the most tumultuous days in the modern history of Britain’s royal family, the former Prince Andrew is back at his new residence on the Sandringham estate, King Charles III ‘s private retreat, which is around 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of London.
Police have concluded their search at Wood Farm, where Mountbatten-Windsor is living while waiting for his new home nearby, Marsh Farm, to be ready.
They are still searching Royal Lodge, his 30-room former home in the parkland near Windsor Castle, just west of the capital, where the king’s younger brother had lived for decades until his eviction earlier this month. Unmarked vans, believed to be police vehicles, have been entering the grounds throughout Friday morning.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who was pictured slouched in the back of his chauffeur-driven car following his release Thursday evening from a police station near Sandringham, remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for areas west of London.
Arrest was years in the making
His arrest follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019. The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor — who was known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors and banished him from Royal Lodge — shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he was a trade envoy for the U.K.
Specifically, emails released last month by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had received it. Another a few weeks later appeared to show him sending Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Thames Valley Police has previously said it was also reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the U.K. by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew. Thursday’s arrest had nothing to do with that.
Other police forces are also conducting their own investigations into Epstein’s links to the U.K., including the assessment of flight logs at airports, large and small.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations that have emerged with the release of the so-called Epstein files.
Arrest was sudden, investigation will take time
Police swept into the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor’s home to arrest him at 8 a.m. Thursday — his 66th birthday — before taking him to Aylsham police station for questioning.
It’s not known what he told them. He may have said nothing, or “no comment,” as is his right.
Experts said that misconduct in a public office is notoriously difficult to prove.
“Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer,” said Sean Caulfield, a criminal defense lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen. “There is no standard definition to clearly draw on.”
The Crown Prosecution Service will ultimately make a decision about charging Mountbatten-Windsor, who remains eighth in line to the throne.
Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the “Code for Crown Prosecutors.”
“That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest,” he said. “If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court.”
Arrest is not just unusual, it’s historic
Mountbatten-Windsor was the first royal since King Charles I nearly four centuries ago to be placed under arrest. That turned into a seismic moment in British history, leading to civil war, Charles’ beheading and the temporary abolition of the monarchy.
His arrest is undoubtedly one of the gravest crises to affect the House of Windsor since its establishment more than 100 years ago. Arguably, only the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 have been as grave for the institution of the British monarchy in modern times.
Though the king and the royal family will carry out their normal duties as normal, the questions surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor will continue, not least because the investigations are likely to take time.
In a statement Thursday, the king said the “law must take its course,’’ but that as ”this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.’’
The allegations are not related to Epstein’s sex trafficking
The allegations being investigated Thursday are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Still, Giuffre’s sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said that she was overjoyed when she got a phone call at 3 a.m. telling her the news of the arrest. But those feelings of elation were quickly complicated by the realization that she couldn’t share the feelings of “vindication” with Giuffre.
“We can’t tell her how much we love her, and that everything that she was doing is not in vain,” Roberts added tearfully.
MatzavDisagreements between federal and local authorities have deepened in the investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, as officials offer sharply different assessments of where she may be. FBI sources this week indicated she could be in Mexico, while the Pima County Sheriff’s Office insists its evidence points to her still being in Tucson. The divide has fueled criticism that turf battles and early investigative errors have slowed progress in the case.
Guthrie was taken from her Tucson home on Feb. 1. Since then, tension between the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has drawn scrutiny from law enforcement insiders who say the handling of the case may have hindered efforts to locate her.
“[The FBI] should have taken the case over within the first few days. We have been treating this as a kidnapping and the FBI is the premier agency to deal with kidnappings,” Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Association, told The Post earlier this week.
Despite that criticism, Sheriff Chris Nanos has retained control of the investigation. More than a week after doorbell footage surfaced showing a masked man at Guthrie’s front door, authorities remain without a clear lead on her whereabouts.
Questions have mounted about how evidence was preserved and processed in the critical early days. Critics argue the FBI was not brought in quickly enough, even though the high-profile nature of the abduction appeared to demand federal resources.
Concerns were also raised that the crime scene was released prematurely. Reporters and amateur sleuths were reportedly able to approach Guthrie’s home without visible security or crime scene tape in place.
“It looks unprofessional. It doesn’t look good for our department when we’ve had reporters walking up and essentially contaminating the scene,” Cross said.
In addition, investigators initially missed a roof-mounted camera, which was later discovered during a more thorough sweep conducted by the FBI.
“In my professional opinion, I believe they released the crime scene too early. And that was on Sheriff Nanos,” Brantner Smith, a former cop, told The NY Post .
On Wednesday, the Pima Sheriff’s Department said it is “analyzing biological evidence” recovered from Guthrie’s home and may have obtained additional DNA believed to belong to the suspect. So far, however, efforts to develop usable DNA evidence have not produced results.
A wide search in the area surrounding Guthrie’s residence led to the recovery of 17 discarded gloves. Sixteen were later determined to have been left behind by law enforcement personnel during the search.
One glove found along a roadway two miles from the home appeared similar to the black gloves seen on the man captured in Nest doorbell footage, according to authorities.
Instead of sending the glove to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, it was submitted to Florida-based DNA Labs International. That decision became another point of friction between local and federal investigators.
“Nanos has insisted instead on using a private lab in Florida,” an anonymous law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.
County officials said the private lab was selected because of its expertise in forensic genealogy, at a reported cost of about $200,000.
Colleen Fitzpatrick, who has worked with the Florida lab, explained it would generate a multitude of leads.
“If the guy’s from Morocco [for example], you’re not going to find out who he is, but you’ll know he’s from Morocco, which is an investigative lead,” Fitzpatrick told The NY Post.
Authorities later revealed that DNA from the glove did not match unknown male DNA recovered inside Guthrie’s home. Neither sample generated a match in CODIS, the FBI’s national database of DNA from convicted offenders and arrestees.
Officials also confirmed this week that all members of Guthrie’s family have been ruled out as suspects.
Meanwhile, several ransom notes have been sent to media outlets. At least two demanded payment in separate cryptocurrencies to different digital wallets.
The notes contained no proof that Guthrie is alive, and the stated deadlines have passed, leading many investigators to question their legitimacy.
Experts told The NY Post that requesting cryptocurrency payments suggests inexperience, since such transactions can often be traced.
Authorities have also indicated that tracing the email accounts used to send the messages may be difficult.
William Odom, a digital forensics expert formerly with the FBI, said sophisticated criminals avoid common platforms like Gmail or Yahoo and instead rely on “burner email” accounts.
“They’re impossible to trace back because there’s no way to tell where the source is coming from,” Odom told The Post. “It would look like different email addresses coming through every time.”
Odom noted that such disposable email services are frequently hosted on servers outside the United States, including in countries such as Montenegro and Germany.
Investigators also faced challenges retrieving video evidence. It took 10 days to obtain key footage from Guthrie’s Google Nest doorbell camera, which showed a masked, armed man—estimated to be 5’9″ to 5’10” tall, of average build, wearing gloves and carrying an Ozark Trail backpack—tampering with the device in the early morning hours of her disappearance.
The Ozark Trail backpack is sold exclusively at Walmart, and the retailer is now working with authorities to help identify potential purchasers.
The video was recovered only after FBI digital forensic specialists worked with Google. Because Guthrie did not subscribe to a cloud storage plan, the footage would have been overwritten if the suspect had not damaged the device.
Other Nest cameras in the home did overwrite their recordings. Experts told The NY Post that additional footage might still be retrievable, but investigators must sift through vast amounts of stored data.
“It’s the equivalent of a digital landfill at that point, so they’ve got to dig through that. It’s not necessarily that they will find where all of this [data] is. It’s going to take time to figure it out,” Odom said.
Operational setbacks have also come under scrutiny. The sheriff’s aviation unit was not immediately deployed because of staffing shortages, leaving large areas unsearched during the crucial first hours.
Authorities are now employing advanced technology in the search. Helicopters are flying low and slow grid patterns over the Tucson desert using a Bluetooth detection device known as a “signal sniffer,” attempting to locate Guthrie’s pacemaker. The device stopped communicating with her iPhone at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 1.
The FBI technology can potentially detect a signal from the heart device, but the helicopter must be within roughly 800 feet to pick it up. The device’s inventor told CBS News it would continue to function even if she is deceased.
President Trump criticized the approach during remarks to reporters.
“I didn’t like when they talked about going after the pacemaker before they even started going after it,” he told reporters Thursday.
No charges have been filed in connection with the case. On Feb. 13, authorities detained 37-year-old felon Luke Daley and his 77-year-old mother after FBI agents and a SWAT team raided their home two miles from Guthrie’s residence. Daley was later cleared and released.
Carlos Palazuelos was also briefly taken into custody on Feb. 11 after being stopped while driving toward the U.S. border. The delivery driver was released shortly afterward.
Investigators have not publicly identified a clear motive. Officials have ruled out a burglary that went wrong. Sheriff Nanos has suggested Guthrie may have been taken as “revenge for something,” but provided no further detail.
Online speculation has linked the abduction to Mexican drug cartels, pointing to Tucson’s proximity to the border and a potential financial motive.
Unnamed sources told TMZ that the FBI had communicated with Mexican authorities, though Leon Boyer, a Border Patrol officer and expert on Mexican security, cast doubt on cartel involvement.
“[Cartels] are going to target people in Mexico. They’re not targeting people in the US. Why would they bring attention to themselves?” he questioned, adding that cartel kidnapping schemes typically revolve around local extortion or business disputes.
Authorities have withheld certain information, citing investigative concerns. An Arizona gun store owner said the FBI recently approached him with photographs of roughly 18 to 24 individuals, asking whether he had sold any of them firearms. He said he cooperated out of concern for Guthrie’s family.
Sheriff Nanos, however, denied reports that investigators had narrowed the suspect pool.
“We haven’t narrowed it down to anything other than we have pieces of evidence,” he said on Tuesday.
A reward for information leading to Guthrie’s safe return has climbed to $202,000.
{Matzav.com}
Yeshiva World NewsA massive buildup of U.S. military assets across the Middle East is a message to Tehran: Washington now has the capacity to dismantle the core of Iran’s power structure with unprecedented speed, according to retired Vice Adm. Bob Harward.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Harward, a former deputy commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), said the current posture reflects more than deterrence.
“One thing he’s illustrated is that President Donald Trump does what he says,” Harward said, pointing to Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and its opposition to a nuclear-armed Tehran.
“Now he’s positioned the assets for a military action,” Harward added. “If he cannot meet the objectives regarding the nuclear and ballistic missile program, he’s willing to go beyond mediation and act.”
Harward outlined what he described as a carefully layered military strategy designed to neutralize Iran’s offensive capabilities while minimizing harm to civilians.
The first wave, he said, would focus on missile sites and launchers—assets that pose direct threats to U.S. forces and Israel. A second phase would target Iran-backed proxy groups outside the country, reducing the risk of retaliatory attacks.
Rather than targeting national infrastructure, a U.S. campaign would likely focus on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the powerful force that underpins the regime’s internal control.
“You’re not going to look at infrastructure,” Harward said. “This is to provide the Iranian people a change in government. It will be focused only on the things that enable the regime and the IRGC to suppress the people.”
Harward said that modern American warfare bears little resemblance to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, citing major advances in command, control, and targeting systems.
“Where previously you could do 40 or 50 strikes a day, we now have the ability to conduct hundreds of strikes a day,” he said. “That changes the equation completely for the regime.”
He argued that U.S. forces now possess the capability to decapitate Iran’s military leadership at extraordinary speed.
“If you’re targeting the IRGC and want to go after all their headquarters and facilities, you could probably do that in a matter of hours,” Harward said. “That’s unprecedented.”
Harward’s assessment is shaped in part by his personal connection to the country. His family lived in Iran from 1968 to 1979, and he was present shortly before the fall of the Shah during the Islamic Revolution.
He recalled that the decisive moment in 1979 came when Iran’s military shifted its loyalty from the monarchy to the public.
He believes a similar dynamic would be essential for any future political change.
“This is a regime that for 47 years has oppressed its people,” Harward said. “The bulk of them want change.”
Harward emphasized that any military campaign would need to align with the interests of the Iranian population, targeting the regime’s ability to communicate, intimidate, and suppress dissent.
The goal, he said, would be to weaken the ruling system without fueling popular resentment.
“This is about degrading their ability to control the people,” he said, “not punishing the people.”
Harward suggested that a potential U.S. strike on Iran would have implications far beyond the Middle East, offering a demonstration of American military power to rival nations.
“I don’t think anyone really understands the scale or capacity we have because no one’s ever seen it before,” he said.
“If it does happen, this will be illuminating for everyone—to understand where we’ve come in terms of size, scale, speed, and capacity, be it Russia or China.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Yeshiva World NewsIsrael’s Supreme Court on Thursday morning held a hearing on a petition demanding that Justice Minister Yariv Levin end his boycott of Supreme Court President Yitzchak Amit and cooperate with him to appoint new judges to Israel’s court system, or alternatively transfer his authority to another minister.
Levin has boycotted Amit since he was “elected” as the president of the court after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara bullied the judicial system into electing him by prohibiting the Judicial Selection Committee from investigating multiple serious allegations against him. Since then—due to Levin’s boycott—no judicial appointments have been made despite numerous vacancies on numerous courts throughout the country since they require the agreement of the Justice Minister and the Supreme Court President.
The petition was filed by the Zulat Institute for Equality and Human Rights, headed by former Meretz party chairwoman Zehava Galon.
During the hearing, Levin’s lawyer, Attorney Yoram Sheftel, argued that the European Union provides substantial funding to the Zulat Institute and is therefore effectively behind the petition, which, among other things, in practice seeks to remove a sitting Israeli minister. He also described the organization as hostile to the State of Israel.
Sheftel said, “In Yiddish they say, ‘Whoever has the money has the say,’ and the one with the money in this petition is the hostile European Union—Spain, Italy, and France—which imposed an arms embargo to prevent us from winning a war of survival…they are the petitioners here. The EU has funded this petitioner with 869,000 shekels over the past three years alone.”
In a written response submitted on Wednesday to the Court, Levin also stated that “the European Union is working to topple Israel’s government and funds protests against it.”
Levin further wrote, “This is a reality in which election day is replaced by petition day—effectively a governmental coup. I will not bow to this improper process. No attempt to remove me will stop me from fulfilling my mission. The days when justice ministers submissively accepted the erosion of their authority by the judiciary are over. The court has no authority to replace the will of the people.”
Justice Ofer Grosskopf attempted to interrupt Sheftel’s arguments, saying that the court never concerns itself with the identity of the petitioner.
At the beginning of the hearing, Sheftel said, “I am not representing only the minister, but the millions of voters who stand behind him.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Yeshiva World NewsNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has moved closer to fulfilling his campaign pledge to freeze rents after appointing a slate of new members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, giving him a majority on the influential panel.
Mamdani announced Tuesday that he had appointed five new members and reappointed a sixth, placing six of the board’s nine seats under his direct influence. The board is responsible for voting annually on whether rents may rise for the city’s roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments.
“I trust they will consider all the factors facing our city’s rent-stabilized tenants and come to an appropriate decision,” Mamdani said while unveiling the appointments at an affordable housing site in Harlem.
The new lineup includes three public members — labor organizer Brandon Mancilla, advocacy economist Lauren Melodia, and newly appointed chair Chantella Mitchell — along with landlord representative Maksim Wynn and reappointed tenant representative Adán Soltren.
Mitchell, a former city housing official, has worked extensively in the nonprofit sector and currently oversees grantmaking at the New York Community Trust.
Under city rules, the board is composed of five public members, two tenant representatives, and two landlord representatives, all appointed by the mayor. While the panel is billed as independent, critics have raised questions about its autonomy given the ideological alignment of many of Mamdani’s selections.
“Rent-stabilized tenants deserve a rent freeze,” Mamdani said Wednesday. “And of course, I also understand that the RGB is an independent board, and they will consider all of the evidence.”
The mayor’s majority was secured after two late-stage appointees of former Mayor Eric Adams withdrew and board member Alex Armlovich resigned, according to reporting by Gothamist.
The Rent Guidelines Board under Adams approved cumulative rent increases of about 12 percent. By contrast, freezes were approved three times during the tenure of former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mamdani’s promise to freeze rents during his first term was a central element of his campaign and a key factor in his electoral victory. The board’s next major vote, expected around June, will determine whether that pledge becomes policy.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Yeshiva World NewsShas chairman Aryeh Deri attacked Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday amid ongoing legal and public debate surrounding tefillah arrangements at the Kosel.
In a statement titled “An idol has been brought into the Heifchal,” Deri accused the court of attempting to intervene in the Kosel and warned against any changes to the long-standing status quo at the Kosel.
Deri wrote that the entire Klal Yisroel seek to daven at the Kosel in the manner practiced for generations, noting that large crowds throughout Elul and the rest of the year — religious and secular, young and old — arrive at the Kosel and pray with respect for the established minhag hamakom.
He further contended that the Supreme Court lacks authority to intervene in matters relating to the character of tefillah at the site, emphasizing that religious jurisdiction over the area rests solely with the Chief Rabbinate.
He stressed that the court has no authority to change the character of tefillah at the Kosel and that the only authority at the site is the Chief Rabbinate.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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Vos Iz NeiasWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House announced a reciprocal trade agreement with Indonesia on Thursday while President Prabowo Subianto was in Washington to attend the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
Under the agreement, Southeast Asia’s largest economy will eliminate tariffs for 99% of American goods while the U.S. will maintain tariffs on most Indonesian goods at 19%, the White House said. That is the same rate the U.S. has set for Cambodia and Malaysia. Indonesia also agreed to address non-tariff barriers to U.S. goods and to remove restrictions on exports to the U.S. for critical minerals and other industrial commodities, the White House said.
Indonesian and U.S. companies also reached 11 deals this week worth $38.4 billion, including purchases of U.S. soybeans, corn, cotton and wheat, cooperation in critical minerals and oil field recovery, and joint ventures in computer chips.
“We have negotiated very intensively over the last few months, and I think we have reached solid understandings on many issues,” Prabowo told business executives Wednesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
A White House statement called it a “great deal” and said it “will help both countries to strengthen economic security, promote economic growth, and thereby continuously lead to global prosperity.”
The agreement was later signed by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his Indonesian counterpart.
MatzavRep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said during a town hall that discussions within the Democratic Party now extend beyond eliminating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to potentially breaking up the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Addressing constituents, Omar said that the political climate has shifted since she first entered Congress, making such proposals more mainstream within her party.
“What I will say is that there is an easier conversation happening today than six, seven years ago when I got to Congress, about what we need to do with ICE, which is to abolish it,” Omar told her audience during the townhall meeting.
She went on to indicate that broader structural changes are also being debated.
“There is a lot of conversation about what the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security should look like,” she added.
Omar’s remarks come amid heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement actions in recent weeks. She and other Democratic officials, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have been outspoken in criticizing ICE operations.
ICE was established in 2003, and enforcement raids have long been part of its mandate. However, critics of the Trump administration have portrayed recent operations as part of a broader crackdown, arguing that resistance to such enforcement is necessary.
According to Breitbart News, Minnesota, led by Democrats, has seen far-left demonstrators confront federal immigration officers. The outlet reported that some elected officials, including Walz and Omar, have used strong rhetoric in response to ICE actions.
Last month, Walz, who lost the 2024 presidential election to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, warned that he might deploy the Minnesota National Guard in response to federal law enforcement activity. He also issued a broader warning to residents in other parts of the country.
“To Americans who are watching this, if you’re in Portland or you’re in L.A., or you’re in Chicago, or you’re wherever, they’re coming next,” the governor said, before urging people across the U.S. to “stand with us against this.”
WATCH:
Yeshiva World NewsPolice detectives from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station arrested a 19-year-old resident of Beitar Illit on suspicion of involvement in overturning a police vehicle during the violent disturbances that took place in Bnei Brak earlier this week.
According to police, an extensive investigation was launched immediately after the unrest, focusing on identifying individuals seen in footage documenting the moment a police car was flipped amid clashes in the city.
As part of the probe, investigators gathered evidence and intelligence that led detectives to locate one of the suspected participants. The young suspect was taken in for questioning on suspicion of malicious damage to a vehicle, participation in an unlawful gathering, conspiracy to commit a crime, and obstructing a public roadway.
Following his interrogation, the suspect was remanded into custody and is expected to be brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning, where police will request an extension of his detention.
Police said that enforcement efforts will continue against anyone involved in violence or damage to public property, stating: “Israel Police will continue to act with a firm hand against any attempt to harm police vehicles and public property, and will bring those involved in riots and violence of any kind to justice.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Yeshiva World NewsIsrael’s Health Ministry issued a public alert Thursday night after confirming that a measles patient traveled on public transportation on Motzei Shabbos from Beitar Illit to Emanuel, raising concerns of possible exposure among passengers.
According to the ministry, the patient was on Bus Line 391, which departed Beitar Illit at 9:30 p.m. Officials stressed the highly contagious nature of the disease and urged anyone who was on the bus at the specified time to ensure they are properly vaccinated.
“Since this is a highly contagious disease, the Health Ministry requests that people who traveled on this line at the time specified above make sure they are vaccinated in accordance with Health Ministry recommendations,” the statement said.
Health authorities specifically advised pregnant women who are not fully vaccinated with two doses, immunocompromised individuals, and infants under one year old who were on the bus to contact their local health bureau to consider receiving passive measles immunization.
Vaccinations are available through health maintenance organizations, health bureaus, and Tipat Chalav clinics. The public can also contact the Health Ministry hotline (5400*) to determine whether vaccination is necessary.
The Health Ministry reiterated its call for the public to remain up to date on vaccinations, emphasizing that measles is a preventable disease through a safe and effective vaccine.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
MatzavPresident Donald Trump announced Thursday that nine countries have committed $7 billion toward rebuilding Gaza and that five nations have agreed to send troops as part of a new international stabilization force, marking a major step in his administration’s postwar plan for the Palestinian territory.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, Trump said Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania will contribute troops to the Gaza stabilization mission. Egypt and Jordan, he added, have agreed to assist by training police forces for the effort.
The initial deployment of forces is expected to focus on Rafah, a key population hub in southern Gaza, where U.S. officials intend to concentrate early reconstruction initiatives.
Trump identified Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait as the countries providing financial pledges for the relief package.
“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” Trump said as he thanked participating nations. He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”
Although the $7 billion in commitments represents a substantial sum, it falls well short of the roughly $70 billion experts estimate will be required to fully rebuild Gaza after two years of devastating conflict.
The President also revealed that the United States would contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace, though he did not detail how those funds would be allocated.
Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who is heading the newly established International Stabilization Force, outlined the scope of the proposed security presence. He said the plan envisions 12,000 police officers and 20,000 troops operating in Gaza.
“With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said.
The Board of Peace was originally conceived as part of Trump’s 20-point framework aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Following the October ceasefire, the President broadened the body’s mandate to include wider international conflict-resolution initiatives.
Some observers have questioned whether the expanded mission of the Board could encroach on responsibilities traditionally handled by the United Nations.
Responding to those concerns, Trump argued that the new body would ultimately strengthen the U.N. rather than weaken it.
“Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” Trump said. “I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”
While most countries dispatched senior representatives to the event, several heads of state attended in person, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán.
More than 40 nations, along with the European Union, confirmed participation in Thursday’s session. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were among more than a dozen countries that did not formally join the Board but took part as observers.
“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be,” Trump predicted. “And some are playing a little cute — it doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”
The meeting came one day after the U.N. Security Council convened a high-level session to discuss the Gaza ceasefire agreement and Israel’s moves to expand its presence in the West Bank. That session, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved up after Trump set the Board’s meeting for the same day, complicating travel arrangements for diplomats seeking to attend both gatherings.
Earlier in the week, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration responded Wednesday, rejecting concerns raised by the Vatican.
A central focus of the Board’s deliberations was the formation of an armed multinational force tasked with maintaining order in Gaza and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas, a key Israeli demand and a central element of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has offered little indication that it is prepared to relinquish its weapons. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization” but has drawn some encouragement from reports by mediators.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the scale of the task ahead in remarks to the assembly.
“We have a long ways to go,” Rubio said. “There’s a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation state represented here today.”
Yeshiva World NewsAs a mother of a talented young girl, I’m compelled to speak out about the seminary application process that’s causing immense stress and heartache for countless families. The current system prioritizes academics and wealth over individual potential, leaving many deserving girls without a spot.
The pressure is palpable: secure a place in a prestigious seminary or risk being left behind. But what about those who don’t fit the mold? Girls who excel in non-academic areas, those from less affluent backgrounds, or those who simply need a different path? They’re often left with limited options, forced to settle for less, or worse, feel inadequate.
The financial burden is staggering, with some seminaries costing upwards of $30,000. Is this really about providing a spiritual experience, or is it a business? And what’s the message we’re sending our girls? That their worth is tied to their acceptance into an elite program?
But here’s the thing: schools are encouraging girls to apply, touting the life-changing experience of seminary in Israel, without ensuring they’ll actually get in. It’s a bait-and-switch, leaving girls and families crushed when rejection letters roll in. Schools need to assure and provide support to allow each girl to get into a seminary of their choice before pushing them down this path. Don’t create a one-size-fits-all expectation and then not deliver.
We need change. It’s time for seminaries to rethink their approach, prioritize inclusivity, and provide opportunities for every girl to thrive. Local seminaries, flexible programs, and merit-based aid could be a start. Let’s give our girls the chance to shine, not break under the pressure.
To all the girls who’ve been rejected, your worth isn’t defined by a seminary. You are enough, and your path is unique. Keep pushing forward; your time to shine will come.
Let’s work together to create a system that values each girl’s potential, not just their grades or bank account.
Signed,
A broken mother for all girls going through this
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
Vos Iz NeiasNEW YORK (VINnews) — Gov. Kathy Hochul has dropped a proposal that would have cleared the way for limited commercial robotaxi operations outside New York City, halting a potential expansion for autonomous vehicle companies in the state.
Her office said the plan did not have enough backing in the Legislature to advance. The reversal does not impact ongoing testing of autonomous vehicles with human safety drivers in New York City.
The proposal, unveiled earlier this year, would have permitted pilot programs for commercial self-driving ride services in areas beyond the five boroughs. Supporters said it could spur innovation and expand transportation options, while critics warned of safety concerns and possible job losses for drivers.
Labor groups, including the Taxi Workers Alliance, welcomed the decision, arguing that robotaxi expansion could threaten livelihoods.
The move is seen as a setback for Waymo, which has been testing vehicles in the city and has broader expansion plans in the United States. The company said it remains interested in bringing commercial service to New York and will continue discussions with lawmakers.
Autonomous vehicle developers including Tesla and Zoox are also developing driverless systems, as competition in the sector intensifies both domestically and abroad.
Vos Iz NeiasUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has paid about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations, the U.N. said Thursday, and President Donald Trump promised more money to the financially strapped world organization.
The Trump administration’s payment last week is earmarked for the U.N.’s regular operating budget, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told The Associated Press.
The U.N. has said the United States owes $2.196 billion to its regular budget, including $767 million for this year, as well as $1.8 billion to a separate budget for the far-flung U.N. peacekeeping operations.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned late last month that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States.
He said in a letter to all member nations that cash for the regular budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect U.N. operations.
U.N. officials have said 95% of the overdue payments to the U.N.’s regular budget is from the United States.
The disclosure of the U.S. payment came as Trump convened the first meeting of the Board of Peace, a new initiative initially meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but whose wider ambitions under Trump many see as an attempt to rival the U.N. Security Council’s role in preventing and ending conflict around the world.
Trump has said the United Nations has not lived up to its potential and has withdrawn the U.S. from U.N. organizations, including the World Health Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens of others.
At the Board of Peace meeting Thursday in Washington, Trump was much more positive than he has been in the past about the future of the United Nations, which was established on the ashes of World War II.
He said his administration was going to be working “very closely” with the U.N., adding, “Someday, I won’t be here — the United Nations will be.”
Trump said the Board of Peace “is going to almost be looking over the United Nations,” strengthening it and making sure its facilities are good and it runs properly.
“They need help, and they need help moneywise,” the president said, never mentioning that the U.S. failure to pay its dues is a key reason for the U.N.’s financial crisis.
“We’re going to help them moneywise, and we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable,” Trump said. “And I think it’s going to eventually live up to its potential. That will be a big day.”
He did not say when any future payments would be made.
Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said last week that Guterres has been in touch with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz “for quite some time” and that the U.N.’s controller also has been in touch with U.S. officials about the arrears.
The U.N. said 55 countries paid their annual dues for 2026 by the Feb. 8 due date.
MatzavHundreds gathered Thursday at the military cemetery in Moshav HaYogev to bid farewell to Staff Sgt. Ofri Yaffe z”l, a 21-year-old fighter in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit who was killed Wednesday in southern Gaza by IDF friendly fire.
The funeral was held in the community where Yaffe was born and raised, drawing large crowds of family members, friends, fellow soldiers, and residents who came to pay their final respects.
During the ceremony, his father, Yiftach, delivered emotional remarks, describing his son as a young man who “always gave of himself to everyone.” He also addressed the members of the reconnaissance unit directly, making clear that he harbored no anger or blame toward them.
The father expressed criticism toward the country’s leadership, saying his anger was directed at those who send “the best of its sons on missions without purpose.”
Yaffe’s mother delivered a tearful eulogy. “I still can’t grasp that you’re not with us. For me, this is a dark dream and any moment you’ll come and laugh at me,” she said, according to Maariv. She spoke about her son’s personality and warmth, saying, “You were everything for everyone, everyone clung to you like a magnet.”
Earlier in the day, Yaffe’s father was interviewed on Kan Reshet Bet, where he spoke with remarkable resolve about the soldier who fired the shot. He said he would give the sniper “a very big hug” if he came to the funeral.
“We want to save his soul,” the father said. “That he should feel that we have no anger toward him, not even the smallest. These are our very best children, they are all our children.”
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasWASHINGTON (AP) — A large banner featuring Donald Trump’s face was hung on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters on Thursday in a physical display of the Republican president’s efforts to exert power over the law enforcement agency that once investigated him.
While Trump banners have been hung outside other agencies across Washington, the decision to place one on the storied Justice Department building amounted to a striking symbol of the erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from White House control.
The banner, hung between two columns on one corner of the building, says, “Make America Safe Again,” a slogan used by the administration to tout its efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration and violent crime.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has postured herself as the president’s chief supporter and protector, eschewing the approach of predecessors who sought to maintain an arms-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.
Trump officials have rejected accusations that they have weaponized the Justice Department for political purposes, saying the Biden administration was the one that politicized law enforcement with two federal criminal cases against Trump that were abandoned after he won the 2024 election.
The Justice Department in a statement Thursday said it is proud to “celebrate 250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction.”
The Trump administration has opened investigations into a number of the president’s perceived enemies, amplifying concerns that the agency is being used to exact revenge on his political foes.
Federal prosecutors brought charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey that were later dismissed, and separately sought to indict several Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders.”
The department is also investigating Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over congressional testimony and Democratic Minnesota officials over whether they obstructed federal immigration enforcement through public statements.
Yeshiva World NewsBelgium’s only Jewish member of parliament, Michael Freilich, has been thrust into the center of a growing diplomatic and domestic controversy following a public dispute over bris milah.
The controversy erupted Monday after a public exchange between U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot on social media.
In a post on X, White urged Belgian authorities to halt an investigation into mohelim, accusing the country of failing to provide legal protections for religious practice.
“You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious mohels to perform their duties here in Belgium,” White wrote, calling the procedure legal in “all civilized countries.”
Prévot responded by rejecting any claim of antisemitism as “false, offensive, and unacceptable,” and emphasized that Belgian law allows ritual circumcision only when conducted by qualified physicians under strict medical standards.
The exchange followed raids carried out nearly a year ago by Belgian authorities in Antwerp’s Jewish Quarter as part of an investigation into alleged illegal circumcision practices. The probe stemmed from a complaint by a local rabbi against six mohelim who practiced metzitzah b’peh.
On the same day as the diplomatic spat, Freilich told Belgian newspaper HLN that he had raised concerns about the issue during a visit to Washington in May 2025, seeking guidance on possible legislation.
“I asked them to assist us in finding the correct legislation,” Freilich said, noting that circumcision is widely accepted in the United States.
He later appealed to European Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi to pressure Belgium’s health ministry to resolve the matter.
Freilich’s outreach quickly drew criticism from political leaders across party lines. CD&V chairman Sammy Mahdi described the move as “worrying” and “totally inappropriate,” arguing that Belgian officials should not seek foreign influence in domestic legal cases.
“Those who serve Belgian interests are not going to ask Trump’s clique to influence our legislation,” Mahdi wrote on Instagram.
Belgium’s Green Party went further, calling for an ethical investigation into Freilich’s actions. Greens deputy Meyrem Almaci accused him of prioritizing foreign interests.
“Freilich does not behave like a representative of the Belgian people,” Almaci said.
Jewish organizations have warned that parts of the backlash echo longstanding antisemitic tropes. The Jewish Information and Documentation Center (JID) said Freilich has been subjected to “unjustified and dangerous attempts” to undermine his credibility, including rumors that he pressured Washington to interfere in Belgian policy.
Such allegations, critics say, mirror historic claims of divided loyalty often directed at Jewish officials.
Freilich rejected those claims in an interview with Radio Judaica.
“Belgium, a beautiful country, could not be considered antisemitic,” he said. “Accusing a Jewish official of disloyalty to his country is textbook antisemitism.”
U.S.-based ambassador-at-large Yehuda Kaploun likened the campaign against him to a “modern-day Dreyfus Affair,” referring to the 19th-century French case widely seen as a symbol of institutional antisemitism.
JID echoed that view, stressing that while policy disagreements are legitimate, personal attacks are not.
“Criticism of positions is legitimate,” the organization said. “Spreading insinuations and repeating old antisemitic tropes is not.”
“Michael Freilich is a democratically elected Belgian MP, and we reject any attempt at character assassination or public manhunt.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Lakewood ScoopA New Jersey Assembly committee advanced legislation that would require the state to create and maintain a formal waiting list for families seeking child care assistance whenever funding runs out.
The bill, sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, would direct the Department of Human Services to track applicants who are presumptively eligible for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) but cannot be served due to limited funding.
The Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee approved the measure by a 6-0 vote.
New Jersey’s Child Care Assistance Program helps income-eligible families afford child care. However, the program temporarily stopped accepting new applications last summer after officials cited funding shortfalls. Applications resumed on a limited basis in December.
Speight, who chairs the Aging and Human Services Committee, said the funding freeze highlighted vulnerabilities in the state’s child care system.
“Child care is a critical part of New Jersey’s infrastructure,” Speight said in a statement. “Last year’s freezing of new CCAP applications underscored the fragility of New Jersey’s child care system. Establishing a waitlist is a critical step toward understanding the scope of need and providing data necessary to make informed decisions about the program at the state level.”
Under current practice, families whose applications cannot be processed because of funding limits may receive little information about their status or when assistance might become available, which can discourage families from reapplying and complicate decisions about work and caregiving.
The legislation would require the Division of Family Development within the Department of Human Services to maintain a list of applicants deemed presumptively eligible but unable to receive benefits due to funding constraints.
The bill also would require the division to designate contracted child care resource and referral agencies as official access points to help families complete and submit applications, including standardized self-attestation forms used to determine eligibility.
Additionally, the division would be required to publish at least twice a year aggregate data on applicants who qualify for and apply to receive assistance through the program.
CCAP provides subsidies to income-eligible parents who are working, in school, or in job training. While new enrollments were halted as of Aug. 1, 2025, current recipients have continued to receive assistance.
The program has been providing subsidies for nearly 70,000 children across the state – with over 6,000 of those in the Lakewood area – at a cost of approximately $872 million in state and federal funds.
To be eligible, families must meet certain work or education and income requirements; for example, a family of four cannot exceed a gross income of $64,300, and family assets for all income levels must not exceed $1 million.
The bill now moves to the Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee.
MatzavIsrael’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, issued a pointed warning to the country’s enemies today, declaring that Israel’s military remains on high alert amid mounting tensions and the possibility that a U.S. strike on Iran could trigger retaliatory fire toward Israel.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for new officers at the IDF’s Bahad 1 training base, Zamir made clear that Israel is fully prepared for rapid developments. “Anyone who seeks to test our determination will encounter power that will exact an immediate and heavy price,” he said.
His remarks come as the region braces for potential escalation tied to ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. Israeli defense officials have indicated that any American military action against Tehran would likely increase the risk of attacks on Israeli territory.
Zamir said that more than two years after the failures of October 7, the military has undergone significant change. He emphasized that the IDF is defending the country, striking with force, and removing threats across multiple fronts. The multi-arena campaign, he said, is being led by IDF commanders at the head of their forces. “Our eyes are open in every direction, and our finger is more ready than ever on the trigger in the face of any change in the operational reality. Anyone who seeks to test our determination will encounter power that will exact an immediate and heavy price,” he added.
Addressing the newly commissioned officers, Zamir highlighted the diverse makeup of Israeli society reflected on the parade grounds — soldiers from cities and kibbutzim, secular and religious, alongside members of the chareidi community, representing a range of views and beliefs. He described the IDF as a bridge uniting the nation above internal divisions in pursuit of a shared mission. Internal strife at the expense of the military, he warned, would lead to disaster.
Zamir also referenced the launch of the IDF’s new five-year strategic plan, known as “Hosen,” which aims to strengthen cohesion among all branches of the military and across regular, career, and reserve personnel. He stressed that the country needs every segment of its population and cannot afford to forgo any part of the nation.
Turning directly to the cadets, Zamir urged them to look at the landscape of Mitzpe Ramon, their families, and the commanders who shaped them, and to move forward to lead their soldiers. He invoked biblical imagery, recalling how King David sought divine guidance before pursuing the Amalekites who had burned Ziklag and taken captives. The answer he received, Zamir noted, became an enduring battle cry: pursue, overtake, and rescue.
He concluded by calling on the officers to be leaders of action rather than words, to uphold strong values and professionalism, and to be worthy of the trust placed in them by the people of Israel. Expressing full confidence in their ability to lead in future battlefields, he ended with a declaration of faith, perseverance, and determination, closing with the words: “The people of Israel live.”
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, who also spoke at the ceremony, delivered a similarly forceful message. He said the Middle East stands at a crossroads, with extremist forces reorganizing to challenge Israel once again. Netanyahu stressed that Israel is working closely with its major ally, the United States, and that he had made clear to President Donald Trump the principles that, in Israel’s view, must guide any negotiations with Iran. Israel, he said, is prepared for every scenario, warning that if the ayatollahs make the mistake of attacking, they will face a response beyond what they can imagine.
MatzavIsraeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu sent a personal letter of condolence this week to Motti Babchik, senior aide to MK Yitzchak Goldknopf, following the passing of Babchik’s father, Rabbi Ben Zion Babchik, who died earlier this week.
Babchik is considered one of the influential figures within the Gur chassidus and is widely viewed in coalition and Likud circles as a leading force behind opposition to Netanyahu within the chareidi factions. Many believe he has played a central role, under the guidance of the Gerrer Rebbe, in pushing a hardline stance against the government over the failure to pass a draft law for three years, with some in the political system accusing him of working to bring down the coalition and force new elections.
In his letter, Netanyahu opened with words of sympathy: “I grieve with you, and with all your relatives, over the passing of the head of your family — your father, the man of many deeds, Rabbi Ben Zion Babchik, of blessed memory.”
He continued, reflecting on the pain of losing a parent: “Parting from a beloved and devoted parent is always a difficult moment. His arms embraced us. His concerns were devoted to us. He walked beside us along the paths of life, his heart swelling at the sight of our growth.”
“At this time, when you are wrapped in sorrow over the departure of your father from you, I extend to you my fullest condolences,” the prime minister wrote.
Netanyahu went on to praise the elder Babchik’s standing in the Gur community. “Alongside being a family man, Rabbi Babchik earned a name for himself as a Torah scholar faithful to the path of Gur chassidus. As one of the pillars of the Gur community in Kiryat Gat, your father devoted himself to his studies, published Torah insights, issued halachic rulings, engaged in acts of kindness, and gave generously to others.
“His ear was attuned to the needs of the community. The warmth of his personality and the light of his countenance left their mark on wide circles. I am certain that these important values of your late father will remain with you for years and generations. May you find comfort in this, as well as in the continued preservation of family unity. May the Omnipresent comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may you know no further sorrow.”
At the bottom of the letter, Netanyahu added a handwritten note: “From the depths of my heart.”
{Matzav.com}
The Lakewood ScoopWe regret to inform you of the Petirah of Mrs. Leah Pines (Nee Grund).
She recently relocated from Brooklyn to Toms River, leaving behind a legacy of inspiration and guidance.
For 50 devoted years, she taught at Ezra Academy of Queens, touching the lives of thousands of students, many of whom became Frum through her influence.
She is survived by her husband, R’ Baruch; her sons: Abi, Shlomo, Nochum and Dovi; her daughters: Bassy Pollak, and Sarah Eisen; brothers: R’ Avrahom Abba And R’ Nochum Grund; sister: Mrs. Rochel Miller.
The family will be sitting Shiva at 1904 White Knoll Dr, Toms River, NJ through Tuesday morning.
Shacharis 8:00 am
Mincha 1:45 pm
Maariv 7:00 pm
Nichum Aveilim Hours
9:30 am-12:30 pm
1:45 pm- 6:00 pm
7:00 pm- 10:00 pm
Friday- until 2:30pm
Motzai Shabbos- 7:30pm- 10:30pm
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
MatzavRav Yigal Cohen, a member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate and chairman of its Legislative Committee, has issued a sharp warning over the continued failure to repeal the kashrus reform enacted by former minister Matan Kahana.
In a formal letter sent to Israel’s Chief Rabbis and to leaders of the chareidi and religious political parties, Rav Cohen expressed concern that nearly three years after the current government was formed, the reform remains in place despite what he describes as clear election promises to overturn it.
The reform, which was passed in opposition to the stance of the Chief Rabbinate, significantly changed the structure of Israel’s kashrus supervision system. Rav Cohen wrote that the reform has weakened the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, disrupted the national kashrus framework, and created confusion among consumers who rely on consistent and reliable supervision.
He noted that at the time the legislation was enacted, the Chief Rabbinate warned that the changes would have damaging consequences. Those warnings, he said, were ultimately ignored.
In his letter, Rav Cohen stressed the urgent need to restore halachic authority and centralized oversight over kashrus to the Chief Rabbinate. He called for immediate legislative action to repeal the reform and reinstate a clear, unified national kashrus system.
Officials within the Rabbinate have also cautioned that the approaching election cycle makes the matter increasingly urgent. Once the political system formally enters campaign mode, advancing substantial legislative changes will become significantly more difficult.
According to these officials, there is real concern that the reform could become entrenched as a permanent reality, with the fragmentation of the kashrus system becoming irreversible. They warned that it may not be possible to reverse course in a future government.
Senior Rabbinate sources stated that anyone who fails to act now will find it much harder to do so later, emphasizing that the Council of the Chief Rabbinate unanimously determined when the reform was passed that it must be repealed immediately, that kashrus must be returned to a unified national framework, and that commercial competition undermining halachic standards must be prevented. They stressed that this position has not changed.
Rav Cohen concluded by urging immediate and decisive action to repeal the reform and restore kashrus authority to the Chief Rabbinate, citing both halachic responsibility and public accountability.
The Lakewood ScoopCompany: Bud Antle/Dole Fresh Vegetables
Advisory: Bud Antle, operating as Dole Fresh Vegetables, has informed OK Kosher that they will be transitioning to a different kosher certification for their products.
As of March 1, 2026, only limited special production items will be certified by OK Kosher and these will have the OK Kosher symbol prominently displayed next to the date code.
MatzavThe British government is reportedly denying President Donald Trump permission to use UK military air bases for a potential strike on Iran, amid concerns within London that such action could violate international law and draw Britain into a broader conflict.
According to a report in The Times, the White House has been developing contingency plans for possible military action against Iran that would involve the use of Royal Air Force Fairford in England. The base serves as a forward operating location for U.S. heavy bombers and plays a key role in long-range missions.
Trump is said to have discussed the issue directly with Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a phone call Tuesday night. British officials were reportedly uneasy about authorizing the use of RAF facilities for an attack, fearing that doing so could breach international law and expose the UK to legal and diplomatic consequences.
In public comments, Trump specifically referenced both the U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in England, arguing that the installations could be critical if Tehran refuses to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington.
“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
“An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly countries. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them,” he added.
The dispute over the potential use of British bases is also said to be influencing Trump’s evolving stance on a separate agreement involving the Chagos Islands. The proposed deal would transfer sovereignty of the islands from the UK to Mauritius, while allowing Britain to retain control of the strategically vital Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease.
The Chagos Islands arrangement is intended to resolve decades-old tensions tied to Britain’s colonial-era control of the territory. Diego Garcia, located nearly 6,000 miles from the UK, is one of the most strategically significant American military outposts, supporting bomber and aircraft operations across the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Earlier this month, Trump had praised the complex arrangement as the “best” outcome for Starmer, and the U.S. State Department expressed support for it earlier in the week. However, following his reported conversation with the British prime minister, Trump reversed course and withdrew his backing.
“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but prime minister Starmer is losing control of this important island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature,” Trump wrote.
“Prime minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100-year lease,” he added. “This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our great ally.”
It is unclear whether Starmer, leader of the Labour Party and currently facing low approval ratings, will be able to secure enough backing in Parliament to advance the Chagos Islands agreement without Trump’s support.
The Chagos Archipelago consists of roughly 60 islands situated about 1,500 miles south of India. Its location provides Diego Garcia with significant strategic value due to its proximity to both the Middle East and South Asia. Britain has controlled the islands since 1814 and has been considering steps to return them to their original inhabitants.
{Matzav.com}
Vos Iz NeiasALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Republicans are looking to the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the boundaries of the only red congressional seat in New York City from being redrawn, after suffering a bruising loss in state court on Thursday.
The attempts to stop U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ district from changing are the latest moves in a winding legal battle that could have major implications in this year’s fight for control of the House.
A state judge threw out the boundaries last month, after an election law firm aligned with the Democratic Party argued the district dilutes the power of Black and Latino voters in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.
After weeks of uncertainty, a state appeals court issued a brief decision Thursday that sided with Democrats, effectively telling the state’s redistricting commission to start working on a new congressional map.
Now, Republicans are hoping the the U.S. Supreme Court will step in, after Malliotakis and GOP elections officials last week filed emergency appeals seeking to put a hold on the original ruling.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has been unequivocal: race-based redistricting violates the U.S. Constitution,” Malliotakis said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to the Supreme Court’s intervention in this case to uphold the rule of law and preserve the integrity of our elections.”
The Supreme Court has recently allowed Texas and California to use new maps for this year’s election.
New lines in Malliotakis’ district could provide an opportunity for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, as both political parties have been aggressively angling for any advantage as they battle for control of the House.
But the redrawn map is still far from clear even as candidate petitioning — a vital step to get on the ballot — is set to begin next Tuesday. Even if the Supreme Court declines to intervene, it would still take time for the state commission charged with drawing new lines to complete the politically sensitive task.
The uncertainty reverberates beyond Malliotakis’ district, too, since changing the boundaries of one district affects others, said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
“The clock is not the candidates’ friend on this one — unless the courts rule that Pearlman got it wrong and everything stays the way that it is,” Horner said, referencing the trial court judge, Jeffrey Pearlman, who threw out the district’s borders.
In the appeal to the Supreme Court, an attorney for Malliotakis wrote that Pearlman’s ruling has thrown “New York’s upcoming election into chaos.”
She has asked the high court to decide by Monday, so that petitioning can begin the next day under the current congressional map. The Trump administration’s Department of Justice filed a brief supporting the requests.
Democrats were required to file documents to the Supreme Court on Thursday, though it’s not clear exactly when the court would rule in the New York case.
Yeshiva World NewsThe Israeli government is moving forward with a multimillion-shekel assistance package for Jewish communities in Ukraine, citing widespread power outages and harsh winter conditions caused by Russia’s ongoing war.
In a statement Thursday, the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said it is initiating the delivery of four million shekels, or approximately $1.27 million, in emergency aid to support Jews affected by damaged energy infrastructure and prolonged electricity shortages.
Officials said much of Ukraine’s Jewish population has been grappling with recurring blackouts and limited access to heating as winter temperatures persist, creating urgent humanitarian needs.
The ministry is leading the initiative in partnership with Mosaic United and Jewish philanthropic groups, saying the effort is part of Israel’s broader commitment to Diaspora communities.
“This assistance includes stays in hotels and guesthouses with continuous electricity and heating, as well as hot meals, focusing on cities experiencing extended power cuts,” the ministry said.
Aid will be distributed through major Jewish organizations, including Chabad, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and regional Jewish federations, according to the statement. Officials said the coordination is intended to ensure that thousands of Jews across Ukraine receive support during the coldest months.
“This assistance will help communities endure freezing temperatures with less hardship,” the ministry added.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Vos Iz NeiasUpping Your Chessed Game #2 by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
One of the very best chassadim you can do is helping your own struggling child, grandchild or student. The fact is that most of them were never taught how to take decent notes. What follows is a handout to give them, or to go over with them. Remember, the world runs on Chessed and the Nefesh HaChaim writes that we were put here on earth to help others.
5 STEPS TO TAKING AWESOME NOTES
This handout can really help you do well in school now and in future years. Studies show that after just 20 minutes, you forget ½ of what you just learned. After one full day, you forget 2/3rds of it! That’s why taking notes is important — they help you remember what you learned and do better on tests.
“Always have a plan and believe in it. Nothing good happens without a plan.” Author’s father.
Come to class prepared so you don’t miss anything important.
MatzavA 19-year-old resident of Beitar Illit was arrested Thursday on suspicion of taking part in the overturning of a police vehicle during protests that broke out earlier this week in Bnei Brak.
Four days after the disturbances that rocked the city on Sunday, police say the search for those involved in acts of vandalism is still ongoing. As part of the investigation, officers detained the young man for questioning and later placed him under arrest.
According to authorities, the suspect was identified after investigators gathered evidence and other findings linking him to the incident. He is being questioned on suspicion of intentionally damaging a vehicle, participating in an unlawful gathering, conspiracy to commit a crime, and blocking or disrupting a public roadway.
After being interrogated, he was remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear Friday morning before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, where a judge will decide whether to extend his detention.
Police said they will continue to act decisively against anyone who attempts to harm officers, police vehicles, or public property, and vowed to bring those responsible for disorder and violence to justice.
Video footage from Sunday’s unrest, which quickly spread online, shows dozens of young men overturning a marked police car in the heart of Bnei Brak. Authorities say the investigation remains active as they work to identify additional suspects.
Yeshiva World NewsBritain is showing reluctance toward approving the use of its military bases for potential U.S. strikes on Iran, fueling new strains in the transatlantic alliance as President Donald Trump and his allies press London to take a firmer stance.
According to a report by The Sunday Times, the United Kingdom has not yet granted Washington permission to use key British and joint facilities in the region for military operations against Tehran. The delay is reportedly tied to legal concerns over whether such cooperation could expose Britain to violations of international law.
Under international legal standards, countries that knowingly support an unlawful military action may be held responsible alongside those who carry it out, a factor British officials are said to be weighing carefully.
In a post on Truth Social this week, Trump suggested that the U.S. may need to rely on the joint UK-US base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to counter the “highly unstable and dangerous regime” in Iran.
The remarks signaled growing frustration inside the administration over Britain’s hesitation, as Washington weighs its military options amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Sen. Lindsey Graham slammed London following the report, calling Britain’s apparent reluctance “astonishing” and warning it could undermine long-standing defense cooperation.
“If true, this raises serious questions about the future of Diego Garcia,” Graham said.
He argued that Iran is currently at its weakest point in years, citing internal protests and recent military setbacks inflicted by the U.S. and Israel. Graham urged Britain not to remain on the sidelines, warning that doing so would place it “on the wrong side of history.”
The senator also framed the dispute as part of a broader weakening of U.S. alliances in Europe, a theme increasingly echoed by Trump allies.
The tensions come as Trump has reopened criticism of Britain’s agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, which include the Diego Garcia base.
Last year, Britain agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the base under a long-term lease. But Trump has repeatedly attacked the deal, portraying it as a strategic mistake.
After speaking with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday, Trump publicly withdrew his support for the agreement.
“Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia,” Trump wrote. “This land should not be taken away from the UK.”
He described the deal as “an act of total weakness” and warned it could damage Britain’s standing as a U.S. ally.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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