Jooish News

New figures presented during a follow-up discussion with the Israeli Attorney General reveal an unprecedented number of individuals obligated to military service in Israel who have failed to report. The data show a significant increase in those classified either under “Order 12” status or as draft evaders.

According to the figures, more than 43,000 candidates for security service are currently listed under “Order 12” status, while approximately 32,675 individuals are formally defined as evading military service. In total, 75,675 potential recruits are registered under either “Order 12” or draft evasion status — an increase of 4,675 compared to the previous report.

During the discussion, the Attorney General called for immediate action, stating that “all state bodies must intensify criminal and civil-economic enforcement efforts in the immediate time frame.” She emphasized the need to move away from a policy focused on exhausting procedures and toward one centered on effective enforcement.

At the same meeting, the Military Advocate General updated participants that three primary measures aimed at strengthening enforcement against draft evaders had been presented to the IDF Chief of Staff.

The first proposal calls for raising the maximum penalty that can be imposed in disciplinary proceedings for absence from service. The second would shorten the minimum period of evasion required before initiating criminal proceedings, reducing it from 540 days to 365 days. The third measure would advance legal action against individuals who were previously tried for evasion and then failed to report again, in order to prevent delays and drawn-out repeat proceedings.

{Matzav.com}

NABLUS (VINnews) – IDF troops captured two wanted Palestinians suspected of involvement in terror activities in the Nablus area of northern Judea-Samaria earlier Wednesday, the military said.

In two separate villages near Nablus, soldiers from the Duvdevan commando unit arrested a Palestinian affiliated with the former Lion’s Den terror group and another Palestinian involved in building explosive devices, the IDF said.

During the arrest of the Lion’s Den member, the commandos seized weapons, including a handgun, according to the military.

The Lion’s Den was a Palestinian militant group that operated in the Nablus area before being largely dismantled through Israeli security operations.

No injuries were reported among the troops during the arrests.

The operation was based on intelligence from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the IDF added.

The Skverer community in New York is mourning the petirah of Rabbi Yitzchak Surkis z”l, a respected chassid and longtime cook in the Skverer mosdos, who fed thousands of young talmidim over the years. He was 63.

Rabbi Surkis passed away Thursday morning in the Skverer shtetel, leaving behind family members and fellow chassidim who recall his warmth, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Torah and avodah.

He was the son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Surkis, who came to Skve from Poland and helped establish the foundations of the chassidus in its American home. Raised in the ways of Skver, Reb Yitzchak carried that heritage forward, instilling the same values in his children and descendants.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Reuven Shmelzer z”l of the Skverer community.

Rabbi Surkis was widely known as a remarkable masmid; in every spare moment he could be found with a Gemara in hand. Alongside his diligence in learning, he was remembered for his ready smile, sense of humor, and kind words for everyone he encountered.

For many years, he served as the cook in the Skverer educational institutions, preparing meals for thousands of tinokos shel beis rabban. Generations of children were nourished by his devoted work behind the scenes, a role he carried out with quiet pride and responsibility.

Over the past decade, he faced significant health challenges. Despite his yissurim, he never relinquished his commitment to Torah or his responsibilities, and he maintained his characteristic smile throughout. He succumbed to medical complications Thursday morning.

Among his relatives is his brother-in-law, the well-known singer Lipa Shmelczer.

The levayah will take place today at the Skverer beis medrash in New York.

Yehi zichro boruch.

During a follow-up meeting with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara regarding enforcement of Chareidi conscription, Military Advocate General Itai Ofir presented steps to tighten enforcement.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Baharav-Miara issued an order instructing all state entities to immediately increase criminal and civil-economic enforcement measures against bnei yeshivos.

At the meeting—in a dramatic shift of policy—the police agreed for the first time to assist the military police in carrying out proactive arrests of bnei yeshivos in areas surrounding Chareidi cities and neighborhoods, subject to prior coordination between the IDF and the police.

For now, however, the police still refuse to assist with arrests in Chareidi cities and neighborhoods, saying that such operations require additional manpower that is not currently available.

Until recently, the police maintained they could not provide backup to military police in arresting bnei yeshivos due to manpower shortages. In a previous hearing, the Attorney General rebuked the police, stating that manpower shortages do not justify failing to implement the Supreme Court ruling mandating increased enforcement measures against bnei yeshivos.

It is still unclear which neighborhoods will be classified as “peripheral areas.”

The police’s decision is a dramatic development that increases the likelihood of more violent clashes between Chareidim and police.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

(AP) – A federal judge has accused the Trump administration of terrorizing immigrants and recklessly violating the law in its efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.

Citing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, the judge said that the White House had also “extended its violence on its own citizens.”

“The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation,” U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California said in her scathing decision issued late Wednesday.

Sykes ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide detained immigrants around the country with notice of her earlier decisions that they may be eligible to seek release on bond.

Under past administrations, people with no criminal record could generally request a bond hearing before an immigration judge while their cases wound through immigration court unless they were stopped at the border. President Donald Trump ’s White House reversed that policy in favor of mandatory detention.

Sykes, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, ruled in November and again in December that the change violated the law and extended her decision to immigrants nationwide. The Republican administration, however, has continued denying bond hearings. That has prompted thousands of immigrants to file separate petitions in federal court seeking their release. More than 20,000 habeas corpus cases have been filed since Trump’s inauguration, according to federal court records analyzed by the AP.

An email Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.

Sykes said Wednesday by violating her decision, the administration had “wasted valuable time and resources” and deprived immigrants of their “liberty, economic stability, and fundamental dignity.”

She also slammed the claim that the immigration crackdown was removing the worst criminals, saying most of the people arrested did not fit that description.

“Americans have expressed deep concerns over unlawful, wanton acts by the executive branch,” she wrote. “Beyond its terror against noncitizens, the executive branch has extended its violence on its own citizens, killing two American citizens— Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.”

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A month-long investigation by the Lakewood Police Department led to the seizure of a defaced firearm and suspected drugs, and the arrest of two men, authorities said.

Members of the department’s Street Crimes Unit, along with its Special Response Team, executed a court-authorized search warrant at the residence of Kharii Pringle, 42, of Lakewood.

During the search, officers also arrested Jeffrey Keys, 41, of Toms River, on outstanding warrants.

According to police, detectives located and seized a defaced firearm. Pringle was allegedly found in possession of a high-capacity magazine, hollow point ammunition, and a quantity of suspected Ecstasy. Further investigation determined that Pringle is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Pringle was charged in connection with the weapons and controlled dangerous substance (CDS) offenses. Both Pringle and Keys are expected to be transported to the Ocean County Jail pending further court proceedings.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.

Lakewood Police Chief Gregory H. Meyer said the arrest was the result of focused investigative work and strong inter-agency cooperation.

“Removing illegal firearms from our community remains one of our top priorities,” Meyer said. “I commend our Street Crimes Unit, Special Response Team, and our partners at the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department for their efforts that directly contributed to making our community safer.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Governors Association is pulling out of an annual meeting at the White House after President Donald Trump declined to invite two Democratic governors, undercutting one of Washington’s few remaining bipartisan gatherings.

Trump is still expected to meet with governors at the White House on Friday but the event will not be facilitated by an organization founded more than a century ago to help state leaders from both parties advocate for their interests in Washington. The Republican president had refused to include Democratic Govs. Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland and recently blasted them on social media as “not worthy of being there.”

In a brief interview Thursday, Polis said he does not have “any ability to get in (Trump’s) head.” Polis said he was nonetheless meeting with governors from both parties while he is in the nation’s capital.

“I’ve spent quality time with my colleagues this morning and really learning from one another and taking best practices that Republican or Democratic governors have launched in their state,” he said. “It’s really what these meetings are about.”

The episode underscores the confrontational approach Trump has taken during his second term toward state leaders he does not like. He has at times threatened to withhold federal money or send in troops over the objections of local leaders. Now, even a ceremonial White House dinner has become a flashpoint and fellow Republicans openly acknowledge that Trump’s aim as president is not to unify the country.

“He’s not putting his mind to it,” Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, said at an event sponsored by Politico. “He’s said very clearly that that’s not who he is.”

In an interview Wednesday, Moore said he has “no desire to have beef with the president of the United States.”

“I didn’t run for governor like, man, I can’t wait so me and the president can go toe to toe,” said Moore, the NGA’s vice chair. “But the fact that he is waking up in the middle of the night and tweeting about me, I just, I pray for him and I just feel bad for him because that has just got to be a really, really hard existence.”

Governors try to stay above the partisan fighting
The dynamics are a far cry from the air of bipartisanship that Moore and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who chairs the NGA, sought to portray as governors began to assemble in Washington. Moore and Stitt shared a stage several times this week swapping jokes and praise.

“I have gotten, through the National Governors Association, a really good chance to know the heart of this man and how much he is a great American, loves his country, loves his citizens and is just trying to do the best he can for Maryland,” Stitt said Thursday at the Politico event.

After Stitt tried to resolve the standoff between the White House and the Democratic governors last week, Trump blasted him as a “RINO,” short for Republican In Name Only, and accused him of misrepresenting his position. Stitt struck a conciliatory tone Thursday, noting he would participate in White House events.

“Politics has a way of just beating you down over time so I can’t imagine being president of the United States,” Stitt said. “He’s got a tough job to do.”

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who occasionally disagreed with Trump, said it was a “mistake” for the White House not to include all governors.

“There never was a huge amount of real work that got accomplished but it was a nice thing annually to bring all the governors — Republicans and Democrats — together,” he said in an interview. “I know there’s a lot of friction but it just seems in everybody’s best interest even if you passionately disagree and you don’t like the other person or you’re mad about whatever, it can’t hurt to be in the same room together.”

Beyond the White House meeting, some governors also shared pointed criticisms of the administration’s ever-expanding power. They bemoaned the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to limit Trump’s ambitions and they cast themselves as counterweights to the executive.

“Presidents aren’t supposed to do this stuff,” Cox said. “Congress needs to get their act together. And stop performing for TikTok and actually start doing stuff. That’s the flaw we’re dealing with right now.”

Cox added that “it is up to the states to hold the line.”

Presidential buzz runs alongside the conference
As governors cycled through panels and interviews, one question hovered: Who among them might seek the presidency in 2028?

Moore and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania were among the potential Democratic presidential contenders in Washington this week. Other Democrats, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois, were not in town.

Stitt and Moore, during a panel discussion, both declined to rule out a future bid and emphasized their focus on their home states.

Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., took a more open approach. He arrived in Washington days after announcing he would release a book this fall and fielded questions at a Center for American Progress event about how he might campaign for president if he enters the race.

Asked afterward about his timeline for a decision, Beshear said his focus this year remains on Kentucky and “then after that, I’ll sit down with my family and we’ll consider it.”

The wedding of Ariel Shamai, a talmid of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo whose arrest made him one of the most widely recognized figures in the public struggle surrounding the draft issue in the Torah world, will be held tonight.

The chasunah is scheduled to take place at the Armonot Chen Hall in Bnei Brak, drawing leading rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, public figures, and large numbers of bnei Torah who are expected to participate in the celebration.

Ariel rose to national attention after he was arrested for failing to report to the draft office, an event that ignited intense reaction within the chareidi street. His detention quickly became a flashpoint in the broader debate over the status of yeshiva students and military service.

The arrest triggered a series of unprecedented protests, culminating in the historic “Million Man Atzeres,” a massive gathering of tefillah at the entrance to Yerushalayim. Hundreds of thousands of bnei Torah from across communities and backgrounds attended at the direction of leading gedolei Yisroel.

Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, who was en route to the United States at the time of Shamai’s arrest, returned to Eretz Yisroel and spearheaded a protest movement of a scale not previously seen.

Shortly thereafter, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch arrived at the gates of Military Prison 10, where he delivered a shiur klali marking the beginning of the winter zeman to thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo.

The following day, the yeshiva arranged for a helicopter to circle above the military prison, carrying protest banners and broadcasting messages over powerful loudspeakers. Days later, a special tefillah gathering was held at the prison gates, attended by 5,000 young children from the Talmudei Torah affiliated with the yeshiva.

In a dramatic turn of events, Shamai was unexpectedly released during the levayah of the mother of Rav Sorotzkin. Within hours, the leadership of Ateres Shlomo organized a large-scale reception in his honor. Shamai was carried on a horse and carriage through the celebration and received a gift from leading gedolei Yisroel in recognition of what supporters described as his steadfastness.

Now, as he builds his new bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel, the wedding is expected to serve not only as a personal simchah, but as a symbolic moment for many within the yeshiva world.

{Matzav.com}{

The Gaza Technocratic Committee issued an announcement on Thursday that it launched a recruitment campaign for the Palestinian police force in the Strip and is not excluding Hamas terrorists because they “served Gazans under bombardment,” Kan News reported.

According to the report, the “minimum eligibility requirements” published on the committee’s website include: Gazan resident aged 18–35, no criminal record, and in good physical condition.

“The committee aims to establish a professional, responsible, transparent transitional police force,” the statement said. “The recruitment process is open to qualified candidates who wish to serve in the police.”

The statement then referred to the Hamas-run police force: “We recognize the dedication of officers who continued serving Gaza’s residents under bombing, displacement, and extremely harsh conditions. Their commitment is acknowledged and appreciated. The next phase requires strengthening policing institutions, improving professionalism, and ensuring public trust. Anyone wishing to contribute to Gaza’s recovery through policing roles is invited to apply.”

“Now, with a ceasefire in effect, the committee is prepared to assume its responsibilities in Gaza. The time has come to provide opportunities to those willing to take responsibility and uphold the rule of law.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

President Donald Trump said Thursday that his newly established Board of Peace will cooperate closely with the United Nations on Gaza’s future, while also ensuring that the global body “runs properly.”

Speaking at the first gathering of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, the president said the U.N. holds “tremendous potential” but argued that it has “not lived up to that potential.”

Trump presented the Board of Peace as a proactive alternative to what he characterized as decades of ineffective international discussions.

“We’re going to be working with the United Nations very closely,” Trump said in opening remarks broadcast live on Newsmax. He added that the Board of Peace will “almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly,” while the United States continues to assist the U.N. “moneywise” and seeks to bolster its facilities and operational capacity.

According to Trump, the board is intended to serve as a practical, results-focused body designed to help establish a long-term framework for Gaza following the ceasefire reached last fall.

The inaugural meeting was held even as significant challenges remain unresolved, including the question of Hamas disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the coordination of humanitarian aid, and the creation and management of a reconstruction fund expected to require tens of billions of dollars.

Despite these outstanding issues, Trump signaled confidence that progress is being made. He declared that the war in Gaza “is over” and cited what he described as an expanding roster of countries committing financial resources, personnel, and training to support an international stabilization mission. He also cautioned that any refusal by Hamas to disarm would be “harshly met.”

During the event, Trump also commended members of his diplomatic team for what he described as major achievements.

“I want to thank Steve and Jared for an amazing job,” he said, referring to special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whom he credited with playing a key role in securing the Abraham Accords during his first term.

The president then suggested an expanded role for Kushner, stating that Kushner “will also now be an envoy for peace.”

That statement was later clarified. I24 News correspondent Mordechai Wagenheim reported on X that a State Department official said Kushner “will not become ‘an envoy for peace’ in an official sense,” despite Trump’s remarks.

The broader effort has attracted both attention and skepticism internationally, in part because it intersects with the United Nations’ traditional position as the primary forum for global diplomacy.

Several American allies have chosen not to participate, while others have joined only as observers, prompting questions about the initiative’s legitimacy and long-term viability.

Still, Trump’s message at Thursday’s session was clear: the United States intends to take the lead, demand accountability, and press institutions such as the United Nations to produce tangible outcomes. The president emphasized that the ultimate objective should be lasting peace rather than prolonged bureaucracy within the international system.

(AP) – The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC’s “The View” over possible violations of the requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates when they appear on-air, according to the head of the agency that oversees U.S. broadcast airwaves.

“The FCC has an enforcement action underway on that,” Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters after an agency meeting Wednesday, in response to a question about whether there were an investigation into the daytime series over potential violations of the “equal time” rule. “And we’re taking a look at it.”

James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Texas, appeared on “The View” on Feb. 2. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is running against Talarico for the nomination, has also been on the show.

The Trump administration has taken steps to clamp down on talk shows, which the FCC has suggested may be “motivated by partisan purposes.” Earlier in the week, late-night host Stephen Colbert said CBS executives had pulled an appearance by Talarico on his program over fears it ran afoul of equal time provisions.

The FCC issued new guidance in January to late-night and daytime hosts that they needed to give political candidates equal time. There are exceptions to the rule, including for newscasts, “bona fide” interview programs, and coverage of live events or documentaries. Carr has raised questions about the talk show exemption and whether it should stand.

“The FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption,” according to the agency’s public notice last month.

Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested last year that investigating “The View,” whose hosts have frequently been critical of the Republican president, might be “worthwhile.”

The FCC has not responded to a message seeking comment on “The View” or Colbert’s show.

On Wednesday, Carr said watching the fallout from Colbert’s characterization of what happened with Talarico “was probably one of the most fun days I’ve had in the job,” adding that the candidate “took advantage” of media attention ”apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks.”

The equal time provision applies only to broadcast, not streaming or internet programs. Colbert later posted the Talarico interview to YouTube, where it’s been viewed more than 7.5 million times — several times what the comic’s CBS program draws each night.

Talarico reported that he had raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after the Colbert interview.

A spokesperson for “The View,” did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.

CBS says Colbert was provided “legal guidance” that broadcasting the interview with Talarico could trigger the equal time rule. Colbert said on his show Tuesday night that while Carr said in January he was thinking about getting rid of the exemption for late-night talk shows, “CBS generously did it for him.”

By Natalie B. Compton

The last time I renewed my passport, about a decade ago, I spent the day fighting for parking and waiting in lines as I bounced between a Walgreens (for photos) and a dreary government building in Los Angeles. The time before that had also been a chore; I remember sitting in a Fresno, California, post office with my mom, poring over our paper documents to make sure we filled out everything perfectly.

But since those applications, the State Department has brought the process up to speed for the digital age.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to allow Americans to renew their passports online, eliminating the need for physical documents and paper checks to be sent through the mail. Over the next few years, the government experimented with a pilot program before officially launching online renewals in 2024. More than 6 million Americans have used the option, and last year more than 43 percent of all renewal applications were made online.

Last month, it was finally time for me to try the new system myself. It took six minutes to fill out the renewal form online, and 17 days later my fresh booklet showed up in my mailbox. No expediting fees, no lines. I even took my own photo from the privacy of my living room. Now I can’t stop spreading the good word: Renewing your passport has never been easier – you just have to do it online.

Here’s how.

– – –

Who’s eligible for online renewal?

To use the online renewal system, applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals at least 25 years old, among other requirements listed on the State Department website, including:

– Applicants must have already had a passport with 10-year validity.

– Applicants must be applying for a regular passport, and they must possess their current passport. (It cannot be lost, stolen, damaged or mutilated.)

– Applicants can’t request a change to their name, gender, date of birth or place of birth.

– Applicants can’t be traveling internationally for at least six weeks from the day they submit their application.

– Applicants must have a U.S. state or territory mailing address.

– Applicants can pay with a credit card or debit card, and must be able to upload a digital passport photo.

– The applicant’s recent passport must have been issued between nine and 15 years before the application date.

– The applicant’s passport must be expiring within 1 year or have expired less than 5 years ago.

If you don’t meet these criteria, you may still be able to renew by mail or in person at a passport agency or center.

Also important: Through the online system, you can renew only the type of passport you already have. For example, you can’t be the holder of a passport book but request a passport card instead. You’ll have to request new document types by mail.

– – –

How much does it cost?

The cost of a passport book is $130. A passport card costs $30. Applicants can also pay for faster mailing of their finished passport (one- to three-day delivery for $22.05).

– – –

What do you need?

To streamline the application process, have your current passport handy as well as a credit or debit card, a digital photo of yourself that meets the State Department requirements, your Social Security number, and information for an emergency contact. And before you get started, double-check you are on the official .gov website – there are impostor websites out there that will charge you extra fees.

– – –

How long does it take?

You can apply only for a routine passport renewal online; there is no expedited service (yet – that could change in the coming months). The processing time estimate is four to six weeks, and the actual application process can be done in about 10 minutes.

I submitted my application for renewal on Jan. 21 and got an email saying I should receive my passport on March 9. It actually came in the mail 17 days later, on Feb. 7. My husband applied the same day I did, and his passport arrived the same day as mine.

You may get yours back even faster. I’ve heard from dozens of travelers who have used online renewal, and most said they got their passports in about two weeks. Many said their wait time was even shorter, sometimes within a week of applying.

– – –

How do you take your photo?

I have a checkered history with ID photos – some flattering, some more mug shot – and was delighted to have the option to take them myself. (Or rather, take 50 myself and pick the best one.) Before you do a DIY photo shoot, take a look at the State Department website for best practices. The main tips include:

– Your photo must be in color and have a white background (such as a white wall).

– Your photo must have been taken within the last six months.

– You can’t wear glasses or hats, but you can wear head coverings for religious or medical purposes.

– You can smile, as long as it looks natural.

– Your photo must be high resolution, not blurry or pixelated.

– Your photo must have a file size between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes, and it must be saved as a JPG, JPEG or HEIF file (if you use a mobile device to take your photo, it will automatically save in one of these formats).

– You cannot use any kind of filter or retouching tools to alter your appearance.

The agency also says you should ask someone else to take the photo for you. What this really means is: Don’t take a selfie with your phone’s front-facing camera. Selfies often turn out with the wrong angle and don’t capture the proportions of your face quite right. If you’re using a phone to take the photo, you’ll have to use the back camera, which is more accurate.

I used a tripod and a self-timer to take my own photo after studying the “good” and “bad” examples the State Department provides (and watching a few TikTok videos about posing; pro tip: crane your neck forward and smize!). The agency also offers a tool that evaluates your photo before you submit your application and flags any glaring errors. If your photo is denied by the passport specialist after you apply, you’ll be notified by email and given the opportunity to submit a new photo.

A last word of warning: Don’t go too hard on the glam. You could have a problem at the airport if your post-redeye reality does not resemble the hot doppelgänger in your passport photo. Seriously.

Alternatively, you can visit a professional to take your passport photo (for example, at a camera shop, AAA office, the post office, UPS or FedEx, or drugstores like CVS); just ask them to share a digital file to upload with your application.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.

President Donald Trump has said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran, but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations.

Iran’s theocracy is more vulnerable than ever, following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed. But it is still capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases in the region, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war.

Iran earlier this week launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.

Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants despite threats from authorities.

Trump again threatens Iran
The movements of additional American warships and airplanes, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it bolsters Trump’s ability to carry out one should he choose to do so.

He has so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions, while reengaging in nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.

Iran has agreed to draw up a written proposal to address U.S. concerns raised during this week’s indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official said top national security officials gathered Wednesday to discuss Iran, and were briefed that the “full forces” needed to carry out potential military action are expected to be in place by mid-March. The official did not provide a timeline for when Iran is expected to deliver its written response.

“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen,” Trump said Thursday.

Growing international concern
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation’s citizens to immediately leave Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be drawing down its staff.

The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’ actions. It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational camp running in Irbil, where they train Iraqi forces.

“This week, another 50 U.S. combat aircraft — F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — were ordered to the region, supplementing the hundreds deployed to bases in the Arab Gulf states,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank wrote. “The deployments reinforce Trump’s threat — restated on a nearly daily basis — to proceed with a major air and missile campaign on the regime if talks fail.”

Iran holds drill with Russia
Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted the annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Footage later released by Iran showed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s naval special forces board a vessel in the exercise. Those forces are believed to have been used in the past to seize vessels in key international waterways.

Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting it planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.

Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.

Once it arrives in the region, it would be able to help protect Israel and Jordan if war breaks out. The U.S. used similar assets to protect Israel during recent confrontations linked to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu warns Iran
Israel is making its own preparations for possible Iranian missile strikes in response to any U.S. action.

“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, adding that if Iran attacks Israel, “they will experience a response they cannot even imagine.”

Netanyahu, who met with Trump last week, long has pushed for tougher U.S. action against Iran and says any deal should not only end its nuclear program but curb its missile arsenal and force it to cut ties with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iran has said the current talks should only focus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn’t been enriching uranium since the U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.

Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has neither confirmed nor denied that.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory.

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania made pledges to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan committed to train police.

Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population center where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.

The countries making pledges for reconstruction are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, Trump said.

“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” Trump said in thanking the donors. He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”

The dollars pledged, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the board, but didn’t specify what the money will be used for. It was also not clear where the U.S. money would come from — a sizable pledge that would need to be authorized by Congress.

Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the leader of the newly created International Stabilization Force, said the plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for 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 was initiated as part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza. But since the October ceasefire, Trump’s vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an even more ambitious remit — one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but will also help resolve conflicts around the globe.

But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile and Trump’s expanded vision for the board has triggered fears the U.S. president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations.

Trump, pushing back against the criticism, said the creation of his board would help make the U.N. viable in the future.

“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.”

Even as Trump spoke of the gathering as a triumph that would help bring a more persistent peace to the Middle East, he sent new warnings to Iran.

Tensions are high between the United States and Iran as Trump has ordered one of the largest U.S. military buildups in the region in decades.

One aircraft carrier group is already in the region and another is on the way. Trump has warned Tehran it will face American military action if it does not denuclearize, give up ballistic missiles and halt funding to extremist proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

“We have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen,” Trump said.

Some US allies remain skeptical

Nearly 50 countries and the European Union sent officials to Thursday’s meeting. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but that took part as observers.

Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders — including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán — traveled to Washington for the gathering.

“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be,” Trump offered. “And some are playing a little cute — it doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”

The U.N. Security Council held a high-level meeting Wednesday on the ceasefire deal and Israel’s efforts to expand control in the West Bank. The U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Trump announced the board’s meeting for the same date and it became clear that it would complicate travel plans for diplomats planning to attend both.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.”

Official after official used their speaking turns to heap praise on Trump for his ability to end conflicts around the world. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called him the “savior of South Asia,” while others said that years of U.S. foreign policy efforts by his predecessor failed to do what Trump has done in the past year.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan said Trump and others gathered for the meeting deserved thanks for their collective efforts on Gaza. But Fidan, who said Turkey was also prepared to contribute troops to the stabilization force, cautioned that the situation remains precarious.

“The humanitarian situation remains fragile and ceasefire violations continue to occur,” Fidan said. “A prompt, coordinated and effective response is therefore essential.”

Questions about disarming Hamas

Central to Thursday’s discussions was assembling an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.

Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament. The administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization” but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

But the unresolved issue of disarming Hamas is a sticking point that could very well delay or even derail the U.S. plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a dusty army base in southern Israel, repeated his pledge that “there will be no reconstruction” of Gaza before demilitarization. His foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said during Thursday’s ceremony “there must be a fundamental deradicalization process.”

Trump told the gathering that Hamas has promised to disarm and would be met “very harshly” if it fails to do so. But he gave few details on how the difficult task would be carried out.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged there is a “long ways to go” in Gaza.

“There’s a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation state represented here today,” Rubio added.

(AP)

Amazon.com Inc. has officially dethroned Walmart Inc. as the biggest global company by revenue, a milestone attesting to the massive scale the e-commerce and cloud-computing giant has achieved since its humble beginnings in 1994 as an online bookseller in Jeff Bezos’ Seattle-area garage.

Walmart, which had been the largest company by revenue for more than a decade, on Thursday reported sales of $713.2 billion for the 12 months ending Jan. 31. Amazon, which operates on a fiscal year ending in December, earlier this month reported 2025 sales of $717 billion.

Bezos carefully studied Walmart founder Sam Walton, embracing many of his business strategies while building his company. Over the past decade, Amazon’s revenue has increased at almost 10 times the pace of Walmart’s, fueled by a shift in consumer spending from stores to websites and its rapidly growing cloud-computing business, Amazon Web Services.

Amazon and Walmart compete head-to-head for shoppers’ dollars. Amazon is the biggest online retailer, with its website and mobile apps attracting 2.7 billion visits each month. Walmart is the biggest physical retailer in the world, with more than 10,000 stores and shopping clubs globally. Both companies generate most of their revenue in the US.

Walmart is having more success developing its e-commerce operation than Amazon is having in creating a physical stores business despite its 2017 acquisition of Whole Foods Market.

But the revenue story is more about Amazon’s dominance in cloud computing, a business Walmart doesn’t compete in. Without AWS, Amazon’s 2025 revenue would have been $588 billion. So its ascendance rests largely on the importance of data centers as critical infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence.

“This is a hollow victory,” said Kirthi Kalyanam, executive director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University. “Amazon didn’t beat Walmart in the retail game. It just beat them in revenue by launching a new business Walmart doesn’t operate in.”

Being the biggest company by revenue mostly represents scale and consumer reach, and isn’t necessarily valued by investors. Before Walmart, Exxon Mobil Corp. and General Motors Co. had the distinction, which brings with it greater political scrutiny and customer expectations. Nvidia Corp. is the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of $4.5 trillion, more than double Amazon’s and more than four times larger than Walmart’s.

Bezos, who first overtook Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person in 2017, currently ranks fourth richest, with estimated assets of $228 billion that are largely tied to his Amazon stock holdings, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

(c) 2026, Bloomberg

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Police have arrested a suspect accused of overturning a patrol vehicle during recent unrest in Bnei Brak, authorities said Thursday.

Officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station detained a 19-year-old resident of Beitar Illit as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident.

Investigators said they gathered evidence linking the suspect to the attack on the police vehicle. After questioning, he was ordered held in custody and is expected to be brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing Friday morning.

Police said the investigation is continuing and additional arrests are possible.

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump and a key architect of Middle East policy initiatives, presented a detailed framework for Gaza’s postwar “rebirth” during a Board of Peace event at the World Economic Forum, outlining rapid reconstruction and long-term self-governance for the territory.

In his remarks, Kushner emphasized humanitarian priorities, stating: “We are here to help the people of Gaza, to lift them up, and give them every opportunity to succeed.”

The presentation, which included a video and slides depicting mock-ups of a “New Gaza” and “New Rafah,” projected a phased redevelopment plan. It envisions Rafah — a southern Gaza city devastated by conflict — fully rebuilt within three years, with initial focus on workforce housing, rubble clearance (already in progress), infrastructure restoration, and economic integration to address high unemployment and foster regional ties.

By the 10-year milestone, the framework anticipates Gaza achieving self-governance, supported by enhanced stability, industrial growth, employment opportunities, and broader regional connectivity.

The Board of Peace, established under Trump’s leadership following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, serves as an international oversight body for Gaza’s reconstruction, security, and mediation efforts. Kushner credited Trump’s diplomatic approach for creating the conditions to pursue this vision, describing it as a path to security, effective governance, and prosperity for Gaza’s residents.

The visuals showcased modern urban developments, including high-rises, waterfront zones, and economic hubs. Kushner stressed that success hinges on sustained security measures and demilitarization, while prioritizing the needs of Gaza’s population.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions: supporters hail it as a transformative blueprint for stability and economic revival in the war-torn enclave, while critics question its feasibility, potential displacement risks, and the extent of Palestinian involvement in the planning process.

Implementation remains coordinated through the Board of Peace with regional and international partners amid ongoing humanitarian needs in Gaza.

An Ocean County Grand Jury has indicted a Jackson Township man in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred last fall at an apartment complex in the township.

Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on February 18, 2026, Shaquille Green, 30, of Jackson Township, was indicted on charges of Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. The charges stem from the September 6, 2025 death of 28-year-old Toraya Reid, also of Jackson.

According to authorities, on September 6, 2025, at approximately 11:00 a.m., officers from the Jackson Township Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired and an unresponsive female in the roadway at the Paragon Apartment Complex on Larsen Road.

Responding officers located a deceased woman near the exit of the complex who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified as Reid.

Additional officers observed a male, later identified as Green, running on North New Prospect Road. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to police headquarters.

A subsequent investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, the Jackson Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit identified Green — who had reportedly been in a dating relationship with Reid — as the individual responsible for her death. He was formally charged and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains detained pending trial.

(AP) – The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped this week to its lowest level in more than three years, but remains around 6% in the same narrow range it has been in this year.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.01% from 6.09% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.85%.

The modest pullback brings the average rate to its lowest level since Sept. 8, 2022, when it was 5.89%. That was the last time the average rate was below 6%.

The recent decline in rates is a favorable lead in to the annual spring homebuying season — good news for home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also edged lower this week. That average rate fell to 5.35% from 5.44% last week. A year ago, it was at 6.04%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.08% at midday Thursday, down from around 4.09% a week ago.

Mortgage rates have been trending lower for months, helping drive a pickup in home sales the last four months of 2025, but not enough to lift the housing market out of its slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained stuck last year at 30-year lows. And more buyer-friendly mortgage rates this year weren’t enough to lift home sales last month. They posted the biggest monthly drop in nearly four years and the slowest annualized sales pace in more than two years.

CAIRO (AP) — Standing on her balcony in the Iranian capital, Tehran, the teacher shouted out into the darkness, “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the murderer, Khamenei!” on a recent night, joining the slogans coming from windows and rooftops around her relatively affluent neighborhood.

A few voices in the darkness responded with slogans in support of Iran’s 47-year-old Islamic Republic.

“Shut up! Choke on it!” her neighbors shouted back, drowning out the pro-government voices, the teacher recounted to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity for her safety.

Iranians across the country are still reeling with shock, grief and fear after massive nationwide protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands were killed and tens of thousands are believed to have been arrested.

But a vein of defiance persists. A seething anger at Iran’s rulers is evident in videos shared on social media and in conversations with protesters. At the same time, three protesters reached by the AP also expressed futility over what can be done after hundreds of thousands braved taking to the streets only to be met with overwhelming violence. The protesters all spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution or arrest.

Adding to the uncertainty is the United States’ threat to strike Iran. The U.S. has positioned warships and fighter jets nearby even as it holds negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

The defiance appears in the shouting of slogans from windows and rooftops at night, a ritual displayed in past waves of protests.

It is also evident at memorial gatherings for those killed 40 days earlier. Such commemorations — known as the “chehelom,” Persian for “the 40th” – are traditionally held by families for anyone who has died. But in times of unrest, chehelom can have a political dimension.

Commemorations turn to protests
This week marks 40 days since Jan. 8 and 9, the deadliest days of the crackdown, and multiple videos circulating online show 40-day ceremonies in towns and cities around Iran. Some appear to have drawn hundreds of people, who often break into anti-government chants.

Often they are festive, with friends and loved ones of the slain protester singing and throwing flowers – a rejection of the solemn atmosphere encouraged by the state at official ceremonies. Most avoid calling the dead “shaheed,” or “martyr,” a term with Islamic religious connotations. Instead, they use the term, “javid nam,” a Persian phrase meaning, “Long live the name.”

Videos posted this week and verified by the AP showed a crowd of hundreds at the main cemetery in the small western Iranian town of Abdanan, chanting, “Death to Khamenei” and pumping their fists at the chehelom of Alireza Seydi, a 16-year-old boy killed on Jan. 8. The videos show security forces firing from an armored vehicle, raising clouds of what appeared to be tear gas, sending men and women running.

During the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah and brought the Islamic Republic to power, 40-day memorials for slain protesters often turned into rallies that security forces tried to crush, causing new deaths – which then would be marked 40 days later with new protests.

Postings on social media have reported security forces trying to restrict people from attending some chehelom ceremonies.

“For every person killed, a thousand more stand behind him,” a crowd of several hundred chanted Tuesday while gathered in the eastern city of Mashhad for the chehelom of Hamid Mahdavi, according to a video verified by the AP. When a few police officers harassed some people commemorating Mahdavi, a fireman shot to death in January protests, the crowd shouted, “Shameless! Shameless!”

The government held its own chehelom for those killed, whom the Revolutionary Guard in a statement depicted as victims of violence caused by foreign-backed armed “terrorist” groups that exploited “legitimate public demands.” It said the 40-day commemoration was “a chance to renew commitment to national unity.”

‘Mass depression’ and anger
“More than sad, people are angry. Everyone is so angry. Everyone is waiting for some kind of explosion,” said a resident of Karaj, a city just outside of Tehran.

He joined street marches on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 and said five of his relatives and family friends were killed when security forces opened fire on protesters.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency has so far counted more than 7,000 dead and believes the death toll is far higher. Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed; it has depicted many of the protesters as “terrorists.”

“I don’t know anyone around me who doesn’t know someone who was killed, or someone who was arrested or wounded,” the 26-year-old teacher in Tehran said. Two of her acquaintances were killed and the husband of one of her co-workers arrested, she said.

Iranians are also struggling with a rapidly worsening economy, as the value of their currency plummets.

Every day, prices rise, said the Karaj resident. “We are getting near an economic collapse,” he said. “Buying fruit has become a luxury.”

A resident of north Tehran who works in tourism and joined last month’s protests said that with the Persian New Year approaching in March, the bazaar would usually be full of shoppers, but not now.

“It’s a combination of grieving, lack of money and inflation,” he said, describing people in the capital as being in a state of “mass depression.”

The mood has dampened Iran’s normally vibrant cultural sphere. One prominent actor posted that she would no longer accept new roles “in this land that smells of blood.”

Alireza Ostad Haji, who referees a popular television strongman competition, offered condolences to “all mourning families” in an Instagram post and resigned from two national athletic committees. He broke down in tears as he spoke of a former bodybuilding champion, Masoud Zatparvar, who was killed. “He was not a terrorist, he was a protester,” he said.

‘They see no alternative’
There is also a fear that street protests can’t bring change in the face of the state’s overwhelming use of violence.

The Karaj resident and the Tehran protester who works in tourism both expressed support for the son of the ousted shah, Reza Pahlavi, who from exile has put himself forward as a leader of the fragmented Iranian opposition. Pahlavi has encouraged protests and called for the U.S. to strike Iran.

The depth of support for Pahlavi around Iran is impossible to gauge. But during January’s wave of protests, chants in support of him were common, a notable change from the past, when the shah’s son drew scant attention within the country or was seen as out of touch.

Some are even taking what was a previously unimaginable step for many — expressing hopes for an American attack.

“Every night, every hour, I wish I could hear (U.S.) strikes,” the protester who works in tourism said. “We cannot fight anymore with our fists against machine guns.” He said many of his friends who took to the streets alongside him in January say they won’t do so again because of the state’s violence.

The teacher said that, while she joined past protests, she didn’t in January because she didn’t like the expressions of Pahlavi support.

But she said some of her friends who also oppose the shah’s son joined the January protests and even repeated the slogan, “Long live the shah!”

“People have become very tired, and they see no alternative,” she said.

She worried a U.S. attack will bring war, civil strife and even more bloodshed.

“I am afraid there will be more massacres,” she said.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Trump administration has issued a sweeping new order that could lead to the arrest of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the United States but do not yet have permanent residency, overturning years of legal and immigration safeguards.

A memo filed by the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Thursday federal court hearing in Minnesota says refugees applying for green cards must return to federal custody one year after they were admitted to the U.S. for review of their applications.

DHS “may maintain custody for the duration of the inspection and examination process,” said the memo, which was filed Wednesday.

Advocacy and resettlement groups slammed the order, which will likely face legal challenges and could sow confusion and fear among the nearly 200,000 refugees who came to the United States during the Biden administration.

The order, first reported on by The Washington Post, is the latest in a series of immigration restrictions by the Trump administration, which has upended longstanding policies toward refugees, including dramatically reducing the numbers of those admitted into the country. A memo obtained by The Associated Press late last year said the administration was planning a review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration.

The administration has cited national security and economic concerns for its changed policies. Experts say refugees let into the country already undergo extensive vetting.

The order came hours before U.S. District Judge John Tunheim was to hear arguments Thursday on whether he should extend a temporary order that protects Minnesota refugees who are lawfully in the U.S. from being arrested and deported. Tunheim’s order currently applies only in Minnesota.

Advocacy groups decry the new order
Immigration advocates quickly pushed back against the new policy, with HIAS, an international Jewish nonprofit serving refugees and asylum-seekers, calling it “a transparent effort to detain and potentially deport thousands of people who are legally present in this country, people the U.S. government itself welcomed.”

“They were promised safety and the chance to rebuild their lives. Instead, DHS is now threatening them with arrest and indefinite detention,” Beth Oppenheim, the group’s CEO, said in a statement.

Tunheim blocked the government from targeting the Minnesota refugees last month, saying the plaintiffs in the case were likely to prevail on their claims “that their arrest and detention, and the policy that purports to justify them, are unlawful.” His Jan. 28 temporary restraining order will expire Feb. 25 unless he grants a more permanent preliminary injunction.

The judge rejected the government’s claim that it had the legal right to arrest and detain refugees who haven’t obtained their green cards within a year of arriving in the U.S. He said that would be illogical and nonsensical, given that refugees can’t apply for permanent residency until they’ve been in the U.S. for a year.

Refugee rights groups sued the federal government in January after the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in mid-December launched Operation PARRIS, an acronym for Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening.

It was billed as a “sweeping initiative” to reexamine the cases of 5,600 Minnesota refugees who had not yet been granted permanent resident status, also known as green cards. The agencies cited fraud in public programs in Minnesota as justification.

Operation PARRIS was part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown that targeted Minnesota, including the surge of thousands of federal officers into the state. Homeland Security said it was its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. It also sparked mass protests after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. White House border czar Tom Homan announced last week the surge was ending, though a small federal presence would remain.

Judge notes that refugees are extensively vetted
The lawsuit alleges that ICE officers went door to door under Operation PARRIS arresting refugees and sending them to detention centers in Texas, without access to attorneys. Some were later released on the streets of Texas and left to find their own way back to Minnesota, they said.

Tunheim noted in his order that refugees are extensively vetted by multiple agencies before being resettled in the U.S. He wrote that none arrested in the operation had been deemed a danger to the community or a flight risk, nor had any been charged with crimes that could be grounds for deportation.

The judge cited several cases involving plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, including one man identified only as U.H.A., a refugee with no criminal history. He was admitted into the U.S. in 2024 and was arrested by ICE while driving to work on Jan. 18 this year. “He was pulled over, ordered out of his car, handcuffed, and detained, without a warrant or apparent justification,” the judge wrote.

Tunheim stressed that the refugees impacted by his order were admitted into the U.S. because of persecution in their home countries. He prohibited further arrests under Operation PARRIS and ordered that all detainees still in custody from it be released and returned to Minnesota.

“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border. Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully — and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries,” he wrote.

“At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos,” he continued.

In a follow-up order Feb. 9, Tunheim rejected a government motion to lift the temporary restraining order.

The following was submitted to TLS by a Rosh Mosad, who requested to remain anonymous.

I’m writing because the frustration around the seminary process has reached a breaking point.

Somehow, over time, seminary shifted from being an opportunity to becoming a necessity. And once that happened, the pressure intensified. If it’s “necessary,” then every girl must get in and get in with dignity. When that doesn’t happen, the fallout is painful. Mothers are crying. Girls are crying. That alone should force us to pause. Emes does not produce this kind of widespread pain.

We often speak about communal crises that feel beyond our control tuition, housing, finances. But this particular crisis is different. This one is man made. And because it is man made, it can be changed.

The current obsession with marks did not originally begin in the seminaries themselves. Many seminaries once accepted girls with weaker grades and helped them thrive. Over time, however, the pressure shifted. Seminarys became concerned about how they would be perceived by American principals and mechanchos if their student body was not seen as academically elite. The result was a system increasingly driven by transcripts and rankings.

But we must ask ourselves: Is this what the Bais Yaakov system was built for? Was it created to elevate numbers or to elevate girls? We are talking about exceptional young women, many with outstanding middos, depth, and sincerity, who will build extraordinary homes. And yet they are being filtered through a narrow academic lens.

At the same time, we are exhausting enormous energy helping girls who already have multiple acceptances analyze which option is “best.” Hours are spent dissecting subtle differences between strong programs, as if the choice were a corporate acquisition. Imagine if even a portion of that time were redirected toward advocating for the girls still waiting for a place.

This brings us to the core issue: leverage.

This is basic. When demand is guaranteed and a product is viewed as essential, the supplier controls the terms. As long as seminaries know that students must attend and that there is no coordinated alternative, they hold the leverage.

But principals also hold a product: their students.

Every seminary depends on American high schools for enrollment. Without those students, there is no seminary. The leverage exists it simply has not been used collectively.

There needs to be a clear, structured understanding with seminaries. After the primary admissions process is complete, each seminary should commit to allocating a defined percentage of seats to solid, capable girls whose marks may not be exceptional but whose character and potential are unquestionable. This must not be left to informal conversations or isolated advocacy; it must be part of the framework.

And it must apply equally. Every seminary participates. Those unwilling to be part of such a system should not automatically receive access to the strongest applicants. Access to top students cannot be unconditional.

We have already seen how coordinated pressure changes outcomes. When a certain seminary entered the market offering quality at a more reasonable price, pricing dynamics shifted. Once parents had options, other institutions adjusted because they did not want to lose students. The same principle applies here.

Some principals argue that students ultimately make their own decisions and that schools cannot control where they go. But seminaries value their relationships with principals and mechanchos. They depend on recommendations, credibility, and ongoing enrollment stability. Unified leadership carries weight.

There are also difficult questions we must confront honestly. If grades are documented for internal educational purposes, that is understandable. But when those same marks are transmitted in a way that predictably limits a girl’s opportunities, we have to examine our responsibilities. What must be shared? What is discretionary? Where is the line between transparency and unnecessary harm? These are serious shailos that require daas Torah but they cannot be ignored.

The current structure is not producing calm, healthy outcomes. It is producing anxiety and tears.

If we believe in our students truly believe in them then we must build a system that reflects that belief.

This will require courage. It will require unity. And it will require leadership willing to say that the rules of the game need to change.

Because right now, the ones absorbing the consequences are our daughters.

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

The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to construct a large-scale military installation in Gaza designed to accommodate up to 5,000 personnel across more than 350 acres, according to contracting documents from the Board of Peace reviewed by the Guardian.

The proposed facility would serve as an operational headquarters for a planned International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational force made up of pledged foreign troops. The ISF falls under the authority of the newly formed Board of Peace, an entity created to oversee governance in Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by President Donald Trump and is led in part by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Documents examined by the Guardian outline a phased development plan for the base, which at full scale would span approximately 1,400 meters by 1,100 meters. The compound would be secured by 26 trailer-mounted armored watchtowers and would include a small arms firing range, protective bunkers, equipment storage facilities, and other operational infrastructure. Barbed wire fencing is planned to surround the entire installation.

The selected site lies in a dry, open expanse in southern Gaza characterized by saltbush and white broom vegetation, as well as debris from years of Israeli airstrikes. The Guardian reported reviewing video footage of the area. According to a source familiar with the project, a limited number of international construction firms with experience operating in conflict zones have already toured the proposed location.

Indonesia has reportedly offered to contribute up to 8,000 troops to the stabilization force. The country’s president was scheduled to join three other Southeast Asian leaders at an inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington on Thursday.

The United Nations Security Council authorized the Board of Peace to establish the temporary International Stabilization Force. According to the UN mandate, the ISF would be responsible for securing Gaza’s borders, maintaining order, safeguarding civilians, and training and assisting “vetted Palestinian police forces.”

However, key operational questions remain unresolved. It is unclear how the ISF would respond in the event of renewed fighting, Israeli airstrikes, or attacks by Hamas. The force’s potential involvement in disarming Hamas — a condition Israel has set for advancing reconstruction efforts — has also not been defined.

Although more than 20 nations have joined the Board of Peace, many countries have declined to participate. While the body was established with UN backing, its governing charter appears to grant President Trump ongoing leadership and authority.

“The Board of Peace is a kind of legal fiction, nominally with its own international legal personality separate from both the UN and the United States, but in reality it’s just an empty shell for the United States to use as it sees fit,” said Adil Haque, a professor of law at Rutgers University.

Analysts have raised concerns about the transparency of the initiative’s funding and management structure. Several contractors told the Guardian that communications with U.S. officials have frequently taken place via Signal messaging rather than through formal government email systems.

According to an individual familiar with the matter, the military base contracting document was issued by the Board of Peace and drafted with assistance from U.S. procurement officials.

The construction plans specify the creation of multiple reinforced bunkers measuring six meters by four meters and standing 2.5 meters tall, equipped with advanced ventilation systems to provide protection for personnel.

“The Contractor,” says the document, “shall conduct a geophysical survey of the site to identify any subterranean voids, tunnels, or large cavities per phase.” The provision appears to reference the extensive underground tunnel network built by Hamas in Gaza.

Another section outlines a “Human Remains Protocol.” “If suspected human remains or cultural artifacts are discovered, all work in the immediate area must cease immediately, the area must be secured, and the Contracting Officer must be notified immediately for direction,” it says. Gaza’s civil defense agency has estimated that roughly 10,000 Palestinian bodies remain buried beneath rubble across the territory.

Ownership of the land designated for the base has not been clarified, though much of southern Gaza is presently under Israeli control. The United Nations estimates that at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced since the start of the war.

Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian attorney and former peace negotiator, criticized the initiative, saying the construction of a foreign military installation on Palestinian land without formal authorization constitutes occupation. “Whose permission did they get to build that military base?”

Officials at U.S. Central Command directed all inquiries about the base to the Board of Peace.

A Trump administration official declined to comment on the reported contract details, stating: “As the President has said, no US boots will be on the ground. We’re not going to discuss leaked documents.”

President Trump said Thursday that he expects to determine within the next 10 days whether the United States will launch military action against Iran, following the deployment of a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Speaking at a Board of Peace meeting in Washington, Trump indicated that both diplomatic and military options remain under consideration. “We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You are going to be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days,” he said.

The president pointed to US airstrikes carried out in June against three Iranian nuclear facilities, arguing that the operation reduced tensions in the region. His comments come as some US-aligned Arab governments have expressed concern that another round of strikes could destabilize the area.

“It totally decimated the nuclear potential, and when it did, when it decimated that, all of a sudden we had peace in the Middle East, because there was a black cloud hanging over the Middle East. And if that wasn’t done, that cloud would have been there,” Trump said.

In early January, Trump warned that military action could follow if Iranian authorities violently crushed anti-government demonstrations. The regime subsequently carried out a harsh crackdown that reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths. Since then, discussions led by Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have centered on Iran’s nuclear activities.

The president urged Tehran to accept US terms. “Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing. And if they join us, that’ll be great. If they don’t join us, that’ll be great too, and it’ll be a very different path,” he said.

“They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region. And they must make a deal or if that doesn’t happen … bad things will happen.”

Last month, Trump ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into the Arabian Sea, positioning US forces for potential operations. A second aircraft carrier group is now heading to the region, further strengthening the American naval presence.

In addition to naval deployments, the Pentagon has moved fighter aircraft and other military assets to bases in Europe and the Middle East.

Trump recently described the prospect facing Iran as “traumatic” if it refuses to yield to US pressure.

He also met last week at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, where the two leaders discussed possible military scenarios. Netanyahu has reportedly advocated targeting Iran’s long-range ballistic missile capabilities.

Trump has publicly supported the idea of regime change in Tehran, even as he has long criticized previous US administrations for interventions that destabilized parts of the Middle East, including Iraq.

While raising the possibility of a new political order in Iran, the president has not identified a preferred successor to the current leadership. He has also dismissed exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi as a realistic alternative.

WARSAW — A group of United Nations ambassadors, headed by Danny Danon, toured the Auschwitz-Birkenau site Thursday during an official trip to Poland focused on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism.

Danon said the visit illustrates the consequences of hatred when it goes unchallenged. “Standing here at Auschwitz-Birkenau, we see the tragic results of silence in the face of hatred,” he stated.

He also highlighted ongoing threats to Jewish communities. “Even today, the Iranian regime continues to call for the destruction of Israel and carries out attacks against Jewish people worldwide,” Danon said.

“The promise of ‘never again’ means we cannot allow murderers a voice. We will remember and hold accountable,” he added.

Together with the delegation of UN ambassadors, we visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.
Here, we understand exactly where hatred leads when the world is silent.

Today I am leading the largest delegation of UN ambassadors to ever march in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

We… pic.twitter.com/EXJSuBRdgG

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) February 19, 2026

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday invited leaders of some of the top artificial intelligence companies to gather on stage as part of a commitment to build more “inclusive and multilingual” AI around the world.

And they did. But what caught some of the audience’s attention, and later went viral on social media, was an awkward interaction between two rival tech leaders: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Modi, host of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, clasped hands with those closest to him — Altman to his left and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to his right — and beckoned all 13 tech leaders to lift their hands up in a chain, like theater actors at the end of a show.

Everyone was holding hands except for Altman and Amodei, who stood next to each other but for several seconds awkwardly avoided hand contact. Both eventually put up their fists instead.

The interaction quickly became a visual symbol of the deep rivalries in the AI industry, particularly between OpenAI and Anthropic, though Altman sought to brush off any deeper meaning.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” Altman later said in a video interview with Indian media outlet Moneycontrol. “I was sort of confused, like when (Modi) grabbed my hand and put it up, and I just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing.”

Anthropic declined to comment.

The two AI developers have a history, one that predates the creation of OpenAI’s hit product, ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s competing chatbot Claude.

Amodei worked at OpenAI before he and a group that included his sister, Daniela Amodei, quit to form Anthropic in 2021. The newer company promised a clearer focus on the safety of the better-than-human technology called artificial general intelligence that both San Francisco firms aim to build.

OpenAI first released ChatGPT in late 2022, revealing the huge commercial potential of AI large language models that could help write emails and computer code and answer questions. Anthropic followed with its first version of Claude in 2023.

Their different approaches spilled over into public debate earlier this month in the United States when Anthropic aired TV commercials during the Super Bowl that ridiculed OpenAI for the digital advertising it’s beginning to place in free and cheaper versions of ChatGPT.

While Anthropic has centered its revenue model on selling Claude to other businesses, OpenAI has opened the doors to ads as a way of making money from the hundreds of millions of consumers who get ChatGPT for free. Altman took to social media to criticize the TV commercials as dishonest.

Iran has joined forces with Russia for a new round of naval exercises in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, even as the Trump administration has urged Tehran that it would be “very wise” to reach an agreement with Washington.

The joint maneuvers, which have been conducted annually since 2019, come at a particularly tense moment. This year’s drills coincide with an expanding US military presence in the region and growing speculation that American strikes could be under consideration.

According to RadioFreeEurope, Iranian navy Rear Adm. Hassan Maqsudlu said the exercises are meant to “prevent any unilateral action in the region.”

The maritime show of force follows warnings from the White House that military action remains on the table. Officials have indicated that “there are many reasons one could make for a strike against Iran.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that diplomacy remains Washington’s preferred path but stressed that Tehran should take the opportunity seriously. “The president has been very clear with respect to Iran or any country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option,” she told reporters Wednesday.

“Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration.”

Earlier in the week, Iran temporarily shut portions of the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of global seaborne oil shipments pass each year — as part of its military activity in the area.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also issued pointed remarks directed at Washington, suggesting that Iran possesses the capability to destroy US naval vessels operating nearby. “Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea,” Khamenei posted on X.

In response to the escalating tensions, the United States has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford — the largest aircraft carrier in the world — to the Middle East. It will operate alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln and other naval assets already stationed in the region.

President Trump has publicly floated the prospect of regime change in Iran. When asked whether the United States might once again target Iranian nuclear facilities, he responded, “If we do it, that would be the least of the mission.”

According to CNN, US military plans for a potential strike on Iran could be executed as soon as this weekend. It remains uncertain whether Trump has made a final decision, with a source close to him saying he “is spending a lot of time thinking about this.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of the president, suggested that the visible military buildup signals seriousness. “The decision hadn’t been made, but all these ships are not coming here because it’s nice this time of year,” he told Sky News Arabia.

Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remain open. American and Iranian representatives met Tuesday in Geneva for a second round of negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the discussions as showing “good progress,” and US officials also expressed cautious optimism.

Even so, Leavitt acknowledged that the two sides are still “very far apart on some issues” as talks continue over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Senior Iranian officials have indicated publicly that Tehran may be willing to consider adjustments to its nuclear program. However, the Trump administration has signaled that any agreement would also need to address Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and its backing of armed proxy groups across the Middle East.

Iranian naval officer Mohammad Parsi characterized Russia’s role in the recent exercises as limited. He described Moscow’s participation as “small” and “symbolic,” according to RadioFreeEurope.

“I cannot imagine Russia offering real support in a direct confrontation between Iran and the United States,” Parsi said, suggesting that the Kremlin is using Tehran as “leverage” in its broader dealings with Western nations.

In recent years, Russia has faced mounting challenges, particularly as it remains deeply engaged in its war in Ukraine. Observers have noted Moscow’s limited response when allied governments came under pressure, including during last year’s 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, the detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

Ukraine, despite lacking a conventional navy, has claimed responsibility for crippling at least one-third of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, underscoring the strains on Moscow’s military capacity as it navigates multiple geopolitical flashpoints.

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Wednesday that Israel will confront any existential danger, issuing a stern warning to adversaries including Iran during an IDF officer cadets graduation ceremony.

“We beheaded the leadership of the Houthi terror organization in Yemen that attacked Israel, and removed the threats of annihilation over the State of Israel in Operation Rising Lion in Iran,” Katz told graduates at Bahad 1 officers’ school in southern Israel.

He continued: “We will not allow threats of annihilation against the State of Israel in the future either, and we will act against every threat, near and far.”

Katz directly addressed Israel’s enemies: “Do not test us and do not challenge our determination, because you will find facing you a united people and a strong and victorious army.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reinforced the message of readiness, stating the military’s “eyes are open in every direction, and our finger is more poised on the trigger than ever 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,” Zamir added.

The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions, with Katz’s reference to Operation Rising Lion — Israel’s 2025 campaign that targeted Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure — highlighting a policy of decisive preemption against perceived threats of annihilation.

The Lakewood Police SRT team this morning – assisted by the Bearcat – executed a search warrant in the Township, police say.

At least one person was detained.

Further details surrounding the warrant execution were not immediately released.

(TLS-WY/SICB)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Tariffs paid by midsized U.S. businesses tripled over the course of last year, new research tied to one of America’s leading banks showed on Thursday — more evidence that President Donald Trump ‘s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption.

The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the U.S. — the kinds of businesses that Trump had promised to revive — have had to find ways to absorb the new expense, by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer workers or accepting lower profits.

“That’s a big change in their cost of doing business,” said Chi Mac, business research director of the JPMorganChase Institute, which published the analysis on Thursday. “We also see some indications that they may be shifting away from transacting with China and maybe toward some other regions in Asia.”

The research doesn’t say how the additional costs are flowing through the economy, but it indicates that tariffs are being paid by U.S. firms. It’s part of a growing body of economic analyses that counter the administration’s claims that foreigners pay the tariffs.

The JPMorganChase Institute report used payments data to look at businesses that might lack the pricing power of large multinational companies to offset tariffs, but may be small enough to quickly change supply chains to minimize exposure to the tax increases. The companies tended to have revenues between $10 million and $1 billion with fewer than 500 employees, a category known as “middle market.”

The analysis suggests that the Trump administration’s goal of becoming less directly reliant on Chinese manufacturers has been occurring. Payments to China by these companies were 20% below their October 2024 levels, but it’s unclear whether that means China is simply routing its goods through other countries or if supply chains have moved.

The authors of the analysis emphasized in an interview that companies are still adjusting to the tariffs and said they plan to continue studying the issue.

The Trump administration has been adamant that the tariffs are a boon for the economy, businesses, and workers. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, lashed out on Wednesday at research by the New York Federal Reserve showing that nearly 90% of the burden for Trump’s tariffs fell on U.S. companies and consumers.

“The paper is an embarrassment,” Hassett told CNBC. “It’s, I think, the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined.”

Trump increased the average tariff rate to 13% from 2.6% last year, according to the New York Fed researchers. He declared that tariffs on some items like steel, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities were in the national security interest of the country — and declared an economic emergency to bypass Congress and impose a baseline tax on goods from much of the world last April at an event he called “Liberation Day.”

The high rates provoked a financial market panic, prompting Trump to walk back his rates and then engage in talks with multiple countries that led to a set of new trade frameworks. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether Trump surpassed his legal authority by declaring an economic emergency.

Trump was elected in 2024 on his promise to tame inflation, but his tariffs have contributed to voter frustration over affordability. While inflation has not spiked during Trump’s term thus far, hiring slowed sharply and a team of academic economists estimate that consumer prices were roughly 0.8 percentage points higher than they would otherwise be.

In the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, during which more than 250 Israelis were abducted, Israel’s security agencies launched a series of operations aimed at obtaining actionable intelligence on the hostages and working toward their rescue, Mako reports.

One former captive who has since been freed recounted to Mako an unusual incident that took place while he was being held underground in Gaza. He said that on one occasion, as he sat inside a tunnel, his captor stepped away to relieve himself. At that moment, a camera suddenly lowered from the ceiling of the tunnel and began recording him.

According to the hostage, once the terrorist returned, the device retracted back into the ceiling, leaving the captor unaware that any surveillance had taken place. Throughout his time in captivity, the hostage did not mention the episode to his captors. Only after he was back in Israel did he learn that the camera had been part of an IDF operation.

Mako reported that this was not an isolated occurrence. Over the course of the war, there were multiple instances in which Israel’s security establishment managed to document hostages being held inside tunnel networks.

Earlier in the week, Mako also revealed that the IDF employed a specialized and classified capability—details of which cannot be disclosed—that enabled Israeli forces to compel terrorists to emerge from a tunnel in Gaza as part of efforts to secure the return of hostages.

Senior security officials observed the mission in real time from Israel, closely tracking its progress. When it became clear that the operation had not succeeded, those involved experienced significant disappointment.

The original strategy had envisioned extracting the hostages and relocating them to a confidential site within Israel for several days, with the goal of potentially repeating a similar maneuver afterward. Following the failed attempt, however, the approach was scrapped and has not been deployed again.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a blunt warning to Iran on Thursday, vowing that any missile attack on Israel would trigger a devastating response, as U.S. and Israeli preparations for a possible military confrontation with Tehran continue to accelerate.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for IDF cadets, Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any escalation and would not hesitate to respond forcefully if provoked.

“We are prepared for any scenario,” he said. “And one thing is certain — if the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will face a response that they can’t even imagine.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is closely coordinating with the United States as tensions rise over Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.

“We are operating side by side with our major ally, the United States,” he said, describing Washington and Jerusalem as united in confronting the Iranian threat.

He added that during a meeting last week with President Donald Trump, he presented Israel’s position on the “guiding principles” for any future negotiations with Tehran.

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Turning to the war in Gaza, Netanyahu reiterated his government’s commitment to dismantling Hamas and preventing the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.

“There will be no rehabilitation of the Strip before the demilitarization of the Strip,” he said.

“Very soon, Hamas will face a dilemma — to give up its weapons the easy way, or to give up its weapons the hard way,” Netanyahu declared.

Netanyahu also defended Israel’s continued military presence in neighboring territories, including Syria and Lebanon, arguing that security zones inside hostile areas are essential to prevent future attacks.

“Demilitarized zones or security zones inside enemy territory are a vital need in order to minimize the danger of a ground invasion,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects to decide within the next 10 days whether the United States will launch a new military strike against Iran, as tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional ambitions continue to escalate.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace, Trump referenced last summer’s U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and suggested that further action remains on the table.

“Now, we may have to take it a step further — or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal,” Trump said. “You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days.”

Trump reiterated his long-standing position that Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

“You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing.”

“If they join us, that’ll be great. If they don’t join us, that’ll be great too. But it’ll be a very different path,” he added. “They must make a deal. If that doesn’t happen… bad things will happen.”

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His remarks came as the United States and Iran continue indirect negotiations that have shown little visible progress. Iranian officials said this week they would present more detailed proposals in the coming weeks, but U.S. officials remain skeptical that the gaps can be bridged.

At the same time, both sides are signaling military readiness. Iran on Thursday held its annual naval drills with Russia in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, while a second U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, continued its approach toward the eastern Mediterranean. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group is already operating in the region.

U.S. officials say the growing deployment of warships, fighter jets, and support aircraft does not guarantee an imminent strike, but it significantly expands Trump’s options should diplomacy collapse. According to the Soufan Center, more than 50 additional U.S. combat aircraft were recently ordered to the region.

Iran has warned that any attack would trigger a wider regional conflict. Earlier this week, it conducted live-fire drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies, and issued rocket-launch warnings to civilian pilots.

Meanwhile, international concern is mounting. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his citizens to leave Iran immediately, warning that evacuation could soon become impossible. Germany has begun withdrawing some personnel from bases in Iraq.

Inside Iran, tensions remain high following mass protests that were violently suppressed. Memorial ceremonies marking 40 days since the deaths of demonstrators have drawn renewed anti-government chants, despite official threats. Human rights groups say thousands may have been killed, and dozens now face possible execution.

Trump has warned repeatedly that patience is running out. In recent social media posts, he said the United States may need to “eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime” if Iran refuses to compromise.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump can’t seem to stop talking about Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

He refused to invite him to a White House dinner later this week with state leaders from both parties, saying he was “not worthy” of the event. And he has castigated Moore for a sewage spill that has spoiled the Potomac River, even though the faulty pipe is part of a federally regulated utility.

There could soon be more reasons for Trump to complain about Moore, the nation’s only Black governor currently in office. Moore is trying to redraw Maryland’s congressional map to boost Democrats, part of a nationwide redistricting battle that Trump started to help Republicans in the midterm elections.

If Moore can overcome resistance from a key member of his own party in the state legislature, the tide could continue to shift in Democrats’ favor.

Moore, who is frequently floated as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, is the vice chair of the National Governors Association, which is meeting in Washington this week for its annual conference. He sat down with The Associated Press on Wednesday at the start of his visit. Here is a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Redistricting
Q: You met with Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries to talk about redistricting. Can you tell me what your understanding was leaving that meeting and whether there will be an up and down vote in the Maryland legislature?

A: All we’re asking for is a vote. And however the vote goes, however the vote goes. But that’s democracy.

Q: What do you see as your role in the party?

A: I don’t look at it as I’m doing it because I’m trying to help a party per se. I’m doing it because I think we have an unchecked executive and right now Congress does not seem interested in actually doing its job and establishing real checks and balances.

And I’m watching what Donald Trump is doing. This would not be an issue had it not been for Donald Trump saying, you know what, let me come up with every creative way I can think of to make this pain permanent. And one of the ways he did was he said, let’s just start calling states — the states I choose — to say let’s have a redistricting conversation mid-decade.

This would not even be an issue had Donald Trump not brought this up and introduced this into the ecosystem.

Trump relationship
Q: Speaking of the president, do you have thoughts on why he’s been stepping up his criticism of you on everything from not inviting you to the dinner to his criticism of the Potomac River sewage spill?

A: This one would actually be comical if it weren’t so serious. This is a Washington, D.C., pipe that exists on federal land. How this has anything to do with Maryland, I have no idea. I think he just woke up and just said, I hate Maryland so I’m just going to introduce them into a conversation. This literally has nothing to do with us, with the exception of the fact that when we first heard about what happened, that I ordered our team to assist Washington, D.C.

The short answer is I don’t know. I cannot get into the president’s psyche.

Q: Do you think it’s personal?

A: I know it’s not for me. I have no desire to have beef with the president of the United States. I didn’t run for governor like, man, I can’t wait so me and the president can go toe to toe. I have no desire on that. But the fact that he is waking up in the middle of the night and tweeting about me, I just, I pray for him and I just feel bad for him because that has just got to be a really, really hard existence.

Trump and Black History Month
Q: The White House is holding an event right now commemorating Black History Month. Could you share your thoughts on the president’s relationship with the Black community?

A: Listen, I think the president has long had a very complicated history with the Black community. We’re talking about a person who has been sued from his earliest days from his treatment of Black tenants. We’re talking about a person who is one of the originators of birtherism. We’re talking about a person who has now spent his time trying to ban books about Black history, a person who has spent his time now doing the greatest assault on unemployment of Black women in our nation’s history. You know, so, I’m not sure what anyone is going to gain from an event by Donald Trump about Black history.

2028
Q: Do you think the next presidential nominee on both sides might come from this group of governors?

A: I see the governors as in many ways the final line of defense because I think it’s never mattered more who your governor is.

Q: The country is so polarized. How do we break the fever?

A: You stay consistent with who you are. I think if you’re a polarizing person or polarizing personality, then that’s just who you are. That’s just never been me.

The Yerushalayim Municipality is intensifying its readiness for a range of potential emergency situations, reinforcing long-term security planning with practical measures aimed at protecting residents across the city.

Approximately six weeks ago, as part of a structured, multi-year municipal security framework, city officials carried out an extensive emergency exercise throughout Yerushalayim. The drill was conducted in coordination with the Home Front Command, along with all relevant security and rescue bodies. During the exercise, municipal emergency teams were deployed, systems designed to assist residents were activated, and essential services were tested under simulated crisis conditions.

In continuation of these preparations, the municipality announced that a detailed emergency information booklet will soon be delivered to homes across the city and made available through various digital platforms. The guide provides critical life-saving safety directives, a comprehensive listing of shelters and protected spaces throughout Yerushalayim, guidance on preparing households for emergencies, and additional practical information for residents.

Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Lion said, “Early preparation, personal responsibility, and adherence to the security authorities’ instructions are key to safeguarding lives and the resilience of the city of Jerusalem. The municipality is constantly working to strengthen municipal readiness and is committed to providing a professional, swift, and responsible response to any scenario. I urge residents to review the booklet upon receiving it, keep it in an accessible place, and follow the instructions when needed.”

The mayor further emphasized that municipal services will remain operational during emergency situations. Residents will continue to have access to assistance and information through all official communication channels, including the 106 municipal hotline, the city’s website, social media platforms, and other authorized messaging systems.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025, a year in which President Donald Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. But the gap in the trade of goods such machinery and aircraft — the main focus of Trump’s protectionist policies — hit a record last year despite sweeping import taxes.

Overall, the gap the between the goods and services the U.S. sells other countries and what it buys from them narrowed to just over $901 billion, from $904 billion in 2024, but it was still the third-highest on record, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Exports rose 6% last year, and imports rose nearly 5%.

And the U.S. deficit in the trade of goods widened 2% to a record $1.24 trillion last year as American companies boosted imports of computer chips and other tech goods from Taiwan to support massive investments in artificial intelligence.

Amid continuing tensions with Bejing, the deficit in the goods trade with China plunged nearly 32% to $202 billion in 2025 on a sharp drop in both exports to and imports from the world’s second-biggest economy. But trade was diverted away from China. The goods gap with Taiwan doubled to $147 billion and shot up 44%, to $178 billion, with Vietnam.

Economist Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the widening gaps with Taiwan and Vietnam might put a “bulls eye” on them this year if Trump focuses more on the lopsided trade numbers and less on the U.S. rivalry with China.

In 2025, U.S. goods imports from Mexico outpaced exports by nearly $197 billion, up from a 2024 gap of $172 billion. But the goods deficit with Canada shrank by 26% to $46 billion. The United States this year is negotiating a renewal of a pact Trump reached with those two countries in his first term.

The U.S. ran a bigger surplus in the trade of services such as banking and tourism last year — $339 billion, up from $312 billion in 2024.

The trade gap surged from January-March as U.S. companies tried to import foreign goods ahead of Trump’s taxes, then narrowed most of the rest of the year.

Trump’s tariffs are a tax paid by U.S. importers and often passed along to their customers as higher prices. But they haven’t had as much impact on inflation as economists originally expected. Trump argues that the tariffs will protect U.S. industries, bringing manufacturing back to America and raise money for the U.S. Treasury.

This morning at Cross and Prospect in Lakewood.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members of the body have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Trump added.

“But every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Trump in thanking the donors.

The amount, while significant, represents a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war.

Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace, but didn’t specify what the money will be used for.

“The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built, starting right here in this room,” Trump said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned that any additional American military action against Iran would trigger serious repercussions, urging all sides to exercise restraint and pursue a diplomatic outcome that would allow Tehran to maintain what he described as a peaceful nuclear program.

Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya that was released Wednesday. The comments came one day after U.S. and Iranian representatives engaged in indirect negotiations in Geneva aimed at preventing a further escalation between Washington and Tehran.

“The consequences are not good. There have already been strikes on Iran on nuclear sites under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. From what we can judge there were real risks of a nuclear incident,” Lavrov said in the interview, which was posted on his ministry’s website.

“I am carefully watching reactions in the region from Arab countries, Gulf monarchies. No one wants an increase in tension. Everyone understands this is playing with fire.”

Lavrov argued that heightened hostilities could jeopardize diplomatic progress achieved in recent years, including improved ties between Iran and neighboring states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday that Iran is anticipated to present a written plan outlining how it intends to resolve the ongoing dispute with the United States following the Geneva discussions.

According to the same official, U.S. national security advisers convened at the White House on Wednesday and were informed that all American military assets assigned to the region are expected to be fully positioned by mid-March.

Washington has been pressing Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Tehran has firmly rejected those demands and insists it is not seeking to build a nuclear weapon.

Lavrov said governments across the Arab world have been communicating with Washington, “clearly calling for restraint and a search for an agreement that will not infringe on Iran’s lawful rights and … guarantee that Iran has a purely peaceful nuclear enrichment program.”

He added that Moscow continues to maintain consistent and close dialogue with Iranian leadership, saying Russia remains confident that Tehran is committed to resolving the dispute within the framework of international agreements.

Russia, he said, remained in close, regular contact with Iran’s leaders “and we have no reason to doubt that Iran sincerely wants to resolve this problem on the basis of observing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

A heated discussion took place in the Knesset plenum regarding the police violence toward innocent passersby in the wake of the unrest in Bnei Brak on Sunday, after Shas MK Moshe Abutbul submitted a motion to place the issue on the agenda.

MK Abutbul slammed the police’s conduct, saying, “Someone conveyed to the police that it’s okay to trample the Chareidi public, that their blood is hefker. Nothing justifies indiscriminately beating innocent people, even if some individuals acted violently.”

Abutbul presented testimonies and videos showing police officers arbitrarily beating bystanders, women, and minors. He also read the testimony of educator Rabbi Mordechai Fisch, who saw innocent residents being beaten up by police from the window of his home. He said that police forces swarmed in with great force after the incident had already ended and randomly assaulted residents who happened to be in the area.

“I saw an avreich passing by, and they grabbed him by his neck and slammed him onto the sidewalk,” Rabbi Fisch said, adding that the quick release of the detainees proved that they were beaten and arrested without cause.

In an unusual step, Likud Minister David Amsalem, the government’s liaison to the Knesset, stepped out of his official role to express his personal position, slamming the treatment of the Chareidi public: “We’ve reached a situation in which racism and intolerable violence are directed at the Chareidi community,” he cried out. “This is antisemitism perpetrated by Jews, and it shocks me.”

Amsalem compared the current atmosphere in the country to historical antisemitic incitement against Jews in Galus to divert attention from internal problems: “Today, the Chareidim are the ones being trampled. You can do whatever you want to them. The left’s political platform is beating and starving the Chareidim, garnering votes via the hatred of Chareidim—creating a reality in which violence against them is increasingly normalized.”

MK Abutbul concluded his remarks by demanding equal police treatment: “The law in Bnei Brak must be the same as the law at Kaplan. Jewish blood isn’t hefker.” He stressed that the Chareidi public respects the police but will not accept collective punishment.

At the end of the debate, the plenum approved—by a vote of 5 to 2—to transfer the matter for an in-depth discussion to the Knesset Public Inquiries Committee.

On Tuesday, UTJ MK Uri Maklev spoke in the Knesset plenum and slammed police leadership, saying that police conduct in Bnei Brak turned into an organized “revenge campaign” that harmed innocent civilians.

“Police criminality carried out under orders and with officers’ approval is more serious than civilian criminality,” Maklev began.

“We saw collective punishment. Beating passersby—women and children—and throwing dozens of stun grenades at innocent civilians is not maintaining order; it is violence for its own sake.”

He added that in the age of digital documentation, the police can no longer hide behind contradictory versions: “Today everything is recorded in black and white. This isn’t just accusations—there’s evidence.”

“The police need to ask themselves—is their message to beat bystanders until they bleed? This violence only creates a cycle of revenge and harms the ability to isolate the extremists,” he warned.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of Trump appointees, on Thursday unanimously approved President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom proposal.

At the panel’s January meeting, some commissioners questioned the lead architect about the “immense” design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed the Republican president’s vision for a ballroom roughly twice the size of the White House itself.

Trump’s decision in October to demolish the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical even for relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.

The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump’s top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.

WATCH:

WATCH:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States leaned into gunboat diplomacy on Thursday as nuclear talks between the nations hung in the balance, with Tehran holding drills with Russia and the Americans bringing another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast.

The Iranian drill and the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea underscore the tensions between the nations. Iran earlier this week also launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.

The movements of additional American warships and airplanes don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it does give President Donald Trump the ability to carry out one should he choose to do so. He’s so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran holding mass executions, while reengaging Tehran in nuclear talks earlier disrupted by the Iran-Israel war in June.

“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 his Truth Social website, seeking to pressure the United Kingdom over its plans to settle the future of the Chagos Islands with Mauritius.

Meanwhile, Iran struggles with unrest at home following its crackdown on protests, with mourners now holding ceremonies honoring their dead 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some of the gatherings have included anti-government cries, despite threats from authorities.

Iran holds drill with Russia
The drill Thursday saw Iranian forces and Russian sailors conduct operations in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. The drill will be aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” IRNA added.

China had joined the “Security Belt” drill in previous years, but there was no acknowledgment it participated in this round. In recent days, a vessel that appeared to be a Steregushchiy-class Russian corvette had been seen at a military port in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.

Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting they planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.

Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.

Having the carrier there could allow American forces to have extra aircraft and anti-missile power to potentially protect Israel and Jordan should a conflict break out with Iran. The U.S. similarly placed warships there during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip to protect against Iranian fire.

Anti-government chants made at mourning ceremonies
Mourning ceremonies for those killed by security forces in the protests last month also have increased. Iranians traditionally mark the death of a loved one 40 days after the loss. Both witnesses and social media videos showed memorials taking place at Tehran’s massive Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. Some memorials included people chanting against Iran’s theocracy while singing nationalistic songs.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 at Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar, initially over the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, then spread across the country. Tensions exploded on Jan. 8, with demonstrations called for by Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi.

Iran’s government has offered only one death toll for the violence, with 3,117 people killed. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran, puts the death toll at over 7,000 killed, with many more feared dead.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling over more than 350 acres, according to Board of Peace contracting records reviewed by the British-based Guardian newspaper.

The site is slated to serve as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force. The ISF is part of the newly created Board of Peace which is meant to govern Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The plans reviewed by the Guardian call for the phased construction of a military outpost that will eventually have a footprint of 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres, ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment for operations. The entire base will be encircled with barbed wire.

The fortification is planned for an arid stretch of flatlands in southern Gaza strewn with saltbush and white broom shrubs, and littered with twisted metal from years of Israeli bombardment. A source close to the planning tells the Guardian that a small group of bidders, international construction companies with experience in war zones, have already been shown the area in a site visit.

The Indonesian government has reportedly offered to send up to 8,000 troops to the Board of Peace force. Indonesia’s president was one of four south-east Asian leaders scheduled to attend an inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington DC on Thursday.

The UN security council authorized the Board of Peace to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The ISF, according to the UN, will be tasked with securing Gaza’s border and maintaining peace within the area. It’s also supposed to protect civilians, and train and support “vetted Palestinian police forces”.

It is unclear what the ISF’s rules of engagement would be if there is combat, renewed bombing by Israel, or attacks by Hamas. Nor is it clear what role the ISF is meant to play in disarming Hamas, an Israeli condition to proceed with Gaza’s reconstruction.

While more than 20 countries have signed up as members of the Board of Peace, much of the world has stayed away. Although it was set up with the UN’s approval, the organization’s charter appears to grant Trump permanent leadership and control.

“The Board of Peace is a kind of legal fiction, nominally with its own international legal personality separate from both the UN and the United States, but in reality it’s just an empty shell for the United States to use as it sees fit,” said Adil Haque, a professor of law at Rutgers University.

Experts say the funding and governance structures are murky, and several contractors have told the Guardian that conversations with US officials are often conducted on Signal rather than over government email.

The military base contracting document was issued by the Board of Peace, according to a person familiar with the process, and prepared with the help of US contracting officials.

The plans say there is to be a network of bunkers each 6 metres by 4 metres and 2.5 metres tall, with elaborate ventilation systems where soldiers can go for protection.

“The Contractor,” says the document, “shall conduct a geophysical survey of the site to identify any subterranean voids, tunnels, or large cavities per phase.” This provision is likely referencing the large network of tunnels Hamas has built in Gaza.

It is unclear who owns the land where the military compound is set to be built, but much of the south Gaza area is currently under Israeli control. The UN estimates that at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war.

Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former peace negotiator, called building a military base on Palestinian land without the government’s approval an act of occupation. “Whose permission did they get to build that military base?”

A Trump administration official declined to discuss the military base contract: “As the President has said, no US boots will be on the ground. We’re not going to discuss leaked documents.”

JERUSALEM (VINNews) – Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett launched a sharp attack on conservative commentator Tucker Carlson after Carlson made a brief visit to Israel this week.

In a social media post late Wednesday, Bennett claimed Carlson spent only a short time at Ben Gurion Airport before leaving the country, yet later framed the trip as a more substantial reporting visit. Bennett alleged that Carlson suggested he had faced harassment from Israeli security authorities, a claim Bennett dismissed as fabricated.

Tucker Carlson is a chickenshit.

The guy who’s been spouting lies about Israel for the past two years,
landed today at Ben Gurion airport,
took a quick picture in the logistics zone,
tweeted it to pretend he’s actually IN Israel (so he can later claim that he’s a serious… https://t.co/ZWZ8aY7BAG

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) February 18, 2026

Carlson had reportedly traveled to meet U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to discuss concerns about the treatment of Christians in Israel and across the region. According to individuals familiar with the visit, the meeting took place inside the airport complex, and Carlson departed within hours of his arrival.

The exchange comes amid Carlson’s recent criticism of Israel, including assertions that Christians face mistreatment and that American aid may be indirectly supporting such policies. Those claims have drawn rebuttals from Israeli officials and some conservative figures in the United States.

Figures released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics show that the country’s Christian population has steadily increased since the state’s founding, reaching approximately 185,000 in recent years — a trend Israeli officials often cite in response to allegations of systemic persecution.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was taken into custody Thursday in the United Kingdom on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations that he passed confidential trade materials to convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Authorities moved in on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the Sandringham Estate in eastern England early in the morning, coinciding with his 66th birthday. Law enforcement sources said multiple unmarked vehicles and plainclothes officers were involved in the operation.

Investigators are examining claims that, while serving as a British trade envoy, Andrew allegedly forwarded sensitive government trade documents to Epstein. If found guilty of misconduct in public office, he could face a sentence of up to life imprisonment.

King Charles III issued a statement expressing “full and wholehearted support” for the ongoing investigation into his brother. The monarch stressed that “the law must take its course,” signaling that the royal household would not interfere with the legal process.

Hours before the arrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed the principle of equal accountability under the law. In a BBC interview, he said that “nobody is above the law.”

The arrest marks an unprecedented development in modern British history. Andrew is the first senior member of the royal family in contemporary times to be detained by police. The last reigning monarch to be arrested was King Charles I during the English Civil War in 1647; he was later tried and executed in 1649.

Despite having relinquished his royal duties and military titles amid earlier controversies linked to Epstein, Andrew remains eighth in the line of succession to the British throne. Removing him from that position would require legislation passed by Parliament and the consent of Commonwealth realms where King Charles serves as head of state.

The arrest reignited scrutiny of the broader Epstein scandal and its political ramifications. Nile Gardiner, a former adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, suggested the fallout could destabilize the current government. “This entire scale is pretty big enough to bring down the British government,” Gardiner said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” He added that “there are growing calls for [Prime Minister] Keir Starmer to resign over his handling [of the Epstein case].”

Gardiner further claimed, “You’re seeing the Prime Minister’s top aides going one by one. They’re all stepping down, resigning. It’s only a matter of time before I think Keir Starmer himself is forced to resign over this.” He concluded, “I expect you’re going to see the collapse, actually, of Keir Starmer’s government over this entire scandal. It’s a huge can of worms.”

{Matzav.com}

(VINnews) – U.S> President Donald Trump appeared at the U.S. Institute of Peace on Thursday for the first session of his newly established Board of Peace, gathering representatives from more than 50 nations.

Standing alongside JD Vance and Marco Rubio, Trump joined foreign officials for a formal group photograph marking the launch of the initiative.

Israel was represented by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who was positioned beside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani — a notable juxtaposition given the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Before the meeting began, Trump briefly addressed the assembled leaders in a lighthearted exchange, asking if they were enjoying the American music playing in the hall as photographers captured the moment. The session later continued out of public view.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has positioned himself to advance his campaign pledge to freeze rent for stabilized tenants after installing a majority of his own selections on the city’s Rent Guidelines Board.

The mayor has named five new members to the nine-person panel and renewed the term of an existing member, ensuring that most of the board now consists of his appointees.

“I trust they will consider all the factors facing our city’s rent stabilized tenants and come to an appropriate decision,” Mamdani said while announcing the move outside a Harlem affordable housing complex.

Several of the newly appointed members closely align with Mamdani’s political outlook.

Among the three newly named public members are Brandon Mancilla, a labor union leader who describes himself as “disruptive” and is known for his outspoken anti-Israel activism; Lauren Melodia, an economist affiliated with nonprofit advocacy groups who has published research opposing interest rate hikes; and Chantella Mitchell, who will serve as the board’s new chair. Mitchell previously worked in city housing roles and has an extensive background with affordable housing nonprofits.

The mayor also selected Maksim Wynn to serve as one of the two landlord representatives. Wynn currently works for the city’s Department of Homeless Services and later oversaw affordable housing operations for a private developer.

In addition, Mamdani reappointed tenant representative Adán Soltren, a housing attorney and academic who has consistently voiced opposition to rent increases.

The Rent Guidelines Board is composed entirely of mayoral appointees: five public members, two representatives for tenants, and two representing landlords. The board is tasked with reviewing economic data affecting both property owners and renters and making annual determinations on rent adjustments for roughly one million stabilized apartments across the city. Although described as independent, the panel’s decisions are crucial to the mayor’s ability to implement his housing agenda.

“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 we are working to lower costs for property owners across the city.”

Mamdani’s ability to secure a majority on the board nearly fell through. Former Mayor Eric Adams had attempted to fill two vacancies before leaving office, but both appointees ultimately withdrew. On Tuesday, board member Alex Armlovich stepped down, clearing the way for Mamdani’s selections to form a majority, according to Gothamist.

Under Adams, the board approved rent increases totaling 12% for stabilized units. By contrast, during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, rent freezes were enacted three separate times.

Freezing rent during his first term was a central plank of Mamdani’s campaign and a key factor in his electoral success. The newly reshaped board will soon determine whether that promise becomes reality when it votes on rent guidelines, expected around June.

Questions remain, however, about how independent the board will function, given that many of its members have extensive backgrounds in affordable housing advocacy and other progressive initiatives aligned with the mayor’s platform.

Mitchell, the new chair, has built a career centered on anti-poverty and affordable housing efforts. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and currently oversees grantmaking at the New York Community Trust.

Mancilla previously organized a five-day hunger strike demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and once likened anti-Israel protests to “opposing fascism in WWII” in a post on X. His professional experience has largely involved organizing and activism rather than housing market analysis.

Soltren supported a rent increase in 2023, though he indicated strong reservations at the time. He has since remained a vocal critic of rent hikes, arguing that tenants cannot absorb additional costs. He voted against increases in both 2024 and 2025, stating that such measures would be “devastating for low-income and moderate-income New Yorkers, as well as predominantly black and brown New Yorkers.”

Melodia, for her part, co-authored a 2021 policy brief for the Roosevelt Institute opposing interest rate hikes and advocating instead for worker-centered economic policies. Her background includes roughly a decade of work on progressive causes, including criminal justice reform and anti-prison advocacy.

At the same time, Mamdani has warned that he may seek a significant 9.5% property tax increase if Gov. Kathy Hochul declines to support a proposed 2.2% tax on millionaires. He has described the property tax hike as a “last resort” to close budget gaps.

Opponents argue that raising property taxes could indirectly burden renters, even those in stabilized units, effectively functioning as what one critic called a “de facto rent increase on renters.”

“For rent stabilized tenants who may not get the costs passed directly onto them, this is the city raiding their rent money that’s going to show up in more distress, more disrepaired housing,” Kenny Burgos, CEO of the rent-stabilized landlord group New York Apartment Association, previously told The Post.

“Increased property taxes = a rent increase,” Burgos also wrote on X.

Some complain about the smoke, some about the noise, some about missing words, and some about the general disturbance.

What’s YOUR take on kids using firecrackers or the sorts during the Megillah?

JERUSALEM (VINnews)  — Approximately eight months after the end of the “12-Day War” (Operation “Rising Lion”), Iran stands at a historic and strategic crossroads, according to a report by Maariv’s foreign affairs correspondent.

According to analysis by the Alma Research Center, Tehran has adopted a differential rehabilitation doctrine toward its core capabilities, combining displays of diplomatic openness toward the West with accelerated rebuilding of its air defense systems, ballistic missile program, and the fortification of damaged nuclear facilities, while deepening activity underground.

Alongside negotiations taking place in Oman and Geneva, Iran is demanding that discussions focus solely on the nuclear issue in order to secure sanctions relief, even as it works to restore its missile array. The U.S. military has raised its alert level in the region, and the range of possibilities spans from a diplomatic arrangement to military escalation. The remaining open question: will Tehran choose a deal or gamble on resilience in the face of an attack and declare a “divine victory”?

At the same time, Israel’s strategy over the past two years, which shifted from containing Iran’s proxy forces to directly targeting Iran, succeeded in neutralizing Hezbollah’s second-strike threat in Lebanon and Syria’s air defense systems in Syria. This opened a direct flight corridor enabling aerial freedom of action over Iran, leading to the destruction of roughly two-thirds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and damage to between one-third and one-half of its missile arsenal, which had been estimated at about 2,000 missiles before the war.

The updated February 2026 analysis indicates an Iranian effort to transform the physical damage inflicted on its missile infrastructure into a strategic catalyst for recovery. Concurrently, Iran is working to protect the remnants of its nuclear program and rebuild its detection and air defense capabilities. Recent reports suggest Iran is conducting a large-scale engineering operation to seal tunnel entrances at the nuclear complex in Isfahan, accelerating work at the “Pickaxe Mountain” facility south of Natanz, which may house centrifuges at significant depth, and establishing sanctions-bypassing supply chains from China to restore solid-fuel stockpiles for missiles.

According to Israeli assessments, the June 2025 war delayed Iran’s nuclear program by several years but did not eliminate its scientific expertise or its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, amounting to approximately 400 kilograms. It remains unclear whether this material is accessible to the regime or buried beneath the ruins of the three primary sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency assessed after the war that the material had not been relocated. A central lesson for Tehran appears to be transferring the program’s remnants into hardened underground facilities shielded from international oversight and satellite surveillance.

Iran’s leadership must balance investment in military reconstruction with acute domestic crises: inflation nearing 60%, collapsing basic services, and widespread protest waves driven by economic deterioration. According to the analysis, the regime has chosen unprecedented repression. Between January and February 2026, the crackdown reportedly reached its peak, with the mass killing of over 30,000 civilians in an attempt to stabilize the government.

In February 2026, unusual developments were identified in Isfahan. Satellite analysis points to a massive logistical operation to seal entrances to underground facilities in order to protect them from strikes and prevent surprise inspections. Two entrances were covered by enormous mounds of earth using heavy engineering equipment, while the northern entrance remained open and reinforced with layered protective barriers designed to block direct penetration by cruise missiles.

The assessment is that the active entrance is being used to transfer sensitive equipment and centrifuges for the establishment of protected production lines deep within the mountain. At the destroyed surface site, a new roof was constructed over the steel framework, apparently to conceal centrifuge component manufacturing from satellite observation. Excavation at the “Pickaxe Mountain” facility south of Natanz is estimated at depths of 80–100 meters into granite rock, likely intended to ensure resilience against bunker-busting munitions. The site is believed to be designed to house thousands of advanced centrifuges.

Meanwhile, at the Parchin military site, underground concrete infrastructure has reportedly been completed to contain an explosion chamber for high-explosive testing, a critical component in developing nuclear detonation mechanisms.

Iran’s medium-range ballistic missile force, the backbone of its deterrence strategy, suffered heavy attrition, though underground infrastructure survived and allows for recovery. Before the war, Iran had aspired to an arsenal of 8,000 missiles. By early 2026, only about 1,000–1,200 missiles remained operational, along with roughly 100 mobile launchers deemed serviceable, down from 480 prior to hostilities. Nineteen of 25 primary launch bases were attacked, yet subterranean assets endured. One of the major achievements cited was the destruction of 293 launchers, including 95 buried in collapsed tunnel shafts, significantly degrading Iran’s operational flexibility.

The destruction of mixers used in solid-fuel production crippled Iran’s ability to manufacture advanced missiles, forcing a return to liquid-fuel systems, which require lengthy preparation and are more vulnerable. To circumvent the crisis, Iran is attempting to import components and chemicals from China through smuggling networks. In the past, shipments of sodium perchlorate were documented at Bandar Abbas in quantities sufficient for approximately 800 missiles. In December 2025, U.S. forces reportedly seized a vessel en route from China carrying cargo intended for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

At the same time, Iran has deepened its involvement in the CRINK alliance (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea). China purchases roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports, generating billions in revenue, while barter-based trade systems bypass sanctions. Iran manufactures loitering munitions in Russia, Russia is expected to supply Su-35 fighter jets, and Rosatom is projected to construct four new nuclear reactors in Iran.

The weakening of Hezbollah and Hamas has compelled Iran to shift its focus toward Yemen, Iraq, and international terror networks operated by the Quds Force. The Houthis have emerged as Iran’s central proxy, disrupting global trade routes while continuing low-intensity attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, Irans’ covert Quds Force Unit 11000 is reportedly engaged in planning attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide, relying on local criminal networks and mercenaries. Among the recent plots thwarted was an alleged attempt to assassinate Israel’s ambassador in Mexico. In January 2026, the European Union designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

A sweeping buildup of American military forces across the Middle East has positioned the United States to carry out what could become a prolonged bombing campaign against Iran within weeks — or even days — if Tehran continues to reject President Donald Trump’s demands in ongoing negotiations.

With a second aircraft carrier heading toward the region and hundreds of strike aircraft, support planes, refueling tankers and command platforms already in place, the scope of the deployment is striking. Former Pentagon official and Atlantic Council fellow Alex Plitsas told The Post that the concentration of assets now assembled is unlike anything seen in the region in decades.

“What we have amassed is an unprecedented size combination of land-based attack aircraft, command and control and sea-based platforms,” he said. “We haven’t seen a buildup like this in this region in decades.”

Although last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer lasted just 25 minutes and targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, officials indicated that any new operation would likely be far more extensive. U.S. officials told The Post that a future campaign could stretch on for days or even weeks.

The current deployment — which includes carrier strike groups, land-based combat aircraft, refueling tankers and command-and-control systems — provides Trump with the ability to initiate what Plitsas described as a sustained air and naval offensive without deploying American ground forces.

“The military footprint tells us that that option is quite large,” he said. “This is sufficient firepower for a sustained and very large air and naval strike campaign.”

Such a level of force would give the administration a broad range of military choices, from limited strikes aimed at weapons facilities and mid-level officials to sweeping decapitation operations targeting Iran’s ruling leadership, including the radical Islamist regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“The only thing that any of this tells us for sure is the range of options on the table and what’s in and what’s out,” Plitsas said.

Trump could ultimately decide not to authorize military action, but officials suggested the window for a diplomatic resolution may be narrowing.

“Diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

The military surge follows comments Tuesday from Vice President JD Vance, who said Iran has yet to satisfy several of Trump’s negotiating “red lines,” despite what he described as some progress during talks in Geneva.

“It was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through,” Vance told Fox News host Martha MacCallum.

According to a source familiar with White House deliberations, the firm public messaging combined with the scale of the buildup demonstrates Trump’s determination to secure the terms he has outlined.

“The message to the Iranians is crystal clear: Come to the table, meet the red lines and get a deal done — or else,” the person said.

Still, Leavitt acknowledged that major gaps remain between Washington and Tehran.

“But Leavitt said the US and Iran are “still very far apart on some issues.”

“I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, and so the President will continue to watch us,” she said.

Military analysts have noted that roughly two weeks is also the estimated time it will take for the USS Gerald R. Ford to reach the region.

Trump previously issued Tehran a two-week deadline to advance nuclear negotiations in June 2025, but ultimately ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites before that period expired.

A source close to the White House said the current timeline, when viewed alongside the force posture and Vance’s remarks, indicates that military action could be ordered at any moment.

“If you look at the timeline for them to respond the Vice President’s comments and the military buildup, what it tells us is that we are already at the potential for a massive campaign at any point if the president choose to order it,” the source familiar with White House discussions told The Post.

Leavitt said Trump is consulting extensively before making any decision.

“Leavitt said Trump is consulting “many people” to determine how to proceed — “his national security team first and foremost.”

“This is something obviously the President takes seriously,” she said. “He’s always thinking about what’s in the best interest of the United States of America, of our military, of the American people, and that’s how he makes decisions with respect to military action.”

Should strikes be authorized, defense experts say the initial phase would likely focus on neutralizing Iran’s capacity to retaliate.

“What you need to do initially is take out the missiles, the launchers and the drones and drone factors, if you can, right away to prevent retaliatory strikes against US forces and the Israelis in the region,” Plitsas said.

From there, the U.S. would face a spectrum of options — from targeting officials involved in January’s crackdown on protesters to potentially eliminating top leaders in Tehran.

“With so many options on the table, there are more questions than answers.”

“If it happens, it’s going to be weeks of sustained campaigns,” the source familiar with discussions told The Post. “Questions are who survives the opening strikes? If that happens, who’s in charge? You know, when do we stop?”

“Is just a [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro-type thing where we do a quick, fast decapitation, take out the missiles, everything else, and negotiate with what’s left?” the person added.

Plitsas cautioned that regional dynamics further complicate the picture. While Washington’s principal concern remains Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Israel is focused more urgently on Tehran’s expanding ballistic missile arsenal.

“At some point, you go from having sufficient missiles to serve as a deterrent to building a stockpile that’s sufficient for war,” he said. “When they cross that threshold … it’s going to invite an Israeli strike.”

Plitsas estimated that Iran’s missile inventory is growing by roughly 300 missiles per month and could eventually overwhelm defensive systems.

Regional allies are also preoccupied with Iranian-backed proxy forces, creating multiple pressure points that a nuclear-only agreement would not resolve.

“Even if the US strikes a great nuclear deal, if that does not extend into a deal over the ballistic missiles as well, that doesn’t mean the Israelis are going to be satisfied,” the US source familiar told The Post. “If it doesn’t include the proxy groups, other regional partners may not be satisfied either.”

The source warned that limiting negotiations strictly to nuclear matters could heighten tensions, particularly if Iran continues accelerating missile production.

“Their continued production of ballistic missiles is effectively serving as a countdown clock toward a potential strike,” the person said. “The smartest thing that they could do at this point is freeze ballistic missile production.”

Plitsas also suggested Tehran may be underestimating Trump’s readiness to act.

“If there’s a question about his intentionality and somebody doesn’t think he’s going to do it, they are very sadly mistaken,” he said. “It will come down to whether the president believes that there is still room to negotiate. Or if at this point they’re wasting their time.”

LONDON (AP) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince who was stripped of his royal titles because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

While Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his friendship with Epstein, concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to the late financier have dogged the royal family for more than a decade. But the arrest of a brother of a monarch was an extraordinary development with no precedent in modern times that will no doubt put more pressure on the crown.

After the arrest, King Charles III said that the law must take its course in the investigation, and he sought to distance the royal family from Mountbatten-Windsor.

Thames Valley Police said that a man in his 60s from Norfolk in eastern England was arrested and remained in custody. The force, which covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, did not identify the suspect, in line with standard procedures in Britain, but pointed to its statement when asked to confirm if Andrew was arrested.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, moved to his brother King Charles III’s estate in Norfolk after he was evicted from his longtime home near Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Police are looking at whether Andrew sent confidential reports to Epstein
Thames Valley Police previously said it was “assessing” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent confidential trade reports to Epstein in 2010, when the former prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade. Those reports stemmed from correspondence between the two men that was among the millions of pages of documents from the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein that were released last month.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,’’ Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement. “We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

Police also said they were searching two properties.

The arrest came after pictures circulated online that appeared to show unmarked police cars at Wood Farm, Mountbatten-Windsor’s home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, with plainclothes officers gathering outside.

“This is the most spectacular fall from grace for a member of the royal family in modern times,” said Craig Prescott, a royal expert at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Policing commentator Danny Shaw told the BBC that in most cases, suspects are held between 12 and 24 hours and are then either charged or released pending further investigation.

The absolute longest the former prince can be held for is 96 hours — but this would require multiple extensions from senior police officers and a Magistrate’s Court. It is unclear what time Andrew was arrested.

Andrew will be placed in “a cell in a custody suite” with just “a bed and a toilet,” where he will wait until his police interview.

“There’ll be no special treatment for him,” Shaw said.

Andrew’s Epstein connections have long dogged the royal family
The late Queen Elizabeth II forced her second son to give up royal duties and end his charitable work in 2019 after he tried to explain away his ties to Epstein during a catastrophic interview with the BBC.

But more details about the relationship emerged in a book published last year, and Charles stripped him of the right to be called a prince and ordered him to move.

Then came the unprecedented announcement last week that Buckingham Palace was ready to cooperate in the event of a police inquiry into Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein.

Charles was forced to act after the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages of Epstein documents that revealed the extent of his relationship with Mountbatten-Windsor and showed that their correspondence continued long after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

After Thursday’s arrest, Charles issued a statement to reiterate that he would cooperate with the investigation.

“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,’’ the king said in a statement signed Charles R. “As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.’’

He added: “My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.’’

Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York in 2019. He took his own life in jail while awaiting trial.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — During the war with Hamas, the defense establishment carried out numerous operations in an effort to gather reliable intelligence about the hostages and secure their release. On Wednesday night, Channel 12 reported about one of the most daring covert actions Israel undertook to obtain information on the hostages held in captivity.

One of the hostages who was freed recounted that on one of the days he was inside a tunnel, his captor left briefly to relieve himself. As soon as the captor exited the area, a camera descended from the tunnel ceiling and filmed him. When the terrorist returned, the camera retracted, so he did not notice it. During the war, the hostage did not mention this to the terrorists holding him ,and only after returning to Israel was he told that this had been an IDF operation.

During the war, there was more than one instance in which the defense establishment succeeded in photographing hostages inside tunnels.

Earlier this week, Channel 12 reported that the IDF employed a special and classified capability, details of which cannot be disclosed, through which forces managed to induce terrorists to exit a tunnel in Gaza, as part of efforts to recover hostages.

Senior defense officials closely monitored the rescue operation and observed everything from Israel. Once they realized  that the mission had failed, there was profound disappointment.

The initial plan had been to rescue the hostages and transfer them to a secret location in Israel for several days, with the intention of attempting a similar operation later. After the operation failed, this method was discontinued and not used again.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty of leading an insurrection on Thursday and sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in 2024, a ruling that marks a dramatic culmination of the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.

The conservative leader was ousted from office after he declared martial law and sent troops to surround the National Assembly on Dec. 3, 2024, in a baffling attempt to overcome a legislature controlled by his liberal opponents.

Judge Jee Kui-youn of the Seoul Central District Court said he found Yoon, 65, guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the Assembly, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked power for an indefinite period.

Martial law crisis recalled dictatorial
past
Yoon’s martial law imposition, the first of its kind in more than four decades, recalled South Korea’s past military-backed governments when authorities occasionally proclaimed emergency decrees that allowed them to station soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles on streets or in public places such as schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.

As lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly, Yoon’s martial law command issued a proclamation declaring sweeping powers, including suspending political activities, controlling the media and publications, and allowing arrests without warrants.

The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift the measure.

Yoon was suspended from office on Dec. 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since last July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.

Yoon’s lawyers reject conviction
An expressionless Yoon gazed straight ahead as the judge delivered the sentence in the same courtroom where former military rulers and presidents have been convicted of treason, corruption and other crimes over the decades.

Yoon Kap-keun, one of the former president’s lawyers, accused the judge of issuing a “predetermined verdict” based solely on prosecutors’ arguments and said the “rule of law” had collapsed. He said he would discuss whether to appeal with his client and the rest of the legal team.

Former President Yoon claimed in court that the martial law decree was only meant to raise public awareness of how the liberals were paralyzing state affairs, and that he was prepared to respect lawmakers if they voted against the measure.

Prosecutors said it was clear Yoon was attempting to disable the legislature and prevent lawmakers from lifting the measure through voting, actions that exceeded his constitutional authority even under martial law.

The court also convicted and sentenced five former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon’s martial law decree. They included ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure, mobilizing the military and instructing military counterintelligence officials to arrest 14 key politicians, including National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik and current liberal President Lee Jae Myung.

In announcing Yoon and Kim’s verdicts, Jee said the decision to send troops to the National Assembly was key to his determination that the imposition of martial law amounted to rebellion.

“This court finds that the purpose of (Yoon’s) actions was to send troops to the National Assembly, block the Assembly building and arrest key figures, including the National Assembly speaker and the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, in order to prevent lawmakers from gathering to deliberate or vote,” Jee said. “It’s sufficiently established that he intended to obstruct or paralyze the Assembly’s activities so that it would be unable to properly perform its functions for a considerable period of time.”

Protesters rally outside court
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. Yoon’s critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.

There were no immediate reports of major clashes following the verdict.

A special prosecutor had demanded the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol, saying his actions posed a threat to the country’s democracy and deserved the most serious punishment available, but most analysts had expected a life sentence since the poorly-planned power grab did not result in casualties.

South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, in what is widely seen as a de facto moratorium on capital punishment amid calls for its abolition.

Jung Chung-rae, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, which led the push to impeach and remove Yoon, expressed regret that the court stopped short of the death penalty, saying the ruling reflected a “lack of a sense of justice.”

Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the conservative People Power Party, to which Yoon once belonged, issued a public apology, saying the party feels a “deep sense of responsibility” for the disruption to the nation.

The office of current President Lee Jae Myung did not immediately comment on the ruling.

Other officials sentenced for enforcing martial law
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.

The Seoul Central Court had previously convicted two other members of Yoon’s Cabinet in connection with the martial law debacle. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.

Yoon is the first former South Korean president to receive a life sentence since former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for his 1979 coup, a bloody 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju that left more than 200 people dead or missing, and corruption.

The Supreme Court later reduced his sentence to life imprisonment, and he was released in late 1997 under a special presidential pardon. He died in 2021.

Q: Is there a problem of yichud when one goes on a date?

A: Absolutely there is a problem of yichud. And you have to know how to work it. Constantly these things come up and they’re nichshal in the issur of yichud if not something else.

So therefore you have to know how to make a date. The best way to make a date is to take a walk on Ocean Parkway. If you don’t want the yeshivah people to see you so walk down near Brighton.

Or go to Penn Station or Grand Central Station and sit on a bench there and you can talk if you wish. It doesn’t cost any money either except for the carfare.

I used to give that advice to boys in the yeshivah. Go to Grand Central Station, sit down on the bench. It just costs carfare.

Or use the subway. There’s no yichud on the subway.

Unless you’re afraid to go on the subway.

(Toras Avigdor – April 1986)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he believes President Trump is capable of bringing Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end, while also acknowledging discomfort with what he described as Trump’s approach toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in an interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored” posted on YouTube, Zelensky expressed confidence in Trump’s intentions to stop the conflict, even as he admitted uncertainty about Trump’s personal dealings with the Kremlin leader.

“I trust him [Trump] … he really wants to end this war, and I trust that he really can end this war,” the Ukrainian president said during the interview.

At the same time, Zelensky made clear he is unsure how to interpret Trump’s rapport with Putin.

“But I don’t know, to speak about his relationship with Putin,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky explained that he cannot “really estimate or understand” the nature of Trump’s ties with the Russian president, though he stressed that the issue is not simply about confidence.

“[T]hey have some relations, I’m sure and that’s why for me, sometimes it’s very, very painful that his attitude to Putin is sometimes, to put it, more good than Putin deserves,” Zelensky said.

Since returning to office, Trump has communicated directly with Putin in an effort to broker an end to the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

The two leaders have spoken multiple times by phone and met in Alaska last October for negotiations that ultimately did not produce a peace agreement.

Their diplomatic efforts did lead to a brief, one-week cease-fire earlier this year. However, Zelensky’s government accused Russia of breaching the truce just days after it began, citing a brutal strike on a Ukrainian energy facility during freezing winter conditions.

Trump, for his part, maintained that Putin “kept his word” and did not violate the agreement.

As the four-year mark of Russia’s invasion approaches, Zelensky described a war-weary population eager for resolution but determined to preserve national honor.

“People are tired, yes, people want to finish with this tragedy… to end this war, as quickly as possible of course, but in the right way not to loose dignity in any way,” Zelensky said.

He also confirmed that the next round of three-way negotiations will once again be held in Switzerland, the same venue as the previous talks, a location he views as significant.

“If the war is in Europe … Europeans, they have to feel that this is aggression against us and Europe … this why peace negotiations have to be in Europe,” he said.

According to Zelensky, the parties are moving closer to consensus on mechanisms to supervise a potential cease-fire. However, sharp disagreements remain over the fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.

“We don’t have the same view even trilaterally – we have three different views – on the land question,” Zelensky said.

Addressing proposals that Ukrainian forces pull back from the Donbas region, he rejected the idea as unjust and dangerous to Ukraine’s future security.

“We can’t just withdraw … it’s not fair,” he said of removing troops from Ukraine’s Donbas region, framing it as part of his country’s security guarantee against a possible Russian invasion in the future.

Zelensky added that Moscow is pressing Kyiv to relinquish control of heavily fortified cities in the Donbas.

He also characterized Putin’s so-called “red lines” — including Ukraine’s potential NATO membership or the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil — as rooted in the Russian leader’s broader expansionist aims.

“They’re thinking that they will come again,” he said of the Kremlin.

Despite enduring what he called a “difficult, terrible winter,” marked by sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid that left civilians in freezing conditions without electricity, Zelensky insisted that Moscow failed to achieve meaningful battlefield progress.

“There were no successful steps on the battlefield,” Zelensky said of Russia’s winter military campaign, claiming that the aggressors lost up to 35,000 troops per month to death or injury.

When asked whether he would ever authorize Ukrainian forces to kill Putin if given the chance, Zelensky hesitated, indicating he likely would not approve such an action but stopping short of ruling it out entirely.

He suggested that even if Putin were replaced, the successor would be just “the same as Putin.”

This past Motzei Shabbos, dozens of families from across the Baltimore community attended a Naava Kodesh Melava Malka to hear and engage in a meaningful discussion about living in Eretz Yisrael.

The event took place in Ohel Moshe’s new hall and was co-hosted by three local kehillos: Congregations Ohel Moshe, Shomrei Emunah, and BJSZ.

The evening was made possible through the generous sponsorship of The Dream Raffle, whose partnership enables Naava Kodesh to bring vital resources and open conversations to the Baltimore community about living in Eretz Yisrael.

The program offered both inspiration and a practical discussion focused on keeping Eretz Yisrael at the forefront of people’s minds and, ultimately, on meriting to one day live there.

Joining from Eretz Yisrael was renowned author and speaker Yonoson Rosenblum, who chaired the panel and spoke about the opportunity to effect positive change on Klal Yisrael by living in Eretz Yisrael. He spoke about the ability to build a meaningful life in Eretz Yisrael with chinuch and parnassah, emphasizing that while challenges exist, they are realistically manageable.

The chashuve panel was comprised of local rabbanim, including Rabbi Moshe Teichman of Ohel Moshe; and Rabbi Shmuel Kimche, Assistant Rabbi of Ohel Moshe. The panel discussed the importance of living in Eretz Yisrael and the ongoing aspiration to strive toward making that goal a reality.

The event highlighted a common drive and hope to live in Eretz Yisroel,’’It was encouraging to see how the pulsing of love for Eretz Yisroel flowed through the hearts of the large audience gathered at the Naava Kodesh event’’, Commented Rabbi Tzvi Teichman. 

There was a palpable sense of a common drive and hope to make the dream of Aliyah a reality. 

Naava Kodesh presented an honest picture of both the challenges and joys of life in Artzeinu HaKedosha.’’

Rabbi Daniel Rose, Rav of Bnei Jacob Shaarei Zion, shared divrei chizuk, highlighting the deep yearning and chashivos of Eretz Yisrael,  ‘’we yearn for Eretz Yisrael not because we are missing something in Baltimore or anywhere else, we yearn for Eretz Yisrael because that’s the place we want to be’’.

Also sharing Divrei chizuk was, Rabbi Binyomin Marwick, Rav of Shomrei Emunah, who noted the strong connection and aspiration Klal Yisrael has for Eretz Yisrael. ‘’We all have a connection to the land, that is where we all belong, that’s where the future is, the destiny of the Jewish people.…Your attitude is,  when the right time comes I am going to be on that plane.’’ 

Joining virtually from Eretz Yisrael was Rav Eli Levy, Menahal of Yeshivas Yesodei Yisrael in Ramat Beit Shemesh, who himself recently made Aliyah from Baltimore. Rav Levy shared insights into day-to-day life in Israel and spoke about the new realities on the ground that are making living in Eretz Yisrael increasingly attainable for frum families. Rav Levy highlighted that ‘’in the past, you had to fit in a specific “box”. Now, a s an American Oleh, you can grow close to Hashem in a way that is unique to Eretz Yisroel while maintaining your unique identity.’’ 

Dovid Paige, Director of the Naava Kodesh Baltimore Division, directed the evening, remarking:

“Gathering in a room of over 100 people focused on building their future in Eretz Yisroel was a powerful expression of the Baltimore community’s chashivus and deep yearning. We are already hearing thoughtful feedback from members of the kehila and Rabbanim, and I look forward to continuing to work together with community members, leaders, and Rabbanim to help translate the vision into practical, actionable steps.”

 Founder and Executive Director of Naava Kodesh, Tzvi Arnstein shared,

“When respected rabbanim and entire kehillos lend their voices to the conversation, it tells you something fundamental is changing. Aliyah is reaching new heights within the frum community, and the excitement we witnessed in Baltimore reflects a growing sense that this is our moment. It’s profoundly moving to see Am Yisroel taking real steps toward coming home to Eretz Yisroel.”

About Naava Kodesh

Naava Kodesh is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping English-speaking families build successful, lasting Torah lives in Eretz Yisrael. Through personalized guidance on community and school placement, fully coordinated pilot trips, and a vast network of volunteer mentors across the country, Naava Kodesh has helped countless families navigate their Aliyah journey with clarity and confidence.

Photo credits: B. Ansbacher Photography

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Will the devaluation of the use of the title “Rabbi” finally come to an end? In a formal appeal to Israel’s Chief Rabbis and the Minister of Religious Services, attorney Nehama Zibin argues that “while professional titles such as doctor, lawyer, and optometrist require licensing and legal certification, the title ‘Rabbi’ is open to anyone, a situation that creates belittlement and harms the status of the rabbinate.”

This week, attorney Zibin sent a letter titled “Request to Establish a Committee for the Legal Regulation of the Use of the Title ‘Rabbi’” to Israel’s Chief Rabbis, the Chief Rabbinate Council, and Minister of Religious Services Yariv Levin, demanding the formation of a committee to regulate the rabbinic profession by law.

In the letter, described as a “draft of final proceedings” ahead of a petition to the High Court of Justice, Zibin lays out a long series of legal and public arguments regarding the current lack of regulation.

In her appeal, Zibin notes that Israeli law strictly regulates the use of various professional titles. Titles such as lawyer, doctor, accountant, appraiser, psychologist, engineer, social worker, and optometrist all require licensing and certification, and unauthorized use constitutes a criminal offense.

According to her, “the use of titles is restricted to those holding appropriate licenses, and unlawful use is a criminal offense… This protection is intended to strengthen public trust and prevent deception.”

By contrast, she argues, the title “Rabbi” remains entirely unregulated. “Today, anyone can call themselves a ‘Rabbi,’ even without any training or formal certification. Essentially, anyone who wishes may take the title.”

In her view, this situation “creates degradation of the title, harms the status of the rabbinate, misleads the public, and creates a clear inequality between those who have been formally certified and those who bear the title without basis.”

Zibin emphasizes that there is an organized examination and certification system under the Chief Rabbinate for neighborhood rabbis, regional rabbis, and city rabbis, yet there is no legal barrier preventing an individual who has undergone none of these processes from presenting themselves as a “Rabbi.” She notes that lawmakers themselves have recognized the status of a “certified rabbi” in various contexts.

She also cites a district court ruling in the case of Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzira, where funds received by a rabbi in the course of his duties were deemed professional income. “This reveals an absurdity: the state recognizes rabbinate as a profession for taxation and obligations, yet does not protect the title itself.”

Among the sharper claims in the letter, Zibin points to cases of individuals bearing the title who were “exposed in acts… that neither reason nor paper can tolerate,” asking: “Should such individuals be permitted to adorn themselves with the rabbinic title?!”

In conclusion, she proposes establishing a committee to regulate the title, set standards, examine complaints against those deemed unfit to carry it, and impose civil and even criminal sanctions.

The appeal raises a fundamental question: in a state where nearly every profession requires licensing, can a title with broad public and religious significance remain without legal regulation?

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart delivered another standout quarter as the promise of lower prices and speedy deliveries drew in a broader spectrum of Americans during the critical holiday shopping period, including wealthier households.

The outlook from the Bentonville, Arkansas, company, however, hinted at a volatile economic environment ahead on Thursday.

Shares dipped more than 3% before the opening bell.

Walmart reported fourth quarter earnings of $4.24 billion, or 53 cents per share for the quarter ended Jan. 31. Adjusted per-share results were 74 cents, a penny better than Wall Street expected, according to FactSet.

Last year, the company reported net income of $5.25 billion, or 65 cents per share.

Sales rose 5.6% to $190.7 billion, from $180.6 billion, also edging out expectations.

Comparable sales at Walmart stores, including online sales, rose 4.6% after a 4.5% increase in the previous quarter. Sales were broadly stronger, particularly groceries, which have been an enormous generator of traffic for Walmart, the company said. And Walmart said. Speedier deliveries helped fuel the sales momentum, with expedited deliveries under three hours accounting for 35% of orders from stores, the company said.

U.S. e-commerce business increased 27% during the quarter, accounting for 23% of overall sales. Global e-commerce sales rose 24%.

It is the first quarter time in more than a decade that the retail giant is reporting quarterly earning under a new chief executive.

John Furner, 51, who headed the company’s U.S. operations, took over for Doug McMillon this month. McMillon had turned America’s largest retailer into a tech-powered giant and spearheaded an era of robust sales growth after being named Walmart’s CEO in 2014.

Walmart’s shares rose more than 25% since its last quarterly earnings report and earlier this month it became the first non-tech company to reach a valuation of more than a $1 trillion.

It has done so with many Americans carefully considering where they spend money because of inflation and how the company performs is considered a barometer of consumer spending given its vast customer base. More than 150 million customers are on its website or in its stores every week, according to Walmart.

While inflation has cooled, consumer prices have soared about 25% over the past five years. Many economists expect more companies will begin passing on higher costs from higher U.S. tariffs to their customers in coming months.

Walmart’s promise of lower prices has broadened its base to include wealthier shoppers in that environment, with the biggest gains in market share coming from households with annual income over $100,000.

Walmart has managed higher costs both by shifting what it offers on store shelves while absorbing some higher costs.

The company said that for the current quarter, it expects sales to increase anywhere from 3.5% to 4.5% and earnings per share to be in the range of 63 cents to 65 cents. For the year, it expects sales to reach $706.4 billion and earnings per share to be $2.64.

That is a little cooler than Wall Street had been projecting. Analysts polled by FactSet had been expecting per-share earnings of 68 cents in the first quarter. For the year, they have been projecting earnings of $2.64 per share on sales of $712.6 billion.

20By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Imagine a land where people have no appreciation for music, where the sounds of song are never heard. In a country like that, instruments are viewed with suspicion, and voices raised in harmony are quickly stilled.

Unbeknownst to each other, there are lone individuals scattered throughout the country who love music, but they keep it a secret. In the solitude and seclusion of their homes, they might play a few bars and hum a melody, but only quietly.

One day, word spreads of a gathering where all of them will come together, the musicians and the singers, those who love to sing and those who love to hear. They will ignore the disdain and disapproval of the masses and congregate, their instruments and voices joining together.

It will be the most glorious song ever heard, the secret longing and hope of so many, more than a thousand sounds fusing as one.

The very fact that this gathering will take place gives vent to the song within the participants.

This analogy helps explain the way the Vilna Gaon (Shir Hashirim 1:17) describes the power of the Mishkon. Every individual Jew was walking around with a flame in his heart, but until they had a place where they could unite – a physical location where they could connect – those passions lay dormant.

The Mishkon allowed the collective fires to unite and light up the world. There, the secret could emerge. Like musicians meeting and creating song, a nation of dveikimbaHashem found each other in this sacred structure, elevating the landscape.

The Shechinah resides inside the heart of every good Jew. The Mishkon is the place where all those Jews gather, as the Shechinah that dwells within them comes alive and expands, kevayachol. Hashem therefore commanded them to take a “terumah” from every “ishasheryidvenulibo,” allowing every person to contribute from his heart toward the construction of the Mishkon, enabling all the hearts to join together in this special place.

In the Mishkon, every feature reflected Divine mysteries, and each element was filled with cosmic significance. Just as the calendar ushers in the month of Adar, we begin reading the parshiyos that detail the particulars of the construction of this special place.

The month of Adar has taught us that, as a nation, we can achieve salvation. The shekolim that were collected symbolize that the Mishkon was meant to achieve the sense of shared purpose and desire that defines every Jew.

Achdus is a current buzzword, often misused as a catchphrase manipulated to paint those of us who have standards and traditions as haters. If we dare call out the falsifiers of the Torah for what they are, we are condemned for lacking achdus.

The Mishkon, which was the epicenter of unity in the universe, came with severe restrictions. While everyone could contribute to its construction, there were many halachos delineating who could approach the Mishkon and who couldn’t, who could perform the avodah there and who couldn’t. Achdus comes with rules. It is not a free-for-all, as some would have you think.

The pesukim at the beginning of Sefer Bamidbor (1:50) charge _shevet_Levi with assembling and dismantling the Mishkon and its keilim when the Bnei Yisroel traveled. Any outsider who dared approach and attempt to do the coveted work specified for _shevet_Levi would be killed. There were also precise rules for each one of the keilim.

Achdus doesn’t mean an absence of rules. It doesn’t mean that anything goes. It means that everyone who beholds holiness has a unique role to play in the mosaic of Yiddishkeit.

While detailing the laws of the Mishkon, the posuk says, “VehayahhaMishkonechad – And the Mishkon will be one.” What does the Torah mean with this addition? The Ibn Ezra explains that the oneness of the structure reflects the oneness of Hashem’s creation. It reflects harmony and unity.

The Bnei Yisroel became one, coming together at Har Sinai and then at the Mishkon, the individual sparks of fire within each person joining together in a torch. The Shechinah in each person joined together at this special place, bringing back experience of Har Sinai, forming a home for the Shechinah in this world and a place where the voice of the Shechinah could converse with Moshe.

The Me’orV’shemesh writes that chassidim would make it a priority to travel to their rebbe for Shabbos to be inspired. But the prime growth was not necessarily derived from the rebbe’s Torah or tefillah. He writes that chassidim achieved more than anything else from simply being together. Each chossid who went to the rebbe for Shabbos had tens of new teachers, as each of the other Jews with whom he had gathered possessed the ability to teach him something. From this one, he learned about kavanah in davening. In that one, he saw the definition of oneg Shabbos. And in a third, he observed extraordinary middos.

The achdus created multiple rebbes.

The Arizal told his talmidim to recite the words, “Hareinimekabelolai mitzvas aseishelve’ahavtalerei’achakamocha,” before starting Shacharis. These words are printed in some siddurim. What is the significance of the particular mitzvah of ve’ahavtalerei’achakamocha before beginning a new day’s tefillah?

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (12:2) explains: “Unity and connection in the lower realms create a bond in the higher spheres, and the tefillos join together and are beloved by Hashem.”

The feeling of connection that a person experiences as he walks into shul – Yankel’s cheerful good morning, Moishe’s careful BirchosHashachar, the way Chaim respectfully holds the door for an older man – opens gates in Shomayim. The shared fire they have created is more powerful than their individual points of light.

When I lived in Monsey, I had a delightful Sephardic neighbor who enjoyed teasing me on Friday nights as we left shul. Week after week, he would ask me what purpose the carrot serves on gefilte fish. He would laugh heartily at his own question. While I’m not privy to the mysteries concealed in ma’acholei Shabbos, of which there are many, I enjoyed the exchange, because it hammered home a beautiful truth. He would go home and eat his traditional Shabbos foods, and I would eat mine, yet we agreed about why we were eating them, Whom we were honoring, and what we hoped to achieve. He reveled in his points of light and I reveled in mine, and together we thrived on our individual mesorah, handed down generation after generation through the millennia of the exile.

Rav Avigdor Miller would say that Shabbos is our Mishkon. He explained that this is hinted to by the fact that the 39 melachos are derived from the building of the Mishkon. Note the similarities in the way Jews prepared to enter the holy structure and the way we prepare for Shabbos. Look at how each has strict rules that must be observed, the danger of ignoring them, and, most of all, the way each is meant to create an earthy sanctuary for Hashem, carving out a physical resting place for the Shechinah.

On Shabbos, there is a sense of achdus, because we don’t see our neighbors as carpenters or lawyers, mechanchim or electricians. We are all Jews who have come together in our bigdei Shabbos – much like the bigdei avodah – for Hashem’s glory, a reflection of what life was like around the Mishkon.

With the words of the Vilna Gaon as our guide, we can understand the oft-repeated lesson that achdus will lead to geulah. It is not merely in the merit of unity. It is the synergistic effect of unity – when we camp around a place and allow the song within each of us to emerge, fusing with the melodies of others – that lays the opening for the geulah.

When that moment comes, our shared hopes, dreams, and ambitions will combine to create a place where the Shechinah will rest.

I can do it, you can do it, we can all do it – if we do it together.

Forged in a crucible of holiness, we keep the embers alive, awaiting the day when we rid ourselves of the ashes that prevent us from joining all the holy embers and bringing about the great reunion.

This brings us to Chazal’s dictate: “Mishenichnas Adar marbimb’simcha – When the month of Adar enters, we increase our joy.” With this dictum, they are teaching us not only that Adar is a month of simcha, but that we are commanded to increase it. Simcha is not merely an emotion; it is an avodah, a spiritual practice.

The obligations of most months involve us doing things. During Elul, we do teshuvah. During Tishrei, we continue doing teshuvah, construct a sukkah, eat and live in the sukkah, purchase the arba minim, and shake them. During Kislev, we light the Chanukah menorah. During Nissan, we rid our homes of chometz and eat matzah. And so on. But the defining mitzvah of Adar is unique. It is not something we do with our hands, but rather something we cultivate in our minds and souls – the obligation to be happy and to increase that happiness.

The obligation Chazal place upon us is not a superficial happiness brought about by escaping reality or ignoring pain. On the contrary, the story of Purim is born in a world of danger, uncertainty, and hidden threats. The Megillah recounts that the Jewish people stood on the brink of annihilation. Yet, the Megillah does not recount open miracles, such as the splitting of the sea during Krias Yam Suf and other open miracles described in Tanach. Instead, it describes a quiet, concealed salvation unfolding behind the scenes.

And that is precisely where Adar’s simcha lives – not in the absence of struggle, but in the discovery of meaning within it.

The Megillah does not mention the explicit Name of Hashem, yet His presence saturates every posuk. Coincidences align, reversals occur, hidden turns become redemptive. Adar teaches that joy is the ability to perceive the HashgochaProtis – Hashem’s orchestration of events – even when b’hastorah, masked by ordinary circumstances. Simcha does not come from being naïve. It is spiritual vision.

The simcha of Adar is the joy of trust. The joy of realizing that what appears random is in fact precise. That which feels chaotic is being gently guided. In a world where so much feels unstable, Adar proclaims the quiet truth: What happens to us, to Am Yisroel, and to the world is all part of a story being carefully written.

Sadness contracts the soul. Simcha expands it. A sad person shrinks into himself. A joyful person has space for others, for appreciation, for emunah and bitachon. When Chazal_say_marbimb’simcha, they are telling us to widen our hearts, to make room for others and for hope.

When we widen our hearts and souls, we can appreciate all that Hashem does for us and prepare for geulah. By connecting with others through achdus, we open ourselves to experiencing simcha and allowing it to expand beyond ourselves. For simcha is not a reward for when life makes sense. It is the tool that allows us to make sense of life. It flows from the courage to smile when Hashem is hidden, to trust in His goodness before it becomes visible, to dance even when the music is faint, and to recognize that everything that happens is purposeful and, ultimately, good.

Mishenichnas Adar marbimb’simcha. When Adar arrives – in the cold of winter, in the darkness of a fearful world, in the confusion of worrisome news, as our land is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors and we feel the tightening of golus – we are joyous anyway. For we know that the megillah of our existence has already been written, and we are approaching the happy ending that will usher in Moshiach tzidkeinubemeheirah.

As national Democrats search for a unifying theme ahead of the fall’s midterm elections, a California proposal to levy a hefty tax on billionaires is turning some of the party’s leading figures into adversaries just when Democrats can least afford division from within.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to campaign for the tax proposal, which has Silicon Valley in an uproar, with tech titans threatening to leave the state. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is among its outspoken opponents, warning that it could leave government finances in crisis and put the state at a competitive disadvantage nationally.

At an evening rally near downtown, Sanders told cheering supporters that the nation has reached a crisis point in which “massive income and wealth inequality” has concentrated power over business, technology, government and the media within the “billionaire class,” while millions of working-class Americans struggle to pay household bills.

He said enactment of the proposed tax would show “we are still living in a democratic society where the people have some power.”

“Enough is enough,” Sanders said to a pulse of applause. “The billionaire class cannot have it all. This nation belongs to all of us.”

The senator, a democratic socialist, is popular in California — he won the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in the state in a runaway. He’s been railing for decades against what he characterizes as wealthy elites and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Health care union is pushing proposed tax to fund services

A large health care union is attempting to place a proposal before voters in November that would impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of billionaires — including stocks, art, businesses, collectibles and intellectual property — to backfill federal funding cuts to health services for lower-income people that were signed by President Donald Trump last year.

Debate on the proposal is unfolding at a time when voters in both parties express unease with economic conditions and what the future will bring in a politically divided nation. Distrust of government — and its ability to get things done — is widespread.

The proposal has created a rift between Newsom and prominent members of his party’s progressive wing, including Sanders, who has said the tax should be a template for other states.

“The issues that are really going to be motivating Democrats this year, affordability and the cost of health care and cuts to schools, none of these would be fixed by this proposal. If fact, they would be made worse,” said Brian Brokaw, a longtime Newsom adviser who is leading a political committee opposing the tax.

Split among Democrats comes as midterm elections loom

Midterm elections typically punish the party in control of the White House, and Democrats are hoping to gain enough U.S. House seats to overturn the chamber’s slim Republican majority. In California, rejiggered House districts approved by voters last year are expected to help the party pick up as many as five additional seats, which would leave Republicans in control of just a handful of districts.

“It is always better for a party to have the political debate focused on issues where you are united and the other party is divided,” said Eric Schickler, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. “Having an issue like this where Newsom and Sanders — among others — are on different sides is not ideal.”

With the idea of taxing billionaires popular among many voters “this can be a good way for Democratic candidates to rally that side and break through from the pack,” Schickler added in an email.

It’s already trickled into the race for governor and contests down the ballot. Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, both candidates for governor, have warned the tax would erase jobs. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democratic candidate for governor, has said inequality starts at the federal level, where the tax code is riddled with loopholes.

Sanders did not mention Newsom in his nearly 30-minute speech but name-checked a handful of billionaires, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as examples of a wealthy elite that in many respects “no longer sees itself as part of American society.”

Sanders urges support for billionaires tax

Citing protests against federal immigration raids in Minnesota, he urged the crowd to support the tax, saying Californians can show that “when we stand together, we can take on the oligarchs and the billionaires.”

Coinciding with the Sanders visit and an upcoming state Democratic convention this weekend, opponents are sending out targeted emails and social media ads intended to sway party insiders.

It’s not clear if the proposal will make the ballot — supporters must gather more than 870,000 petition signatures to place it before voters.

The nascent contest already has drawn out a tangle of competing interests, with millions of dollars flowing into political committees.

Newsom has long opposed state-level wealth taxes, believing such levies would be disadvantageous for the world’s fourth-largest economy. At a time when California is strapped for cash and he is considering a 2028 presidential run, he is trying to block the proposal before it reaches the ballot.

Analysts say an exodus of billionaires could mean a loss of hundreds of millions of tax dollars for the nation’s most populous state. But supporters say the funding is needed to offset federal cuts that could leave many Californians without vital services.

(AP)

The Trump administration is advancing a plan to establish a massive military installation to serve as the operational headquarters for the International Stabilization Force in southern Gaza, according to leaked Peace Council documents cited in a report by The Guardian on Thursday.

The planned compound is expected to span about 1,400 dunams (350 acres) and accommodate approximately 5,000 soldiers. The perimeter would be enclosed with barbed wire, measuring approximately 1,400 meters (about 4,593 feet) in length and 1,100 meters (about 3,609 feet) in width. Twenty-six armored guard towers mounted on trailers would surround the site, which is slated to include fortified bunkers, a small-arms training range, and storage facilities for operational equipment.

The base will be built on a flat area inside the Yellow Line in the southern Strip, an area currently under Israeli control. International construction firms with experience in conflict zones have already inspected the proposed location.

Contractors will be required to carry out a geophysical survey to identify underground cavities and tunnel infrastructure prior to construction and to follow a defined protocol if human remains are discovered during the work.

An official in the Trump administration declined to comment on the details of the leaked agreement but emphasized: “As the President has said, there will be no American boots on the ground.”

The Peace Council is headed by Donald Trump, with his son-in-law Jared Kushner playing a senior leadership role. The body received a UN Security Council mandate to establish a temporary force tasked with securing borders, maintaining order, protecting civilians, and supporting Palestinian police forces. More than 20 countries have joined the council, including Indonesia, which has proposed deploying roughly 8,000 troops.

Despite Israeli hopes, Indonesian officials have made it clear that they will not be involved in demilitarizing Gaza or disarming Hamas, which in effect renders the peacekeeping force worthless, similar to the UNIFIL force that operated on the northern border.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar participated on Wednesday night in a United Nations Security Council debate held at the ministerial level on the Middle East. The discussion was convened at the initiative of the British Foreign Secretary, who is serving as the rotating president of the UN Security Council.

During the debate, Foreign Minister Sa’ar clashed with Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who presided over the session and criticized decisions made by the Israeli government regarding Judea and Samaria, referred to “settler violence,” and argued that Palestinian leadership should be strengthened.

Addressing the British Foreign Secretary, Sa’ar said:
“In 1917, the British government issued the historic Balfour Declaration in order to re-establish a national home for the Jewish people in our land. The very places in the heart of our ancient homeland where you claim Jews must not live, and which you allege violate international law — you yourselves recognized as belonging to the national home of the Jewish people. I would like to present a map of the British Mandate. This is the map of the British Mandate. Here is the ‘West Bank,’ as you call it.”

“In 1921, Winston Churchill said during his visit to the Land of Israel: ‘It is evident that the Jews should have a national home. And where else could that be if not in this land, to which they have been intimately and profoundly connected for more than 3,000 years?’ In 1922, the League of Nations, the predecessor of the UN, entrusted Britain with the mission of re-establishing the Jewish national home. Madam President, what remains for you of the noble historical legacy of Balfour and Churchill?”

“The claims raised in this debate — one of many — are yet another example of the hypocritical obsession against Jewish presence in the heart of our small country. The claim that Israelis cannot live in Judea and Samaria not only contradicts international law and Britain’s own Balfour Declaration, it is morally distorted. How can Jews live in London, Paris, or New York, yet be forbidden from living in the cradle of our civilization: Shiloh, Hebron, and Beit El? This is our land — not 13,000 kilometers away like the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the ‘Malvinas.’”

Later in the debate, Sa’ar also attacked Russia’s ambassador to the UN:
“It was amusing to hear the representative of the Russian Federation speak about law and international law, about occupation, annexation of territory, and resolving conflicts peacefully. I restrained myself from laughing out loud during his remarks.”

Sa’ar further presented evidence of the Jewish people’s connection to the land throughout history. He displayed a coin from the time of the Great Revolt bearing the inscription “Freedom for Zion,” as well as the handle of a clay jar from the Kingdom of Judah dating back 2,700 years.

He also presented an “incitement map” seized at a school in Hebron, showing skulls in place of Israeli communities. In addition, he highlighted what he described as actions carried out under the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria — from damage to archaeological sites on Mount Ebal to air pollution near Israeli communities.

Have you ever noticed how, when you are really upset, people suddenly become simple?

Someone who is normally a whole, complicated human being with history, stress, and good intentions turns into one thing, selfish, toxic, the problem. A situation that used to feel layered suddenly feels obvious, and somehow everyone else is wrong. That is not clarity. That is your nervous system hitting the panic button.

When we are triggered, when the body reads threat and shifts into fight or flight, the brain starts conserving energy. Nuance is expensive. Complexity is slow. Survival mode wants quick conclusions. Black and white. Safe or dangerous. Our perspective narrows.

We stop seeing the whole person. We see a slice, usually their worst slice. A version of them that fits neatly into a threat story. The more activated we are, the more convinced we feel. It feels like insight, like we finally see who they really are. But certainty is not the same as accuracy.

One of the clearest signs that we are triggered is when someone loses their humanity in our mind. There is no room for contradiction. No “and.” No curiosity. Just a flat story about who they are. That is not wisdom. That is tunnel vision.

The important reframe is this. When people start looking one dimensional, it is not a signal to act. It is a signal to pause. Not to confront, not to decide. Not to send the text you are drafting in your head. It is a cue to regulate.

Perspective does not come from thinking harder. It comes from calming the body. When the nervous system settles, the lens widens on its own. You can hold more than one truth again. You remember that people are messy, stressed, and inconsistent, including you.

This shows up everywhere, but it is especially clear in parenting and marriage.

In parenting, tunnel vision sounds like this. My child is manipulative. They are doing this on purpose. They do not care how this affects me. When we are tired, embarrassed, or feeling out of control, our nervous system reads our child’s behavior as a threat. Not a physical threat, but a threat to our competence, our authority, or the hope that we are getting this right. In that moment, the child stops being a developing human with an immature nervous system and becomes the problem.

That is the moment to pause. Not because the behavior is fine, and not because boundaries do not matter, but because correction delivered from fight or flight rarely teaches what we think it does. It comes out sharper than intended, disconnected, or driven by the need to regain control.

When we regulate first, we can still hold limits. We just do it instead of reactivity. The question shifts from “How do I shut this down?” to “What is actually going on here?” That small shift can change the entire interaction.

In marriage, tunnel vision turns into character judgments. They are selfish. They never listen. This is just who they are. When we are activated with a partner, years of shared history collapse into one painful moment. Effort disappears. Context disappears. The person we chose becomes a cut out version of their worst behavior. This is where one often gets stuck.

Once someone becomes one dimensional in your mind, curiosity shuts down. Repair feels pointless. The nervous system is no longer looking for connection. It is looking for protection. Stepping back is not avoidance. It is choosing not to have important conversations from a state that can only see threats.

When we regulate ourselves, memory and complexity return. You can say, “That really hurt me,” instead of, “This proves everything about you.” That difference is often the line between escalation and repair.

So the next time your mind locks in on how wrong, bad, or threatening someone feels, try a softer question. Am I seeing clearly, or am I seeing narrowly?

If it is narrow, the work is not to push forward. It is to slow down, ground yourself, and let your nervous system come back. Your humanity, and theirs, becomes visible again once the threat response quiets. That is a much better place to move from.

Chayi Hanfling is a licensed clinical social worker who is experienced and passionate in helping individuals, families, and couples. She specializes in couples counseling, EFT, women’s health, anxiety management, OCD, trauma, and other mental health challenges. She can be reached at https://chaicounseling.org or [email protected]

Have you ever noticed how, when you are really upset, people suddenly become simple?

Someone who is normally a whole, complicated human being with history, stress, and good intentions turns into one thing, selfish, toxic, the problem. A situation that used to feel layered suddenly feels obvious, and somehow everyone else is wrong. That is not clarity. That is your nervous system hitting the panic button.

When we are triggered, when the body reads threat and shifts into fight or flight, the brain starts conserving energy. Nuance is expensive. Complexity is slow. Survival mode wants quick conclusions. Black and white. Safe or dangerous. Our perspective narrows.

We stop seeing the whole person. We see a slice, usually their worst slice. A version of them that fits neatly into a threat story. The more activated we are, the more convinced we feel. It feels like insight, like we finally see who they really are. But certainty is not the same as accuracy.

One of the clearest signs that we are triggered is when someone loses their humanity in our mind. There is no room for contradiction. No “and.” No curiosity. Just a flat story about who they are. That is not wisdom. That is tunnel vision.

The important reframe is this. When people start looking one dimensional, it is not a signal to act. It is a signal to pause. Not to confront, not to decide. Not to send the text you are drafting in your head. It is a cue to regulate.

Perspective does not come from thinking harder. It comes from calming the body. When the nervous system settles, the lens widens on its own. You can hold more than one truth again. You remember that people are messy, stressed, and inconsistent, including you.

This shows up everywhere, but it is especially clear in parenting and marriage.

In parenting, tunnel vision sounds like this. My child is manipulative. They are doing this on purpose. They do not care how this affects me. When we are tired, embarrassed, or feeling out of control, our nervous system reads our child’s behavior as a threat. Not a physical threat, but a threat to our competence, our authority, or the hope that we are getting this right. In that moment, the child stops being a developing human with an immature nervous system and becomes the problem.

That is the moment to pause. Not because the behavior is fine, and not because boundaries do not matter, but because correction delivered from fight or flight rarely teaches what we think it does. It comes out sharper than intended, disconnected, or driven by the need to regain control.

When we regulate first, we can still hold limits. We just do it instead of reactivity. The question shifts from “How do I shut this down?” to “What is actually going on here?” That small shift can change the entire interaction.

In marriage, tunnel vision turns into character judgments. They are selfish. They never listen. This is just who they are. When we are activated with a partner, years of shared history collapse into one painful moment. Effort disappears. Context disappears. The person we chose becomes a cut out version of their worst behavior. This is where one often gets stuck.

Once someone becomes one dimensional in your mind, curiosity shuts down. Repair feels pointless. The nervous system is no longer looking for connection. It is looking for protection. Stepping back is not avoidance. It is choosing not to have important conversations from a state that can only see threats.

When we regulate ourselves, memory and complexity return. You can say, “That really hurt me,” instead of, “This proves everything about you.” That difference is often the line between escalation and repair.

So the next time your mind locks in on how wrong, bad, or threatening someone feels, try a softer question. Am I seeing clearly, or am I seeing narrowly?

If it is narrow, the work is not to push forward. It is to slow down, ground yourself, and let your nervous system come back. Your humanity, and theirs, becomes visible again once the threat response quiets. That is a much better place to move from.

Chayi Hanfling is a licensed clinical social worker who is experienced and passionate in helping individuals, families, and couples. She specializes in couples counseling, EFT, women’s health, anxiety management, OCD, trauma, and other mental health challenges. She can be reached at https://chaicounseling.org or [email protected]

Federal investigators have contacted Mexican law enforcement as the search intensifies for Nancy Guthrie and the individual believed to have abducted her, widening the scope of an investigation that is now entering its third week.

According to law enforcement sources, authorities have broadened their efforts far beyond Tucson in recent days. At the same time, officials stressed there is no current indication that drug cartels are connected to the case.

The outreach to Mexico comes after a purported ransom letter claimed the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie is being held “south of the border,” according to TMZ, which obtained the message.

Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, residence on February 1. Her home is located roughly an hour from the Mexican border, fueling speculation that she may have been transported across the border after vanishing.

While the FBI has not publicly confirmed that agents are actively searching for her in Mexico, a person of interest was taken into custody and questioned in Rio Rico, a border community, on February 10.

That individual was later released without charges. Still, the detention signaled that investigators are examining the possibility that Guthrie may have been moved into Mexico shortly after her alleged abduction.

Surveillance footage from Guthrie’s property captured a suspect appearing to disable a security camera on the morning she went missing. The individual, wearing gloves and carrying a firearm, appeared to have facial hair visible beneath a full-face ski mask.

The investigation has also extended to local businesses. The FBI recently visited a gun shop in Tucson, where agents presented the owner with names and photographs of individuals who “looked Mexican,” Phillip Martin, the store’s owner, told The Post on Tuesday.

Martin said most of the approximately 20 people identified as persons of interest had brown complexions and facial hair consistent with the appearance of the masked suspect.

In the Tucson area, the case — spearheaded by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the FBI — has encountered repeated setbacks.

On the same day authorities made public the surveillance video, they detained a person of interest in Rio Rico. However, that man was freed in less than twelve hours without facing any charges.

Days later, a SWAT team executed a law enforcement operation at a home near Guthrie’s neighborhood, questioning multiple individuals. No arrests were made during that action.

Investigators also recovered a glove discarded near Guthrie’s residence that contained DNA believed to belong to a possible suspect. However, the sample did not match any profiles in the FBI’s national DNA database, suggesting it may not be linked to the crime.

On Wednesday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that a separate DNA sample collected from inside Guthrie’s home is now undergoing testing.

In addition, authorities have deployed a specialized “Bluetooth sniffer” device in hopes of detecting signals emitted by Guthrie’s pacemaker, an effort aimed at tracking her possible location through electronic means.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

The FBI agents had come with a serious purpose. Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz zt”l had been transferring money illegally into enemy-occupied territory — circumventing Treasury Department regulations, ignoring warnings, defying federal law. The agents confronted him. The evidence was plain. This was a criminal matter.

The Rabbi looked at them. Then, without a word, he opened his shirt, bared his chest, and said: “Shoot me now. These students are like my children. I would do anything to save them.”

The FBI agents walked away sheepishly. [The above photo is, of course, an illustration.]

It is difficult to imagine a more perfect introduction to the man. In that single gesture — the unbuttoned shirt, the absolute moral clarity — you have Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz entire. He was neither reckless nor naive about consequences. He simply operated from a different set of calculations than the men who had come to question him. When Jewish lives were at stake, the laws of the United States government were not the highest authority in the room. The laws of the Torah were. And the Torah said: you do whatever it takes.

The agents left. Rabbi Kalmanowitz went back to transferring money. Rav Kalmanowitz zatzal was a true hero who saved the remnants of European gadlus in Torah, but he also had a fascinating character, as seen from the FBI interaction. More on that later.

 His yahrtzeit falls on the 2nd of Adar — a date that invites reflection on a life that burned with the intensity of the month itself, a month associated with the reversal of decrees and the salvation of an entire people. His actions personified the triumph of mesiras nefesh over the cold machinery of destruction.

It is a fitting day for the yahrtzeit for a man who spent his greatest years fighting, just as Mordechai and Esther did, to reverse a decree of annihilation against his people — and who, unlike so many others, refused to let propriety, legality, or personal safety stand in his way.

Origins and Early Life: A Family of Torah

Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz was born on March 8, 1887, in the shtetl of Delyatichi in the Minsk province of Belarus. His father, Rabbi Aharon Aryeh Leib Kalmanowitz, was himself a talmid chacham and rav of several Jewish communities — a man who exerted a major and lasting influence on his son’s formation and his understanding of what it meant to be a servant of Klal Yisrael.

From his earliest years, it was clear that Rav Avrohom was destined for greatness. He studied first at the Telshe yeshiva in Lithuania and then, at age sixteen, entered the yeshiva of Eishishok under Rav Zundel Hutner. It was at age eighteen that he made his way to the crown jewel of the mussar world — the yeshiva of Slabodka.

Formed in Slobodka: The Alter’s Influence

At Slabodka, under the towering influence of the Alter, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, Rabbi Kalmanowitz was shaped in the deepest ways. The Alter recognized his student’s qualities from the outset and arranged something remarkable: he paired young Avrohom to learn b’chavrusa with his own son, Rav Moshe Finkel zt”l (grandfather of a remarkable Far Rockaway resident]. This was a singular honor, a statement of the Alter’s confidence in a student he believed capable of matching his own son’s level.

The Slabodka approach to mussar elevated the dignity and inner greatness of every human being — Gadlus HaAdam, the greatness of man. For the Alter, Torah was not merely an intellectual discipline but a pathway to becoming a person of complete humanity and responsibility for others. This philosophy became the animating force of Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s entire life. One can trace a direct line from the Alter’s teachings in Slabodka to the frenzied, boundary-crossing rescue activism that would define his greatest years.

He received rabbinic ordination from four of the era’s preeminent authorities: Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein of Slabodka, Rav Raphael Shapiro of Volozhin, Rav Eliezer Rabinowitz of Minsk, and Rav Eliyahu Baruch Kamai of the Mir — a constellation of gedolim whose collective haskama spoke to the breadth and depth of his scholarship.

Marriage and Distinguished Yichus

In 1913, Rabbi Kalmanowitz married Rochel, granddaughter of the great Rav Betzalel HaKohen of Vilna. Rav Betzalel HaKohen was a distinguished dayan in the Vilna rabbinical court and the author of the Talmudic commentary Mareh Kohen, which appears in all printed editions of the Talmud. Rav Kohen’s teshuvos were reprinted a number of years ago. This author’s great-great grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kantor, was the chief shochet of Vilna and was very close with him. That Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s household was connected to this legacy of meticulous halachic scholarship added yet another dimension to a home that breathed Torah from every corner.

The Early Rabbinate: Rakov, World War I, and Arrested by the Bolsheviks

Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s first major rabbinic post was in Rakov, a town in the Grodno region with a vibrant Jewish community. Even in these early years, his instinct to mobilize for Jewish welfare manifested dramatically. When Rakov was flooded with thousands of refugees fleeing Russia with the outbreak of World War I, Kalmanowitz founded a rescue organization that furnished food and clothing.

His activism during the Bolshevik Revolution went further still, and at personal cost. During the Bolshevik Revolution, he aided Jews arrested by the Bolsheviks and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned in Minsk. This was not the last time he would court danger in the service of his fellow Jews, but it was an early and formative test of his courage. He emerged unbroken and only more determined.

Tiktin: Building Torah and Stopping a Pogrom

In 1929, Rabbi Kalmanowitz accepted the position of Rav and Av Beis Din of Tiktin — the historic Polish town of Tykocin, whose Jewish community traced its roots back centuries. He established a yeshiva in that town and was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of World Agudath Israel

To understand the world Rabbi Kalmanowitz inhabited in Tiktin, one must appreciate the political context of interwar Poland. The Jewish community lived in a precarious position — legally emancipated but socially embattled, existing within a Polish state simultaneously asserting its national identity and struggling with powerful currents of antisemitism. Economic boycotts of Jewish businesses were organized by nationalist movements. Pogroms and violent incidents occurred with disturbing regularity. American Jewish magazines actually sent people to Poland trying to figure out what could be done to battle the poverty and the horrifying level of anti-Semitism.  The situation worsened markedly after the death of Marshal Józef Piłsudski in 1935, who had maintained a degree of restraint toward the Jewish minority. As authoritarian nationalist movements grew stronger across Europe, modeling themselves on fascist templates from Italy and Germany, and as the Nazi example demonstrated that organized state persecution of Jews was both possible and internationally tolerated, Polish antisemitism grew bolder and more violent.

It was into this environment that one remarkable episode stands out from Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s years in Tiktin. Local anti-Semitic elements organized and planned a pogrom against the Jewish community. Rabbi Kalmanowitz discovered the plot and intervened directly — stopping the pogrom before it could begin. But the instigators, thwarted and furious, slandered him to the local authorities, and Rabbi Kalmanowitz was ultimately forced to flee Tiktin for Bialystok. His own safety was the price he paid for protecting his community — a pattern that would repeat itself on a far larger stage.

One eyewitness, the author Chaim Shapiro zt”l, captured his presence in a memorable vignette about a fire that broke out one motzaei Shabbos. The Jewish firemen were half-asleep; the Polish firemen were half-drunk; wooden houses were at mortal risk. Then Rabbi Kalmanowitz appeared — still wearing his knee-high boots gleaming from their erev Shabbos polish, his velvet yarmulke tilted to one side, like a field marshal on a battlefield. He dismissed the fire chief and took personal charge. Pole and Jew alike obeyed his orders instantly. Amid the panic and confusion, the Rav stood out as a tower of calm stability and authority. It was the same commanding presence he would bring to the corridors of Washington just a few years later.

Agudas Yisrael, the Kollel, and the Vaad Hayeshivos

Beyond his role as a mara d’asra, Rabbi Kalmanowitz was a builder of Torah infrastructure on a national scale. He was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of World Agudath Israel and a leading figure in Agudas Yisrael of Poland — the great Orthodox political and communal movement that sought to represent Torah Jewry in the political arena. In the rough-and-tumble world of Polish Jewish politics, Agudas Yisrael operated alongside Zionist parties, the socialist Bund, and various other factions, each competing for representation in the Polish Sejm and in communal governing bodies. Rabbi Kalmanowitz navigated this complex landscape with both principle and pragmatic skill, advocating for Jewish religious rights and for the network of Torah institutions under increasing pressure.

His partnership with Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilna was one of the defining relationships of his rabbinic career. In 1928, Rav Kalmanowitz helped Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski found a kollel in Vilna called Ateret Zvi and served as rosh kollel for its first year of operation. Afterwards he helped move it to Otvotsk, where it operated until 1934. He also assisted Rav Chaim Ozer in running the Vaad Hayeshivos, the central organization that provided financial support to the entire network of European yeshivos — learning, in these years, the architecture of large-scale communal organization and resource mobilization that would prove indispensable when the world went dark.

The Mir Connection: Honorary President

In 1926, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir — whose father was none other than the Alter of Slabodka himself — approached Rabbi Kalmanowitz with a request. The Mirrer Yeshiva was in dire financial straits, and Rav Finkel needed a man of stature, energy, and connections to help place it on sound footing. The two traveled together to the United States on a fundraising mission, and Kalmanowitz was elected honorary president of the Mir yeshiva and began fundraising for this institution in the United States.

For Rabbi Kalmanowitz, the connection was not merely institutional — the Mir and its people were family. He knew its roshei yeshiva, its mashgichim, its bochurim. He understood that the yeshiva represented not just an educational institution but a living embodiment of the Slabodka tradition in which he himself had been formed. This bond — personal, institutional, and ideological — would drive him to extraordinary acts in the years to come. And the Mir would ultimately repay that bond in a manner as profound as the debt itself.

The Political Storm Gathers: Europe on the Eve of Destruction

To understand what Rabbi Kalmanowitz faced when war came, one must appreciate the political catastrophe that had engulfed European Jewry across the 1930s. Hitler y”s had come to power in Germany in January 1933, and within years the Nazi program of persecution, expropriation, and dehumanization of Jews had become state policy. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 stripped German Jews of citizenship. Kristallnacht in November 1938 — triggered by the shooting of a German diplomat by Hershel Grynspan, whose family had been among the 17,000 Polish Jews violently expelled from Germany — announced that a new and more murderous phase had arrived. Jewish businesses were burned, synagogues torched, men dragged to concentration camps.

In Poland, the political situation for Jews worsened steadily throughout the decade. The economy, already devastated by the Great Depression, was marked by widespread anti-Jewish boycotts and official quotas limiting Jewish university enrollment and professional participation. When Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939 — secretly agreeing to divide Poland between them — the fate of millions of Jews was sealed by the stroke of two pens in Berlin and Moscow.

On September 1, 1939, the Nazi armies invaded Poland from the west. Within weeks, the Soviet Union invaded from the east. Jewish communities of Poland, caught between two totalitarian powers, faced destruction from two different directions simultaneously. The Nazis brought racial genocide; the Soviets brought the persecution of religion, the nationalization of all property, and deportations to Siberia.

It was in this crucible that Rabbi Kalmanowitz and thousands of other Torah leaders fled eastward toward Vilna — which, in one of the war’s early providential moments, had briefly and unexpectedly been transferred to Lithuanian sovereignty, creating a narrow window of relative safety. Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, from his sickbed in Vilna, served as the guiding light for the thousands of refugees who flooded the city. It was with his blessing — and with the precious American passport Rabbi Kalmanowitz had acquired during his fundraising years — that he traveled to New York via Sweden, arriving in April 1940.

The Mir’s Miraculous Escape: The Curaçao Visa Operation

Before departing for America, Rabbi Kalmanowitz worked urgently on behalf of the Mirrer Yeshiva, which had also escaped to Vilna. The story of how the yeshiva ultimately escaped is one of the most extraordinary providential narratives of the entire Holocaust — and Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s name and reputation stand at its very center.

On June 15, 1940 — just days after Germany had overrun France and the Netherlands, while the Battle of Britain was beginning — the Soviet Red Army crossed into Lithuania and began incorporating it into the USSR. For the Jewish refugees, this meant the imminent closure of all foreign consulates, the nationalization of all private businesses, and the aggressive persecution of religious life. Every avenue of escape seemed sealed. As Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel himself expressed: “This is so horrible. The entire world is closed to us, and the storms raging over Europe are arriving here.”

It was into this desperate situation that a remarkable chain of providence unfolded. A Dutch businessman named Jan Zwartendijk — appointed acting consul of the Netherlands to Lithuania just one day before the Soviet invasion — began issuing a remarkable document to desperate Jewish refugees. In what became known as the Curaçao visa scheme, he inscribed into passports a statement that no visa was required to enter the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. Critically, he omitted the second half of the standard diplomatic text noting that the Governor’s permission was still required — permission that was almost never granted. The document was technically accurate but deliberately incomplete, creating the appearance of a valid destination where none truly existed.

In a frantic two-week period from roughly July 22 to August 3, 1940 — before the Soviets closed all foreign consulates — Zwartendijk issued over 2,345 such “visas,” working at furious pace first by hand and then through a rubber stamp he had made. Among the recipients were the entire Mirrer Yeshiva, 79 rabbanim, 341 yeshiva students, and thousands of other Jews desperate to flee.

But the Curaçao visa was only one link in a chain. The refugees also needed Japanese transit visas from Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Kaunas — and, crucially, they needed money for the Trans-Siberian Railway tickets that would carry them across the vast expanse of the Soviet Union to Vladivostok and thence by ship to Japan.

The person who negotiated directly with Sugihara for the Mirrer Yeshiva was a young bochur named Reb Moshe Zupnik — sent by Rav Leib Malin on behalf of the yeshiva, arriving in a borrowed suit because it was the only presentable one available. When Sugihara challenged him and demanded to know how 300 yeshiva students could possibly support themselves in Japan, Reb Moshe answered without hesitation: “We have an office in the United States run by Rabbi Kalmanowitz, and he assured us money and ships when we get to Japan. So, don’t worry about it. We just want to go through Japan.” When Sugihara pressed for proof, Reb Moshe explained that because they were enemies of the Russian government, all communications with Rabbi Kalmanowitz were conducted in code — and then pledged that the yeshiva would leave Japan within two weeks.

With extraordinary siyata d’Shmaya, Sugihara agreed. The transit visas were issued. Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s name — and the trust it carried — was the decisive factor in convincing a Japanese consul to defy his own government and issue visas to an entire yeshiva.

But a name alone was not enough. The money had to actually arrive. The Trans-Siberian Railway tickets had to be purchased — in American dollars, which were illegal to possess in Soviet territory, creating a double layer of danger for everyone involved. Here, Rabbi Kalmanowitz acted with the same urgency and disregard for obstacles that would define his entire rescue career. Together with Rav Moshe Feinstein, Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelevitch, and Mr. Irving Bunim, he arranged to send the money from America. The tickets were purchased. The bochurim, in constant fear that the journey was some Soviet trap, boarded the trains. The money secured ensured the survival of the entire Mirrer Yeshiva and hundreds of others, as well as the gedolim Harav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, Harav Aharon Kotler, Harav Reuvain Grozovsky, Harav Avrohom Yaffen, and an additional 100 rabbanim — the great figures who succeeded in transplanting the Torah centers of Europe onto the soil of Eretz Yisrael and America after the war.

The critical wire transfer required Treasury Department approval at a moment when bureaucratic delays could mean the expiration of visas and the loss of lives. Rabbi Kalmanowitz set out on Shabbos for Washington, where he contacted John Pehle — later the head of the War Refugee Board — and explained the urgency of the life-and-death request. Pehle, a non-Jew, was so impressed by the Rabbi that he immediately arranged the wire transfer.

Without Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s money and contacts, there were no tickets. Without Shanghai, the Mirrer Yeshiva — today one of the largest and most distinguished yeshivos in the world, with thousands of students in its batei medrash in Jerusalem — would almost certainly have perished. Every talmid who has ever learned in the Mir carries within him something of what Rabbi Kalmanowitz made possible.

Illegal Money Transfers — and the FBI

The wire transfer to Japan was not an isolated act of financial audacity. Throughout the war years, Rabbi Kalmanowitz transferred money into enemy-occupied territories repeatedly, before such transfers were legally permitted — and even after the FBI made clear that he was being watched. Even before the U.S. government approved the legality of sending “free currency” into enemy-occupied territory, Kalmanowitz sent money overseas, ignoring illegalities and FBI threats of arrest.

It was this pattern that led to the confrontation described at the opening of this article. When FBI agents came to him over his illegal transfers and presented their case, Rabbi Kalmanowitz did not dissemble, negotiate, or apologize. He opened his shirt. He bared his chest. He told them to shoot him now — because these students were like his children, and he would do anything to save them.

The agents walked away.

There is a profound theological statement embedded in that gesture. Rabbi Kalmanowitz was not merely making a dramatic point. He was, in the language of halacha, performing the ultimate act of mesiras nefesh — the surrender of one’s life for what is right. He was saying: my life is worth less than the lives I am trying to save. Take it if you want. But you will not stop me.

The FBI did not take him up on the offer. And he did not stop.

A Dramatic Shabbos Interruption

One Shabbos, Rabbi Kalmanowitz was in Manhattan, mid-speech at a large shul during a Vaad Hatzala fundraising address, when urgent telegrams arrived at his home. His son, Rav Shraga Moshe, determined they constituted pikuach nefesh and scrambled to reach his father. A candy store owner next door was enlisted to interrupt the Rabbi during his address — something almost unthinkable in the formal decorum of that world. Rabbi Kalmanowitz stepped off the platform without hesitation, absorbed the information, and set everything necessary in motion. The speech could wait. Lives could not.

Joining the Vaad: Plunging into the Fight

Upon arriving in America in April 1940, he immediately plunged into rescue work. In the winter of 1940, Kalmanowitz joined the Vaad Hatzalah, headed by Rabbi Eliezer Silver, and became a key figure in that organization.  The Vaad was led by three of the greatest Torah sages then in America: Rav Eliezer Silver of Cincinnati, Rabbi Kalmanowitz, and — after his own miraculous rescue in 1941 — Rav Aharon Kotler. Together these three men formed a triangle of ferocious, Torah-driven activism that defined the Orthodox response to the Holocaust.

“When He Cried, Even the State Department Listened”

The physical presence Rabbi Kalmanowitz brought to government offices became legendary. Tall, regal-looking, with a flowing white beard and the bearing of a sage from another world, he walked the corridors of the Treasury Department and the State Department carrying his ever-bulging briefcase of letters and telegrams, pursuing officials into hallways and waiting rooms. He wept openly and without apology. He pounded his cane on floors. He pleaded with the raw urgency of a man who understood that every delay was measured not in hours but in lives.

Dr. Joseph Schwartz, chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee’s European Executive Council, captured it unforgettably: “There was a rabbi with a long white beard. When he cried, even the State Department listened.”

Congressman Emanuel Celler of Brooklyn recalled an encounter that illustrated both his method and his fire. The Rabbi came to him looking aged and frail, leaning on his cane, tears streaming down his cheeks: “Can’t you understand? There are millions — millions! — being killed. We have to save them. Isn’t there something you can do, Mr. Celler?”  When Celler tried to counsel patience, the old man transformed before his eyes — becoming, in Celler’s words, “an angry, energetic firebrand,” pounding his cane and declaring: “If six million cattle had been slaughtered, there would be greater concern.”

The Day the News Arrived: Fainting at the Cable

In August 1942, the Polish underground sent reports through Switzerland confirming the systematic mass deportation of Warsaw’s Jews to extermination camps. The Sternbuchs forwarded the cable to Rabbi Kalmanowitz immediately. According to the testimony of Alex Weisfogel, Rabbi Kalmanowitz fainted in the middle of the telephone conversation upon hearing the horror being reported.

But he did not stay on the floor. On September 3, the day he received the cable, Rabbi Kalmanowitz pressured R. Stephen S. Wise to come to the Vaad office to discuss the ongoing slaughter. When Wise arrived the following day, Rabbi Kalmanowitz insisted that he invite representatives from all 34 major national American Jewish organizations to an emergency meeting to be held two days later on September 6 — marking the first and only time representatives from all of the major national American Jewish organizations gathered in one room together to discuss the rescue of European Jewry. Jewish Action

The Morgenthau Breakthrough: Tears, Fainting, and Action

Among the most consequential relationships in American Jewish history during the Holocaust was the Vaad’s engagement with Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. To understand this relationship, one must appreciate the political landscape within which it unfolded. Morgenthau occupied a unique position in the Roosevelt administration — a Jewish cabinet secretary with the President’s ear, whose Treasury Department controlled the licensing of financial transactions, including the transfer of funds to enemy-occupied territory. The State Department under Breckinridge Long had been actively obstructing rescue efforts — suppressing information about the mass murders, blocking fund transfers, and delaying visas with bureaucratic torpor that amounted, in practice, to complicity. Morgenthau represented a potential counterweight to this obstruction — if he could be reached and moved to act.

In mid-1943, the heads of Vaad Hatzalah met with Morgenthau for the first time. Rabbi Kalmanowitz, and lay leader Irving Bunim pleaded with him to change American policy that had thus far done little to prevent the destruction of European Jewry. Irving Bunim, fluent in English, served as primary spokesman.

Over subsequent meetings, Rabbi Kalmanowitz deployed every tool available to him. He successfully gained the support of Secretary Morgenthau after crying uncontrollably in his office; Morgenthau helped him gain access to State Department officials.

But the most dramatic encounter transcended even tears. On one occasion, Rabbi Kalmanowitz deliberately caused himself to faint at the feet of Treasury Secretary Morgenthau in an effort to convey the gravity of the situation — and he succeeded.  Whether this was a calculated act of desperate theater or a genuine collapse of a man carrying impossible weight — or both — it worked. Morgenthau was shaken to his core. The sight of this white-bearded sage, this emissary from a world being destroyed, collapsing to the floor in his office was something no government official could process with bureaucratic detachment. His secretary, who understood fluent Yiddish and later wihed to marry Morgenthau had overheard Rav Kalmanowitz say to Irving Bunim, “Nu, how was my acting job?”  That secretary wisely decided to keep this little tidbit from her boss, Morgenthau. She later said, “IF I would have told him, Mr. Morgenthau would never trust another Rabbi again!”

And that alliance, forged by Rabbi Kalmanowitz unique character and acting job,  bore direct and historic fruit. Morgenthau’s own Treasury staff presented him in January 1944 with an 18-page document detailing the State Department’s deliberate obstruction of rescue efforts. Morgenthau went directly to President Roosevelt. The result was the establishment of the War Refugee Board on January 22, 1944 — which went on to save hundreds of thousands of lives, including those rescued by Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest. That board was born in significant measure from the pressure applied by Rabbi Kalmanowitz and the Vaad.

The Rabbis’ March on Washington

On October 6, 1943 — three days before Yom Kippur — more than 400 rabbis marched through Washington, D.C., to the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White House. Rabbi Kalmanowitz was among them, lending his stature and his burning sense of mission to the most visible mass demonstration of Orthodox Jewry in American history. The march was opposed by some of the most prominent figures in the American Jewish establishment, who feared it would embarrass President Roosevelt. Their obstruction did not succeed. The rabbis marched.

Shabbos in Washington: Pikuach Nefesh as a Way of Life

Rav Kalmanowitz openly worked on Shabbat on several occasions by fundraising in synagogues, filling out forms, and riding in taxis to government and institutional offices on Shabbat to obtain approvals and funds.  The same man who would not dream of violating Shabbos for his own convenience desecrated it without hesitation when Jewish lives hung in the balance. But as we know, this is no desecration.  As one historian noted, the greatest Eastern European rabbis then in America — Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Avrohom Kalmanowitz — violated the Sabbath on numerous occasions for vital rescue activities having nothing to do with yeshivas. This was not hypocrisy — it was the precise and courageous application of halacha at its most demanding.

Bombing Auschwitz: The Plea That Went Unheeded

In the spring and summer of 1944, as the Nazis deported Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz at the rate of 12,000 souls per day, Rabbi Kalmanowitz threw himself into a desperate new campaign: pleading with the American government to bomb the railway lines leading to the death camp. In September 1944, Rabbi Kalmanowitz called a War Refugee Board official at home from New York and transmitted an urgent cable from the Sternbuchs: deportations from Budapest to Auschwitz had resumed, with twelve thousand Jews already deported. He requested that the railroad junctions between Budapest and Silesia be bombed immediately — and stated that, despite the Shabbos, he was ready to take a train to Washington that very day if necessary to ensure immediate action. The plea was ultimately rejected. It remains one of the most agonizing what-ifs of the Holocaust.

The Musy Negotiations and the February 1945 Meeting

As the war entered its final phase, new rescue possibilities emerged through the “Musy Negotiations” — former Swiss Federal President Jean-Marie Musy acting as intermediary to ransom Jewish prisoners from German concentration camps. Shortly before Purim in February 1945, Irving Bunim arranged for an urgent meeting with Morgenthau, accompanied by Rabbi Aharon Kotler and Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz. They requested official U.S. government approval to transfer funds through American agents in Switzerland for a payment of close to a million dollars to the Germans in exchange for releasing Jews from concentration camps.

Morgenthau’s initial response was a flat refusal. But Rav Aharon Kotler challenged him with words of such directness and moral force that Morgenthau relented. He rose to the occasion and enabled the Vaad Hatzalah to continue the negotiations, directly bringing about the release of 2,000 Jewish women from Ravensbrück.

A Colleague’s Testimony: “Nothing Stood in His Way”

A colleague wrote at the time: “Nothing stood in his way during that period. When it was a matter of rescue, he repudiated all normal channels. There were no rulers, ministers or honorables, no wealthy men and no important ones. The law of the land did not exist. On more than one occasion, he committed genuinely criminal offenses in order to save a Jewish life. He could not understand all those whose minds were filled with endless reckonings.”

That last phrase is devastating. While organizations calculated the political cost of action and deferred to bureaucratic process, Rabbi Kalmanowitz simply acted. He sent money illegally — and when the FBI came, he bared his chest. He used coded cables to circumvent State Department censorship. He bribed when necessary. He wept when that was what was needed. He fainted at the feet of cabinet secretaries. Whatever was required, he did.

The Four in the Morning Semicha

The totality of his commitment reshaped every aspect of his daily life. A prominent businessman, Mr. Rubin Schron, recalled going to receive semicha from Rav Kalmanowitz. The only time available was four in the morning — because every other hour of every day was consumed by rescue and hatzalah work. The lesson it taught stayed with him for life.

Hunting Eichmann: A Pioneer of Postwar Justice

Rabbi Kalmanowitz’s activism did not end with the war. In 1953, he wrote what appears to have been the first public request ever submitted to the U.S. government for information about the whereabouts of a Nazi war criminal. In a letter to President Eisenhower, he wrote: “I respectfully bring to your attention that the infamous Nazi mass murderer, Karl (Adolf) Eichmann, was seen travelling on the Damascus train in the company of the notorious Mufti and the Nazi General Katzmann… I, personally, being connected with many rescue endeavors during the war and coming in contact with living witnesses, have substantial proof about this man’s heinous acts of willful murder against untold thousands. May I therefore appeal to you, Mr. President, in the name of democracy and human decency, to use your power of office to apprehend this mass murderer.”  This letter predated Eichmann’s capture by the Mossad by seven years.

Rebuilding: The Mir in America — A Debt Repaid

After the war, Rabbi Kalmanowitz arranged for the transport of the entire Mirrer Yeshiva from Shanghai to the United States. He procured a former Coast Guard base in the Rockaways to house the initial wave of refugee talmidim and faculty.

The Mirrer Yeshiva’s leadership understood with complete clarity that their survival was bound up with Rabbi Kalmanowitz in a way that transcended ordinary institutional relationships. He had been their president and fundraiser since 1926. He had arranged their escape. He had sent the money that purchased their freedom across the Soviet Union. He had sustained them through five years in Shanghai. He had arranged their transport to America. His name had been the very guarantee that persuaded Chiune Sugihara to issue the visas in the first place.

When the time came to build the American Mir, the yeshiva’s leadership made a decision that spoke eloquently of their gratitude: they gave Rabbi Kalmanowitz the American branch of the Mirrer Yeshiva. He was appointed Rosh Yeshiva — not merely as an honorific, but as a genuine recognition that the American Mir was, in the most profound sense, his. He had created the conditions for its survival. He had staked his name, his freedom, and his life on it. It was right and just that he should lead it.

He served as Rosh Yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn from 1946 until his passing in 1964 — eighteen years of building, teaching, and continuing the chain of Torah transmission that he had worked so desperately to preserve. The yeshiva that grew from those postwar beginnings became one of the flagship institutions of American Torah Jewry, and the parent of the great Mir in Jerusalem that today numbers in the thousands.

Every talmid who has ever learned in the Mir — in Brooklyn, in Jerusalem, in any of its branches — is in some measure an inheritor of what Rabbi Kalmanowitz built, saved, and transmitted.

Legacy

Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz passed away on the 2nd of Adar, February 15, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York — in the city and in the yeshiva he had built from the wreckage of a destroyed world. He was born in a shtetl in Czarist Belarus, shaped in the greatest yeshivos of Lithuania, built Torah communities across interwar Poland, and then spent the most crucial years of his life fighting — with tears, with brilliance, with illegality when necessary, with the full force of his being — for the survival of his people.

His name was invoked before a Japanese consul to secure visas for an entire yeshiva. His money purchased the Trans-Siberian Railway tickets that carried hundreds of Torah scholars to safety. His tears moved the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. His deliberate fainting at the feet of a cabinet secretary shook a government into action. His Shabbos journeys to Washington were ruled pikuach nefesh and acted upon without hesitation. And when the FBI came to his door over his illegal money transfers, he opened his shirt and told them to shoot him.

They walked away. He went back to work.

This author has been enamored with the history and story of the Mir Yeshiva for over four decades.  Three of my Rebbeim were Alter Mirrers who escaped on account of Rav Avrohom Kalmanowitz.  I once had a talmid who, although was associated with the Mafia, had a heart of gold and was kovaya itim laTorah every morning attending my Gemorah shiur in Briarwood, Queens.  I told him the story of the Mir’s escape to Shanghai. The Talmid was fascinated by the entire story and, wished to produce a movie about it. He had the financial resources and contacts to make it happen.

 Unbeknowns to me at the time, he approached Rav Kalmanowitz’s son, Rav Shraga Moshe Kalmanowitz, who declined.  When asked why, he responded, “Because I know that in order for such a movie to succeed you will have to include something inappropriate, and I cannot have that associated in any way with what my father had accomplished.”

On his yahrtzeit, the 2nd of Adar, we remember a man who understood that when Jewish lives are at stake, there is only one reckoning that matters: Lo saamod al dam rei’echa — do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow. He did not stand idly by. He threw himself into the breach with everything he had.  Rav Kalmanowitz is buried in Sanhedria cemetary, not far from this author’s zaide.

Yehi zichro baruch.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

WATCH:

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Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

King Charles III reacted to his brother’s arrest in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the king said. “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

“As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all,” he added.

Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew earlier Thursday morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and he is in custody. He turned 66 Thursday.

Police are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. He has yet to be charged with any wrongdoing. He can be held for a maximum of 96 hours before being charged or released.

Piers Morgan reacts to reports that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office: “It is an absolute bombshell.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Misconduct in public office is an offense in abuse or neglect of power or responsibilities by someone holding public office. It applies to people in roles across the U.K. government and public services, including elected officials, civil servants, the police and judiciary, but also some others working in public services.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Thames Valley Police, which covers areas west of London, said Andrew was arrested after a “thorough assessment,” with an investigation now opened.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright noted. “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

The former prince has faced public scrutiny due to his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein, who died by apparent suicide while in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.

The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein and former Prince Andrew accusers, reacted to news of the prince’s arrest in a statement.

“At last. Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” the statement said. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

In October 2025, the former prince declared in a statement that he would “no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” noting, “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Later that same month, a statement from Buckingham Palace declared that the king had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” noting, “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”

The Crown Prosecution Service indicates that misconduct in public office has a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Misconduct in public office (“MiPO”) is a common law offence that can be tried only on indictment,” it says. “It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The offence concerns serious willful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held. There must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities. The Court of Appeal has made it clear that the offence should be strictly confined, and it can raise complex and sometimes sensitive issues.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

King Charles III reacted to his brother’s arrest in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the king said. “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

“As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all,” he added.

Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew earlier Thursday morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and he is in custody. He turned 66 Thursday.

Police are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. He has yet to be charged with any wrongdoing. He can be held for a maximum of 96 hours before being charged or released.

Piers Morgan reacts to reports that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office: “It is an absolute bombshell.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Misconduct in public office is an offense in abuse or neglect of power or responsibilities by someone holding public office. It applies to people in roles across the U.K. government and public services, including elected officials, civil servants, the police and judiciary, but also some others working in public services.

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Thames Valley Police, which covers areas west of London, said Andrew was arrested after a “thorough assessment,” with an investigation now opened.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright noted. “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

The former prince has faced public scrutiny due to his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein, who died by apparent suicide while in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.

The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein and former Prince Andrew accusers, reacted to news of the prince’s arrest in a statement.

“At last. Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” the statement said. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

In October 2025, the former prince declared in a statement that he would “no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” noting, “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Later that same month, a statement from Buckingham Palace declared that the king had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” noting, “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”

The Crown Prosecution Service indicates that misconduct in public office has a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Misconduct in public office (“MiPO”) is a common law offence that can be tried only on indictment,” it says. “It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The offence concerns serious willful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held. There must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities. The Court of Appeal has made it clear that the offence should be strictly confined, and it can raise complex and sometimes sensitive issues.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Upping 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.

1. Come to Class Ready

“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.

• Use a 3-ring binder instead of a spiral notebook. You can take put in extra notes you wrote at home.
• Bring highlighters. When your teacher says things like “This is really important” or “Make sure you know this,” highlight it right away. That means it will probably be on a test!
• Read your homework and look over old notes before class. If there are words you don’t know, look them up first. When you already know a little about the topic, it’s much easier to understand what the teacher is talking about and figure out what’s most important.

2. Get Better at Listening

• Walk into class with a good attitude. If you’re already thinking “I don’t want to be here,” you’ll tune out and miss things. Try to stay open and interested.
• Really try to pay attention. It sounds simple, but you have to make yourself focus to learn.
• Stay with the class even when it goes in a direction you’re not into. If another student asks a question you don’t care about, don’t zone out! The teacher might say something important, and before you know it you’ve missed it.

3. Organize – The way you organize your notes matters a lot.

• Start every new class on a fresh page, and write the date and page number at the top.
• Only write on one side of the paper. Then you can lay pages next to each other when you study.
• Leave empty spaces as you write. You can go back and add more info later.
• Keep your notes short. Don’t write full sentences if a few words will do the job.
• Make up your own shortcuts. For example, “w/” means “with” and “&” means “and.”
• Circle or star any words or ideas you don’t understand so you remember to look them up later.

4. Pay Attention to What’s Actually Being Said

• Write down details and examples that explain the big ideas.
• Copy definitions exactly word for word.
• Write down any lists of things the teacher mentions.
• Copy everything written on the board, including drawings and charts.
• If the teacher repeats something or slows down, write it down — that means it’s important!

5. Go Back and Fix Up Your Notes

• Look over your notes within 24 hours while the lesson is still fresh in your mind.
• Fix any words that are messy or don’t make sense. Write out any shortcuts that you might not remember later.
• Use a different color when you add things later, so you can tell what you wrote in class.
• In the left margin, write key words and questions to help you remember the big ideas.
• If something still doesn’t make sense, underline it so you remember to ask your teacher.
• Compare your notes to your textbook or your friend’s notes and fill in anything you missed.
• Think about rewriting or typing up your notes neatly — it really helps things stick!

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1712-Semichah-Part-12-Clarity.mp3

​​For more info, email [email protected].

The US is assembling its most significant concentration of air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 2003 campaign opened with the massive “shock and awe” aerial assault that marked the start of a war lasting more than eight years.

The current buildup comes as President Donald Trump considers military action against Iran. Although Washington and Tehran remain engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, US officials say the talks have produced little progress.

Dozens of US aircraft—including F‑16s, F‑22s, and F‑35s—have been deployed to the region, alongside multiple aircraft carriers, signaling preparations for a far more sustained operation than the US strike on Iranian nuclear sites during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, which relied primarily on B‑2 bombers.

According to a Ynet report, the US is essentially preparing for the possibility that the negotiations will collapse and a war will be launched. Should that scenario unfold, any offensive is expected to be carried out jointly by American and Israeli forces.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yuval Eylon, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Israeli Navy’s Planning Directorate, told Ynet that “the Americans have decided to lay all the cards on the table so they can act as they see fit. But in the end, it’s not about how many assets are in the region but about the objectives and capabilities of the task force.”

“The question now is what the Americans want,” Eylon added. “Time is on their side. If they are coming only to carry out a signaling strike or hit a few key targets in a limited way, that’s one type of event. But if they want a more complex campaign, that’s something else. You need to build a target bank and bring significant force.”

He emphasized that U.S. Central Command is deployed across the region. “There are many more capabilities here beyond the ships,” he said. “They are building a framework that gives them all the tools to make decisions and are bringing substantial task forces. That provides staying power and diverse capabilities. The issue is not the number of ships, but what they can do and what their mission is.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Stories4Life-Shiur-541-Seat-R-Dovid-Soloveichik.mp3

Israel is on high alert as it braces for the possibility of a wider conflict with Iran in the wake of potential large-scale U.S. strikes on targets across the country.

Discussions have been held at all levels in Israel regarding the possibility that President Donald Trump will give the “green light” for an attack on the Islamic Republic. Israel believes that Trump’s decision on striking Iran is imminent, Channel 12 News reported.

“Timelines are shortening,” senior Israeli officials said. “At the military readiness level, that’s clearly the case. Ultimately, one person will decide.”

Senior defense and political officials assess a high likelihood of Iran launching long-range missiles at Israel if Trump indeed orders a major attack.

Therefore, rescue organizations and the Home Front Command have been instructed to prepare for war. Security bodies have raised their alert levels, and the defense establishment is operating on high alert.

Kan News reported that Israel will receive several days’ advance warning before any US strike on Iran, with Washington committing not to catch Jerusalem off-guard. According to the report, coordination between Washington and Jerusalem is tightening, and a joint strike is possible.

U.S. officials told Reuters overnight that the U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of prolonged military operations against Iran lasting weeks if Trump authorizes an attack.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Forecasters are warning that a powerful winter system could slam New York City this weekend, raising the possibility of another major snowstorm just weeks after the region was buried by heavy snowfall.

Meteorologists say a developing “bomb cyclone” — a rapidly intensifying storm system — could form along the East Coast and track close enough to bring significant snow to the city by Sunday evening.

According to AccuWeather, the storm’s impact will depend heavily on its path and strength as it moves north.

“If a nor’easter strengthens near the coastline on a northern track, the Big Apple could be hit by a massive snow dump,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva.

DaSilva said the most likely scenario is that the system intensifies farther south or east, limiting snowfall in the city to a few inches. But he cautioned that the range of possible outcomes remains wide.

“Anywhere between zero and a foot is possible,” he said.

In a worst-case scenario, forecasters say New York could see between 6 and 12 inches of snow, rivaling the Jan. 25 storm that dropped more than 11 inches in Central Park.

In addition to heavy snow, the storm could bring winds of up to 40 miles per hour, raising concerns about power outages, travel disruptions, and dangerous road conditions. If the system strengthens as projected, it would likely move out of the region by Monday afternoon.

“It would absolutely be a very messy Monday morning commute,” DaSilva said.

Forecasters expect to gain a clearer picture of the storm’s track and intensity on Thursday as more data becomes available.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Major General (res.) Amos Yadlin, the former head of IDF Military Intelligence, said Wednesday morning that the current round of negotiations between the United States and Iran is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting regional strain, warning that decisions must be approached with care.

Speaking in an interview with Chadashot Haboker, Yadlin reflected on the broader international climate and remarked, “Last week, I allowed myself to fly to the Munich Security Conference. I would think twice about flying this upcoming weekend.” He suggested that the very fact he would reconsider travel plans signals how much the level of tension has escalated.

During the conversation, Yadlin added, “We are much closer than we were before, but I remind you – a superpower doesn’t go to war within days. There is a diplomatic path that must be exhausted.”

He emphasized that while maintaining military readiness is essential, diplomatic channels must be fully pursued before any escalation.

“Many oppose an attack,” Yadlin noted. “In the Pentagon, it’s not clear what they want it to achieve. The President is very determined – the statement that all options are on the table relies on a credible military threat, complementing his preparation near Iran’s shores and in its skies.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran is pressuring Hezbollah to enter any future conflict with Israel, raising fears of a wider regional war if fighting breaks out, according to a report by Ynet.

The report, which did not cite specific sources, said Israeli officials believe Tehran is encouraging its most powerful proxy to prepare for coordinated action in the event of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran.

Israeli security officials are said to be closely monitoring developments and have issued clear warnings to Hezbollah against intervening.

According to Ynet, Israel has conveyed that if Hezbollah joins a future conflict, “the blow will be very painful,” signaling that any escalation would be met with overwhelming force.

The report said the IDF has already prepared operational plans to “significantly strike” Hezbollah, following renewed efforts by the terror group to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon and other areas.

In recent months, Israeli airstrikes and targeted operations against Hezbollah operatives and weapons sites have increased. Officials have described the campaign as an effort to prevent the group from restoring its rocket, missile, and command infrastructure.

However, the report claimed Hezbollah’s recovery has outpaced Israel’s attempts to weaken it, allowing the organization to replenish personnel and equipment more quickly than expected.

Security analysts say that dynamic has raised concern in Jerusalem that a future conflict could be more intense and more destructive than previous rounds of fighting.

The Ynet report also warned that Israel is preparing for a scenario in which multiple Iranian-backed groups could enter the conflict simultaneously, including militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

Such a coordinated response would mark a major escalation, transforming a bilateral clash into a multi-front regional confrontation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Trump is said to be holding onto a speech addressing extraterrestrial life and unidentified spacecraft, with plans to deliver it when the timing is right, according to his daughter-in-law Lara Trump.

During an appearance on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Lara Trump said that both she and her husband, Eric Trump, have pressed the president about the possibility of aliens and UFOs, but that he has remained somewhat guarded in his responses.

“We’ve kind of asked my father-in-law about this… we all want to know about the UFOs… and he played a little coy with us,” Lara Trump said.

She went on to suggest that the president may already have prepared remarks on the subject. “I’ve heard kind of around, I think my father-in-law has actually said it, that there is some speech that he has, that I guess at the right time, I don’t know when the right time is, he’s going to break out and talk about and it has to do with maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life.”

When asked Wednesday about Lara Trump’s comments, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she was unaware of any such speech but acknowledged it would generate significant attention.

“I’ll have to check in with our speech writing team. Uh, and that would be of great interest to me personally, and I’m sure all of you in this room and apparently former President Obama, too.”

In recent days, Barack Obama addressed renewed online speculation about aliens after remarks he made on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast were widely circulated and interpreted by some as confirming the existence of extraterrestrial life.

“They’re real but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said on the podcast. “And they’re not being kept in… what is it? Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

Obama later clarified his comments in an Instagram post, explaining that he had been responding in a lighthearted rapid-fire segment and did not intend to suggest any firsthand knowledge. He wrote that, “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.”

“But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

Public fascination with the possibility of alien life has intensified in recent years, drawing attention from lawmakers as well. Members of the House of Representatives have conducted hearings and received classified briefings concerning unidentified flying objects, now officially referred to by the government as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP.

One such hearing in July 2023 included testimony from former military intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch, who alleged that the Pentagon and other agencies have concealed details about UAP activity.

Grusch claimed that the government has operated a “multi-decade” effort aimed at reverse-engineering nonhuman technology recovered from crash sites and currently in U.S. possession. The Pentagon has rejected those assertions.

A subsequent report released in March 2024 dismissed allegations that the United States had successfully reverse-engineered alien spacecraft or that authorities were concealing extraterrestrial technology or biological material from beyond Earth.

A political and legal dispute has erupted over the expansion of weekend public transportation after Shas MK Moshe Abutbul called on Transportation Minister Miri Regev to immediately suspend the operation of Line 711, part of the “Naim B’Sofash” Shabbos transit network.

The controversy centers on the line’s recent extension into Ben Gurion Airport, where it now enters airport grounds and stops at Terminal 1. Abutbul described the move as a “serious, unlawful and unprecedented event,” arguing that it represents an unauthorized attempt to establish facts on the ground without state approval.

In a sharply worded appeal to the minister, Abutbul claimed the route is operating as a “pirate” line, bypassing the authority of national regulators. He criticized statements by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi, who had argued that local authorities are stepping in where the government has left a vacuum.

“The only vacuum here is an attempt by a municipality to replace the state,” Abutbul wrote.

In his letter to Regev, Abutbul outlined what he described as multiple legal violations, including alleged breaches of Israel Airports Authority regulations and the placement of signage at the terminal without proper authorization. He further argued that operating an intercity transportation service without the approval of the Interior Minister violates the Cities Association Law, and noted that the Transportation Ministry has not yet completed the regulatory review it committed to conducting before the court on the matter.

Beyond the issue of Shabbos observance, Abutbul warned of potential criminal and traffic violations, including stopping at designated public transportation stations without a license and harming licensed taxi drivers at Ben Gurion Airport who operate under binding agreements. He also accused the municipality of using artificial intelligence-generated images to depict signage at the terminal, calling it part of what he described as a broader effort by a “State of Tel Aviv” to appropriate sovereign powers belonging to the State of Israel.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev responded to a parliamentary query from Abutbul, stating that she would thoroughly examine the claims and the legality of the route’s operation.

Abutbul concluded with a pointed message directed at Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai: “Ben Gurion Airport is not a municipal plaza, and the law is not a recommendation. Whoever seeks to lead must first lead in respecting the law.”

{Matzav.com}

A rare and historic Sefer Torah once owned by Rav Aharon of Chernobyl zt”l was presented this week to the Skverer Rebbe during a moving ceremony marking the completion of the public Torah reading cycle in a scroll that the Rebbe had dedicated one year earlier.

The miniature Sefer Torah, written more than 160 years ago, was acquired and gifted to the Rebbe by philanthropist Mr. Nachum Rokeach.

After the passing of Rav Aharon of Chernobyl, the Sefer Torah was inherited by his son, Rav Yeshaya Meshulam Zusia, and later by his grandson, Rav Shlomo Bentzion of Chernobyl. Rav Shlomo Bentzion took the Sefer Torah with him when he fled the pogroms in Russia in 1919.

Several years ago, Rav Yitzchak Meir Twersky of Queens, a descendant of the Chernobyl dynasty, discovered that the Sefer Torah was in the possession of another descendant of the family living in Eretz Yisroel. The Sefer Torah was being kept in a simple bag, and its owner mistakenly believed it to be a “Tanach of the Baal Shem Tov.” After careful historical and scholarly research, it was confirmed that the Sefer Torah was in fact the long-lost Torah of Rav Aharon of Chernobyl.

Rav Twersky purchased the scroll, and Mr. Rokeach of Lakewood subsequently acquired it on behalf of the Skverer Rebbe.

The Sefer Torah is exceptionally small, with the parchment measuring approximately 10 centimeters in height. Despite its size, the script is remarkably precise and beautifully formed. The Skverer Rebbe invested tens of thousands of dollars to have the Sefer Torah meticulously restored and enhanced by an expert sofer.

{Matzav.com}

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. — Police in Westchester County are on high alert following online threats of teen mob takeovers at suburban shopping centers, just days after roughly 200 teens caused chaos at the Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx.

Authorities in New Rochelle, Yonkers, and other northern suburbs warned that any attempts to repeat the Bronx incident will be met with “swift action” and “zero hesitation.” Officials urged teens to avoid participating and encouraged parents to advise their children about the risks, which include injury and arrest.

The NYPD has already charged 18 teens, most under 18, in connection with the Bronx mall rampage, which involved flipping displays, throwing furniture, and attempting to steal merchandise. Police said social media platforms like TikTok have fueled such stunts, promoting mass gatherings at malls.

Westchester officers stressed that well-practiced protocols are in place to prevent similar incidents, with public safety officials warning that law enforcement will respond decisively to protect residents, visitors, and businesses.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Newark Liberty International Airport briefly suspended all flight operations Wednesday evening after what officials described as an aircraft emergency involving a departing JetBlue flight.

The airport said operations were temporarily halted while an aircraft was removed from a taxiway following an earlier incident. A ground stop was put in place shortly before 6 p.m., and the airport reopened just after 7 p.m., though some delays continued.

BREAKING: Newark Liberty International Airport was temporarily shut down Wednesday evening following a reported “aircraft emergency,” grounding all flights.

"Flight operations at Newark Liberty are temporarily suspended while an aircraft is removed from the taxiway due to an… pic.twitter.com/KZmyW856MW

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) February 19, 2026

JetBlue Flight 543, which was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, turned back about 40 minutes after departure because of an engine issue. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.

The aircraft landed safely and passengers were evacuated using emergency slides. No injuries were immediately reported.

The FAA said it is investigating. JetBlue said it would work with federal authorities to determine what occurred.

The federal government has now been partially shut down for five days, though many Americans may not yet have felt the effects. If the standoff continues, however, travelers could soon encounter problems at airports across the country.

The shutdown, which took effect early Saturday morning, is limited to the Department of Homeland Security. As a result, air traffic controllers — who work under the Federal Aviation Administration — continue to receive their pay.

Transportation Security Administration employees, by contrast, are generally required to report to work despite not receiving pay during the shutdown.

History suggests that travel complications tend to surface gradually rather than immediately during funding lapses. Roughly a month into last year’s lengthy shutdown, TSA shut down two screening checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. On that same day, federal officials took the rare step of instructing commercial airlines nationwide to scale back their domestic flight schedules.

This time, however, disruptions may arise more quickly, according to John Rose, chief risk officer at global travel management firm Altour.

“It’s still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks,” Rose said, referring to last year’s shutdown experience.

Strains could intensify once TSA workers miss their first paycheck while still facing regular monthly expenses. Some may feel compelled to call in sick or seek temporary work elsewhere to cover essential costs.

“If you have kids, a mortgage, a car payment, food bills—you can’t miss a check,” Joe Shuker, regional vice president of the union representing TSA workers, said during the late 2025 shutdown. “Our members are worried about how to pay for childcare, wondering if they could be saving money by staying home with their kids.”

Although air traffic controllers remain on the payroll, flight operations could still be affected indirectly. Airlines might hold planes at the gate if passengers are delayed at security checkpoints. Staffing shortages among TSA agents could also slow the inspection of checked luggage behind the scenes, adding to delays.

Negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats remain stalled. According to an administration official who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press, the two sides are “still pretty far apart” on an agreement that would impose certain limits on federal immigration enforcement agents.

Democratic leaders presented a revised proposal to the White House late Monday, but with lawmakers currently outside Washington, expectations for a breakthrough this week are low.

The administration official said the White House remains open to serious discussions aimed at reopening the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the TSA. At the same time, the president has made clear that any compromise must safeguard law enforcement personnel.

All other federal agencies outside DHS remain funded through September 30.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel next week to update Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, two Trump administration officials said.

Rubio is expected to meet with Netanyahu on Feb. 28, according to the officials, who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity to detail travel plans that have not yet been announced.

The U.S. and Iran recently have held two rounds of indirect talks over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Officials from both sides publicly offered some muted optimism about progress this week, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi even saying that “a new window has opened” for reaching an agreement.

“In some ways, it went well,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said about the talks in an interview Tuesday with Fox News Channel. “But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”

Netanyahu visited the White House last week to urge President Donald Trump to ensure that any deal about Iran’s nuclear program also include steps to neutralize Iran’s ballistic missile program and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Trump is weighing whether to take military action against Tehran as the administration surges military resources to the region, raising concerns that any attack could spiral into a larger conflict in the Middle East.

On Friday, Trump told reporters that a change in power in Iran “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.” He added, “For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking.”

The Trump administration has dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, from the Caribbean Sea to the Mideast to join a second carrier as well as other warships and military assets that the U.S. has built up in the region.

Dozens of U.S. fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s and F-16s, have left bases in the U.S. and Europe in recent days to head to the Middle East, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity.

The team says it’s also tracked more than 85 fuel tankers and over 170 cargo planes heading into the region.

Steffan Watkins, a researcher based in Canada and a member of the MATA, said he also has spotted support aircraft like six of the military’s early-warning E-3 aircraft head to a base in Saudi Arabia.

Those aircraft are key for coordinating operations with a large number of aircraft. He says they were pulled from bases in Japan, Germany and Hawaii.

A public dispute has erupted between senior Israeli officials over whether New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani should be invited to march in the annual Israel Day Parade in Manhattan.

Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, said Wednesday that Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), has “no authority” to extend such an invitation.

The clash follows remarks Hagoel made Tuesday at the Besheva Group’s Jerusalem Conference, where he publicly called on Mamdani to join the parade.

“Tens of thousands of Jews march there every year,” Hagoel said during an interview at the event. “I am calling for him to come and march at my side, and at the side of tens of thousands of Jews, for the nation and the country of Israel.”

Hagoel added that he intends to reiterate the invitation in person if he is able to meet Mamdani during an upcoming visit to New York. He also said he had previously written to the mayor on International Holocaust Memorial Day, criticizing early decisions by Mamdani’s administration, including not preventing protests outside shuls and withdrawing from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

“Mr. Mayor, you are mistaken,” Hagoel said he wrote, adding that he never received a response.

Akunis pushed back in a statement, asserting that the Israeli Consulate in New York — not the WZO — oversees official invitations related to Israel’s participation in the parade.

“The Israeli Consul of New York will lead Israel’s march at the end of May,” Akunis said. “And in it will march ministers, Knesset members, mayors, and other guests who will be invited by the consul.”

He added that Hagoel is welcome to attend “as in every year, as a guest,” but said he does not have the authority to invite others “who don’t acknowledge Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Responding to Akunis later Wednesday, Hagoel defended his remarks, telling Walla News that his invitation was “not symbolic” but a “demand for action.”

“When he abolishes the protection of Jews and removes his commitment to international definitions of antisemitism, he cannot be content with words,” Hagoel said. “If Mamdani is indeed committed to the security of the Jewish community, I expect him to prove it with a public act of marching with us.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An unusual and troubling incident unfolded Tuesday on an El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, when several passengers landed at Ben Gurion Airport only to discover that their luggage had been left behind in the United States. The reason, according to airport officials, was the discovery of “Free Palestine” stickers affixed to the suitcases, prompting a security hold.

The flight, which departed from Los Angeles en route to Israel, was already delayed on the runway before takeoff. One passenger, Keren, a resident of Kfar Saba who was on board, described a chain of events that began with an unexplained delay and ended in frustration at the baggage carousel in Israel.

“There was about an hour-and-a-half delay at departure from Los Angeles,” Keren recalled in a conversation with mako. “Everyone was already on the plane, but we didn’t take off, and no one told us the reason.”

The explanation only became clear after landing at Ben Gurion Airport. When Keren and several others were unable to locate their suitcases, they approached the airport’s baggage tracing department.

“When we landed in Israel and went to collect our suitcase – we didn’t find it, and together with eight other passengers we went to the baggage tracing department at Ben Gurion Airport,” she said. “There we were told that all of our suitcases remained in Los Angeles after ‘Free Palestine’ stickers were found on them, apparently placed there by one of the airport workers. There is no other explanation.”

Beyond the inconvenience of being separated from their belongings, Keren voiced serious concern about the broader security implications.

“It’s really frightening and alarming – what if they had put something inside one of the suitcases? Whoever did this could have done other things,” she said.

The passengers’ luggage is now reportedly en route to Israel and is expected to be returned to its owners within the next 24 hours.

Airport officials emphasized that after check-in, all luggage bound for Israel undergoes a rigorous inspection process. Bags are subject to multiple layers of security screening — both by the airline and airport personnel — before being loaded into the aircraft’s cargo hold, effectively creating a double security procedure prior to departure.

{Matzav.com}

We live in galus, and that means there is always a magnifying glass on how Yidden conduct themselves. Our public behavior does not exist in a vacuum. It reflects on our community, on the Torah, and ultimately on Hashem Himself.

As Purim approaches, it is worth thinking carefully about costumes that could, chas v’shalom, create a chilul Hashem. Some costumes that may once have been viewed as harmless now carry meanings that are widely understood as deeply offensive. Blackface is one clear example. Today, it is broadly recognized as a symbol of racism, and even a safek of causing chilul Hashem is a serious halachic concern.

Another type of costume that may appear this year, based on recent events, is ICE or immigration-enforcement uniforms. While these may seem like innocent fun to some and do not pose any direct threat to our community, for many people—including individuals whom many of us interact with regularly—they represent real fear and trauma, having witnessed families torn apart in painful ways. This is not about politics. It is about recognizing that such costumes carry emotional weight and create an unnecessary risk of chilul Hashem.

Purim is a holy Yom Tov, meant for simcha, achdus, and spiritual growth. There are countless ways to celebrate joyfully without risking harm to others or embarrassment to Klal Yisrael.

Let us use our seichel. Let us be thoughtful. And let us make sure that our simcha brings honor to Hashem’s Name, not the opposite.

Anonymous

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.

A new serious security case in Israel was exposed on Tuesday evening by i24News, only two weeks after indictments were filed in the previous security affair that centered on the smuggling of cigarettes and other goods into Gaza.

According to the report, security officials are investigating serious suspicions that top Israeli criminal figures cooperated with foreign officials to operate a far more extensive organized smuggling network into the Gaza Strip than the previous case.

The focus of the investigation is the US headquarters in Kiryat Gat tasked with coordinating Gaza reconstruction. Members of Israeli crime organizations allegedly bribed foreign personnel at the facility in order to smuggle prohibited goods into Gaza—a development that could undermine sensitive security mechanisms and enrich both Israeli crime organizations and indirectly bolster Hamas via the smuggled supplies.

Items allegedly smuggled in the earlier smuggling case included cigarette cartons, iPhones, batteries, communication cables, and car parts. Security officials now worry that the new case— involving foreign personnel and alleged bribery at an international facility—signals an escalation in both the scale and sophistication of the smuggling networks.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The United States is rapidly assembling one of its largest military concentrations in the Middle East in years, signaling that Washington is preparing for the possibility of major conflict as negotiations with Iran falter.

President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, to the region, along with a sweeping array of fighter jets, refueling aircraft, and warships.

The nuclear-powered carrier and its strike group departed the Atlantic earlier this week and are heading toward the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar. Once in position, the Ford will join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group already operating in the Middle East.

Together, the two carriers form the backbone of a growing American show of force aimed at deterring Tehran and preparing for possible military action.

The Ford is capable of carrying more than 75 aircraft, including F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets. It is escorted by three destroyers — USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston Churchill — giving the carrier group substantial offensive and defensive firepower.

The buildup extends far beyond aircraft carriers.

U.S. officials and independent flight trackers report that more than 50 additional fighter jets were moved to the region this week, including F-16 Falcons, F-22 Raptors, and F-35 stealth aircraft. The Pentagon has also deployed a large fleet of aerial refueling tankers, allowing U.S. aircraft to conduct extended missions deep into Iranian territory.

The aircraft are being positioned across several regional bases, including facilities in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to the two carrier groups, the U.S. now has four destroyers operating in the Arabian Sea, three patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Red Sea, and two combat ships in the Persian Gulf. The expanded fleet gives Washington the ability to control key shipping lanes and provide missile defense for U.S. forces and regional allies.

The current posture would allow the U.S. to conduct sustained air operations, target hardened facilities, and defend American forces and partners against retaliation. Stealth aircraft could penetrate Iranian air defenses, while refueling tankers would enable long-range missions.

Iran has warned that any U.S. attack would trigger widespread retaliation, including against Israel. Tehran has also threatened American troops and allies and has recently conducted live missile drills near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The White House said Wednesday that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program yielded modest gains but remain far from a breakthrough. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing that “a little bit of progress” was made in the latest round of talks, but emphasized that the two sides are “still very far apart on some issues.”

“The Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, so the president will continue to watch how this plays out,” Leavitt said.

Her remarks come as Washington faces mounting questions about whether diplomacy can avert another round of military action. Trump has repeatedly left open the possibility of additional strikes if Tehran fails to agree to new limits on its nuclear program.

Leavitt was pressed on why the U.S. would consider further military action after Trump said June airstrikes had already “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“There are many reasons and arguments one could make for a strike against Iran,” she responded, declining to elaborate.

She defended the June operation — dubbed “Midnight Hammer” — as a decisive blow.

“The president, as commander in chief, had a very successful operation. Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Leavitt said.

“The president has been very clear with respect to Iran and any country around the world that diplomacy is always his first option and Iran would be very wise to make a deal,” she said, declining to specify any timeline or deadline.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)