Lakewood Township officials say the recent winter storm — described as one of the most difficult in decades — tested local resources but was handled effectively by the Lakewood Department of Public Works.

“This has been the most challenging storm I have ever dealt with,” said Mayor Ray Coles, a 25-year member of the Township Committee.

Although snowfall totaled 10.3 inches, officials said the greater challenge was the sleet and freezing rain that followed, combined with more than two weeks of below-freezing temperatures. The conditions created an estimated two-inch layer of hardened ice on roads and sidewalks.

At peak operations, 112 snow-clearing vehicles were deployed, with crews working 12-hour shifts. More than 11,000 tons of snow were removed and transported to ShoreTown Ballpark for disposal. Crews used approximately 2,000 tons of salt and 2,000 gallons of calcium chloride.

In areas blocked by parked vehicles or curbside trash cans, front-end loaders were used. Officials said the township is considering purchasing additional specialized equipment for future storms.

Township leaders credited DPW Director Phil Roux and the department’s 182 employees, along with subcontractors, for planning, pretreatment of roads, and continued snow and ice removal operations. Trash and recycling collection was completed within the week.

How do you think the township handled the storm? Share your thoughts.

Today, in the court of Vizhnitz, the chassidim mark the yahrzeit of the Rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Leah Esther Hager a”h, first wife of the Rebbe, the Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz zt”l. This year, however, the day carries an especially stirring weight, following the revelation of a heart-rending story that closed a painful circle more than three decades after her passing.

As the chassidim reflect upon the memory of the Rebbetzin, known as an emblem of nobility and refinement, a powerful phone call from overseas came to light — one that reopened the raw emotions of the night of her histalkus 33 years ago and revealed a breathtaking moment of forgiveness by her son, the present Vizhnitzer Rebbe.

It was Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh, the 29th of Shevat, 5753. The corridors of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer were heavy with grief following the Rebbetzin’s passing on leil Shabbos. In the room, near her bed, ten individuals stood guard to preserve kavod hameis before the levayah. Among them was a young man who, to this day, carries the scar of that night.

“I need to ask mechilah from the Rebbe for something that has troubled me for more than thirty years,” the man, now living in the United States, said in an emotional phone call to the Rebbe’s gabbai. “I was one of the ten who stood by the bed on Motzaei Shabbos. The Rebbe came to part from his mother one final time, but the door had been locked from inside, following instructions given to us by another family member. The Rebbe knocked on the door, identified himself in a broken voice: ‘It’s Yisroel Hager, the son of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe,’ and pleaded that we allow him to enter to bid farewell to his mother.”

The caller continued through tears: “I was the closest one to the door. I felt the pressure around me, heard the warnings not to open it for anyone — and I remained silent. The Rebbe stood outside for long minutes, begging to part from his mother a”h, and we did not open. I have never forgiven myself for that moment.”

The gabbai, shaken by the testimony of those agonizing minutes, entered to relay the request to the Rebbe. The pain of that terrible night — when a son was prevented from paying final respects to his mother — resurfaced. Yet the Rebbe’s response left those present stunned.

Without a trace of resentment, with serene composure and extraordinary calm, the Rebbe replied: “I forgive him with a full heart, and he should be well.”

The gabbaim, who understood how deeply that episode had cut — an open wound for a son denied his final farewell — attempted to press further. “But this is anguish beyond description. A son comes to part from his mother and the door is shut in his face?”

The Rebbe, in his remarkable humility and boundless compassion, looked at them almost in wonder. “But he asked forgiveness… Of course I forgive him!”

The story, revealed on the yahrzeit, has stirred hearts within Vizhnitz and far beyond. It is not merely a tale of a painful episode from years past, but a living testimony to the power of true mechilah and to the greatness of a leader who bears no grudge, even when the hurt touches the most sensitive fibers of the soul.

{Matzav.com}

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.

The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments on Bayer’s assertion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts. That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement.

But the settlement would eliminate some of the risk from an eventual and uncertain Supreme Court ruling — both for Bayer and for patients seeking damages.

Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, disputes the assertion that the weedkiller’s key ingredient, glyphosate, can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But the company has warned that mounting legal costs are threatening its ability to continue selling the product in U.S. agricultural markets.

“Litigation uncertainly has plagued the company for years, and this settlement gives the company a road to closure,” Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said Tuesday.

The proposed settlement was filed in St. Louis Circuit Court in Missouri, home to Bayer’s North America crop science division and the state where many of the lawsuits have been brought. The settlement still needs the court’s approval.

President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are both “fantastic,” but fell short of saying if he would support either one of them to lead the Republican presidential ticket in the 2028 election.

“It’s something I don’t have to worry about now. I’ve got three years to go,” Trump told reporters Monday when asked if he would support Vance or Rubio in 2028.

“JD is fantastic. And Marco – they’re both fantastic,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “I think Marco did a great job in Munich.”

The president has been coy about who he would like to see lead the Republican Party after his second term in the White House ends. But Trump has repeatedly named both his vice president and his secretary of state when asked who he’d like to succeed him as president.

Trump last year said that Vance is “most likely” the heir-apparent to the Make America Great Again movement, but has also said that Rubio would make a great nominee.

The question comes after Rubio received positive reviews at the Munich Security Conference where he sketched out a shared heritage with Europe and asserted a common path ahead, while still focusing on the Trump administration’s stance on western dominance, immigration and climate skepticism. He struck a markedly softer tone than Vance did at the event a year earlier.

In that speech last year, Vance lambasted European allies and focused on cultural divides in a speech that was widely seen as inflaming rifts between the US and the EU. Rubio, in an interview with Bloomberg News, said he was not turning away from Vance’s speech, but wanted to explain the Trump administration’s reasoning.

Rubio, 54, a longtime anti-communist hawk, has embraced Trump’s aggressive approach while seeking ways to make deals in private. Vance, 41, a relative newcomer to politics best known for a memoir about life in small-town Ohio and Kentucky, embodies the MAGA movement’s anti-elite sensibilities, and Trump’s penchant for disruptive and unpredictable dealmaking.

Trump has spent months privately – and at times publicly – teasing a rivalry between the two, suggesting at turns that one, then the other, is best positioned to take the torch from him.

(c) 2026, Bloomberg

The victims of the double fatal accent in Jackson have been identified this afternoon.

Police have identified the driver as Dennis Ricardo Zelaya Zapata, 29, of Toms River, and the passenger as Edwin Ramon Montolla Padilla, 36, of Patterson, NJ.

The accident remains under investigation.

In Honor of Parshas Teruma,
Elevate your Shuls Davening with a FREE BEAUTIFUL ACRYLIC SIGN. Available in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish in 3 Beautiful Styles – White, Gold, and Clear.

To order one for your Shul, please fill out this short form below and we will ship it to you Free!

English and Hebrew   https://forms.gle/YbU5LhfKH5M4yEoZ8

Yiddish https://forms.gle/RT5iTn7RF24SyTUu8

By Y.M. Lowy

Firefighters responded to a garbage truck fire on Foster Avenue — directly in front of the FDNY Engine 250 firehouse off McDonald Avenue.

The flames broke out in the rear of the truck, just feet from the station doors. With crews already inside the firehouse, firefighters were able to respond immediately, bringing the situation under control quickly.

It appears the fire may have started after something flammable was thrown out with the trash, igniting inside the truck’s load. As is standard in these situations, firefighters emptied piles of garbage onto the street to fully extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading.

The scene briefly turned messy as debris covered part of the roadway, but crews remained on scene to ensure everything was safely put out and thoroughly cleaned up. No injuries were reported.

photos: Dovid Jaroslawicz

The KCL of Lakewood, NJ has issued a public kashrus alert cautioning the community about the growing use of Instacart for purchases from kosher supermarkets.

In a notice obtained by Matzav.com, the KCL says it is calling attention to concerns that have arisen due to the increasing reliance on the Instacart service for grocery shopping at kosher establishments. According to the alert, orders placed through Instacart are fulfilled by third-party shoppers who may not have sufficient knowledge or training in matters of kashrus. In many cases, the kosher supermarket itself may not even be aware that the order is being processed through Instacart.

The KCL explained that this situation creates a particular concern when orders include fresh meat, fresh fish, deli items, or prepared foods. In such cases, there is no reliable assurance that the required chosamos (halachic seals) will be properly affixed by the kosher establishment. As a result, these items could potentially be delivered without the necessary halachic safeguards in place.

The KCL emphasized that it is currently exploring ways to address the issue. However, in the interim, it is strongly recommending that food items requiring chosamos not be purchased through Instacart. Instead, the Vaad advises that such items be ordered directly from the kosher supermarket, which is aware of the relevant halachic requirements and can ensure that appropriate seals are affixed prior to delivery.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. military has surged more than 50 advanced fighter jets into the Middle East over the past 24 hours, sharply escalating its show of force near Iran even as diplomatic talks continue behind closed doors.

According to a report by Axios, the deployment includes a mix of F-16, F-22, and F-35 aircraft, many of which were tracked in real time by independent flight monitors as they moved toward the region.

The sudden buildup comes amid fragile indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program. A U.S. official told The Jerusalem Post that talks held Tuesday in Geneva produced limited progress but left major issues unresolved.

“There were good meetings, but the gaps are still wide,” the official said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done to reach an agreement.”

U.S. officials said Iran indicated it would return within two weeks with detailed proposals aimed at narrowing differences between the two sides. But even as negotiators work toward a possible framework, the Pentagon appears to be preparing for a far more confrontational scenario.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Last week, American media outlets reported that the U.S. would deploy its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East to reinforce its naval presence. The carrier and its escort ships were previously operating in the Caribbean before being redirected to the region, according to multiple U.S. officials.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and additional naval and air assets have already been stationed in the area since January, forming the backbone of a growing U.S. military posture.

Together, the carriers, strike groups, and newly arrived fighter jets represent the most significant American force concentrations in the region in recent years.

Whether the next phase brings compromise or confrontation remains uncertain.

But with fighter jets filling Middle Eastern skies and aircraft carriers converging offshore, the margin for error is narrowing — and the cost of failure is rising.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

BOONVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A fiery explosion ripped through a church in upstate New York on Tuesday, injuring five people including a firefighter who was badly burned while responded to reports of a gas odor in the building, officials said.

New York State Police were investigating the cause of the blast, which occurred around 10:30 a.m. at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church in a rural area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Syracuse.

Five people were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Two were listed in critical condition, including a firefighter who responded to the scene. The remaining three people were being treated for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

Police said there was no initial indication of criminal activity related to the explosion, which sent thick plumes of black smoke into the air and severely damaged the church.

The church was reportedly heated by propane cylinders, according to state troopers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers.

The series of strikes conducted Monday brought the death toll to at least 145 people since the administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels since early September.

Like most of the military’s statements on the 42 known strikes, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It said two vessels carrying four people each were struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while a third boat with three people was hit in the Caribbean Sea.

The military did not provide evidence that the vessels were ferrying drugs but posted videos on X that showed boats being destroyed.

The videos posted by Southern Command show the boats either moving or bobbing in the water before the explosions engulf them in flames. People can be seen sitting in two of the small, open vessels before they’re destroyed.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs.

Critics have questioned the overall legality of the strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

The boat strikes also drew intense criticism following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the killings were murder, if not a war crime.

The attacks followed the Trump administration beginning one of the largest buildups of U.S. military might in Latin America in generations as part of a pressure campaign that culminated with the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges after a Jan. 3 raid by American forces.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier was ordered to the Caribbean late last year and told last week to head to the Middle East as tensions between the U.S. and Iran grow.

USS Gerald R. Ford and three accompanying destroyers were in the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday and no longer in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of operations, according to a Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive ship movements.

The Ford will bolster an array of U.S. warships in the Middle East that includes the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

Since Maduro’s capture, the U.S. military has reported several boat strikes, while American forces also have seized oil tankers connected with Venezuela as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Republicans in Congress have defeated Democratic-led efforts to rein in Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks in Venezuela.

American and Iranian negotiators have agreed on a set of “guiding principles” for a possible nuclear deal, offering a tentative breakthrough in high-stakes talks.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the two sides made progress during a second round of negotiations in Switzerland.

“We were able to reach a general agreement on a set of guiding principles,” Araghchi told Iranian state television. “This does not mean that we can quickly reach a final agreement, but at least the path has begun.”

Details of the principles were not immediately disclosed, and the White House declined to comment.

The talks come as President Donald Trump presses Tehran for broader concessions, insisting that any agreement must also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its treatment of anti-regime protesters — demands Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected.

“It’s got to be a good deal,” Trump said last week. “No nuclear weapons, no missiles.”

U.S. negotiations have been led in part by Trump allies Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, following earlier indirect talks in Oman that both sides described as constructive.

On the same day talks resumed, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, openly taunted Washington, warning that U.S. naval forces in the region could be struck.

“The strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up,” Khamenei said in remarks published by Iranian media.

His office later suggested on social media that U.S. warships could be sunk.

Iran has also conducted military drills in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways, at times claiming to restrict access to the critical shipping route that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.

In response, Trump has expanded the U.S. military presence in the region, sending additional aircraft carriers and strike groups to the Middle East.

“I think they want to make a deal,” Trump said aboard Air Force One this week. “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”

The negotiations are taking place under the shadow of Trump’s earlier use of force. In June last year, he ordered airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming they were “completely and totally obliterated.”

Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons, though it previously enriched uranium to levels far above what is needed for civilian energy.

Trump has declined to rule out renewed military action.

“If we do it,” he said when asked about future strikes, “that would be the least of the mission.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because a 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporting him, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

The Salvadoran national’s case has become a focal point in the immigration debate after he was mistakenly deported to his home country last year. Since his return, he has been fighting a second deportation to a series of African countries proposed by Department of Homeland Security officials.

The government “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success,” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, in Maryland, wrote in her Tuesday order. “From this, the Court easily concludes that there is no ‘good reason to believe’ removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future.”

Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Abrego Garcia has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge ruled that he could not be deported to El Salvador because he faced danger there from a gang that had threatened his family. By mistake, he was deported there anyway last year.

Facing public pressure and a court order, President Donald Trump’s administration brought him back in June, but only after securing an indictment charging him with human smuggling in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, Trump officials have said he cannot stay in the U.S. In court filings, officials have said they intended to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and Liberia.

In her Tuesday order, Xinis noted the government has “purposely—and for no reason—ignored the one country that has consistently offered to accept Abrego Garcia as a refugee, and to which he agrees to go.” That country is Costa Rica.

Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, argued in court that immigration detention is not supposed to be a punishment. Immigrants can only be detained as a way to facilitate their deportation and cannot be held indefinitely with no viable deportation plan.

“Since Judge Xinis ordered Mr. Abrego Garcia released in mid-December, the government has tried one trick after another to try to get him re-detained,” Sandoval-Moshenberg wrote in an email on Tuesday. “In her decision today, she recognized that if the government were truly trying to remove Mr. Abrego Garcia from the United States, they would have sent him to Costa Rica long before today.”

The government should now engage in a good-faith effort to work out the details of removal to Costa Rica, Sandoval-Moshenberg wrote.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is throwing its support behind the prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket in a critical legal battle between the growing prediction market industry and states that wish to ban these platforms.

The move by Michael Selig, the recently appointed chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, could have enormous implications for how sports betting is regulated in the country and, if Kalshi and Polymarket were to prevail, could erode the ability for states to effectively regulate gambling.

Any friendly decision the CFTC makes on this industry could end up financially benefiting the president’s family as well. President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., has invested in Polymarket through his venture capital firm and is a strategic advisor for Kalshi.

The CFTC currently regulates prediction markets, and that federal oversight allows Kalshi and others to operate in all 50 states, even those where gambling is illegal. Several states have sued Polymarket and Kalshi, alleging that the companies effectively operate casino or gambling operations in violation of state gambling laws, and have ordered them to shut down or stop operating in their states.

In an opinion piece in the The Wall Street Journal, Selig wrote, “The CFTC will no longer sit idly by while overzealous state governments undermine the agency’s exclusive jurisdiction over these markets by seeking to establish statewide prohibitions on these exciting products.”

Polymarket and Kalshi and other prediction markets allow participants to buy and sell contracts tied to the probable outcome of an event. Customers can wager on everything from whether it will rain in Los Angeles tomorrow to who will in the NBA championship to whether the U.S. and Iran will go to war. The contracts are typically priced between one cent and 99 cents, which roughly translates into what percentage of those customers believe that event will happen.

While customers can bet on anything, roughly 90% of Kalshi’s trading volume goes toward wagers on sports, while roughly half of Polymarket’s trading is tied to sports. Kalshi said it saw more than $1 billion in volume trade on the Superbowl.

The biggest of the lawsuits comes from Nevada, where the Nevada Gaming Control Board sued or issued enforcement actions against Kalshi and Polymarket, saying they are operating unlicensed sports betting operations in the state. A federal judge agreed with the NGCB and issued a temporary restraining order against Kalshi from operating in the state.

In response, Kalshi has appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which is why the CFTC is weighing in through what is known as a “friend of the court” briefing.

As the regulator of commodities, futures and derivatives, the CFTC has historically overseen markets like oil futures, agricultural products, gold, and other financial products. At roughly 700 employees, the CFTC is much smaller than the Securities and Exchange Commission, with roughly 5,000 employees. But as the CFTC has become the favored regulator of cryptocurrency companies and prediction markets proponents, it has taken on a much larger role in financial markets in the last five years.

By stepping into the lawsuit, the Trump administration is taking an unusually broad definition of commodities and futures. Selig has shifted his position from what he told Senators at his confirmation hearing, where he said that it would be best for the CFTC to defer to the courts on the core legal issue facing Kalshi and Polymarket.

Selig now says that prediction markets effectively do the same thing as other futures contracts, where customers can hedge against bad weather or changes in energy prices, and they are not betting against the house, which is what happens with sports book companies. The states that have taken legal action against Kalshi and Polymarket argue that while these companies do offer customers the ability to bet on future events, the vast majority of their business is sports betting. Further, most prediction markets allow customers 18 years or older to use their platforms, while state gambling is limited to those 21 years or older.

Selig now says states cannot preempt federal regulators.

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

Some members of the GOP pushed back on Selig’s announcement, including the Governor of Utah, which has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country.

“Mike, I appreciate you attempting this with a straight face, but I don’t remember the CFTC having authority over the “derivative market” of LeBron James rebounds,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, in a statement on Twitter. “These prediction markets you are breathlessly defending are gambling — pure and simple.”

MK Yulia Malinovsky of Yisrael Beiteinu delivered an uncompromising message during an interview in the Kikar HaShabbat studio, making clear she was not seeking compromise over the proposed draft law but instead presenting what she described as an ultimatum. In the wide-ranging interview, she sharply criticized Chareidi leadership, argued that Torah study alone was not sufficient in the face of security threats, and signaled that state funding for the Chareidi sector would be her next target. “We’ve reached the limit — there will no longer be an option of only receiving,” she declared.

Malinovsky, known for her confrontational style, did not soften her tone. Addressing her relationship with the Chareidi community, she said, “My personal relationships with people are excellent, but I know how to distinguish between what is essential and what is secondary.”

Responding to claims that her stance on the draft law is driven by cheap populism, Malinovsky outlined what she called a simple principle — “the family equation.” In her view, the state functions like an extended household in which rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. “In a family there are rights and duties. Like a mother tells her children: ‘Sweetie, if you don’t do A, B, C — you don’t get this.’ You can’t just be on the receiving end. This is all of our home, and everyone has to defend it. There is no other option anymore.”

One of the most contentious points in the conversation centered on the tension between Torah study and military necessity. Malinovsky said she recognizes the historical value of Torah learning but rejects the notion that it conflicts with army service. “On October 7 everyone prayed, including secular people, but in the end what helped was an M16 rifle in someone’s hand,” she said.

She continued, “The Torah says that in wartime ‘a groom leaves his wedding canopy.’ Great rabbis throughout history both worked and served. The mitzvah is to provide for your family, and the concept of ‘Toraso Umnaso’ has become a political tool that keeps the public poor and weak.”

Malinovsky dismissed arguments that the IDF is not prepared to integrate Chareidim or that a gradual process is required. “The stories about ‘gradually’ are over,” she stated. “The IDF needs 13,000 soldiers now. When I see the young men in Bnei Brak — strong and healthy — they’re material for Sayeret Matkal. If they don’t defend the home, then who will?”

At one point, she invoked the historical example of the “Cantonists” under Czarist Russia, when Jewish children were forcibly conscripted. This time, however, she directed her criticism inward. “In 1818 the elite and the wealthy would hide their own children and send the children of the poor and widows to the army. I see that happening today as well. The Chareidi leadership wants to preserve its power and keep the public in yeshivot, while the weaker layers pay the price. I call on the young people: don’t be the Cantonists of the political operatives.”

Her criticism expanded beyond the draft issue to governance and public spending. She linked what she described as weak enforcement in the Negev to broader government conduct. “It’s all a matter of money and enforcement,” she argued. “We have a government of likes on Twitter, but there is no ‘governance’ on the ground. When you distribute 36 billion shekels in ‘extras’ to the sector without conditions — that’s economic suicide. Money leaves a trail, and we will follow it to bring order.”

Malinovsky concluded on a personal note, recalling her own journey as a new immigrant who arrived in Israel with just $200 and worked cleaning jobs before entering politics. She said her experience proves that there are no handouts in life. “No one received anything for free,” she said. “The sky is the limit for those who want to contribute, but the responsibility to defend our home belongs to all of us together. Without that — it’s either partnership or collapse.”

{Matzav.com}

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday unveiled a staggering $127 billion budget proposal — the largest in city history — igniting an immediate political firestorm over steep tax hikes, deepening deficits, and fears that City Hall is gambling with New York’s financial future.

The preliminary budget, presented from the Blue Room at City Hall, is roughly $11 billion higher than the current spending plan and would be fueled in part by a proposed 9.5 percent property tax increase, along with a $1 billion drawdown from the city’s rainy day fund.

“This is insanity,” an insider told the New York Post. “Property taxes haven’t been raised like this since 9/11.”

Mamdani insisted the tax increase is a “last resort,” blaming Albany for refusing to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers.

“The options of the second path are the options of last resort,” Mamdani said. “We will only employ them if there is no other way to balance the budget.”

The mayor has repeatedly urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to approve higher taxes on millionaires and corporations. While Hochul recently announced $1.6 billion in additional state aid, she has declined to endorse Mamdani’s “tax the rich” agenda, leaving City Hall preparing to shift the burden onto property owners.

Critics warn that draining reserves while raising taxes could rattle bond markets and weaken the city’s borrowing power.

Resistance emerged quickly from the City Council. Speaker Julie Menin, joined by Finance Committee Chair Linda Lee, warned that the mayor’s approach could worsen the affordability crisis.

“At a time when New Yorkers are already struggling, dipping into reserves and proposing major tax hikes should not be on the table,” they said in a joint statement.

Council leaders said they believe additional savings and revenue options remain unexplored and vowed to release their own fiscal projections ahead of budget hearings in March.

The proposal includes another $1.2 billion for migrant services, bringing total spending on asylum seekers to more than $10 billion over the past five years. While shelter populations have dropped significantly, the costs remain a major driver of the city’s fiscal strain.

Mamdani acknowledged that New York faces a $5.4 billion budget gap, down from $12 billion earlier this year after stronger-than-expected Wall Street tax revenue.

“Our deficit is still a significant chasm,” he said.

The mayor said aggressive savings efforts could generate $1.7 billion over two years, but conceded that cuts alone will not close the gap.

“I cannot tell New Yorkers that additional savings are likely in the next few months,” he said.

Business leaders and landlords responded with fury.

Steven Fulop, CEO of Partnerships for New York City, called the tax hike a political pressure tactic and warned it ignores New York’s competitive challenges.

Small property owners were even more blunt.

“Owners are sick and tired of being treated like ATM machines,” said Ann Korchak of Small Property Owners of New York. “This will drive families into foreclosure and bankruptcy.”

She accused Mamdani of “declaring war” on immigrant landlords and pushing policies that could accelerate the conversion of private housing into public control.

Under the proposal, 40 percent of the budget would go to the Department of Education, 26 percent to social services, and 12 percent to uniformed agencies. The remainder would fund other city departments.

Mamdani argued that higher taxes are “structural solutions” needed to preserve his affordability agenda, including universal childcare and free buses.

“These solutions give us the foundation to move forward,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday unveiled a staggering $127 billion budget proposal — the largest in city history — igniting an immediate political firestorm over steep tax hikes, deepening deficits, and fears that City Hall is gambling with New York’s financial future.

The preliminary budget, presented from the Blue Room at City Hall, is roughly $11 billion higher than the current spending plan and would be fueled in part by a proposed 9.5 percent property tax increase, along with a $1 billion drawdown from the city’s rainy day fund.

“This is insanity,” an insider told the New York Post. “Property taxes haven’t been raised like this since 9/11.”

Mamdani insisted the tax increase is a “last resort,” blaming Albany for refusing to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers.

“The options of the second path are the options of last resort,” Mamdani said. “We will only employ them if there is no other way to balance the budget.”

The mayor has repeatedly urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to approve higher taxes on millionaires and corporations. While Hochul recently announced $1.6 billion in additional state aid, she has declined to endorse Mamdani’s “tax the rich” agenda, leaving City Hall preparing to shift the burden onto property owners.

Critics warn that draining reserves while raising taxes could rattle bond markets and weaken the city’s borrowing power.

Resistance emerged quickly from the City Council. Speaker Julie Menin, joined by Finance Committee Chair Linda Lee, warned that the mayor’s approach could worsen the affordability crisis.

“At a time when New Yorkers are already struggling, dipping into reserves and proposing major tax hikes should not be on the table,” they said in a joint statement.

Council leaders said they believe additional savings and revenue options remain unexplored and vowed to release their own fiscal projections ahead of budget hearings in March.

The proposal includes another $1.2 billion for migrant services, bringing total spending on asylum seekers to more than $10 billion over the past five years. While shelter populations have dropped significantly, the costs remain a major driver of the city’s fiscal strain.

Mamdani acknowledged that New York faces a $5.4 billion budget gap, down from $12 billion earlier this year after stronger-than-expected Wall Street tax revenue.

“Our deficit is still a significant chasm,” he said.

The mayor said aggressive savings efforts could generate $1.7 billion over two years, but conceded that cuts alone will not close the gap.

“I cannot tell New Yorkers that additional savings are likely in the next few months,” he said.

Business leaders and landlords responded with fury.

Steven Fulop, CEO of Partnerships for New York City, called the tax hike a political pressure tactic and warned it ignores New York’s competitive challenges.

Small property owners were even more blunt.

“Owners are sick and tired of being treated like ATM machines,” said Ann Korchak of Small Property Owners of New York. “This will drive families into foreclosure and bankruptcy.”

She accused Mamdani of “declaring war” on immigrant landlords and pushing policies that could accelerate the conversion of private housing into public control.

Under the proposal, 40 percent of the budget would go to the Department of Education, 26 percent to social services, and 12 percent to uniformed agencies. The remainder would fund other city departments.

Mamdani argued that higher taxes are “structural solutions” needed to preserve his affordability agenda, including universal childcare and free buses.

“These solutions give us the foundation to move forward,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YS GOLD 

This week’s captured moment takes us to the center of Boro Park where the Stuchiner Rebbe, zt”l, is seen walking, accompanied by chassidim, against the backdrop of a row of Boro Park homes. 

Can any of our readers pinpoint the location where this photograph was taken? 

__ 

Answer to last week’s captured moment: 

As our readers have correctly pointed out—In great detail—the Shul in question is Congregation Ohel Abraham Mishkan Joseph which has been located for a century at 49th Street and 18th Avenue.

KOH SAMUI, THAILAND (VINnews)- Three Israeli tourists were reportedly chased and brutally attacked at a local bar on the popular Thai island of Koh Samui late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, with two of the victims sustaining serious injuries requiring hospitalization.

According to multiple reports from Hebrew media outlets and eyewitness accounts shared on social media, the incident unfolded when a group of tourists—described in some testimonies as French citizens of Arab or North African origin—overheard the three Israelis speaking Hebrew while seated at the venue. The attackers allegedly confronted the group, identifying them as Israelis, before escalating the situation into physical violence.

Witness statements indicate that the Israelis attempted to flee the harassment by retreating to the bar’s restroom. The assailants reportedly forced their way in, dragged at least one victim out, and demanded they empty their pockets in what appeared to be an attempted robbery amid the assault. The violence intensified when venue security personnel allegedly intervened on the side of the attackers, joining in the beating and using batons against the victims.

The three tourists, said to be in their 20s and including a father and his son in some accounts, suffered severe blows to the ribs and body. Two were taken to a local hospital for treatment of significant injuries, while details on the third individual’s condition remain unclear from initial reports.

The attack has been widely described in Israeli and Jewish advocacy circles as having a suspected antisemitic or nationalist motive, given that the victims were targeted after being identified through their use of Hebrew. Organizations such as StandWithUs and the Combat Antisemitism Movement highlighted the incident on social media, expressing alarm over the targeting of individuals based on language and perceived nationality.

Thai police reportedly arrived at the scene following the altercation, but accounts suggest the response focused on advising the victims against publicizing the incident rather than immediate pursuit of the perpetrators. No official statement from Thai authorities has been widely reported as of Tuesday afternoon, and the nationalities or identities of the attackers have not been independently confirmed by law enforcement.

Koh Samui, a renowned tourist destination known for its beaches and nightlife, attracts visitors from around the world, including a notable number of Israeli travelers. Incidents of this nature are rare in Thailand, which generally maintains a reputation for hospitality toward tourists. However, the event has prompted discussions online about rising global tensions spilling over into travel destinations.

This developing story is based on preliminary media reports and social media testimonies. Further details, including any official investigation outcomes or arrests, are awaited as authorities in Thailand review the incident. The victims’ identities have not been publicly released.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir launched a forceful attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of obstructing efforts to combat violent crime in the Arab sector and asserting that her actions have cost lives.

Ben Gvir argued that initiatives he proposed years ago to address organized crime were rejected by the attorney general. “The blood of those murdered in the Arab sector is on the hands of Gali Baharav-Miara. Because when I came to her three years ago and said, ‘Take a list, these are a hundred families, let’s arrest them administratively,’ she told me no,” Ben Gvir claimed.

He said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since come around to his position regarding the attorney general’s removal. “Two and a half years ago, I went to the Prime Minister and told him, ‘Let’s fire her, let’s send her home.’ He said to me, ‘You’re a young minister, you don’t understand, it doesn’t work like that.’ Today, he admits that I was right. She needs to be sent home, and we need a legal reform.”

The national security minister also addressed his broader role within the coalition, saying he and his allies have shaped key policy decisions. “We have influenced many things. There were those who didn’t want to engage in maneuvering, but we were there in the government, and we influenced the maneuver and ensured that we would go in and do a good job.”

Turning to legislation that would impose the death penalty on terrorists, Ben Gvir said he anticipates progress on the measure. “I have a promise from Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will push it forward.”

{Matzav.com}

A total of 25,274 children have been officially classified as victims of terrorist attacks since October 7, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Insurance Institute. The overwhelming majority—more than 97 percent—received that recognition during the initial months of the war, between October and December 2023.

The data paints a devastating picture of the toll on Israel’s youngest citizens. Sixty-three children have been killed since the outbreak of the war. Thirty-five children were left without either parent, and 316 minors lost brothers or sisters in the violence.

Beyond those fatalities and family losses, 5,659 children have been acknowledged by the National Insurance Institute as suffering from physical injuries or psychological trauma connected to the attacks.

A closer look at the age distribution shows that the largest number of affected children falls within the 5 to 9 age group, totaling 8,123. The next largest group is toddlers and preschoolers between ages 0 and 4, with 7,356 children recognized.

Among older children, 6,532 between the ages of 10 and 14 were listed as victims, along with 3,263 teenagers aged 15 to 17.

In its statement, the National Insurance Institute emphasized that it is focused on safeguarding the rights and long-term welfare of these children. Assistance includes monthly financial benefits, social services, and access to emotional and therapeutic care.

“The National Insurance Institute views the rehabilitation of the future generation impacted by terrorism as a paramount national and moral mission, and it will continue to provide the necessary support to every child, as much as it can, from now and throughout their lives.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich on Monday said that if his daughter sought his advice, he would urge her not to enlist in the IDF.

Smotrich was asked about the issue at his party’s weekly meeting in the Knesset, and he responded that the position of his Rabbanim and the Rabbanut for generations is that women shouldn’t serve in the IDF.

“I think mixed units aren’t good for professional reasons—they create a negative atmosphere and harm the IDF’s professionalism,” Smotrich said. “That’s undisputed in my opinion. To go and put them now in tanks, to mix the genders, it seems delusional—regardless of the religious aspect. That is my position, but I won’t tell other people what to do. I hope that the big liberals can also respect the values of several thousand years. I respect everyone who thinks differently than me.”

Yesh Atid MK Ram Ben Barak responded angrily on social media, calling on Dati Leumi girls to rebel against their Rabbanim and enlist in the IDF.

“I call on the daughters of Religious Zionism—don’t listen to your Rabbanim, don’t listen to your Knesset members,” he wrote.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In what officials are calling a “return to our roots, but with better branding,” Lakewood Township announced Tuesday that it will be phasing out all local emergency services and replacing them with seasoned personnel imported directly from Williamsburg.

Township officials, speaking to TLS on condition of anonymity because they were “not authorized to reveal visionary brilliance ahead of schedule,” confirmed that police, fire, EMS, and even certain municipal departments would be replaced by “heritage-certified response units.”

Under the proposal, veteran members of Matzilei Eish, senior coordinators from Hatzolah of Williamsburg, and “several sanitation experts who instinctively know which side of the street the garbage really belongs on” would assume full operational control.

“Lakewood has grown tremendously,” one official told TLS while reviewing what appeared to be a map of Ocean County with arrows drawn exclusively toward Brooklyn. “And with that growth comes the need for emergency services that understand our community’s unique needs — like navigating double-parked minivans on a Friday afternoon without losing composure.”

According to sources who insisted on anonymity but were very eager to elaborate, the transition will occur in phases:

Phase 1: Replace police cruisers with unmarked minivans featuring tasteful emergency lights hidden behind tinted windows.
Phase 2: Introduce a 24-hour hot kugel command center to ensure responders remain adequately fueled.
Phase 3: Replace all sirens with a more culturally resonant system of rapid Yiddish announcements broadcast from rooftop loudspeakers.

Residents reportedly expressed cautious optimism.

“I mean, the response times are already impressive,” said one local man. “But imagine if the dispatcher also reminds you to bench licht on time.”

The imported units bring decades of experience responding to five-alarm structure fires, simultaneous simchas, and “mysterious electrical smells that turn out to be a crockpot,” officials told TLS.

In a particularly controversial move, the plan calls for rebranding the local fire department as “Matzilei Eish South,” with apparatus featuring hand-painted gold lettering and a strictly enforced policy that every emergency must include at least three walkie-talkies per responder, even if none of them are on the same channel.

Meanwhile, longtime members of Lakewood Police Department and Lakewood Fire District 1 were reportedly offered honorary roles as “traffic cone placement consultants.”

When asked whether outsourcing public safety to another state posed any logistical challenges, one township source laughed.

“If we can coordinate 14,000-person weddings with valet, we can coordinate mutual aid across the Hudson,” the official told TLS. “The tunnel is basically a very long driveway.”

At press time, officials were finalizing negotiations to import alternate-side parking enforcement specialists who can parallel park a 15-passenger van in a space legally designated for a bicycle.

A Freilichin Chodesh Adar.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday with a delegation of U.S. House members at his office in Jerusalem, thanking them for their ongoing support of Israel amid discussions on regional security issues.

The meeting was organized by the U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA), a nonpartisan group focused on strengthening U.S.-Israel ties through education and congressional engagement.

Netanyahu expressed appreciation for the lawmakers’ “steadfast support of Israel” and addressed broader regional matters during the discussion, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The congressional delegation, consisting of Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich.; John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; and Scott Franklin, R-Fla., praised Israel’s “unique contribution to U.S. national security.”

The visit comes as part of ongoing efforts by pro-Israel organizations to facilitate direct dialogue between U.S. lawmakers and Israeli leadership on shared strategic interests.

No further details on specific topics discussed were immediately released.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly ridiculed President Donald Trump and warned that American military forces could be struck down, escalating rhetoric as U.S. and Iranian representatives met in Geneva to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program and mounting tensions between the two nations.

The 86-year-old cleric’s comments came against the backdrop of an increased U.S. naval presence in the region and renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing Iran’s nuclear activities and broader hostilities.

“The U.S. President says their army is the world’s strongest, but the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up,” Khamenei said, according to remarks carried by Iranian media.

Khamenei, whose regime faced widespread condemnation following a sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests last month that human rights organizations say left at least 7,000 people dead, also issued a warning about American naval forces through his English-language X account.

“The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran,” Khamenei’s team posted on his English X account. “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.”

At the same time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, underscoring the growing friction with Washington in a region critical to global energy supplies.

Trump has declined to rule out military action against Iran’s ruling establishment, and the recent buildup of American forces in the area mirrors the deployment he assembled near Venezuela prior to the Jan. 3 raid that resulted in the capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

“It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump told reporters Friday when asked about the prospect of regime change in Iran.

When questioned about whether the United States might once again strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump responded, “If we do it, that would be the least of the mission.”

The exchange of threats and sharp rhetoric highlights the fragile moment between diplomacy and confrontation, as negotiations move forward even while both sides signal their readiness for escalation.

By Yisroel R.

A 36-year-old man accused of pretending to be an FBI agent in an attempt to free Luigi Mangione from prison pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court to falsely posing as a government officer.

Mangione is the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting trial in both federal and state cases.

According to federal prosecutors, the defendant, identified as Mark Anderson, went to the detention center claiming he was a federal agent and said he had paperwork signed by a judge authorizing the release of someone in custody. Prosecutors say he threw papers at jail staff and told them he had weapons in his bag.

When officers searched the bag, they found a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork. Authorities say the person Anderson was attempting to release was Mangione.

Anderson appeared in court for a brief arraignment, and a judge ordered that he remain in custody pending further proceedings.

Mangione faces federal stalking charges, along with state murder and weapons charges related to the fatal shooting. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases and remains detained as he awaits trial later this year. His case has drawn national attention, with some supporters portraying Mangione as someone who took a stance against corporate insurance greed.

NEW YORK — A new report is calling on New York City to dramatically expand metered parking across commercial corridors, a move that could bring in as much as $1.3 billion in additional annual revenue, according to coverage by the New York Post.

The study, released by the Center for an Urban Future, argues that the city is underutilizing curb space. While New York has millions of on-street parking spots, only a small percentage are currently metered. Expanding metered zones and introducing more dynamic pricing during peak hours could both increase revenue and reduce congestion caused by drivers searching for open spaces, the group said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani indicated his administration is open to reviewing parking policies. A City Hall representative said curb space has become more competitive in recent years due to delivery growth, bike infrastructure and outdoor dining setups, adding that reforms may be needed to better manage street use.

However, as reported by the Post, some residents and business owners in neighborhoods such as Bedford-Stuyvesant voiced strong opposition. Critics argue that adding more meters would place additional financial strain on working-class communities and discourage customers from visiting local shops.

The report also recommends revisiting variable or peak pricing — a strategy previously tested during the administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, though it was later discontinued.

Metered parking rates currently vary by neighborhood, with the highest fees concentrated in Manhattan’s busiest business districts and lower rates in outer-borough commercial areas.

City officials have not announced any formal proposal, and further analysis would be required before changes are implemented.

No diapers to change.

No bottles to wash.

No nap times shaping their schedule.

And yet, for couples struggling with infertility, their time is anything but free.

Their days are full of appointments, procedures, and bloodwork.

Full of decisions they never expected to face.

And most of all, full of a dream whose absence they feel so deeply.

With expert guidance, crucial financial support, and steady reassurance, Bonei Olam takes the uncertainty that fills their days and slowly makes room for hope.

But with the cost of treatments averaging over $25,000 per couple, we need your support to fill their waiting hands.

Our 2026 campaign, Hands Full, is LIVE!

HELP US REACH OUR $2 MILLION GOAL

Help us fulfill the dreams of over 680 Lakewood couples.

PUBLIC NOTICE FINAL BID 05-2526 REBID OF SALE OF EGC & LECC

JERUSALEM — Shadi Khalloul, a leader of Israel’s Christian community, said Tuesday he invited U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson to meet with local Christians during Carlson’s upcoming visit to Israel, but has received no response.

Khalloul said in a post on X that he sent the invitation a week ago to every email address listed on Carlson’s website, offering the Fox News host a chance to witness firsthand the community he frequently discusses on his platform.

“For someone who claims to care so deeply about the Christians in the Holy Land, your silence is deafening,” Khalloul wrote.

The invitation comes amid ongoing debates over coverage of Middle East issues in U.S. media, particularly concerning the experiences of minority groups in Israel. Carlson has not publicly commented on the outreach.

I invited @TuckerCarlson to take advantage of his upcoming visit to Israel and meet our thriving Christian community – to see with his own eyes the people and realities he speaks about so confidently and so often on his platform.

This letter was sent a week ago to every email… pic.twitter.com/lcBiecCtUx

— Shadi khalloul שאדי ח'לול (@shadikhalloul) February 17, 2026

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators are investigating Shein over concerns the online retailer hasn’t done enough to limit the sale of illegal products or protect users from the platform’s allegedly addictive design.

The 27-nation bloc’s executive arm said Tuesday that it opened formal investigation under the bloc’s sweeping rulebook known as the Digital Services Act, which requires the biggest online platforms to take extra steps to protect internet users from dodgy products.

Shein may be required to alter its actions, or pay a hefty fine if a so-called non-compliance decision is reached following an in-depth investigation, the European Commission said.

One area its investigation is focusing on is whether Shein has the proper safeguards in place to limit the sale of products that are illegal in the EU, the commission said, including items that amount to child sexual abuse material such as “child-like sex dolls.”

The the fast-fashion giant came under fire last year in France, where authorities found illegal weapons including firearms, knives and machetes as well as child-like sex dolls for sale on its website. The French government sought to suspend access to the Shein site in France. A court blocked that action and asked the commission to investigate under the bloc’s Digital Services Act.

The commission says it will also determine whether Shein has systems to mitigate risks related to what it says is the platform’s addictive design, which includes giving users points or rewards “for engagement.”

And regulators are also targeting the transparency of Shein’s recommendation systems that suggest more products to consumers. They’re concerned that the company doesn’t clearly explain to users why they’re being recommended specific products.

Shein said it takes its obligations seriously and will continue to cooperate with the commission.

The company said it has invested significantly in strengthening compliance with the DSA. The measures “comprehensive systemic-risk assessments and mitigation frameworks, enhanced protections for younger users, and ongoing work to design our services in ways that promote a safe and trusted user experience.”

“Protecting minors and reducing the risk of harmful content and behaviours are central to how we develop and operate our platform,” the company said in a press statement.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States plans to deploy more high-tech missile systems to the Philippines to help deter aggression in the South China Sea, where the treaty allies on Tuesday condemned what they called China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities.”

Beijing has repeatedly expressed alarm over the installation in the northern Philippines of a U.S. mid-range missile system called the Typhon in 2024 and of an anti-ship missile launcher last year. It said the U.S. weapons were aimed at containing China’s rise and warned that these were a threat to regional stability.

China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have rejected the demand.

U.S. and Philippine officials held annual talks Monday in Manila on broadening security, political and economic engagements and boosting collaboration with regional security allies.

The U.S. and the Philippines outlined in a joint statement Tuesday specific defense and security plans for this year, including joint military exercises, Washington’s support to help modernize the Philippine military and efforts “to increase deployments of U.S. cutting-edge missile and unmanned systems to the Philippines.”

The longtime allies “underscored their support for preserving freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce and other lawful uses of the sea for all nations,” the statement said.

“Both sides condemned China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities in the South China Sea, recognizing their adverse effects on regional peace and stability and the economies of the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” it added.

Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces have spiked in the disputed waters in recent years. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the territorial standoffs.

Neither side elaborated on the planned missile deployments but Philippine ambassador to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez, who took part in Monday’s talks, said U.S. and Filipino defense officials discussed the possible deployment this year of “upgraded” types of U.S. missile launchers that the Philippines may eventually decide to purchase.

“It’s a kind of system that’s really very sophisticated and will be deployed here in the hope that, down the road, we will be able to get our own,” Romualdez told The Associated Press.

The Typhon missile system that the U.S. Army deployed to the main northern Philippine region of Luzon in April 2024 and an anti-missile launcher called the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System that was deployed in April last year also to Luzon have remained in the Philippines, Romualdez said.

During joint drills, U.S. forces have exhibited the missile systems to batches of Filipino forces to familiarize them with the weapons’ capabilities and usage, military officials said.

Romualdez said the U.S. missile deployments to the Philippines did not aim to antagonize any country.

“It’s purely for deterrence,” he said. “Every time the Chinese show any kind of aggression, it only strengthens our resolve to have these types.”

The Typhon missile launchers, a land-based weapon, can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which places China within their target range, from the northern Philippine region of Luzon.

Last year, the U.S. Marines deployed the anti-ship missile launcher, the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, to Batan island in the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, which faces the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan.

The sea passage is a critical trade and military route that the U.S. and Chinese militaries have tried to gain strategic control of.

SHEFFIELD, England (VINnews) — British authorities are investigating a rising trend of door-to-door campaigns by pro-Palestinian groups urging residents to boycott Israeli products, officials said. The inquiry comes after a confrontation in Sheffield between activists and local opponents, during which one person alleged she was assaulted.

Videos show volunteers from the Sheffield Apartheid Free Zone recording residents’ responses, categorizing them as supportive, uninterested, or opposed. Activists say the campaigns aim to pressure households to participate in boycotts, drawing comparisons to anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa.

This man confirmed they were knocking on doors and taking a note of addresses not supportive of their anti-Jew leaflets.

Woodseats Sheffield today. A Jew hunt. @LightninLex pic.twitter.com/P00HrDyY97

— Jean Hatchet (@JeanHatchet) February 15, 2026

Similar campaigns have been reported in Brighton, Bristol, Hackney, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow. Critics warn that collecting addresses and tracking supporters constitutes intimidation. Vicky Bogel, a Brighton activist, said the efforts “found out who has ‘Zionist tendencies’ and where they live,” calling it “cunning and dangerous.”

The incidents have sparked political backlash. Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the activity as “dark and threatening,” while Trade Secretary Peter Kyle called for police investigations into potential hate crimes and incitement. Sussex Police overseeing Brighton said no criminal activity has been identified so far.

Since October 7, the number of antisemitic incidents in Britain has reportedly risen sharply. A survey by Campaign Against Antisemitism last year found that half of young Britons feel uneasy around people openly supporting Israel, and half believe Israel treats Palestinians like Nazis treated Jews.

photos: Hillel L"sh

President Donald Trump declared Monday that Washington will not pay a single cent beyond the approved budget for the massive Gateway rail tunnel linking New York and New Jersey, warning that taxpayers will not absorb any unexpected cost increases tied to the multibillion-dollar project.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized the $16 billion effort to build new rail tunnels beneath the Hudson River, describing it as a potential financial debacle and cautioning that it could mirror the ballooning expenses associated with California’s high-speed rail project.

“I am opposed to the future boondoggle known as ‘Gateway,’ in New York/New Jersey, because it will cost many BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more than projected or anticipated,” Trump wrote. “Under no circumstances, will the Federal Government be responsible for ANY COST OVERRUNS — NOT ONE DOLLAR!”

Trump indicated that federal officials are open to discussions with leaders from New York and New Jersey to ensure the project proceeds with tighter oversight and better preparation. However, he emphasized that federal taxpayers will not shoulder expenses that exceed the authorized amount, stressing that “hard work and proper planning is done, NOW.”

The Gateway initiative is widely viewed as one of the most consequential infrastructure undertakings in the country. It calls for constructing two additional rail tunnels beneath the Hudson River, a vital transit corridor used by roughly 200,000 commuters each day traveling between the two states.

Lawmakers have approved $16 billion for the undertaking, with the federal government committing more than $11 billion of that total.

Funding for the project was placed on hold for over four months while the administration reviewed contracts to ensure they complied with updated regulatory requirements.

Reports from The New York Times and Politico indicated that approximately $205 million in reimbursements were withheld during that period, prompting a halt in certain construction activities and leading to the temporary layoff of about 1,000 union laborers.

After a federal court intervened last week, the administration resumed disbursing funds, transferring $30 million to the Gateway Development Commission. Additional payments are expected in the coming weeks. Transportation Department officials have said they are acting in accordance with the court’s order.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, sharply criticized the funding interruption and called for the immediate and complete restoration of federal support.

Attorneys general from New York and New Jersey filed suit against the administration, contending that the funding suspension negatively affected workers and delayed essential progress on the project.

Trump cast his position as a matter of prudent budgeting, citing what he described as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “Railroad to nowhere” as an example of runaway costs and poor management that he said must not be repeated.

He also rejected claims that he had sought to tie federal funding to renaming Penn Station in his honor, calling those reports “FAKE NEWS” and asserting that the suggestion came from others, not from him.

The dispute highlights ongoing friction between the federal government and Democrat-led states over infrastructure spending, regulatory oversight, and fiscal controls.

Although construction work remains limited while full reimbursement is pending, Trump’s message was clear: the federal government is prepared to back major infrastructure improvements, but it will not provide unlimited financial guarantees.

With billions of taxpayer dollars involved, the Gateway project has emerged as a focal point in the administration’s effort to curb what it considers excessive spending while still moving forward with critical national infrastructure investments.

UTJ MK Yitzchak Pindrus delivered a heated speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday evening in the wake of the riots in Bnei Brak on Sunday, accusing the justice system of marking the entire Chareidi sector as illegitimate.

“I come up here because of what some of the Knesset members have said, and I simply stand here astonished,” Pindrus began. “What were you thinking when you took a million, a million and a half citizens, and turned them into illegitimate and criminal? What did you think would happen?! What did you think when you took 100,000 people and made them criminals? What did you think would happen?”

“There’s no doubt we now face a challenge we never had before—to teach our children not to be violent and not to be cruel, even though they are being beaten, even though they are being chased in the streets, even though they have been declared illegitimate, even though they have been turned into criminals. This is a difficult educational challenge, and I don’t envy the educators who must deal with it.”

“What happened yesterday in Bnei Brak was a terrible act that must not happen. But to see those same people who caused this—’have you murdered and also inherited?’—you took 100,000 people and made them illegitimate. What did you think would happen—that they’d say to you, ‘Thank you very much, you saved us. What did you think would happen when you came to harm what is most precious to us? Yes, most precious. It was precious to us for thousands of years before the State of Israel was founded, and we were moser nefesh for it.”

“If you think the issue of yeshivos and conscription is new—it existed in Europe and many other places. We stood firm and will continue to stand firm. And stop getting excited and quoting this one or that one. Not a single yeshiva bochur should enlist in the IDF. Not a single yeshiva bochur. Do you hear? Yes, none. That doesn’t mean Chareidim who are not yeshiva students should not enlist—that is what the law is meant to regulate.”

“But what did you think would happen? Continue doing this—making 1.3 million people illegitimate—and then shouting about how people reached such a low point of violence—which I think is terrible and must be stopped at all costs. But the blame? The blame is on you—on [Supreme Court Justice Noam] Sohlberg, on Gali Baharav-Miara, on those who petitioned the Supreme Court, on Aharon Barak—on those people. We will get through this period, but they will be remembered for eternal disgrace.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A Jewish nonprofit is running one of the largest free Halal food distributions for Ramadan, which begins this year on Tuesday night, organizers said.

David G. Greenfield, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, expressed pride in the initiative, noting that the effort reflects a commitment to interfaith cooperation and community support.

“In a crazy world, we look out for each other,” Greenfield wrote on social media, praising his team for organizing thousands of Halal meals for Muslim families across the city.

Yes, a Jewish charity runs one of the biggest free Halal food distributions for Ramadan.

If that bothers you, I honestly don’t care.

In a crazy world, we look out for each other.

Proud of my @MetCouncil team. pic.twitter.com/68yzbignCg

— David G. Greenfield (@NYCGreenfield) February 17, 2026

The distributions, taking place at multiple New York City locations, provide nutritious meals for iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast. City officials and community leaders say the program strengthens social bonds and promotes understanding between Jewish and Muslim communities.

Traditionally focused on food assistance for Jewish families, the Metropolitan Council has expanded outreach in recent years to include other religious and ethnic groups, reflecting the city’s diversity.

This Ramadan, thousands of families will receive Halal-certified staples and fresh produce, helping ensure that everyone can observe the fast with dignity and adequate nutrition.

Police Superintendent Elad Klein, the commander of the Dan District, said that the police acted with disproportionate force in order to quickly contain the violence that broke out after poor coordination with the IDF.

Following the riots in Bnei Brak, a dispute erupted between the police and the military over whether the soldiers’ arrival in the city—as part of outreach toward potential recruits—had been properly coordinated. The IDF claimed that the soldiers did not enter Bnei Brak for draft-related reasons and were merely making a home visit. However, the police insist that the soldiers distributed informational draft pamphlets to multiple addresses in extremist neighborhoods and that they should have been notified by the IDF beforehand to prepare for protests.

Speaking to Kan News, Klein described events from the police perspective: “When you receive an incident like this with no prior update and it jumps from zero to one hundred, you first deploy whatever forces you have available on the ground.”

He said officers had to act rapidly to extract the soldiers: “During the rescue, a scooter was burned and a patrol car was overturned. We gathered all forces and entered with very strong—even disproportionate—force to regain control.”

Klein rejected IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir’s remarks insinuating that soldiers can’t enter Bnei Brak. “They’re portraying it as though Bnei Brak is off-limits—it isn’t,” he said. “Hundreds of uniformed soldiers walk around here every day. They eat in restaurants in the city without any issue. Just last week I sat next to soldiers and police officers in uniform.”

However, Klein emphasized that there’s a difference between routine presence and soldiers distributing informational material in the heart of sensitive neighborhoods.

Klein concluded by saying that the broader context behind the riots must be considered: “Let’s not be naive—you can’t disconnect this incident from the context of the draft law.”

He added that the soldiers entered the stronghold of the city’s extremist factions, leading to a predictable reaction from them: “From their perspective, it’s a legitimate response to the struggle they’re waging.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Three Israeli tourists were violently attacked overnight between Monday and Tuesday on the Thai island of Ko Samui in what their family says was an antisemitic assault. The victims were reportedly beaten without provocation by a group of men described as having Arabic accents.

The sister of one of the injured men, speaking to N12, described the severity of the attack. “He broke ribs, teeth, and a vertebra. Efforts are being made with the embassy and insurance company to fly him back to Israel as fast as possible.”

The victim, an Israeli in his twenties who had traveled to Thailand with friends for a vacation, managed to reach his mother during the ordeal. According to his sister, he initiated a video call while trying to escape through a rear exit. “He ran toward the exit. There were security guards who joined the attack and beat them without reason. My mother saw everything.”

She said that two Israeli women who witnessed the assault stepped in to help, alerted authorities, and have remained by the victims’ side at the hospital. “They are angels, we are in contact with them, and they are helping my brother and his friend in the hospital. In addition, they helped them go to the police station to submit a report as they were asked.”

The sister emphasized that the attackers targeted the group after hearing them speak Hebrew. “We do not doubt that it was antisemitic. The assailants also yelled that they would murder them, ‘Itbah al-Yehud’ (kill the Jew), ‘You’re IDF,’ and expletives.”

{Matzav.com}

A two-vehicle accident on S. Hope Chapel Road – at the Lakewood-Jackson border – has left one vehicle overturned.

No injuries being reported.

Avoid the area.

(TLS-SB)

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium summoned the U.S. ambassador on Tuesday over a social media post where he accused the country of antisemitic prosecution of Jewish Belgians, the kingdom’s foreign minister said.

“Labeling Belgium as antisemitic is not just wrong, it’s dangerous disinformation that undermines the real fight against hatred,” said Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot in a post on X on Monday. The summons is a rare move between staunch allies.

“An ambassador accredited to Belgium has a responsibility to respect our institutions, our elected representatives, and the independence of our judicial system,” Prévot said. “Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms.”

Anti Semitism is UNACCEPTABLE in any form & it must be rooted out of our society.

President TRUMP @POTUS @realDonaldTrump @JDVance @VP @SecRubio @StateSEAS @DeputySecState and I call upon all of Belgium to do a much better job on this subject !

TO BELGIUM,

SPECIFICALLY YOU…

— Ambassador Bill White (@BillWhiteUSA) February 16, 2026

National broadcaster VRT said Belgian authorities are investigating whether three men in Antwerp were performing circumcisions without certified medical training.

U.S. Ambassador Bill White said on a post on X that this investigation was “unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community here in Antwerp and in Belgium.

He said he would visit the three accused men in Antwerp and asked Belgium’s minister of health to join him.

“You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium,” he said, using a Hebrew term for a Jewish officiant trained in circumcision, a central tenet of the faith.

Without it, a Jewish person typically can’t have a bar mitzvah, a Jewish wedding or be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

Prévot, the foreign minister, said that “Belgian law permits ritual circumcision when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards” and that he would not comment on an ongoing investigation.

As U.S. and Iranian negotiators opened a new round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday delivered a blunt warning to Washington — and to President Donald Trump — that Tehran is prepared for war.

In a speech broadcast by Iranian state media, Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump’s calls for regime change and accused the United States of decades-long failure.

“In one of his recent speeches, the US president said that for 47 years America has not succeeded in destroying the Islamic Republic… I tell you: You will not succeed either,” Khamenei said.

He also issued a thinly veiled threat toward U.S. naval forces operating near Iran, referring to the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers.

“We constantly hear that [the US] has sent a warship toward Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it,” he said.

The remarks come amid rising military activity in the region, as Tehran seeks to project strength while talks continue. Iranian media reported that the country has begun live-fire exercises toward the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime corridor through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said missiles launched from inside Iran and along its coast struck designated targets in the strait. Iranian officials confirmed that drills began early yesterday morning in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.

The military maneuvers follow Trump’s recent statement that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” further inflaming tensions as diplomats attempt to salvage progress on the nuclear file.

The latest negotiations mark a second round of indirect talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program, mediated through intermediaries amid the absence of direct diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran.

At the same time, Iranian officials are underscoring that economic relief remains a non-negotiable demand.

“Sanctions lifting is part and parcel of any deal on the nuclear issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in a video broadcast by state-run Press TV. Earlier, the Fars news agency quoted him as calling sanctions removal an “inseparable” element of any agreement.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — For the first time, free buses will connect Ben-Gurion Airport with Tel Aviv on Saturdays, city officials and a private transit company announced.

The service is run by Na’im Besofash, a private operator that serves multiple municipalities in Israel. The company added a stop at the airport on its line 711 to help travelers flying on Shabbat reach Tel Aviv more easily and affordably.

Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi, who founded the company, said the expansion is meant to meet “a basic, social, and equitable need” and is not intended as a political statement. She also thanked Shoham Mayor Dafna Rabinowitz for allowing the route adjustment.

Shabbat public transportation has long been controversial in Israel, with many religious residents opposing travel on the day of rest. Private operators have increasingly filled the gap for secular Israelis seeking weekend travel options.

Lehavi described the new airport route as “a milestone in freedom of movement,” emphasizing that local authorities are stepping in where government services are limited. The company has previously introduced special bus services during Jewish holidays and plans to continue expanding Shabbat routes across the country.

Tensions flared Tuesday morning in the Knesset Finance Committee as iSRAELI Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni that he would likely remain in the opposition “for many years,” prompting sharp reactions from other lawmakers in the room.

The clash unfolded during a discussion on the state budget bill, specifically the section dealing with property tax. Gafni argued that the proposal represented an unprecedented injustice.

“When you come and say, I’m submitting a law that also applies to farmers, but I’ll remove them — I don’t understand how you’ll remove them. What, people will come to you and say, ‘Just a second, why were the farmers excluded and why weren’t other factories excluded?’ What will you say? That you have sympathy for farmers? You put it in the law. You put it there — you’re the finance minister. I don’t know which officials helped you put it there.”

At that point, a direct exchange broke out between Gafni and Smotrich. The minister shot back: “Have you never amended laws here as chairman of the Finance Committee?”

Gafni responded, “Of course I changed things, but I never said, ‘The Justice Ministry won’t let me, I went against them.’ You’re not going against it.”

Smotrich replied, “No, I’m not going…”

Gafni answered, “Fine, it doesn’t matter, everything’s fine. What difference does it make? I’m in the opposition, I’m allowed to say what I see.”

Smotrich then remarked, “Right, right. I have a feeling you’re going to remain in the opposition for many years, apparently.”

Several MKs reacted immediately. “Whoa, whoa,” some lawmakers called out in response to Smotrich’s comment.

One member shot back, “My friend, in four and a half minutes he can bring your entire building down. You probably don’t understand who you’re talking to.”

Another MK added, “You’re lucky he hasn’t decided to be in the opposition yet.”

“Gafni, I wouldn’t skip over the agenda,” one lawmaker cautioned.

MK Naor Shiri also weighed in, saying: “You’re going to spend years in the opposition, said the finance minister — who, by the way, according to the coalition agreement, isn’t even supposed to be serving as finance minister. It’s a historic mishap.”

{Matzav.com}

YWN previously reported on the baseless lawsuit brought by Columbia University Professor Michael Rebell making unfounded claims about yeshiva education and asking a court to strike down the substantial equivalency legislation enacted last May in the State budget. Now YWN can exclusively report that PEARLS and Torah Umesorah have filed a brief with the court seeking to have the complaint dismissed.

They reminded the court that this past June, New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, ruled that “nothing in these provisions requires that parents ‘unenroll’ their children from a nonpublic school deemed not to provide substantially equivalent instruction. Nor do the regulations authorize school closures. The provisions merely state that the nonpublic school does not provide substantially equivalent instruction …. The parent or custodian must determine how then to ensure their compliance with the Education Law.”

Relying on the Court of Appeal decision, Albany Supreme Court subsequently “annulled” SED’s determination that the yeshivas previously deemed non-equivalent could not benefit from the 2025 Amendments and ordered that “upon electing to utilize the new assessment pathways,” the yeshivas “immediately satisfy the applicable substantial equivalence criteria.” It was those successes, and the enactment of the budget bill that protects yeshivas from the State Education Department’s improper intrusion into yeshiva education, that prompted the Columbia Professor’s lawsuit.

A copy of the brief submitted by PEARLS and Torah Umesorah is HERE. May they continue to have siyata dishmaya in protecting our mosdos hatorah from its enemies.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

By Yisroel R.

A slate of seven elected officials representing Sunset Park and Boro Park have endorsed Congressman Dan Goldman for re-election in New York’s 10th Congressional District.

Among those backing Goldman are State Senator Sam Sutton, Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein, and District Leader Pinny Ringel, along with City Councilmember Susan Zhuang and District Leaders Tony Ko and Joyce Xie. In their statements, the officials pointed to Goldman’s record on public safety, affordability, and constituent services across the district.

Boro Park leaders specifically highlighted his efforts to address rising antisemitism and secure federal nonprofit security funding for local institutions. They also cited his engagement with community concerns and his advocacy on issues affecting families and neighborhood safety.

In Sunset Park, supporters pointed to his outreach to immigrant communities and efforts to combat anti-Asian hate. Goldman, who has represented the district since 2023, is seeking another term in Congress as endorsements from local officials continue to give him momentum.

(Israel Hayom) – The British Guardian published a series of X-rays of protesters wounded during the unrest in Iran last month, indicating that police forces and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired with the intent to kill demonstrators.

The images, secretly taken from a hospital in a major Iranian city during a single evening in January, show bullets lodged in the chests, skulls and abdominal cavities of demonstrators who had taken to the streets to protest against the ayatollah regime. Medical experts who reviewed the material said the wounds indicate that security forces aimed at protesters’ “center of mass” rather than using crowd control tactics.

In addition to high-velocity rifle rounds, the scans reveal close-range shotgun injuries, suggesting that police and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at detainees or individuals who had already been apprehended.

In total, 75 sets of medical images, primarily X-rays and CT scans, were shared with the Guardian from the single hospital. The grayscale images chronicle the lethal violence inflicted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against protesters and bystanders, underscoring the intensity of the bloodshed within just a few hours at one mid-sized urban medical center.

The documentation adds to accounts previously given by doctors and protesters across Iran, who said security forces escalated from traditional crowd-dispersal methods to the use of assault rifles and high-caliber shotguns. The images show a pattern of gunshot wounds to the face, chest and genitals, a trend also reported during the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Dr. Rohini Haar, an emergency physician, adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and medical adviser to Physicians for Human Rights, reviewed the scans and described the cases as “shocking” in both their number and severity.

“Using live ammunition and large-gauge bullets against so many individuals is … extremely unusual and notable, even globally,” Haar said.

The death toll from the protests that swept Iran last month remains unclear. Various organizations and sources estimate that between several thousand and as many as 30,000 people may have been killed. Footage smuggled out of morgues in different parts of the country shows dozens and in some cases hundreds of bodies brought in, though the regime maintains that fewer than 3,000 people have died in the unrest.

Get ready for the most thrilling raffle of the year! Keren Zichron Tzippora is giving you the chance to win a life-changing $100,000 cash prize – imagine what you could do with that!

But the excitement doesn’t stop there! Beyond the incredible grand prize, we have a spectacular array of other amazing prizes that you could take home. Every ticket is a step closer to winning something truly special!

Your Chance to Win Starts at Just $18!

That’s right! For as little as $18, you can secure your entry into this incredible raffle and put yourself in the running for these fantastic prizes. It’s an affordable way to dream big and potentially make those dreams a reality.

Make a Difference, Win Big!

While you’re dreaming of winning, you’re also making a profound impact. Every ticket purchased helps needy Kollel families celebrate Pesach with joy and dignity. Your participation not only gives you a shot at incredible winnings but also brings warmth and happiness to families in need. It’s a win-win!

The Deadline to Enter the Raffle is February 26!

Don’t miss out on this extraordinary opportunity. Get your tickets today and join the excitement! https://100kgoral.org/campaign/kzt

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike Sunday night targeting two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in eastern Lebanon who were attempting to cross into Syria, the military said.

The strike hit near the village of Majdal Anjar in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, along a road connecting Damascus to Beirut, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Israel’s border.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that four people were killed in the attack.

The IDF described the targets as Islamic Jihad members who had been operating from Lebanese territory in recent months to advance terror activities against Israel.

“The terrorists’ actions posed an immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel and to IDF troops operating in the Syrian arena,” the military said in a statement.

The strike occurred amid ongoing Israeli efforts to counter threats from Iranian-backed groups in the region, including those allied with Hezbollah. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based militant organization, has coordinated with Hezbollah in past conflicts.

No immediate comment was available from Islamic Jihad or Hezbollah on the incident. Lebanese state media reported the strike targeted a vehicle near the Lebanon-Syria border area.

The incident marks one of the first Israeli-claimed strikes in Lebanon specifically against Islamic Jihad operatives since a recent truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

The commander of the Dan District, Chief Superintendent Elad Klein, said police responded with unusually strong force during this week’s unrest in Bnei Brak, explaining that officers acted decisively after what he described as a lack of coordination with the military that led to the violent escalation.

In an interview with Kan News, Klein detailed the chain of events from the police perspective following clashes in the city’s streets and the subsequent exchange of accusations between Israel Police and the IDF. The dispute centers on whether there had been prior coordination before female soldiers entered the city to conduct outreach activities with potential recruits.

“When you are not updated about such an incident and you receive it from zero to one hundred, you first deploy whatever forces you have on the ground,” Klein said, describing the rapid response once the situation became known to police.

According to Klein, officers had to act quickly to extract the soldiers from the scene. “The rescue operation led to the torching of a scooter and the overturning of a patrol car. We concentrated all available forces and entered with very strong force, even disproportionate, in order to respond decisively.”

Klein pushed back against criticism attributed to the IDF chief of staff, who reportedly said that a situation in which soldiers cannot move freely anywhere in the country is unacceptable. “They are trying to portray it as though special approval is required to enter Bnei Brak. That is not the case,” Klein said. “Hundreds of soldiers in uniform walk around here daily. They sit in restaurants and eat in the city without any problem. Just last week I was sitting in a restaurant alongside soldiers and police officers in uniform.”

At the same time, Klein acknowledged a distinction between routine presence and organized outreach activity in sensitive neighborhoods. While the military described the visit as a “home visit” to potential recruits, police maintain it involved the distribution of flyers in the heart of areas identified with extremist factions.

Concluding his remarks, Klein addressed what he described as the broader context behind the outbreak of violence. “Let’s not be naive. You cannot disconnect this incident from the context of the draft law,” he said. According to Klein, entering what he called a stronghold of extremist groups in the city prompted what, from their perspective, was a predictable reaction. “From their standpoint, it is seen as a legitimate response to the struggle they are waging.”

{Matzav.com}

Last night, the Chevra Kadisha and Transport Team of Misaskim CJ held an Erev Rosh Chodesh Adar Siyum and Seudah.

While some Chevra Kadisha groups traditionally hold their annual Seudah on Zayin Adar, others get together on Erev Rosh Chodesh Adar.

The event featured words of inspiration from Rav Moshe Hamburger Shlita, Rav of Khal Tikkun Shlomo, Lakewood.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The city of Arad in Southern Israel has been embroiled in controversy after the local mall, the only one in the city, was purchased by two Gerer chasidim, who are trying to make sweeping changes in the mall, including closing it on Shabbat and removing all pictures of females. Secular residents of the town are fuming over the proposed changes, saying that this is an attempt to destroy the character of the town and create charedi domination in the mixed town of 30,000 residents.

“The Mayor, Mr. Yair Maayan, informed me that in recent days an instruction was issued on your behalf to remove images of women or any female representation from all commercial areas of the mall,” the legal adviser of the Municipality of Arad wrote this week in a letter to the new management of the city’s mall.

The letter was sent after the mall was transferred to the new chasidic owners. Following the transfer, the Israeli flag was removed from the building’s entrance, the background music played in the mall was changed, and advertisements containing images of women were taken down at the management’s instruction.

“At the outset, I emphasize that this is a grave, improper, and unlawful directive, one that the municipality will not ignore. This instruction directly harms human dignity, gender equality, and the fabric of public life in the State of Israel in general, and in Arad in particular, which is a secular and liberal city,” wrote attorney Haim Shiman, the municipality’s legal adviser.

The transfer of the Arad mall into the hands of the Gerer chasidim is seen as another chapter in the city’s ongoing religious transformation. This follows the recent allocation of extensive construction areas for charedi neighborhoods, as reported several weeks ago in Maariv, as well as the transfer of public buildings to leaders of the chasidic community.

These developments sparked considerable anger among residents outside the community, and reactions on social media quickly followed. “Arad, the writing is on the wall,” an anonymous resident wrote on Facebook.Another resident posted a drawing depicting a sign that read: “This road leads to an area under charedi control. Entry for soldiers is forbidden and endangers your lives.” The post was captioned: “Coming very soon to Arad, courtesy of the bulldozer backing them.”

One anonymous commenter wrote: “The demand to remove images of women is illegal. Any business that cooperates with the greed-driven demands of this draft-dodging sect and removes such images automatically loses me as a customer.”

Former mayor Nisan Ben Hamo harshly criticized the current leadership: “The mayor sold us out to Gur, that’s a fact. We must save our city. He formed a coalition with them over the heads of the secular residents, handed them all the key positions, and now he complains?”

According to Ben Hamo, residents have begun protest actions: “We are fighting. There have already been demonstrations and other protests. For two years now, residents have been struggling. The mayor was not even an Arad resident, he moved here just three months before the elections to meet eligibility rules. Today, residents are extremely angry.”

Former deputy mayor Maxim Okanin expressed a more conciliatory view: “Arad is a city of diverse communities, and that is part of its strength. Property rights are fundamental, but Israeli law is clear: there is no place for the exclusion of women or harm to public rights in a commercial space open to all.”

“The challenge in Arad is not to defeat one another, but to learn to live together : to recognize, respect, speak a shared language, and avoid coercion from any side. The city’s future success lies in maintaining the balance between individual rights and the shared public sphere. Live and let live, Arad must remain a home for everyone.”

Mayor Yair Maayan responded firmly to the developments at the mall: “The municipality views with severity any attempt by the mall’s new owners to alter its character and exclude women from the public space.” According to him, the municipality sent a warning letter to the mall’s management demanding that all measures taken be revoked. “If the violations do not cease, the municipality will act to close the mall immediately.”

Some residents expressed pessimism regarding the city’s future. Local resident Shlomi Tabachnik said: “We are heading toward disaster, and it’s not just Arad, it’s the whole country. I heard the mayor threatened to close the mall. That’s a joke. It’s all talk. What is he actually capable of doing? He has two seats on the city council; they have five. One word from Gur and he’s out of office. By issuing such a statement, he is effectively admitting that the situation is improper. But that’s not all. He brought students to the city, and today several female students traveling by bus were spat on. Arad is in terrible shape.”

A heated confrontation erupted Tuesday morning during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting, as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich clashed with Arab MK Iman Khatib-Yassin over rising crime in Arab communities. The exchange came amid broader tensions in the committee, with additional sparring between Smotrich and opposition lawmakers.

The debate, which focused on budget allocations and government policy, turned sharply contentious when Khatib-Yassin criticized the government’s handling of escalating violence in Arab society. In response, Smotrich fired back with a remark that quickly drew attention: “Are we to blame that you’re killing each other?”

Earlier in the session, Smotrich was also involved in a pointed exchange with former Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni. During their back-and-forth, the minister told Gafni, “You’re in the opposition — I have a feeling you’re going to remain in the opposition for years to come.”

Gafni responded in kind, as tensions in the committee room continued to rise and the discussion grew increasingly combative.

Opposition MK Naor Shiri later joined the fray, directing his comments toward Gafni and referencing coalition agreements. “Let me remind you that according to the coalition agreements, he’s not even supposed to be serving as finance minister.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Eliav Turjeman, a religious Zionist rabbi who is also an officer in the IDF’s Hasmonean brigade, wrote a Facebook post in which he expressed his identification with the Charedi public and his frustration at how they are being portrayed in the general media, a far cry from their real character. Turjeman sees a “well-funded campaign” whose goal is to spread dissension and strife within the right wing and to besmirch the charedim who don’t enlist in the IDF in order to gain politically from the fallout.

Turjeman’s Post

What happened yesterday in Bnei Brak
was sad. Painful. Infuriating.

But above all, the feeling that rose in me,and that I waited many long hours to write, is frustration.

I am frustrated because two years ago, when the well-funded campaign calling for the forced conscription of charedim began, I saw this exact scene before my eyes: these images, this chaos, this violence, this atmosphere of war and blood in the streets, and the escalation of violence to insane levels.

Those who wanted chaos got chaos. Those who wanted a precise ignition of a powder keg received exactly that.

Needless to say, I oppose violence of any kind. And just as I oppose violence, so does the overwhelming majority of the charedi public. The leading rabbis and the residents of Bnei Brak themselves said this yesterday unequivocally.

But these images serve one clear side: the side that seeks to damage brotherhood, the side that wants to see the faithful public and the right-wing bloc arrive at elections scarred, broken, battered, and above all consumed by internal strife.

I say this dozens of times, and no matter how much I’ve been attacked for it, I will not stop saying it: you cannot recruit a single good soldier by force. You cannot create any mechanism of identification without motivation and a genuine desire to be part of it.

No military framework, as good as it may be, even the Hasmonean Brigade, where I have the privilege of commanding a reserve company, can be a home unless charedim feel that the place they are entering loves them, wants them, and respects them. That truth will not change.

Anyone who thinks it is possible to send female soldiers into homes in Bnei Brak, while for months fueling the very processes that push this community to a boiling point, understands nothing.

Anyone who speaks with people in and around Bnei Brak in recent weeks hears the same thing: arrest warrants, budget freezes — the streets are burning.

I cannot help but think that these are exactly the images those deep pockets funding the reckless campaign for forced conscription hoped to see, and that they are now rubbing their hands in satisfaction.

We will not allow this to happen.

We have gone through a difficult day. But precisely from this hardship, we will continue efforts toward connection and brotherhood, our ability to focus on what unites us, our concern for the world of Torah, and the importance of preserving the charedi character and way of life.

Not through opposition, not through external pressure to alter internal processes, but through trust, love, and solidarity.

Our charedi brothers, we stand with you.

BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) — An Israeli police officer whose motorcycle and personal belongings were destroyed during recent unrest in Bnei Brak was presented with new tefillin on Tuesday in a ceremony at the city’s police station, authorities said.

The officer’s motorcycle was set on fire during disturbances that took place in the city two days earlier. Police said a small group of rioters ignited the vehicle in the city center. Inside were the officer’s personal items, including his tefillin — small black leather boxes containing Hebrew scripture traditionally worn during weekday morning prayers — as well as a prayer book and his mobile phone. All were burned.

At the direction of Police Commissioner Danny Levy and Tel Aviv District Commander Haim Sargarof, new tefillin were purchased and formally presented to the officer.

The ceremony was attended by several senior officers, including the Dan Region commander and the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station chief, police said, describing the gesture as an expression of support for the officer.

In addition to replacing the religious items, the police commissioner ordered that the officer receive a new mobile phone and be issued a replacement vehicle to substitute for the motorcycle that was destroyed.

Police said they view the unrest with “great severity” and that an investigation is ongoing to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. Authorities added that the force “stands by its officers at all times.”

Police arrested five people overnight, including four minors, on suspicion of throwing objects and stones at members of the Vizhnitzer center on King Shlomo Street in Bnei Brak in incidents authorities say posed a real danger to lives.

According to a police statement, officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station, assisted by riot police and Border Police units, were deployed across the city following a series of disturbances. During operations in the area, officers identified several suspects allegedly hurling objects at members of the Chassidishe community.

Police moved in swiftly and detained five suspects — ages 13, 16, 17, 18, and 31 — all residents of Bnei Brak. The suspects were taken in for questioning at the local police station and are expected to be brought before a court later today for a hearing.

Law enforcement officials described the incident as part of repeated attempts by various groups to disrupt public order in the city. Police emphasized that they will continue to act decisively against any outbreak of violence.

Authorities also noted that members of the Vizhnitzer kehillah exercised restraint during the incident and complied with instructions from security forces on the scene, conduct that police said helped prevent further escalation.

As reported last night, dozens of fringe youths clashed for hours with police forces on Rechov Ezra in the city. During the unrest, fires were set, drivers were assaulted, and major traffic arteries experienced heavy congestion.

The disturbances began in the early afternoon as a protest near the Vizhnitzer Bais Medrash but quickly spiraled out of control. As the afternoon and evening progressed, dozens more youths arrived at the scene, and the protest evolved into a prolonged riot that included the burning of garbage bins, road blockages, and confrontations with police.

{Matzav.com}

GENEVA (AP) — Iranian state TV says the latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States ended after almost three hours.

The negotiations held in Geneva came as Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz for live fire drills.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An unusual controversy erupted at the Winter Olympics in Italy after Stephan Renna, a commentator on Switzerland’s public broadcaster RTS, used a live broadcast to criticize a member of Israel national bobsleigh team at what was seen as a landmark moment for Israeli winter sports.

As the bobsleigh event got underway and Israeli driver Adam Edelman was introduced, the commentator shifted from sports coverage to the athlete’s personal views. “There is one more sled to see, that of Israeli Adam Edelman,” he said, before adding: “Edelman, first participation in the Olympic Games, who defines himself as a Zionist to the core.”

René then escalated his remarks, claiming: “I quote, he posted several messages on social media supporting genocide in Gaza,” and stated that “the term genocide is the one used by the UN Commission of Inquiry regarding the region.”

Imagine calling the Olympics and spending 90 seconds defaming an Olympian.@RadioTeleSuisse‘s Stefan Renna did that.

He says Israeli Bobsledder @reakajedelman supports genocide.

I challenge the talking period cramp to show any proof of him supporting “genocide.”

Sue him, AJ. pic.twitter.com/YJU6276s8l

— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) February 17, 2026

He further alleged that Edelman had described Israel’s military campaign as “the most morally justified war in history,” and claimed the athlete had mocked a “Free Palestine” graffiti slogan during a World Cup event.

The most contentious comment came when René questioned Edelman’s participation in the Games: “One may ask questions about his presence here in Cortina during the Olympics, since the International Olympic Committee has stated that athletes who actively supported war are not eligible to compete.” He added that similar principles had been applied to Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag.

The remarks were made as Israel marked a rare achievement in winter sports, an arena where the country has historically had minimal representation. For a small delegation from a nation without a winter sports tradition, mere participation is widely viewed as a notable milestone.

As of now, no official response has been issued by RTS, the International Olympic Committee, or Israeli Olympic authorities. However, the incident has sparked widespread debate, with footage of the broadcast drawing millions of views and thousands of reactions online. Amid mounting criticism, Renna reportedly blocked his account on X.

For decades, regulations required citizens of Israel – including those who also held another nationality – to use an Israeli passport when entering or leaving the country.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted government services worldwide, passport offices and Israeli missions abroad operated at limited capacity or were closed altogether. This created significant challenges for many citizens who were unable to obtain or renew Israeli travel documents. In response, the Interior Ministry introduced a temporary policy allowing dual citizens to travel using their non-Israeli passports. Since then, the arrangement has been renewed repeatedly due to ongoing demand and practical need, most recently in December 2025.

Chaim V’Chessed has actively lobbied on behalf of the community to help ensure the continuation of this important exception.

The Interior Ministry has now announced that this accommodation will remain in place through September 30, 2026. Dual citizens will therefore continue to be permitted to enter and depart Israel using a valid foreign passport during this period.

NBA superstar LeBron James drew sharp criticism online after speaking favorably about Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija and offering warm remarks about Israel during media availability ahead of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, California.

When approached by an Israeli reporter before the game and asked about Avdija, James responded enthusiastically about the forward’s performance. “I said I believe he was an All-Star. He’s playing exceptional basketball. So that’s that.”

James then broadened his comments to address fans in Israel. “If I have fans over there – I’ve never been there – I hope you’ve been following my career. I hope I inspire people over there to not only want to be great at sports but be better in general in life. Hopefully someday I could make it over there. Like I said, I’ve never been over there, but I heard nothing but great things.”

The remarks quickly spread across social media platforms, where they were met with harsh reactions from critics. British-American commentator Mehdi Hasan condemned the statements, writing, “What a disgrace LeBron is,” as he shared a post from Al Jazeera journalist Laila Al-Arian that read, “The entire human rights community: Israel is an apartheid state committing genocide and ethnic cleansing. LeBron James: ‘I’ve heard great things about Israel.’”

American online personality Hasan Piker also attacked James, posting, “He said hope I inspire Israel to be great (at killing children). My goat is WASHED.” Other users accused the NBA star of ignoring “Palestinian Arab suffering” and argued that praising Israel in the midst of the ongoing conflict was inappropriate.

James has not publicly addressed the criticism as of this writing.

Avdija, meanwhile, marked a milestone on Sunday by becoming the first Israeli player to appear in an NBA All-Star Game.

Now in his sixth NBA season and second with the Portland Trail Blazers, Avdija entered the league as the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. He spent four seasons in Washington before being dealt to Portland ahead of the 2024–25 campaign.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A dramatic move by Elon Musk is reshaping the battlefield in Ukraine: SpaceX has recently begun an unprecedented campaign to block Starlink terminals allegedly used illegally by the Russian military in occupied territories. The sudden disruption of the satellite communications network led to what was described as a near-total paralysis of Russian coordination capabilities, contributing to a sharp rise in casualties among Putin’s forces, according to a report published Monday by the New York Post.

For months, Russian forces reportedly managed to circumvent sanctions and acquire Starlink terminals through third countries, using them to coordinate drone operations and enable precise artillery navigation. SpaceX’s latest measures,including software updates and location-based geofencing, are said to have neutralized thousands of devices used by Russian units along the front lines. Military sources noted that without high-speed connectivity, Russian field units lost the ability to communicate with command centers in real time.

The report cites troubling data for Moscow: since the blocking operation began, Russian forces have seen a significant spike in casualty rates across combat zones. Without reliable drone support for surveillance and strike missions, Russian troops became far more vulnerable to Ukrainian ambushes and rapid artillery responses. “Russian forces were left blind and deaf on the battlefield,” the report stated, emphasizing that the technological advantage they had sought to leverage collapsed almost instantly.

Beyond operational setbacks, the loss of satellite internet access also reportedly affected logistics systems and troop morale, as Russian soldiers had relied on the network for secure internal communications.

While Ukraine continues to enjoy full authorized access to Starlink services, the technological gap between the sides appears to have widened once again. Security analysts believe Moscow will attempt to develop alternative technological solutions, but for now the disruption is viewed as a major blow that could significantly delay Russia’s planned summer offensives.

The Lod Central District Court on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s decision in the case of Tzachi Braverman, chief of staff to the prime minister and Israel’s ambassador-designate to the United Kingdom, siding with police and restoring a series of restrictions against him.

Judge Michael Kershen of the District Court ruled in favor of the police appeal, reimposing the limitations that had previously been lifted. These include a prohibition on leaving the country, suspension from his position at the Prime Minister’s Office, and a ban on communicating with a wide range of officials connected to the office.

In explaining his decision, Kershen said that after examining the investigative materials, he concluded that the level of reasonable suspicion against Braverman had increased. He wrote that this conclusion should already have been reached when the matter was first considered by the Magistrate’s Court, and that in the days since that ruling, the suspicions had only deepened.

Kershen also criticized the earlier decision by Magistrate’s Court President Menachem Mizrahi, rejecting the notion that concerns about obstruction were merely theoretical. He stated that the danger of interference with the investigation was significant. The judge cautioned that permitting Braverman to remain overseas—particularly in the capacity of ambassador to the United Kingdom—given his knowledge of internal government systems, could severely undermine the ongoing probe.

The District Court further noted that giving advance notice to a suspect before questioning may open the door to potential interference. Kershen wrote that the risk of such actions at a sensitive stage of the investigation could not be dismissed.

In their appeal, police maintained that the actions attributed to Braverman, as well as the circumstances surrounding them, required his removal from both the Prime Minister’s Office and the Kirya. They argued that fears of obstruction are central to the case and justify the restrictive measures now reinstated by the court.

A serious antisemitic incident occurred overnight on the Thai island of Koh Samui when three Israelis were brutally attacked by men with an Arabic accent, without any provocation on their part.

Two of the victims are hospitalized at a local hospital. One has not made contact with his relatives or friends since the incident.

According to the victims’ testimony, a group of French-speaking tourists of North African origin heard the Israelis speaking Hebrew at a bar, approached them, and demanded they come closer. Two of the Israelis tried to escape to the bathroom, but the Arabs broke in, dragged one of them by force, and demanded he empty his pockets.

One of the victim’s sisters told Channel 12, “He suffered broken ribs, teeth, and a vertebra. Efforts are being made with the embassy and the insurance company to fly him back to Israel as soon as possible.”

She also said that during the assault, her brother managed to make a video call to their mother while trying to flee through a back door. “He ran toward the exit, and there were security guards there who joined the attack and beat them brutally for no reason. My mother saw everything.”

She emphasized the assault happened solely because they were speaking Hebrew: “We have no doubt this was antisemitic. The attackers also shouted they would murder them—’ Itbah al-Yahud,’ ‘You are the IDF,’ and other insults.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King’s successor.

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned.

It was a message he took literally and personally, having risen from obscurity in the segregated South to become America’s best-known civil rights activist since King.

Santita Jackson confirmed that her father died at home in Chicago, surrounded by family.

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement posted online. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”

Fellow civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said his mentor “was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself.”

“He taught me that protest must have purpose, that faith must have feet, and that justice is not seasonal, it is daily work,” Sharpton wrote in a statement, adding that Jackson taught “trying is as important as triumph. That you do not wait for the dream to come true; you work to make it real.”

Despite profound health challenges in his final years including a rare neurological disorder that affected his ability to move and speak, Jackson continued protesting against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter. In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Even if we win,” he told marchers in Minneapolis before the officer whose knee kept George Floyd from breathing was convicted of murder, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

Calls to action, delivered in a memorable voice
Jackson’s voice, infused with the stirring cadences and powerful insistence of the Black church, demanded attention. On the campaign trail and elsewhere, he used rhyming and slogans such as: “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it then I can achieve it,″ to deliver his messages.

Jackson had his share of critics, both within and outside of the Black community. Some considered him a grandstander, too eager to seek out the spotlight. Looking back on his life and legacy, Jackson told The Associated Press in 2011 that he felt blessed to be able to continue the service of other leaders before him and to lay a foundation for those to come.

“A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically torn down walls,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, he lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.

“I get very emotional knowing that these speeches belong to the ages now,” his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told the AP in October.

A student athlete drawn to the Civil Rights Movement
Jesse Louis Jackson was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson, a married man who lived next door. Jackson was later adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who married his mother.

Jackson was a star quarterback on the football team at Sterling High School in Greenville, and accepted a football scholarship from the University of Illinois. But after he reportedly was told Black people couldn’t play quarterback, he transferred to North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, where he became the first-string quarterback, an honor student in sociology and economics, and student body president.

Arriving on the historically Black campus in 1960 just months after students there launched sit-ins at a whites-only diner, Jackson immersed himself in the blossoming Civil Rights Movement.

By 1965, he joined the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King dispatched him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers.

Jackson called his time with King “a phenomenal four years of work.”

Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was slain at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Jackson’s account of the assassination was that King died in his arms.

With his flair for the dramatic, Jackson wore a turtleneck he said was soaked with King’s blood for two days, including at a King memorial service held by the Chicago City Council, where he said: “I come here with a heavy heart because on my chest is the stain of blood from Dr. King’s head.”

However, several King aides, including speechwriter Alfred Duckett, questioned whether Jackson could have gotten King’s blood on his clothing. There are no images of Jackson in pictures taken shortly after the assassination.

In 1971, Jackson broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to form Operation PUSH, originally named People United to Save Humanity. The organization based on Chicago’s South Side declared a sweeping mission, from diversifying workforces to registering voters in communities of color nationwide. Using lawsuits and threats of boycotts, Jackson pressured top corporations to spend millions and publicly commit to diversifying their workforces.

The constant campaigns often left his wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, the college sweetheart he married in 1963, taking the lead in raising their five children: Santita Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson Jr., and two future members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Luther Jackson and Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who resigned in 2012 but is seeking reelection in the 2026 midterms.

The elder Jackson, who was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968 and earned his Master of Divinity in 2000, also acknowledged fathering a child, Ashley Jackson, with one of his employees at Rainbow/PUSH, Karen L. Stanford. He said he understood what it means to be born out of wedlock and supported her emotionally and financially.

Presidential aspirations fall short but help ‘keep hope alive’
Despite once telling a Black audience he would not run for president “because white people are incapable of appreciating me,” Jackson ran twice and did better than any Black politician had before President Barack Obama, winning 13 primaries and caucuses for the Democratic nomination in 1988, four years after his first failed attempt.

His successes left supporters chanting another Jackson slogan, “Keep Hope Alive.”

“I was able to run for the presidency twice and redefine what was possible; it raised the lid for women and other people of color,” he told the AP. “Part of my job was to sow seeds of the possibilities.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis said during a 1988 C-SPAN interview that Jackson’s two runs for the Democratic nomination “opened some doors that some minority person will be able to walk through and become president.”

Jackson also pushed for cultural change, joining calls by NAACP members and other movement leaders in the late 1980s to identify Black people in the United States as African Americans.

“To be called African Americans has cultural integrity — it puts us in our proper historical context,” Jackson said at the time. “Every ethnic group in this country has a reference to some base, some historical cultural base. African Americans have hit that level of cultural maturity.”

Jackson’s words sometimes got him in trouble.

In 1984, he apologized for what he thought were private comments to a reporter, calling New York City “Hymietown,” a derogatory reference to its large Jewish population. And in 2008, he made headlines when he complained that Obama was “talking down to Black people” in comments captured by a microphone he didn’t know was on during a break in a television taping.

Still, when Jackson joined the jubilant crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park to greet Obama that election night, he had tears streaming down his face.

“I wish for a moment that Dr. King or (slain civil rights leader) Medgar Evers … could’ve just been there for 30 seconds to see the fruits of their labor,” he told the AP years later. “I became overwhelmed. It was the joy and the journey.”

Exerting influence on events at home and abroad
Jackson also had influence abroad, meeting world leaders and scoring diplomatic victories, including the release of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria in 1984, as well as the 1990 release of more than 700 foreign women and children held after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. In 1999, he won the freedom of three Americans imprisoned by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

“Citizens have the right to do something or do nothing,” Jackson said, before heading to Syria. “We choose to do something.”

In 2021, Jackson joined the parents of Ahmaud Arbery inside the Georgia courtroom where three white men were convicted of killing the young Black jogger. In 2022, he hand-delivered a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, calling for federal charges against former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the 2014 killing of Black teenager Laquan McDonald.

Jackson, who stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in July 2023, disclosed in 2017 that he had sought treatment for Parkinson’s, but he continued to make public appearances even as the disease made it more difficult for listeners to understand him. Earlier this year doctors confirmed a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder. He was admitted to a hospital in November.

During the coronavirus pandemic, he and his wife survived being hospitalized with COVID-19. Jackson was vaccinated early, urging Black people in particular to get protected, given their higher risks for bad outcomes.

“It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal,” Jackson told the AP. “There’s a reality check that has been brought by the coronavirus, that exposes the weakness and the opportunity.”

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Talks between the United States and Iran are set to resume on Tuesday in Geneva. A day ahead of the negotiations, Iran conducted a military exercise dubbed “Smart Control” in the Strait of Hormuz, simulating the closure of key shipping lanes, according to a report by Maariv’s military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi. The drill appeared aimed at sending a warning to Washington and the broader international community. Roughly a quarter of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes through the strait, along with a similar volume of commercial cargo vessels.

Iran’s message was clear: if attacked, it would respond in ways that could disrupt the global economy, striking where it would have the greatest impact on U.S. President Donald Trump. Iranian officials believe that threatening to shut the strait could pressure the United States to refrain from military action.

But closing the waterway is viewed as only one element of Iran’s broader deterrence strategy, which also includes the potential targeting of U.S. military bases in the Gulf, attacks on regional oil and gas infrastructure, and strikes against Israel.

In Israel, officials increasingly assess that the renewed diplomatic efforts are unlikely to yield significant progress. As a result, the IDF has accelerated preparations for possible escalation. The Israeli Air Force continues to enhance defensive readiness, refining operational capabilities on a daily basis. U.S. media reports indicated that Washington has granted Israel greater operational freedom regarding Iran’s ballistic missile threat. Israeli officials say this development is not surprising, citing Israel’s demonstrated effectiveness in previous confrontations.

Meanwhile, Iran marked 40 days since the recent massacre, a milestone that could reignite domestic protests. However, observers note that protest groups appear to be waiting for a potential American move that has yet to materialize.

Uncertainty continues to surround the outcome of the Geneva talks. At the same time, a second U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to arrive in the region in the coming days, alongside additional defensive and offensive assets. Analysts say the deployments are intended not only for an initial strike scenario, but also for the possibility of a prolonged conflict.

Israeli military activity has extended beyond the direct Iranian front. Since the start of the month, Israeli forces have reportedly killed over a dozen terrorists linked to Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon. The IDF is also closely monitoring developments in Syria, while conducting defensive exercises in the Golan Heights.

Tensions along the border with Jordan remain a concern, as does the situation in Judea and Samaria, where security officials warn of heightened volatility ahead of Ramadan irrespective of the Iran developments. Israeli defense sources say they detect Iranian efforts to inflame unrest there, potentially stretching Israel’s military focus across multiple arenas.

A terrorist released in the Shalit deal was arrested at the entrance to a mall in Kfar Saba after his behavior aroused the suspicion of a security guard, the police revealed on Tuesday.

The incident, which occurred last week, began when a security guard at the mall reported a suspicious individual trying to enter the mall. Police officers quickly arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect.

He was identified as a resident of Gaza who was released in the Shalit deal and had entered Israel illegally.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

The police investigation also led to the arrest of a resident of Kfar Saba in his 50s for allegedly transporting an illegal infiltrator into Israel.

At the end of the investigation, serious indictments were filed against the two suspects, along with a request to extend their detention until the end of proceedings.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a figure in the American civil rights movement, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, died today at the age of 84, his family announced.

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

No immediate cause of death was released.

Jackson had faced serious health challenges in recent years. He was hospitalized in November and had lived for more than a decade with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement, balance, and swallowing and can lead to life-threatening complications. In 2017, he publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson emerged as a national voice during the civil rights era, working closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and participating in major demonstrations.

In 1971, after a dispute that led to his suspension from the SCLC over allegations that he had used the organization for personal gain, Jackson founded People United to Save Humanity, known as PUSH. The organization focused on improving economic conditions in Black communities and later broadened its activities to include political advocacy. In 1996, PUSH merged with the National Rainbow Coalition, which Jackson had launched during his first presidential campaign, forming the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and again in 1988. In his first run, he secured more than 18% of the primary vote and won several contests. A 1984 New York Times profile noted, “Merely by being black and forcing other candidates to consider his very real potential to garner black votes, which they need, Jackson has had an impact.” In 1988, he expanded on that performance, winning 11 primaries and caucuses and cementing his status as a significant national political figure.

Reflecting on his 1984 campaign years later, Jackson said in a PBS interview, “The great responsibility that we have today is to put the poor and the near-poor back on front of the American agenda. This is a dangerous mission, and yet it’s a necessary mission!”

Yet his 1984 presidential bid was also shadowed by controversy, particularly over remarks and associations that many viewed as anti-Semitic. During an off-the-record conversation with a reporter that year, Jackson referred to Jews as “hymies” and called New York City “hymietown.” When the comments became public, he initially denied making them and accused Jewish critics of targeting his campaign. He later acknowledged using the slur and issued an emotional apology at a synagogue shortly before the New Hampshire primary.

Tensions intensified when Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan defended Jackson and issued his own inflammatory statements, including warning that if Jews harmed Jackson, it would be the “last ‘black brother’ they would harm.” Jackson’s hesitation at the time to fully repudiate Farrakhan drew sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and organizations.

Jackson was also criticized for comments regarding Jewish history and Israel. He faced backlash for statements suggesting he was “sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust,” asserting that it was no worse than the suffering endured by Black Americans during slavery, and claiming that Jews had a “persecution complex.” His approach to Middle East politics, including a 1979 public embrace of PLO chairman Yasir Arafat, angered many American Jews who viewed the PLO as hostile to Israel.

Additional controversy arose from a 1979 column in which Jackson wrote that Jews “dominate the leadership at the top” of the labor movement and blamed “Jewish promoters” for arranging a particular boxing match. The Anti-Defamation League accused him at the time of exhibiting an “anti-Semitic streak,” a charge that lingered in public debate for years.

Despite these disputes, Jackson continued to wield influence in American politics. In 1991, he was elected as one of Washington, D.C.’s “shadow senators,” advocating for D.C. statehood and serving a single term.

He also played a role in negotiating the release of detained Americans abroad. In 1984, he secured the freedom of a U.S. Navy pilot captured by Syria and facilitated the release of at least 16 Americans held in Cuba. In 1990, he helped obtain the release of 700 women and children from Iraq, and in 1999 he negotiated the release of three U.S. soldiers held in Yugoslavia. In recognition of these efforts, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Years later, he assisted in the release of two Gambian Americans imprisoned in The Gambia.

In more recent years, Jackson remained active in public life. He was a vocal supporter of progressive causes and politicians, including endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential race. Sanders said at the time, “It is one of the honors of my life to be supported by a man who has put his life on the line for the last 50 years fighting for justice.”

Jackson also commented frequently on national politics, condemning Donald Trump’s presidency and warning that “Fifty years of civil rights have been threatened.”

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Brown, whom he married in 1962, and their five children, including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

{Matzav.com}

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

It was 1984, and I was walking in Forest Hills, down Metropolitan Avenue headed toward Kew Gardens. Suddenly, a bottle struck me, and I was assaulted by three young men. “Hymie!” they shouted. Boruch Hashem, I emerged relatively unscathed — but I knew the cause. Jesse Jackson’s careless words, his offhand reference to Jews as “Hymies” and to New York as “Hymietown,” had filtered into the streets. Words spoken by a national figure had given license to thugs. The connection between rhetoric and violence was not theoretical for me that day — it was visceral and personal.

And yet, as we mark the passing of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. this morning, February 17, 2026, at the age of 84, the story does not end with that bottle on Metropolitan Avenue. It is, remarkably, a story of growth — of a man who caused real harm, who learned from his mistakes, and who spent decades trying to make things right. That journey of maturation deserves to be told.

The Civil Rights Foundation

Jackson emerged as a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the golden era of Black-Jewish cooperation. Jewish activists had marched at Selma, helped fund the NAACP, and two Jewish civil rights workers — Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner — were murdered alongside James Chaney in Mississippi in 1964. Jackson was present with King at the Lorraine Motel the day before King’s assassination in 1968. He carried forward King’s legacy, founding Operation PUSH in 1971, but the broader Black-Jewish alliance was already beginning to fray over issues of affirmative action, urban politics, and the Middle East.

The Dark Period: “Hymietown” and Farrakhan

The defining rupture came during Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign. In what he believed was an off-the-record conversation with Washington Post reporter Milton Coleman, Jackson referred to Jews as “Hymies” and to New York City as “Hymietown.”

His initial response compounded the damage: he denied making the comments, then tried to minimize them, and only after weeks of mounting pressure offered a public apology at a synagogue in Manchester, New Hampshire. Those harmful words — as I experienced firsthand on Metropolitan Avenue — had consequences far beyond the political arena. They seeped into the culture and emboldened those looking for an excuse to target Jews.

The wound was deepened enormously by Jackson’s association with Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who had been providing security for Jackson’s campaign. Farrakhan responded to the controversy with threats against Coleman and incendiary rhetoric against Jews. Jackson was painfully slow to distance himself from Farrakhan, and his eventual disavowal struck many as reluctant and insufficient.

Jackson had also caused deep alarm through his 1979 embrace of Yasser Arafat, at a time when the PLO was committed to Israel’s destruction, and through remarks such as his 1980 statement that “Zionism is a kind of poisonous weed that is choking Judaism.” For many American Jews, this constellation of words and associations marked Jackson as hostile not merely to Israeli policy but to Jewish peoplehood itself.

The Long Road of Growth

What happened next, however, is the part of the story that deserves emphasis — because it reveals something important about the human capacity for change.

Jackson did not simply move on and forget. He began a sustained, decades-long effort to repair the damage he had caused and to demonstrate through concrete actions that his commitment to the Jewish community was real. The record of his deeds tells a remarkable story of maturation.

Even before the “Hymietown” debacle, Jackson had stood with the Jewish community in Skokie, Illinois, in 1978, when neo-Nazis threatened to march through a neighborhood home to thousands of Holocaust survivors. He marched arm-in-arm with Jews against hatred at a time when it mattered.

In 1985, when President Reagan controversially laid a memorial wreath at a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, that contained graves of SS soldiers, Jackson led a counter-protest at the Dachau concentration camp — a powerful statement of solidarity with the memory of the six million.

Jackson personally intervened with world leaders on behalf of persecuted Jews. He pressed Syrian President Hafez Assad to release Syrian Jews who were being held in oppressive conditions. He confronted Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev about the plight of Soviet Jewry, advocating for their right to emigrate freely.

He visited synagogues across the country, engaged in private dialogue with Jewish leaders, and worked to build personal relationships of trust.

The Brussels Speech: A Turning Point

Perhaps the most dramatic symbol of Jackson’s transformation came in July 1992, when he addressed the World Jewish Congress at its conference on antisemitism in Brussels. The invitation itself was controversial — Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress, faced opposition from members who considered Jackson’s record disqualifying. But Bronfman believed in the possibility of reconciliation, and Reform leader Alexander Schindler urged the Jewish community to accept that, in his words, “people can learn, and change, and grow.”

Jackson rose to the occasion. He delivered a powerful address in which he condemned antisemitism in unequivocal terms, praised Zionism as “a liberation movement,” attacked the stereotyping of Jews, and called for Blacks and Jews to renew their joint fight against racism. He invoked the shared legacy of King and Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel, of Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman. He called for common action and urged both communities to share synagogue and church experiences so that they might develop a greater appreciation of each other.

Isi Leibler, an Australian Jewish leader and co-chairman of the WJC’s governing board, had initially opposed Jackson’s appearance. Afterward, he admitted candidly that he had been wrong, and that he saw genuine opportunities for rapprochement going forward.

Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, while more cautious, extended his hand, describing himself as a ready and willing partner.

The transformation in Jackson’s language — from “Zionism is a poisonous weed” to “Zionism is a liberation movement” — was not mere political calculation. It reflected years of listening, learning, and genuine introspection.

The Iranian Jewish Crisis: Words Become Deeds

In 1999, when thirteen Iranian Jews — including rabbis, religious teachers, and community activists — were arrested and charged as Zionist spies, a charge punishable by death in Iran, Jackson stepped forward without hesitation. He appeared at the Park East Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and committed himself to working for their release.

Ronald Lauder, then chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, introduced Jackson warmly, cataloguing his record of pro-Jewish advocacy — Skokie, Dachau, Soviet Jewry, Syrian Jews. Foxman, who had never hesitated to criticize Jackson in the past, acknowledged that opposing Jackson’s involvement on the basis of his earlier record would be “unproductive.” The commandment of saving Jewish life, Foxman said, transcended old grievances. And Jackson’s response to the families’ plea for help was, in Foxman’s words, immediate, positive, and unconditional.

This was no longer the same man who had carelessly tossed around slurs in 1984. This was a leader who had internalized the weight of his earlier mistakes and was determined to make amends through action.

A Mature Legacy

In the years that followed, Jackson continued to speak at Holocaust commemorations and interfaith gatherings. He addressed the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma at a former concentration camp, delivering a moving speech in which he declared that the genocide against Jews stands as one of the greatest crimes against humanity and called for vigilance against the resurgence of antisemitism and far-right nationalism. He warned that the scourge of antisemitism was on the rise in Europe as the far right grew bolder and stronger.

In 2000, President Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On election night 2008, when Barack Obama was projected to win the presidency — a moment made possible in part by Jackson’s own pioneering campaigns — Jackson was captured on camera with tears streaming down his face, a man who had lived long enough to see the fruits of his life’s work.

Even as Parkinson’s disease and later progressive supranuclear palsy weakened his body, Jackson continued advocating. He was arrested twice in 2021, at the age of 79, while protesting the Senate filibuster rule — still willing to put his body on the line for what he believed was right.

Drawing Inspiration from His Growth

As we mark the passing of Reverend Jackson, it is worth pausing to consider what his journey teaches us.

It would be easy — and in some ways justified — to define people by their worst moments. The “Hymietown” remark was not a minor slip. It reflected attitudes that caused genuine harm to real people and to the fragile fabric of Black-Jewish relations. I carry the memory of Metropolitan Avenue in my bones. The Jewish community’s pain was legitimate, and no one should minimize it.

But the Torah itself teaches that teshuvah — repentance and return — is among the highest of human achievements. The Rambam writes (Hilchos Teshuvah 2:1) that complete teshuvah is achieved when a person encounters the same situation in which he previously sinned and refrains from sinning — not because of fear or weakness, but because of genuine inner change. By that measure, Jackson’s trajectory is deeply instructive. The man who had carelessly demeaned Jews in 1984 became the man who stood at Dachau, who interceded for Syrian and Soviet and Iranian Jews, who praised Zionism as a liberation movement before a global Jewish audience, and who spoke with genuine anguish about the Holocaust at memorial events across Europe.

Was the transformation complete? Was every grievance resolved? Of course not. Some in the Jewish community never fully forgave him, and the lingering question of his relationship with Farrakhan remained a source of tension throughout his life. But the direction of movement was unmistakable, and it was sustained over decades — not a single gesture but a pattern of life.

In a time when our public discourse often seems to allow no room for growth, when people are permanently defined by their worst statements, Jackson’s long journey from “Hymietown” to Dachau, from “poisonous weed” to “liberation movement,” from antagonist to advocate for imprisoned Iranian Jews, offers a counternarrative worth contemplating. People can learn. People can change. People can grow. And when they do, we honor both them and ourselves by acknowledging that growth.

May his memory be for inspiration, and may the best of what he became inspire us all to never give up on the possibility of teshuvah.

The author may be reached at [email protected]

WATCH:

State Attorney Amit Aisman insisted on filing the case involving smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip under the charge of aiding the enemy in wartime—the gravest offense in Israeli law—despite the fierce objection of Southern District prosecutors, i24News reported.

The charge, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment, was included in the indictments against 12 suspects, including Betzalel Zini, the Shin Bet chief’s brother.

The prosecutors, led by District Attorney Erez Padan, strongly objected to the move, arguing that the charge was not sufficiently supported by evidence from a legal standpoint, contradicts common sense, does not align with existing legal precedents, and fails to meet the required principle of proportionality.

Despite Padan’s professional pushback, Isman overruled his arguments and refused to withdraw the charge from the indictments.

Similar scathing criticism was voiced last week by Adv. Yuval Kaplinsky, former head of the State Prosecution International Division, who used unusually harsh language against Isman, calling his decision “a display of impaired judgment, professional negligence, intoxication with power, and loss of direction.”

He added, “There is clear evidence of a forced and contrived labeling of the charge, accompanied by a mistaken and misleading application of the doctrine of foreseeability, insensitivity amounting to a prosecutorial rampage, and zero strategic planning regarding the sentence that will ultimately be imposed.”

It should be noted that last month, indictments were filed in a similar case involving soldiers from the Bedouin reconnaissance battalion accused of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza—but they faced a less severe national security charge, carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Senior political commentator Amit Segal said at the time: “We live in a remarkable era of law enforcement in which it’s better to be a Bedouin than to be the Shin Bet chief’s brother.”

Channel 14 journalist Yinon Magal wryly commented, “If Zini’s brother really knew about the smuggling of cigarettes into Gaza, it’s strange that Isman didn’t charge him with genocide as well.”

Likud MK Moshe Saada excoriated the State Attorney’s decision. “The failed and unfit Amit Isman continues to use his position for political purposes, systematically targeting members of the national camp,” he stated.

Saada added, “The bizarre directive to add the offense of aiding the enemy—punishable by death or life imprisonment—over cigarette smuggling is part of a deliberate witch hunt aimed at triggering a constitutional crisis or the resignation of the Shin Bet chief, who exposed the Military Advocate General affair and refuses to align with Isman and his deep-state colleagues.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Adar is here!  And if ever there was a month to grow from a sefer – Adar is it!  The Megillah is not just an account of the Nais of Purim. It is a blueprint filled with life lessons showing us how to live. 

Rav Yerucham Levovitz zt”l, the legendary Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva in Poland, makes a remarkable observation (Daas Chochma uMussar Vol. I, p. 76). Building on the Vilna Gaon’s explanation of the very last pasuk of Megilas Esther, Rav Yerucham teaches that the entire Megillah is really a mussar sefer – a book of ethical instruction. Every character, every decision, every twist of what transpires – carries a life lesson.

Study the terrible choices of Haman and Achashverosh – and learn what to avoid. Study the righteous conduct of Mordechai and Esther – and learn what to become. Through these contrasting portraits, the Megillah hands us life lessons that are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.

1. Gaavah – Pride and Arrogance

Pride is poison to the soul. It makes a person believe he deserves honor, blinds him to his own faults, and pushes away both Hashem and the people around him. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 11) calls it one of the most spiritually destructive traits. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:34) goes further: the arrogant person effectively denies Hashem’s control over the world. And the Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar HaKeni’ah, Ch. 1) warns that pride blinds a person to his own weaknesses and drives a wedge between him and everyone else.

Achashverosh throws a six-month feast just to show off his wealth and power (1:4). Think about that – half a year of extravagance, all to feed one man’s ego. Real greatness has nothing to do with flashy displays. It comes from humility, from using what we have for meaningful purposes instead of self-glorification. As Shlomo HaMelech warns: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Mishlei 16:18).

Haman cannot stand that one person – Mordechai – refuses to bow to him (3:5). One person! Haman has everything: wealth, power, the king’s favor. But a single man’s refusal to grovel eats him alive. When your ego demands that every single person validate you, you will never have peace.

Haman brags to his family about his exclusive dinner invitation from Esther (5:12). He has to tell everyone how important he is. But the constant need to feel special is a trap – it prevents real happiness. No matter how much you achieve, vanity will always whisper that it’s not enough.

When Achashverosh asks “What should be done for someone the king wants to honor?” Haman immediately assumes it is him (6:6). Of course he does. Baalei Gaavah and narcisstic people filter everything through their own desires. They can’t imagine the world doesn’t revolve around them – and that blindness sets them up for devastating humiliation.

Achashverosh orders Haman to lead Mordechai through the streets in royal honor – the very man Haman wanted dead (6:10). This is a midah-keneged midah form of poetic justice at its finest. Pride sets you up for a fall, and sometimes those who scheme against others watch their own plans boomerang right back.

Haman must personally parade Mordechai through the city (6:11). He experiences the painful flip side of arrogance. Our attitudes come back to us in ways we never expect. Treat others with the respect you want for yourself – because midah-keneged midah has a way of evening the score.

After being honored, Mordechai quietly returns to his post. Haman, by contrast, falls apart (6:12). This contrast says everything. A true tzaddik stays humble even when honored. An arrogant person is destroyed by any loss of status. Which one do you want to be?

2. Humility and Modesty

True humility means recognizing that every talent you have, every success you’ve experienced, is a gift from Hashem. It doesn’t mean thinking you’re worthless – it means understanding where your worth really comes from. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 22) devotes an entire chapter to this idea. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaAnavah) teaches that the humble person doesn’t chase honor but finds satisfaction in serving others and doing Hashem’s will. The Nefesh haChaim explains that we are here to help others.   That is why we are here – chessed.  And the Rambam (Hilchos De’os 2:3) makes a stunning ruling: when it comes to pride, don’t even aim for the middle path – go to the extreme of humility, because even a little arrogance is dangerous.

Esther doesn’t demand special treatment or pile on expensive beauty products. She simply follows the chamberlain’s advice (2:15). And yet she wins everyone over. True respect is earned through tznius, authenticity, and good character – not by flashy displays or  special treatment. As Shlomo HaMelech says: “Hashem detests the proud in heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Mishlei 16:5).

Even after Esther becomes queen, Mordechai stays at his humble post by the palace gate (2:19). He doesn’t try to cash in on his cousin’s new position. He doesn’t angle for a promotion or a title. He keeps doing what’s right, focused on serving others rather than climbing the ladder. “The righteous who walks in his integrity – blessed are his children after him!” (Mishlei 20:7).

3. Materialism and the Emptiness of External Possessions

We were not put into this world to collect things. Our purpose is to draw close to Hashem, and everything else – money, possessions, luxuries – are just tools to help us get there. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 1) makes this the very foundation of its entire system. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar HaPrishus, Ch. 1) warns that chasing wealth creates an appetite that can never be satisfied – the more you have, the more you want. Rabbeinu Yonah (Mishlei 23:4) cautions that the pursuit of riches leads a person to neglect Torah and mitzvos, leaving him spiritually bankrupt no matter how full his bank account.

Achashverosh’s palace is dripping with luxury – gold, silver, marble, fine fabrics (1:6). But all that opulence can’t hide the corruption underneath. No amount of expensive decorations can make up for a rotten character. Real worth comes from who you are, not what you own. The Navi Yirmiyahu tells us: “Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom or the strong boast in their strength or the rich boast in their riches, but let those who boast – boast in this: that they understand and know Me” (Yirmiyahu 9:23–24).

Haman has everything – wealth, power, honor – but says it all “means nothing” because Mordechai won’t bow to him (5:13). Let that sink in. One person’s refusal to show respect poisons everything else in his life. Resentment and obsession with status can rob you of the ability to enjoy any of your actual blessings.

4. Controlling Anger and Emotions

Anger is one of the worst character traits a person can have. When you’re angry, you lose your wisdom and do things you’ll deeply regret. The Rambam (Hilchos De’os 2:3) says a person should train himself not to get angry even when anger seems justified. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaKa’as) explains that anger chases away wisdom and leads to terrible decisions. And Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar (Avos D’Rebbi Noson 29:1) teaches that an angry person has temporarily lost control of his rational mind.

When Vashti refuses to appear, Achashverosh explodes with rage (1:12). He can’t handle being told no. His fury reveals a person who demands total obedience and has zero ability to manage his emotions. We must learn to control ourselves when we’re disappointed – and to respect other people’s boundaries even when we disagree. “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Mishlei 29:11).

Haman swings from ecstasy to fury in a single moment – thrilled by his dinner invitation, then enraged by Mordechai’s refusal to bow (5:9). When your emotional stability depends entirely on how other people treat you, you will always be on a roller coaster. True inner peace comes from values and character, not from other people’s reactions.

5. Hasty and Impulsive Decision-Making

There’s a big difference between acting quickly and acting recklessly. True diligence means thinking carefully before you act, not just rushing ahead on emotion. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 2) distinguishes between thoughtful promptness and impulsive behavior driven by feelings. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaZerizus) teaches that real zrizus diligence requires contemplating whether an action is wise before rushing to do it. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 1:12) warns that impulsive people cause damage because they fail to think about or weigh consequences.

Achashverosh, still burning with anger, permanently removes Vashti from her position (1:21). He doesn’t pause, doesn’t reconsider, doesn’t sleep on it. Never make major decisions while you’re emotional. The consequences last long after the feelings fade. “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Mishlei 21:5).

Only after his anger cools does Achashverosh realize what he’s done to Vashti (2:1). But it’s too late. The decision can’t be reversed. How many times do we act in anger and then wish we could take it back? Important decisions must be made with a clear, calm mind. “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Mishlei 18:17).

Achashverosh continues to grant extreme requests without thinking them through (9:12). He never learns. Don’t let emotion or flattery push you into impulsive decisions. Take the time to carefully consider the consequences – especially when other people’s lives are affected.

6. Intoxication and Impaired Judgment

Anything that clouds your thinking leads to bad decisions. A Torah scholar should never drink to the point where he loses his judgment and disgraces himself – the Rambam is clear about this (Hilchos De’os 5:3). The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 13) lists intoxication among the indulgences that pull a person away from serving Hashem. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:77) counts habitual drunkenness among serious sins, warning that it leads to abandoning Torah and committing terrible mistakes.

Achashverosh makes life-altering decisions while drunk (1:10). This is reckless beyond words. Leaders especially must keep clear heads when exercising power. Anything that impairs your thinking puts you – and everyone around you – in danger. As Shlomo HaMelech says: “It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers to desire strong drink; lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted” (Mishlei 31:4–5).

7. Moderation and Avoiding Excess

The Torah way is the middle path. Avoid extremes. Don’t starve yourself, but don’t indulge until pleasure becomes the point of your life. The Rambam (Hilchos De’os 1:4) famously teaches this “golden mean.” The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 13) explains that abstinence from excess means enjoying this world’s pleasures only as much as necessary – never letting indulgence become a goal in itself. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar HaPrishus, Ch. 2) adds that a person who disciplines himself in physical matters will gain greater clarity and a deeper connection to the spiritual.

Achashverosh’s feast allows guests to drink as much as they want, and the whole atmosphere encourages excess (1:8). Even when you give people freedom to choose, you should promote healthy, balanced behavior – not enable destructive habits. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor” (Mishlei 23:20–21).

8. Kavod HaBriyos – Respecting Human Dignity

Every human being is created b’tzelem Elokim – in Hashem’s image, and that demands respect. Human dignity is so fundamental that the Gemara (Brachos 19b) teaches it can even override certain rabbinic prohibitions. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) explains that treating every person with honor means recognizing the tzelem Elokim – the divine image – in each individual. Rav Chaim Vital (Sha’arei Kedushah 1:2) writes that proper treatment of others is actually a prerequisite for spiritual growth – you cannot draw close to Hashem while degrading the people He created.

Achashverosh orders Vashti to appear before his drunken guests like a trophy on display (1:11). He treats his own wife as an object, not a person. We must value people for who they are on the inside, not treat them as possessions to show off. “Hashem created mankind in His own image, in the image of Hashem He created them; male and female He created them” (Bereishis 1:27).

Young women throughout the kingdom are rounded up, prepared, and presented for the king’s pleasure (2:3). An entire system built on using people as objects. We must recognize and speak out against systems that dehumanize others for the benefit of the powerful – even when everyone around us treats it as normal. The Navi Yishayahu cries out: “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression” (Yishayahu 10:1–2).

9. Hatred, Prejudice, and Scapegoating

Baseless hatred – sinas chinam – destroyed the Beis HaMikdash and remains the primary obstacle to its rebuilding. The Chofetz Chaim (Sefer Chofetz Chaim, Introduction) makes this devastatingly clear. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:38) warns that hatred in the heart violates a Torah prohibition and inevitably leads to destructive action. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaSin’ah) teaches that hatred warps a person’s perception of reality, making him see enemies where there are none and pursue the destruction of innocent people.

One man refuses to bow to him, so Haman decides to destroy an entire nation (3:6). Read that again. One personal insult escalates into planned genocide. This is the terrifying progression: wounded pride becomes personal grudge, personal grudge becomes group hatred, and group hatred becomes mass cruelty. “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Mishlei 16:5).

Haman portrays Klal Yisroel as disloyal outsiders who are a threat to the empire (3:8). This is a timeless playbook: take a minority’s distinctiveness and repackage it as danger. Be on guard against hatred dressed up as concern for the common good. When someone tells you a group of people is “dangerous” because they’re different, recognize the manipulation for what it is.

Haman casts lots to pick the “right” date for his genocide, disguising his evil as destiny (3:7). Be wary of anyone who claims that fate, signs, or destiny justify harmful actions. Appeals to “it was meant to be” often mask personal responsibility for terrible choices.

10. Leadership and Responsibility

A leader carries the weight of every life entrusted to him. True leadership means serving others, not being served.

The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) teaches that a genuine chassid bears responsibility not just for himself but for his entire generation. The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 2:6) instructs that a king’s heart must serve as the heart of the entire Jewish people, with humility and compassion. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar Avodas HaElokim, Ch. 6) warns that anyone entrusted with authority will be held accountable by Hashem for every failure of care.

Achashverosh hands over his signet ring and authorizes genocide without even investigating what’s being asked of him – all for money (3:10–11). He sells millions of lives without a second thought. Human life is infinitely more valuable than political convenience or financial gain. Leaders who are indifferent to suffering are not leaders at all. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for Hashem made man in His own image” (Bereishis 9:6).

Achashverosh only shows generosity when it benefits him personally, throwing a feast to celebrate his own new bride (2:18). Real generosity comes from genuine care for others – not as a political strategy to celebrate your own good fortune or buy loyalty. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to Hashem, and He will repay him for his deed” (Mishlei 19:17).

After everything, Achashverosh tries to pose as the Jews’ protector – conveniently ignoring that he authorized their destruction in the first place (8:7). Don’t claim credit for solving problems you helped create. Take full responsibility for your mistakes instead of rewriting history to make yourself look good.

After rising to power, Mordechai remains beloved by his people because he uses his position to help them, not himself (10:3). This is the ultimate definition of a true leader: not the power you hold, but how you use it. As the Torah instructs regarding kings: “That his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers” (Devarim 17:20).

11. Systems, Governance, and Moral Responsibility

Systems designed for governance can be turned into weapons of evil. But “I was just following orders” is never an excuse. Every individual bears personal moral responsibility for what he does. The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 4:10) warns that a king who uses authority to oppress has lost the legitimacy of his rule. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 4) teaches that you cannot hide behind the system – you are accountable for your own actions. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 496) explains that officials who pervert justice bear responsibility not only for their own sins but for all the suffering they caused.

The imperial bureaucracy is mobilized with terrifying efficiency to carry out genocide – letters written, sealed, and distributed through official channels (3:12). Paperwork and procedures can serve evil just as easily as good. Moral responsibility belongs to everyone in the chain – not just the person who gives the order, but everyone who carries it out. “If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever” (Mishlei 29:14).

The empire’s laws cannot be revoked, even when they command mass murder (8:8). A system that values the appearance of infallibility over actual justice is a broken system. Good governance builds in mechanisms for correction – because human beings make mistakes, and pretending otherwise costs lives.

Officials who would have happily carried out genocide now protect the Jews – but only because they’re afraid of Mordechai, not because they’ve had a change of heart (9:3). When people obey out of fear rather than conviction, their loyalty flips the moment power shifts. Compliance based on intimidation is unreliable and hollow.

12. Courage, Mesiras Nefesh, and Standing on Principle

Sometimes doing what’s right means putting yourself on the line. It takes courage to stand alone, to refuse to go along with what everyone else is doing, to risk your safety for your principles. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) teaches that true piety sometimes demands risking your comfort, reputation, and even safety. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaYirah) explains that genuine fear of Hashem gives a person the strength to stand firm against human pressure. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:58) counts among the righteous those who sanctify Hashem’s name publicly by refusing to compromise under threat.

Mordechai refuses to bow to Haman, no matter what (3:2). Everyone else bows. The pressure is enormous. The consequences could be fatal. But Mordechai stands firm. There are values more important than fitting in, more important than personal safety. “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” (Tehillim 27:3).

Day after day, Achashverosh’s servants pressure Mordechai to comply (3:3). This is how society works: it pushes you to go along, to stop making waves, to just do what everyone else is doing. Standing for what’s right often means being the only one who says no. “You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing” (Shmos 23:2). Mordechai demonstrates this and sets an example for Klal Yisroel for all generations.

Even Esther – a nevi’ah, a prophetess – hesitates before approaching the king uninvited (4:11). And that’s an incredibly important insight. Courage is not the absence of fear. The bravest people feel fear – they just don’t let it stop them. Acknowledging real danger is not weakness; it’s wisdom.

Esther fasts for three days, preparing herself spiritually before risking her life (4:16). When you face something dangerous but necessary, prepare yourself – spiritually, mentally, practically. Courage combined with preparation is unstoppable.

Esther points directly at Haman and names him as the enemy in front of the king (7:6). There are times when evil must be called out by name, publicly and directly, even when it’s terrifying to do so. Standing for truth requires both the wisdom to choose the right moment and the boldness to speak when that moment comes.

13. Communal Responsibility and Noseh B’Ol Chaveiro

No Jew stands alone. Our fates are bound together. If your community is suffering and you look the other way, you are failing a fundamental obligation. The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 2:7) teaches that one who separates from the community during its time of distress will not merit sharing in its comfort. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) explains that a true chassid feels the pain of others as if it were his own. Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto further writes (Derech Hashem 2:3:8) that the souls of Klal Yisroel are interconnected – what happens to one affects everyone.

Mordechai tells Esther bluntly: “Don’t think that because you’re in the palace, you’ll escape” (4:13). Silence in the face of injustice is neither safe nor moral. If you have access, privilege, or a platform, you have a responsibility to use it for others. You cannot opt out of your community’s fate.

Mordechai drives the point home: privilege doesn’t protect you when your entire community is under threat (4:14). No matter how high you’ve climbed or how safe you feel, you are never exempt from the responsibility to help others.

Mordechai refuses to be comforted or to accept new clothes while his people face destruction (4:4). True leadership means sharing in the suffering of your community. You don’t accept comfort when others are in pain, and you don’t settle for surface-level solutions to deep problems.

14. Chesed, Caring for Others, and Family Responsibility

Chesed – lovingkindness – is not optional. If you have the ability to help someone and you don’t, it’s as if you’ve actively harmed them. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) roots true piety in chesed. The Chofetz Chaim (Ahavas Chesed, Part 2, Ch. 1) explains that caring for orphans and family members in need is among the highest forms of righteousness. The Rambam (Hilchos Avel 14:1) rules that mitzvos of lovingkindness – visiting the sick, comforting mourners, providing for the needy – have no prescribed limit.

Mordechai takes in his orphaned cousin Esther and raises her as his own daughter (2:7). This is chesed in action. Caring for those in need – especially family – even when it demands personal sacrifice, is one of the most powerful things a person can do. As we see from Boaz in Megilas Rus, who takes responsibility for Rus and Naomi (Rus 4:16) – stepping up for family is a hallmark of true righteousness.

15. Hakaras HaTov – Gratitude and Giving Credit

Gratitude is the foundation of every relationship – with Hashem and with other people. If you can’t recognize the good others have done for you, something in your character is broken. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar Avodas HaElokim, Ch. 6) calls hakaras hatov the very basis of our relationship with Hashem. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaSimchah) says that failing to acknowledge kindness reveals a corrupt and ungrateful heart. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 33) warns that ingratitude toward people leads directly to ingratitude toward Hashem.

Mordechai uncovers an assassination plot and reports it. Esther, when telling the king, makes sure to give Mordechai the credit (2:22). Two lessons here: act with integrity in all situations, and give credit where it’s due. Don’t advance yourself on someone else’s work. The Gemara (Megillah 15a) teaches that giving proper credit brings redemption to the world.

Despite saving the king’s life, Mordechai receives nothing – not even a thank-you (2:23). The deed is written in the royal chronicles and promptly forgotten. Don’t be like Achashverosh. When someone does something good for you, acknowledge it. Thank them. Never take others’ kindness for granted. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Mishlei 3:27).

Achashverosh can’t sleep and discovers that he never rewarded Mordechai for saving his life (6:1). The lesson is clear: don’t wait until the middle of the night to remember the people who helped you. Show gratitude promptly and meaningfully.

16. Chochmah – Wisdom, Strategy, and Seeking Counsel

A wise person doesn’t act alone. He seeks advice, listens carefully, and thinks before he moves. “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel” (Mishlei 1:5). The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 3) emphasizes reflecting carefully before acting and seeking guidance from those wiser than yourself. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaEitzah) warns that even well-meaning advisors can mislead you if their counsel is tainted by personal bias. Rabbeinu Yonah (Mishlei 12:15) explains that the hallmark of wisdom is the willingness to seek and accept counsel, while the fool stubbornly insists on his own way.

Even after becoming queen, Esther continues to trust and follow Mordechai’s guidance (2:10). Status doesn’t replace wisdom. No matter how much your circumstances change, there is always value in listening to those who see things clearly. “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Mishlei 11:14).

Esther doesn’t blurt out her request immediately. She invites the king and Haman to a private banquet first, building the right setting (5:4). Timing matters. Presentation matters. When you need to say something important – especially to someone in authority – think carefully about how and when to say it.

Esther dresses carefully and presents herself with dignity before approaching the king (5:1). Serious missions require serious preparation. Respecting proper protocol and presentation isn’t superficial – it can make the difference between success and failure.

Haman’s wife Zeresh and his friends encourage him to build gallows for Mordechai (5:14). Bad advice from people you trust is the most dangerous kind. Especially when you’re upset, be extra careful about whose counsel you follow. Reject advice that feeds your worst instincts instead of your best values. Haman liked the idea – and it destroyed him.

17. Emes – Truth, Integrity, and Honest Advocacy

Truth is one of the pillars the world stands on. It’s not just about avoiding lies – it’s about making sure every word you say accurately reflects reality. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 11) teaches this principle as foundational. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaEmes) explains that truthfulness means ensuring that your words match what’s actually true. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:178) warns that distorting the truth – even for a “good” reason – undermines the trust that holds society together.

Mordechai gives Esther exact, detailed, factual information about Haman’s bribe and his genocidal plan (4:7). He doesn’t exaggerate or rely on vague accusations. When you’re fighting injustice, you need facts and specifics, not just emotion. Honest, precise information is the most powerful weapon against evil. “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous” (Shmos 23:7).

18. Hashgachah Pratis – Divine Providence and Purpose

Nothing in life is random. Every event, every circumstance, every twist of fate is guided by Hashem’s hand. Recognizing this – Hashgachah Pratis – is the foundation of the entire Torah, as the Ramban teaches (Shmos 13:16). The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 24) explains that a person who reaches the level of kedushah sees Hashem’s hand in every event and understands that nothing happens by accident. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar HaBitachon, Ch. 3) teaches that trusting in Hashem’s providence means seeing your circumstances not as random but as purposeful – designed to help you fulfill your unique mission.

Mordechai helps Esther see that her position in the palace is not a coincidence – it’s from Shamayim (4:14). Your circumstances, your abilities, your opportunities – they may have been given to you not just for your own benefit, but so that you can help others in a moment of crisis. Pay attention to where Hashem has placed you, and ask yourself: what am I here to do?

19. Mutual Respect and Partnership

Even great leaders need to know when to follow someone else’s lead. Pirkei Avos (2:4) reminds us not to trust only in ourselves. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 20) explains that genuine humility allows a person to follow another’s direction when the situation demands it, without feeling diminished. The Orchos Tzaddikim (Sha’ar HaAnavah) adds that truly humble people recognize that wisdom is spread across many individuals, and effective partnerships require yielding to others’ strengths.

Mordechai immediately follows Esther’s instructions to fast (4:17). He gave her direction; now she gives him direction, and he follows without hesitation. True leadership means knowing when to lead and when to follow. The strongest partnerships are built on mutual respect and trust.

20. Responding to Crisis – Tefillah, Mourning, and Communal Action

When disaster strikes, the Torah demands that we cry out. Silence in the face of communal danger is not calm – it’s cruelty. The Rambam (Hilchos Ta’aniyos 1:1–3) rules that it is a positive commandment to cry out and sound trumpets in times of distress, and that failing to do so invites further suffering. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) teaches that the chassid actively participates in fasting, prayer, and mourning when his people are in danger. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 433) explains that communal fasting and tefillah awaken hearts to teshuvah.

Mordechai tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and cries out publicly (4:1). He doesn’t hide his grief. He doesn’t pretend things are normal. When evil threatens, expressing genuine pain is not weakness – it is necessary. “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Koheles 3:4).

Jews across the empire respond with fasting, weeping, and prayer (4:3). They don’t give up and they don’t run. They turn to Hashem together. In times of crisis, spiritual response must accompany practical action, and collective prayer is a powerful force. “Call a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of Hashem your G-d, and cry out to Hashem” (Yoel 1:14).

21. Justice, Self-Defense, and Middah K’Neged Middah

Hashem runs the world with perfect justice. Every action has its consequence. Middah k’neged middah – measure for measure – is the fundamental way Hashem governs. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 1) establishes this principle. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 600) explains that the Torah permits self-defense because a person is not required to passively accept his own destruction. Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 2:5) warns that those who are cruel to others while expecting mercy for themselves embody the worst hypocrisy.

Haman, who showed zero mercy to anyone, desperately begs for his own life when the tables turn (7:7). The hypocrisy is breathtaking. People who deny compassion to others are often the first to demand it when their own circumstances change. It exposes the self-serving nature of their entire worldview.

Haman is hanged on the very gallows he built for Mordechai (7:10). The trap he set for someone else became his own death. Those who dig pits for others often fall into them. Justice may be delayed, but it comes.

The new decree allows Jews to defend themselves against actual attackers – not to take revenge on the general population (8:11). This is a critical distinction. There is a world of difference between legitimate self-defense and indiscriminate retaliation. Justice means protecting the innocent, not seeking vengeance.

Esther requests an additional day of defense and the public display of Haman’s sons (9:13). When an existential threat is real, strong deterrent action may be necessary. Protecting the vulnerable sometimes demands measures that demonstrate the serious consequences of attempted genocide.

22. Persistent Advocacy for Others

Don’t stop fighting until the job is done. Partial results are not enough when lives are at stake. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) teaches that true piety demands that you not rest until the welfare of others is fully secured. The Chofetz Chaim (Ahavas Chesed, Part 2, Ch. 5) explains that real chesed means pursuing the good of others persistently and completely. Rabbeinu Yonah (Mishlei 3:27) warns that stopping when you still have the ability to help means you haven’t fulfilled your obligation.

Even after Haman is executed, Esther doesn’t stop. She falls at the king’s feet and pleads for the decree against her people to be reversed (8:3). Haman is dead, but the danger remains. True advocacy isn’t about personal victory – it’s about making sure everyone is safe. You don’t stop until justice and protection are secured for all.

23. Tikvah – Hope and the Possibility of Reversal

Even in the darkest moment, everything can change in an instant. A person of faith holds onto this truth no matter what. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 19) teaches that even in the most hopeless circumstances, Hashem can reverse everything. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar HaBitachon, Ch. 4) explains that genuine trust in Hashem means believing that salvation can come from any direction, especially when all natural avenues seem closed. Rav Yisrael Salanter famously taught: as long as the candle is still burning, there is still time to repair.

The Jews experience a complete transformation – from darkness to light, from mourning to joy (8:16). When things look impossible, remember the Purim story. The situation went from a death sentence to celebration in a matter of days. Never give up hope. Salvation can come when you least expect it.

24. Commemoration, Memory, and Legacy

Remembering is not nostalgia – it is a powerful tool for passing midos and our Torah values from one generation to the next. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 21) teaches that commemoration ensures that the lessons of the past continue to shape the future. The Ramban (Shmos 13:16) explains that remembering Hashem’s miracles strengthens emunah and ensures future generations never forget His hashgacha pratis – providence. The Mesilas Yesharim (Ch. 1) reminds us that this world is for purposeful action, and recording righteous deeds ensures their influence endures.

Mordechai makes sure the Jews quickly transition from battle to celebration, marking their deliverance with gratitude (9:17). After periods of danger and struggle, it is proper and healing to establish celebrations that acknowledge both the threat that we faced and the salvation that was experienced.  That is the idea of making a seudas hodaah.

Chazal emphasize that Purim must be remembered at every level – individual, family, community, and national (9:28). Important lessons must be reinforced through multiple layers of society to stay alive. Both private and public remembrance play essential roles.

The celebration of Purim is balanced with remembrance of the suffering that came before it (9:31). The Megillah here teaches that true commemoration includes both the pain and the joy – the threat and the deliverance. Honoring the full truth of an experience is what gives it lasting power. “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning” (Yishayahu 61:3).

Mordechai’s deeds are recorded in the official royal chronicles (10:2). Evil may seem to win for a while, but it is ultimately righteousness that endures and is honored through the generations. “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Mishlei 10:7).

The author can be reached at [email protected]

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, has died. He was 84.

Jackson died Tuesday surrounded by family, according to a statement posted online from the family.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King’s successor.

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned.

It was a message he took literally and personally, having risen from obscurity in the segregated South to become America’s best-known civil rights activist since King.

Jackson’s voice, infused with the stirring cadences and powerful insistence of the Black church, demanded attention. On the campaign trail and elsewhere, he used rhyming and slogans such as: “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it then I can achieve it,″ to deliver his messages.

Jackson had his share of critics, both within and outside of the Black community. Some considered him a grandstander, too eager to seek out the spotlight. Looking back on his life and legacy, Jackson told The Associated Press in 2011 that he felt blessed to be able to continue the service of other leaders before him and to lay a foundation for those to come.

“A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically torn down walls,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, he lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.

“I get very emotional knowing that these speeches belong to the ages now,” his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told the AP in October.

(AP)

The U.S. and Iran are holding their second round of talks about Iran’s nuclear program Tuesday in Geneva as the United States ramps up its military presence in the Middle East and Iran holds large-scale maritime exercises.

As the talks began, Iranian media announced that Iran had fired live missiles towards the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had announced a maritime military exercise on Monday in waterways that are crucial international trade routes through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said missiles launched inside Iran and along its coast had struck their targets in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state TV reported Tuesday that the negotiations with the U.S. will be indirect and will focus only on Iran’s nuclear program, not domestic policies, including its bloody crackdown on protesters last month.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with an attack of its own. Trump has also threatened Iran over its deadly crackdown on recent nationwide protests.

The first round of talks Feb. 6 were held in Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, and were indirect, with SUVs flying the American flag entering the palace venue only after it appeared the Iranian officials had left. The arrangements for Tuesday’s round of negotiations were not clear.

Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were traveling for the new round of talks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, Hungary, said Monday that the U.S. hopes to achieve a deal with Iran, despite the difficulties. “I’m not going to prejudge these talks,” Rubio said. “The president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the talks for Iran, met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency Monday in Geneva.

“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”

Talking to reporters Monday night aboard Air Force One on his way to Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said of the U.S.-Iran talks, “I’ll be involved in those talks — indirectly — and they’ll be very important, and we’ll see what can happen.”

“Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator,” he said, first describing Iran as “good negotiators” before correcting himself. “I would say they’re bad negotiators, because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s in to knock out their nuclear potential, and we had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable.”

Trump added: “I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”

The U.S. is also hosting talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, days ahead of the fourth anniversary of the all-out Russian invasion of its neighbor.

(AP)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1710-Semichah-Part-10-Nature.mp3

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Stories4Life-Shiur-540-Helping-R-Dovid-Soloveichik.mp3

Israel’s Supreme Court opened a hearing on Tuesday morning with an expanded panel of seven justices, headed by liberal Justice Yitzchak Amit, to issue a ruling on petitions from Reform organizations and the Women of the Wall group demanding to hold egalitarian Reform prayer services at the Kosel.

The justices declined to address the question of whether egalitarian prayer can take place at the Kosel and instead focused on why egalitarian prayer services are not being held. Attorney Doron Taubman, who is representing the Chief Rabbanut, argued that the court has no authority to interfere in the matter. “The court has no jurisdiction over tefilla arrangements, just as it would not rule on the issue of removing shoes in a mosque,” he said. “The court cannot rule on these matters.”

He added, “Sixteen million people visit here every year, and about 20 women here are asking for something different. It’s inconceivable that on one hand, the court lacks authority on this issue, and on the other hand, it issues contradictory directives to the municipality.”

On Monday evening, the Chief Rabbanim of Israel, HaRav Dovid Yosef and HaRav Kalman Ber, submitted a detailed p’sak halacha on the matter via Attorney Doron Taubman. The Rabbanim wrote that distinctly halachic matters—especially tefillos at the Jewish people’s holiest site—are beyond the court’s judicial authority. “Legal tools cannot adjudicate issues rooted in emunah and halacha,” they stated.

Their p’sak stated that the Kosel plaza has the full status of a shul, and its kedushah is derived from its proximity to the Makom Hamikdash, and therefore the strictest halachic rules apply to the area, including complete gender separation. It also stressed the importance of preserving “Minhag HaMakom,” noting that for generations, tefillos that contradict the Mesoras Yisrael have never been held at the Kosel.

The Rabbanim also noted that an alternative section already exists—the Ezrat Yisrael area at the southern plaza—where non-traditional prayer services are permitted, and therefore there is no justification for “turning the main Kosel plaza into a political or social battleground.”

The Chief Rabbanim concluded, “The Kosel is a remnant of our Beis Hamikdash—it is not private property or a protest site. We expect the court to respect Israel’s millennia-old mesorah and prevent harm to the site’s kedusha and the achdus of the kehal that davens there.”

The hearing is a continuation of a government decision in 2016 to adopt the “Kosel plan,” which aimed to fundamentally alter the Kosel’s character. The plan called for granting official recognition and management roles to Reform and Conservative representatives over the Kosel complex, creating a large area for mixed and non-halachic prayer, and allocating a yearly budget of millions of shekels for a joint governing body.

However, public opposition to the plan quickly emerged, with religious groups, such as the Liba Center, organizing mass tefillah gatherings in order to win the battle on the ground via public presence. After about eighteen months of political and public pressure, the government froze the plan.

Despite the freeze, tensions have persisted, with members of the Women of the Wall organization creating monthly provocations at the Kosel in a bid for public attention.

The Women of the Wall group and the Reform organizations have openly stated that their battle for control over the Kosel is symbolic and that official recognition of Reform groups at the Kosel would facilitate the advancement of civil marriage, public transportation on Shabbos, and minimizing the control of the Rabbanut over religious matters.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — Claims circulating online about new stimulus checks, special IRS deposits and tariff-funded “dividend” payments have resurfaced in early 2026. But federal officials say no new nationwide stimulus program has been approved.

The Internal Revenue Service confirmed that the last broad pandemic-era stimulus payments were distributed in 2021. More recently, the agency issued automatic payments to certain taxpayers who had not claimed a pandemic recovery credit on their 2021 tax returns. That filing window closed in April 2025, and there are currently no additional federal stimulus checks scheduled.

Any new round of direct payments would require congressional approval. Lawmakers have not passed legislation authorizing further economic impact payments.

Tariff Dividend Proposal

President Donald Trump has promoted the idea of sending Americans a $2,000 payment funded by revenue generated from import tariffs. He has argued that higher import duties would boost domestic manufacturing and that part of the collected revenue could be returned to households.

However, no formal plan has been enacted. Budget analysts have questioned whether projected tariff collections would be sufficient to finance broad payments without increasing federal deficits or requiring additional revenue sources.

Supporters say the concept would reward Americans for backing trade policies aimed at strengthening U.S. industry. Critics counter that tariffs often raise costs for consumers because import taxes are typically passed along through higher prices.

Spending-Cut Dividend Concept

Trump also discussed the possibility of distributing savings from federal spending reductions in what he described as a potential “dividend” to taxpayers. That proposal has not advanced, and some lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about inflation risks tied to large direct payments.

Military Bonuses Authorized

One payment that has moved forward is a one-time tax-free bonus for active-duty service members and reservists, described as a “Warrior Dividend.” The payment is being distributed through the Defense Department as part of a military housing funding package.

Members of the Coast Guard are also receiving a separate one-time bonus under recently approved government funding legislation.

Scam Alerts and Misinformation

Federal officials warn that viral posts advertising specific dollar amounts — often in the $1,300 to $1,700 range — frequently stem from state-level benefit programs or outright scams.

The IRS reiterates that it does not initiate contact through text messages, emails or social media platforms requesting personal information. Taxpayers are encouraged to verify communications directly through official government websites.

Tax Refunds Continue

Meanwhile, tax refunds for the 2026 filing season are being processed. Refund amounts depend on income, tax withholding and eligibility for refundable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

The IRS says most electronically filed returns with direct deposit are processed within three weeks, though some refunds tied to anti-fraud safeguards may take longer.

Absent new legislation, officials say Americans should be cautious about online claims promising additional federal stimulus payments.

BRONX, N.Y. (VINnews) — Multiple teenagers were taken into custody Monday after a planned “takeover” at the Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx drew a large, disorderly crowd, police said.

Officers responded shortly after 2 p.m. to a 911 call requesting crowd control at 200 Baychester Ave. Authorities said warnings were issued ordering the group to disperse.

Witnesses reported hundreds of youths gathering inside and around the shopping center. A nearby fast-food restaurant sustained a shattered window during the incident. Mall officials said there was no damage inside the mall itself and that it remained open during the disturbance.

TODAY: 500 youths stormed through Bronx Mall in "Bay Plaza Takeover" this afternoon, resulting in multiple detainements

Video by @FreedomNTV [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/o6p6eoTFkI

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) February 17, 2026

Police helicopters were seen overhead as officers worked to clear the area. Authorities said the gathering had been promoted on social media and was intended to continue until participants were removed.

Similar large teen gatherings have occurred at the Baychester shopping complex in the past. The incident remains under investigation.

The Remarkable Life of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov zt”l

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

The 30th of Shevat—Rosh Chodesh Adar—marks the yahrtzeit of one of the most consequential figures in modern Jewish history: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov (c. 1740–1827). This year, 5787, marks 199 years since his passing. Yet despite the passage of nearly two centuries, the seeds he planted continue to bear fruit in ways that are visible every time one walks through the streets of Yerushalayim.

Who was this remarkable man? A devoted talmid of the Vilna Gaon, a profound master of Kabbalah, a tireless communal leader, and a man of extraordinary courage—he accomplished what many considered impossible. After Ashkenazi Jews had been forcibly expelled from Yerushalayim and barred from returning for nearly a century, it was Rav Menachem Mendel who re-established the Ashkenazi community in the Holy City. An Anglican clergyman from Ireland named W. B. Lewis who visited Eretz Yisroel in 1824 described him as “the most learned Jew in all of Syria.” His story deserves to be far better known than it is.

The City of Shklov and Its Golden Era

To understand Rav Menachem Mendel, one must first understand the world from which he emerged. Shklov sits on the banks of the Dnieper River—Europe’s fourth-longest waterway—in what is today the Mogilev region of Belarus, approximately twenty miles north of Mogilev and over a hundred miles east-northeast of Minsk. In Rav Menachem Mendel’s day, the stretch of the Dnieper running past Shklov flowed between raised, sometimes steep banks overgrown with dense forests, with the river itself ranging from several hundred to over a thousand feet wide. Its position on a major trade route linking Russia with Western Europe made Shklov a natural commercial hub.

This was no ordinary shtetl. For centuries, Shklov had been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Jews had received a charter to settle there as early as 1668. With the first partition of Poland in 1772, Shklov was annexed by the Russian Empire—and this change proved to be an unexpected boon. During its subsequent “Golden Era”—roughly from 1772 until the Napoleonic invasion of 1812—Shklov became a thriving economic and cultural center. A visiting diplomat in 1699 had noted that Jews were “the richest and most influential class of people in the city.” By the late 1790s, approximately 2,500 Jews lived in Shklov, constituting around 80% of the local population.

The city boasted a renowned yeshiva established by Rav Binyamin Rivlin (1728–1812), a close disciple and associate of the Vilna Gaon, who trained a generation of scholars devoted to the Gaon’s approach to Torah study. In 1783, the first Jewish printing house in all of Belarus was established in Shklov, and the town soon became the largest center of Hebrew printing in Eastern Europe. Prominent Jewish merchants, including the political leader Nosson Nota Notkin and the great patron of scholarship Yehoshua Zeitlin, called Shklov home. It was a place where Torah scholarship and worldly engagement coexisted, where the intellectual vigor of the Lithuanian Misnagdic tradition was at its zenith. Indeed, in early 1772, Shklov was the first community in Eastern Europe to officially pronounce the followers of Chassidism as heretics.

Family and Early Life

Menachem Mendel Ashkenazi was born around 1740 in Shklov. His father, Rav Baruch Bendet, served as a maggid (itinerant preacher) in the towns of Losek (Lyaskavichi) and Nesvizh. The family traced its lineage to Rav Yehudah Yeidel, the Av Beis Din of Kovali and author of the Kol Yehudah, who recorded a family genealogy tracing back to Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi. From his earliest years, Menachem Mendel displayed extraordinary devotion to Torah learning, and it was this quality that would eventually bring him into the orbit of the greatest Torah luminary of the age.

At the Feet of the Vilna Gaon

The Vilna Gaon, Rav Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman (1720–1797), is universally acknowledged as one of the towering figures of Jewish intellectual history. He mastered every area of Torah—Talmud, Halachah, Kabbalah, grammar, mathematics, and the natural sciences—and his influence on the world of the Lithuanian yeshiva endures to this day.

The Gaon kept only a small circle of close disciples. He slept very little and spent virtually every waking moment immersed in Torah study. To be admitted into his inner circle was a rare privilege. The Gaon’s own sons wrote that in his later years, two brothers from Shklov—Rav Binyamin and Rav Menachem Mendel—drew especially close to him. Rav Menachem Mendel served the Gaon during what he described as “two years less a third”—approximately twenty months—together with his older brother Rav Simcha Bunim.

The Gaon cherished Rav Menachem Mendel greatly and revealed to him the innermost secrets of his heart, including many teachings of Kabbalah. The Gaon studied with him Mishnayos of the entire Seder Taharos, as well as Sefer Mishlei (Proverbs) with his own explanations. Rav Menachem Mendel wrote down everything he learned from the Gaon, and the Gaon was pleased with the precision of his writing.

Rav Menachem Mendel’s own description of his time with the Gaon is breathtaking in its intensity. He wrote in the introduction to one of his Kabbalistic works: “I served my Rebbe with all my strength. In those two-years-less-a-third, I did not move away from him day or night. Wherever he went, I went, and wherever he lodged, I lodged too.” He continues that it was only the Gra’s merit that enabled him to go up to Eretz Yisroel, where he lived first in Tzfas and then in Yerushalayim.

In his introduction to the Gaon’s commentary on Mishlei, Rav Menachem Mendel wrote with breathtaking reverence: “And if a man were to live a thousand years, he would not be able to reach the edge of the greatness of the Gra.”

The Gaon chose Rav Menachem Mendel as his scribe, entrusting him with committing his chiddushim to writing. Rav Menachem Mendel also meticulously recorded many of the Gaon’s personal practices and customs. Notably, he sat together with the Gaon on the Seder night and afterward wrote down all the divrei Torah he had heard, eventually producing the Haggadah Shel Pesach with the Gaon’s commentaries. He also recorded in painstaking detail the Gaon’s complete order of the Seder night.

Rav Menachem Mendel later recounted a remarkable scene from the Gaon’s final period. The Gaon was nearing the completion of his commentary on Shir HaShirim. Together with his son and Rav Menachem Mendel, he entered a secluded room and instructed them to close the windows and shutters. After lighting many candles in honor of the Torah, the Gaon dictated his last chiddushim while Rav Menachem Mendel sat and wrote them down. Then, raising his eyes heavenward, the Gaon thanked HaKadosh Boruch Hu for enabling him to reach the light of the entire Torah in its entirety. The Gaon immediately warned the others present not to disclose this “slip of the tongue” to anyone—the Gaon had not intended to reveal the extent of his attainment. It was only after the Gaon’s passing in 1797 that Rav Menachem Mendel shared this account with his friend, Rav Yisroel of Shklov, who published it in the introduction to his Pe’as HaShulchan.

Preserving the Gaon’s Legacy in Print

After the Gaon’s passing in 5558 (1797), Rav Menachem Mendel threw himself into a sacred task: arranging, editing, and publishing the Gaon’s writings. Working alongside the Gaon’s sons, he labored for approximately nine years, producing a remarkable series of publications. The Hebrew Wikipedia article on Rav Menachem Mendel provides us with the precise chronology:

The very first work published was the Gaon’s commentary on Mishlei (Proverbs), printed in Shklov in the year of the Gaon’s death itself. In 5561 (1801), they published the Gaon’s annotations on Seder Olam Rabbah and Seder Olam Zuta. In 5562 (1802), Rav Menachem Mendel published the Gaon’s Tzuras Ha’Aretz and Tavnis HaBayis. In 5563 (1803), they published the Gaon’s commentary on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, which Rav Yisroel of Shklov had arranged. In 5564 (1804), Rav Menachem Mendel published the Gaon’s commentary on Pirkei Avos and the other minor tractates, preceded by an introduction from Rav Menachem Mendel himself, recounting the wondrous qualities of the Gaon.

After the printing house in Shklov closed, Rav Menachem Mendel moved to Horodna (Grodno), where he continued his work. In 5565 (1805), he published the Haggadah Shel Pesach with the Gaon’s divrei Torah and minhagim. In 5566 (1806), he published the Gaon’s commentary on Sefer Yetzirah and his commentary on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah.

The sefer Mishlei with the Gaon’s commentary, acclaimed and accepted by Jewry worldwide, was written solely by Rav Menachem Mendel. However, he honestly noted that not all the explanations were the Gaon’s exact words: “There are some things that I understood from the Gaon’s hints, and after writing them, I asked if I had expressed his opinion, and he nodded his head to me.” This candid admission reflects both his intellectual honesty and his intimate access to the Gaon’s mind.

The Perilous Journey to Eretz Yisroel

The Vilna Gaon himself had yearned deeply to settle in Eretz Yisroel. He attempted the journey at least once but was forced to turn back—some say he made it as far as Odessa before the voyage proved impossible. Though the Gaon never fulfilled this dream, he planted within his disciples an unquenchable desire to do so.

In 5568 (1808), the Gaon’s disciples were inspired to make the journey. Known as the Perushim—from the Hebrew word meaning “to separate,” reflecting their desire to separate from the spiritual impurities of European society—they organized into what they called Chazon Tzion (“Vision of Zion”), based on three core principles: rebuilding Yerushalayim as the acknowledged Torah center of the world, aiding and speeding the ingathering of the exiles, and expanding Jewish settlement throughout the Land of Israel.

Rav Menachem Mendel led the first wave. The subsequent two groups arrived in 1809, led respectively by Rav Sa’adya ben Rav Nosson Nota of Vilna and Rav Yisroel of Shklov. In total, approximately 500 men, women, and children made the journey.

The journey was harrowing. The year was 1808—Europe was convulsed by the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon had recently defeated Prussia and was tightening his grip on the continent through the Continental System; the French Emperor’s eventual invasion of Russia in 1812 would devastate the very regions these emigrants were leaving behind, including Shklov itself, which was pillaged by Napoleon’s army. The travelers set out from Shklov on foot and by horse and wagon, heading south and west to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the glittering capital of the Ottoman Empire, which at the time controlled the entire eastern Mediterranean, including Eretz Yisroel. From Constantinople they sailed across the Mediterranean to the port of Akko (Acre), a fortified coastal city on the northwest shore of Eretz Yisroel that had withstood Napoleon’s siege just nine years earlier in 1799. The entire odyssey took approximately fifteen months, and the travelers endured terrible hardships, including intermittent starvation.

Settling in Teveryah and Tzfas

Upon arriving in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Menachem Mendel and the Perushim first reached Teveryah (Tiberias), situated on the western shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), some 700 feet below sea level—one of the lowest inhabited places on earth. At the time, all of Eretz Yisroel was part of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the region since 1516. The land was divided administratively into several districts (sanjaqs) under the broader province governed from Damascus. Ottoman governance was often indirect and inefficient—local strongmen, tax collectors, and military governors wielded enormous power, and the Jewish communities were largely dependent on the goodwill—or at least the indifference—of local authorities. In Teveryah, Chassidim from an earlier aliyah were already residing. Disputes with the Chassidim prompted the Perushim to move on to Tzfas (Safed).

Tzfas was perched high in the Upper Galilee mountains, at an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet—a dramatic contrast to the subtropical heat of Teveryah far below. The city had been a renowned center of Kabbalistic study since the sixteenth century, when the Arizal, Rav Yosef Karo, and other great sages had made it the spiritual capital of the Jewish world. By 1808, however, the glory days of the mekubalim were long past, and the Jewish community—numbering several thousand Sephardim and a smaller contingent of Chassidim—lived in difficult circumstances under Ottoman rule.

Many of the Perushim had wished to settle in Yerushalayim—the holiest city—but this was effectively impossible. Under Ottoman rule, Yerushalayim held a special status. The Ottomans recognized the city’s profound religious significance to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike, and managed an intricate system of privileges and access rights to the various holy sites. But the city’s governors exercised considerable arbitrary power, and the dhimmi status of Jews and Christians made them vulnerable to exploitation. Since 1720, Ashkenazi Jews had been specifically banned from living there. The reason: nearly a century earlier, a group of approximately 500 Ashkenazi Jews led by Rav Yehudah HaChassid had arrived in Yerushalayim. Days after their arrival, Rav Yehudah HaChassid died, and his followers, leaderless and impoverished, fell deeply into debt to local Arab creditors. In 1720, the creditors set fire to the Ashkenazi synagogue (which became known as the “Hurva”—the “Ruin”), expelled the Ashkenazim, and forbade them from returning. For nearly a hundred years, any Ashkenazi Jew who dared enter Yerushalayim risked imprisonment as a guarantor for these ancient debts. The few Ashkenazim who managed to remain survived only by disguising themselves in Sephardic dress.

In Tzfas, Rav Menachem Mendel established battei midrash for Torah study and tefillah and quickly assumed leadership of the Ashkenazi-Perushim community, which numbered around 150 persons. Beyond the spiritual work, he also stood at the forefront of efforts to secure the physical welfare of the immigrants, working tirelessly to obtain funding from abroad and various forms of relief.

From Tzfas, he maintained a steady correspondence with Rav Yisroel of Shklov, urging him to act on behalf of the community’s economic consolidation and encouraging him to make aliyah himself.

Life in Tzfas, however, was far from peaceful. The philosophical and halachic conflicts with the Chassidic community created significant tension. As a result, Rav Menachem Mendel drew closer to the Sephardi Rabbanim and their beis midrash, a diplomatic move that would serve him well in his later efforts in Yerushalayim.

Plague, Devastating Debt, and the Decision to Go to Yerushalayim

In 5573 (1813), a devastating plague swept through Tzfas, killing many of the Gaon’s disciples. The catastrophe plunged the community into enormous financial debt, and Rav Menachem Mendel was forced to borrow staggering sums at high interest from non-Jewish lenders to keep the community afloat.

The plague, which ultimately claimed the lives of approximately 80% of Tzfas’s Jewish community, prompted a fateful decision. In 5576 (1816), Rav Menachem Mendel uprooted from Tzfas and went up to Yerushalayim—a journey of roughly ninety miles southward through the mountainous spine of the country, from the cool heights of the Upper Galilee, past the fertile Jezreel Valley, through the rolling hills of the Shomron (Samaria), and up into the Judean highlands. This move was driven by his deep yearning to dwell in Tzion—and it was made against the wishes of Rav Yisroel of Shklov, who was also a leader of the Tzfas community and felt the move was premature.

Joining Rav Menachem Mendel was his close associate, Rav Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref, who would later play a heroic role in the struggle to rebuild the Hurva. The Yerushalayim they entered was a small, walled city enclosed within the Ottoman-era fortifications rebuilt by Suleiman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century. Perched in the Judean hills at an elevation of approximately 2,500 feet, the city’s total population was perhaps 10,000 to 12,000—mostly Muslims, with a substantial Christian minority and a smaller Jewish community that was overwhelmingly Sephardic. Local governance was notoriously corrupt, with Ottoman officials extracting heavy taxes and arbitrary fees from vulnerable non-Muslim communities. Within a few months, the new Ashkenazi community numbered approximately twenty souls, most of whom had come from the Perushim community of Tzfas.

Rebuilding the Ashkenazi Community of Yerushalayim

Rav Menachem Mendel was the first person to re-establish the Ashkenazi community in Yerushalayim after the disastrous expulsion following the debts of Rav Yehudah HaChassid’s followers. Through his good connections with various Christian figures, he succeeded in reaching an arrangement regarding the old debt, and from that point on, Ashkenazi settlement in Yerushalayim was permitted.

The diplomatic achievement was remarkable. Rav Menachem Mendel’s men sent representatives all the way to Istanbul—the seat of the Ottoman Sublime Porte, over a thousand miles from Yerushalayim—to negotiate directly with the imperial authorities. The Ottoman bureaucracy was labyrinthine, and navigating it required patience, connections, and no small amount of funds for the inevitable bribes and fees. After approximately five years of sustained effort, they succeeded in securing a royal decree (firman) annulling the debts owed by the previous—entirely unrelated—Ashkenazi community from a century earlier. They then obtained additional legal documents from local and international Islamic and civil authorities recognizing them as the lawful heirs to the property rights of the abandoned Ashkenazi compound.

Initially, the community rented the courtyard that had housed the yeshiva of Rav Chaim ben Attar, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, where they davened on weekdays. They did not yet have permission to daven there on Shabbosos and Yomim Tovim, and so they davened in a corridor between the four Sephardi synagogues, near the Beis HaKnesses HaRamban.

Between the years 5580–5584 (1820–1824), Rav Menachem Mendel worked intensively, together with Rav Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref, to obtain legal recognition of Ashkenazi ownership over the site of the Hurva synagogue. When their efforts were crowned with success, they built their beis midrash there.

Rav Menachem Mendel’s warm relations with Sephardi leaders proved invaluable throughout this process. The Rishon L’Tzion, Rav Shlomo Moshe Suzin, aided him significantly—and the Sephardi leaders, who maintained good relations with the Muslim authorities, interceded on behalf of the Ashkenazim. These alliances reflected genuine mutual respect that transcended communal boundaries.

The Hardships of the Holy City

The physical conditions were harrowing. A Christian traveler who visited Yerushalayim during this period left a vivid account in his diary. He first expressed admiration for Rav Menachem Mendel’s extraordinary love and fear of Hashem, noting that there was none like him in Torah greatness in the entire world. He then addressed his readers directly: “I would like my readers to know, and perhaps have an insight, of the troubles that befall the Jews of Jerusalem.”

He then described a terrifying episode: One night, as Rav Menachem Mendel was preparing for sleep, he was startled by harsh pounding at his door. Before he could reach it, the door splintered and armed soldiers of the Arab militia burst in, sabers drawn. They seized him by his beard, dragged him outside, and threw him and several family members into prison.

The terrified captives were told that if ten gold kissim (coins) were not paid as ransom, they would be tortured—their captors threatened to press hot iron rods to their heads and screw sharp nails into their palms.

The anguished Jews of Yerushalayim gathered what little they had. After much haggling, the ransom was reduced to four and a half kissim of gold—but even this was difficult to raise. The community sold almost all their personal belongings to secure the release of their beloved leader. The gentile writer concluded: “Perhaps now you’ll have an idea of the suffering endured by those European Jews who leave house and home to live in the holy city of Jerusalem. They immediately became prey to the wild beasts around them.”

Remarkably, even after such harrowing experiences, Rav Menachem Mendel was neither dispirited nor dejected. On the contrary, he continued to encourage other talmidei chachamim—disciples of the Vilna Gaon who yearned to learn Torah in the Holy Land—to leave Europe and make the journey, assuring them it was worthwhile despite the hardships.

A Master of the Hidden Torah

Rav Menachem Mendel was not only a communal leader and activist; he was a profound mekubal (Kabbalist) in his own right. According to Rav Yisroel of Shklov, Rav Menachem Mendel composed approximately ten deep works of Kabbalistic scholarship while living in Eretz Yisroel. His approach to Kabbalah combined the teachings of the Arizal with the Kabbalistic traditions he had received directly from the Gaon, and his writings are characterized by abundant gematrios, in a style reminiscent of Rav Avraham Abulafia. As a result, his works are written in a cryptic, enigmatic style that requires considerable effort to decipher.

Remarkably, the Gaon continued to appear to Rav Menachem Mendel in dreams after his passing, and divrei Torah communicated in these dreams were incorporated into his seforim.

His most celebrated work is Mayim Adirim, a commentary on the Idra Zuta (a section of the Zohar), which also includes a Kabbalistic commentary on Megillas Rus. First printed in Premishla in 5645 (1885), it became immediately renowned among mekubalim of all backgrounds. According to the mekubal Rav Shmuel Landau of Sandova, one of the greatest of the Belzer Chassidim, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz kept the sefer in constant use on his table for several years—without even knowing who its author was, but cherishing it and using it continually. Fascinatingly, the sefer was also published under the name Menachem Tzion, attributed to Rav Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. The sons of Rav Chaim Halberstam of Sanz testified in their haskamah that their father kept this sefer constantly on his table, thinking it was indeed by the Rav of Vitebsk. The demand for the work was so great that it was printed twice in a single year, in both Vilna and Galicia.

His other works include: Derech HaKodesh (on Sefer Bris Menuchah); Raza D’Meheimnusa, a spiritual autobiography; a commentary on Mishnas Chassidim; Drushim Al Seder HaHishtalshelus, on the Kabbalistic order of Creation; a commentary on sections of the Zohar; Tmunas Ha’Osiyos, Kabbalistic explanations of the Hebrew letters; Sefer HaPli’ah; and Sefer HaTzimtzum. Six of these works were published in two volumes under the title Kisvei HaGRMa”M z”l in Yerushalayim in 5761 (2001), based on a manuscript that was discovered in a storage room in the Meah Shearim neighborhood after having been thought lost. The publication was prepared by HaRav Shmuel Aryeh Stern of Yerushalayim.

The Gaon’s Approach to Kabbalah and Pshat

Rav Menachem Mendel articulated a foundational principle of the Gaon’s approach: he wrote in his commentary on the Gaon’s explanation of Mishlei that as long as a person does not know the sod—the Kabbalistic meaning of a passage—he cannot fully understand the pshat, its literal sense. Only once he has learned the sod can he then truly understand the pshat. He added that the Gaon himself confirmed he never explained a single pasuk in Tanach until he had first understood its meaning according to Kabbalah. Similarly, Rav Yisroel of Shklov reported in the introduction to his Taklin Chadtin that he heard from Rav Menachem Mendel that every chiddush the Gaon developed on Mishnayos Seder Taharos was formulated only after he had understood the subject through the prism of Kabbalah.

Extraordinary Revelations from the Gaon

Rav Menachem Mendel preserved several extraordinary accounts of the Gaon’s greatness. He related that the Gaon once told him that if the heretical philosopher Aristotle were to come before him, the Gaon could bring down the sun, moon, and planets onto his table and prove that it is Hashem who rules and directs the celestial bodies—not impersonal forces of nature running their own course. The Gaon added that Shimon HaTzaddik, who had lived in Aristotle’s era, could have done the same but never had the opportunity, as the philosopher had no intention of listening.

Rav Menachem Mendel was shocked into awed silence. But the Gaon reassured him: “What’s the great wonder? With the mention of one of the holy Sheimos, I would be able to carry this out.” The very fact that the Gaon shared such things with Rav Menachem Mendel speaks volumes about the stature the Gaon attributed to his devoted talmid.

What Motivated the Aliyah?

The question of what truly motivated Rav Menachem Mendel and the Perushim has been the subject of significant scholarly debate. Dr. Arie Morgenstern has argued that the aliyah had messianic motivations—that Rav Menachem Mendel viewed the immigration as an action to be carried out in conjunction with various Kabbalistic intentions he had developed based on the Gaon’s teachings, in order to hasten the Geulah. Some sources suggest he viewed the rebuilding of the Hurva as having Kabbalistic significance—a tikkun that would contribute to the rebuilding of the entire city and pave the way for the ultimate redemption.

Other scholars, most notably Professor Yisrael Bartal, disagree, arguing that messianic considerations did not play a role in the motivations for the aliyah. Professor Immanuel Etkes has similarly noted that Rav Menachem Mendel’s own autobiographical testimony is devoid of explicit messianic language, emphasizing instead the establishment of centers for Torah learning in the Holy Land.

What is beyond dispute is that Rav Menachem Mendel’s vision was rooted in the Gaon’s own deep yearning for Eretz Yisroel and his teaching about the centrality of Torah study in the Holy Land. In his own words, Rav Menachem Mendel sought to establish Torah learning in the Land which “had been taken over by foreigners and gentiles.”

His Passing and Enduring Legacy

Rav Menachem Mendel of Shklov passed away on the 30th of Shevat, 5587 (February 27, 1827) in Yerushalayim. He was buried on Har HaZeisim (the Mount of Olives), near the grave of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh—the very man in whose yeshiva courtyard Rav Menachem Mendel had first established his community in Yerushalayim. The proximity of these two great souls in their final resting place seems deeply fitting.

Among his greatest students were Rav Yitzchak Aizik Chaver and Rav Shmuel Mo’ed. The poetess Chaya Levy is counted among his descendants.

After his death, his son Rav Nosson Nota succeeded him as leader of the Perushim congregation in Yerushalayim. Rav Nosson Nota had immigrated with the first wave of the Gaon’s students, and he continued his father’s work—though he faced his own share of difficulties, including slander and disputes over funding for the rebuilding of the Hurva.

The small synagogue built on the Hurva site by 1837—named Menachem Tzion in Rav Menachem Mendel’s memory, and also evoking the brachah “Baruch Atah Hashem, Menachem Tzion U’voneh Yerushalayim” according to Nusach HaGra—eventually grew into the magnificent Hurva Synagogue. In 1831, Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt conquered Palestine and Syria from the Ottomans, and under Egyptian rule the Ashkenazim gained further concessions. With the support of the Russian and Austrian consuls, and after raising funds, construction of a more substantial synagogue began. When the Ottoman Turks regained control of the region in 1840, they did not alter the status quo, and the Ashkenazi presence continued to grow—especially after a devastating earthquake destroyed Tzfas in 1837, killing some 4,000 members of its Jewish community and sending many refugees southward to Yerushalayim. The Hurva eventually became the most important Ashkenazi synagogue in all of Eretz Yisroel. By 1857, the Perushim community in Yerushalayim had grown to 750 people.

In a broader sense, the Perushim laid the foundations for much of the dramatic renewal and expansion of Jewish life in Yerushalayim that continues to this day. They spread the teachings of the Vilna Gaon, established kollelim, were instrumental in building the first neighborhoods outside the Old City walls—including Nachalas Shivah and Mishkenot Sha’ananim—and eventually founded the great neighborhood of Meah Shearim. Dr. Arie Morgenstern has argued that their settling in Yerushalayim in 1816 ensured that by 1860 there was a Jewish majority in the Holy City—a majority that has been maintained continuously to the present day.

Remarkably, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was among the notable descendants of these early pioneers—his ancestors were part of the Rivlin family that played a central role in the Perushim movement from its very inception in Shklov.

Conclusion

As we approach the 199th yahrtzeit of Rav Menachem Mendel of Shklov, his story speaks to us with remarkable power. He absorbed the Gaon’s teachings, preserved them for posterity, and then carried them across continents to plant them in the rocky soil of Ottoman Yerushalayim. He endured plague, persecution, imprisonment, and poverty. He navigated complex relationships with Chassidim, Sephardim, Ottoman officials, and local populations. He mastered the deepest levels of Kabbalistic wisdom while simultaneously engaging in the most practical matters of communal governance and international diplomacy.

And through it all, he never lost sight of the mission the Gaon had entrusted to his generation: the rebuilding of Torah life in the Holy Land, and the renewal of the Jewish presence in its eternal capital.

Today, when hundreds of thousands of Jews live and study Torah in Yerushalayim, it is worth remembering that this reality can be traced back, in no small measure, to a handful of determined souls led by a quiet mekubal from a small city in White Russia—a man who held onto his Rebbe’s hand and never let go.

■

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Morocco and Albania are set to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational force tasked with overseeing elements of security and stability in Gaza Strip under Phase II of the ceasefire framework backed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the two countries’ participation is part of a broader expansion of the mission, which aims to monitor ceasefire lines between Israel and Hamas and manage limited border-related responsibilities.

In addition, Kan News reported Monday that Greece will also join the ISF. The announcements follow Sunday’s confirmation that Indonesia will become the first nation to deploy forces under the mission and come ahead of a planned summit of the Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday.

The Associated Press reported that Indonesia’s initial contribution will begin in April, with about 1,000 troops expected to deploy in the first phase and a larger force of roughly 8,000 scheduled for June. Indonesian officials said preparatory screening and clearance processes are underway, though deployment could be delayed if security conditions deteriorate.

While specific timelines for Morocco, Albania, and Greece have not been disclosed, earlier reports suggested that Morocco and Indonesia would form the backbone of the mission. Morocco has maintained close defense ties with Israel since the signing of normalization agreements in 2020.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is expected to attend the Board of Peace summit on Feb. 19, where regional security and the future of the ISF are likely to feature prominently.

In recent months, several other countries — including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Italy, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Qatar, and Turkey — have been mentioned as potential contributors. So far, however, Indonesia is the only country to have moved from political commitments to concrete deployment plans.

U.S. and regional officials have emphasized that the ISF is not intended to confront Hamas directly or pursue disarmament. Instead, the force is expected to focus on monitoring ceasefire arrangements, supervising buffer zones, and assisting with limited security coordination.

Supporters of the initiative argue that the gradual buildup of multinational participation reflects growing international backing for stabilizing Gaza in the post-conflict phase.

Critics, however, warn that the mission’s limited mandate and reliance on voluntary troop contributions could constrain its effectiveness in a volatile security environment.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On the eve of a pivotal Supreme Court hearing regarding petitions over tefillah arrangements at the Kosel, Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Rav Dovid Yosef and Rav Kalman Ber, submitted an urgent notice along with a detailed halachic ruling clarifying their uncompromising position on preserving the sanctity of the site.

The High Court of Justice is set to convene Tuesday morning to deliberate on petitions challenging the current prayer framework at the Kosel. In advance of the hearing, the Chief Rabbis released a clear and forceful psak addressing the kedushah of the remnant of the Beis Hamikdash.

In their ruling, the chief rabbis state unequivocally that the plaza of the Kosel carries the full halachic status of a beis haknesses, deriving its sanctity from its proximity to the makom haMikdash. As such, they stress, the most stringent halachic standards apply there, including complete separation between men and women during prayer.

The psak also reviews the historical conduct of tefillah at the Kosel across generations, emphasizing that prayer at the site has always followed the mesorah of Klal Yisrael without deviation. Any attempt to alter established practice, they warn, would constitute a severe affront to the feelings of the believing public and to the enduring traditions of Am Yisrael.

The Chief Rabbinate further argues that explicitly halachic and religious matters—particularly the order of prayer at the holiest accessible site for the Jewish people—do not fall within the jurisdiction of civil courts. “It is not possible to decide through legal tools on matters whose roots lie in faith and halachah,” the statement asserts.

The rabbis also point to the existing alternative at the southern section of the Kosel, known as Ezras Yisrael, which allows groups wishing to pray according to different formats to do so. Given that alternative, they contend, there is no justification for transforming the main Kosel plaza into what they describe as a political or social battleground.

Additionally, the Chief Rabbinate expresses firm opposition to any modification of the regulations governing the holy sites. They warn that altering the longstanding arrangements would undermine the status quo and erode the Rabbinate’s exclusive authority in matters of religion.

In an official statement, the Chief Rabbinate declared: “The Kosel is a remnant of our Beis Hamikdash. It is not private property and not a venue for demonstrations. We expect the Court to respect the thousands of years of Jewish tradition and not permit harm to the sanctity of the site and the unity of those who daven there.”

{Matzav.com}

Sharp backlash erupted Monday after media personality Eyal Berkovich made inflammatory remarks about the chareidi community during a live radio broadcast, in the wake of the unrest in Bnei Brak. Speaking on 103FM, the Channel 13 presenter lashed out at those involved in the disturbances and used language that many listeners described as deeply offensive.

During the program, Berkovich addressed the riots that broke out after two IDF servicewomen entered the city, directing harsh criticism at those who attacked soldiers and burned Israeli flags.

“It’s time to finally put an end to these chareidim,” he said. When his co-host, Arel Segal, pressed him to clarify what he meant, Berkovich elaborated and called for a forceful response by authorities.

“There is police, there is an army, there is the Shin Bet, there is everything,” Berkovich said. “What is this thing? To burn Israeli flags, here in the State of Israel? To beat up female soldiers? To call us Nazis? These people need to be exiled from here, they are haters of Israel”.

The most controversial moment of the exchange came when Berkovich escalated his rhetoric and drew a comparison between the extremists in Bnei Brak and terrorist operatives. “They are worse than Arabs, terrorists. They are haters of Israel,” the broadcaster declared.

Segal quickly distanced himself from that comparison and attempted to temper the discussion, responding, “But terrorists shoot, kill and murder. They don’t kill and murder. I have a lot of anger at them.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid is urging President Isaac Herzog to take a tough line on any potential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that clemency should be off the table unless Netanyahu formally admits wrongdoing.

Speaking outside the president’s residence, Lapid said he urged Herzog to require a revised pardon request that complies with Israeli law — including an explicit admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and acceptance of a conviction involving moral turpitude.

“Only then can it be considered,” Lapid said in a recorded statement.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request in November, but it did not include any acknowledgment of guilt. Herzog’s office has since said the matter is under review through established legal channels.

The issue has taken on new political urgency amid mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly urged Herzog to intervene. Last week, Trump accused the Israeli president of failing Netanyahu, saying he should be “ashamed of himself” if he does not grant the pardon.

The intervention has complicated an already sensitive process, placing Herzog between domestic legal norms and international political pressure. Lapid, positioning himself as a defender of judicial independence, warned that bypassing legal requirements would undermine public trust in Israel’s justice system.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A video recorded during Sunday’s unrest in Bnei Brak has sparked widespread reaction after footage showed police officers pulling the wig off a chareidi woman amid efforts to disperse rioters. The clip quickly spread across social media, drawing strong responses from across the political spectrum.

The incident, which occurred during clashes between police and demonstrators, shows officers approaching the woman in the protest area and forcibly removing her wig while carrying out operations against those involved in the disturbances.

The footage ignited a storm online, with many questioning whether such an action was necessary in the course of police activity. Senior political commentator Amit Segal shared the video on his social media platforms and asked, “Is it really necessary to remove wigs from chareidi women as part of police operations?”

On Monday, Arab MK Ahmad Tibi of the Hadash-Ta’al party addressed the matter during a speech in the Knesset plenum, strongly criticizing what was seen in the video. He drew a comparison to incidents involving Muslim women whose hijabs were removed.

“In Yerushalayim, on the light rail, women with hijabs were attacked several times,” Tibi said in the plenum, “and even once a woman’s hijab was removed. It’s terrible, something that must not happen.”

Tibi then turned directly to the events in Bnei Brak. “I will relate to what happened in Bnei Brak in one matter. I saw in the video a police officer striking a woman and removing her wig. This is something that must not happen. Just as I oppose harming a Muslim woman with a hijab, so too I oppose harming a Jewish woman with a wig.”

{Matzav.com}

CANBERRA, Australia (VINnews) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that Australia will not repatriate women and children with alleged links to the Islamic State group from a detention camp in northeastern Syria.

Thirty-four Australian women and children from 11 families had been expected to leave the Al Roj camp and travel to Damascus for a flight to Australia. However, Syrian officials halted the departure, citing incomplete procedures, and the group was returned to the camp.

Asked about the attempted transfer, Albanese said his government would not assist in bringing them back, stating that those who traveled to Syria to support Islamic State must bear responsibility for their actions.

Al Roj camp houses foreign nationals with suspected ties to the extremist group, including Shamima Begum, who left the United Kingdom as a teenager in 2015 to join the organization.

Australia has previously repatriated some citizens from Syrian detention camps but has taken a case-by-case approach.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over what he says is a lagging response to a January pipe rupture that sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington.

Trump took aim at Moore even though a District of Columbia-based water authority and the federal government have jurisdiction over the busted pipe.

The 1960s-era pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, is part of DC Water, a utility based in Washington that’s federally regulated and under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Still, Trump, while spending the holiday weekend at his home in Florida, took to social media to say he “cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership'” to turn the Potomac “into a Disaster Zone.” He said he has ordered federal authorities to step in to coordinate the response.

“There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump added in his social media post.

But Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Moore, said EPA officials did not participate in a recent legislative hearing about the cleanup and said the Trump administration has been broadly “shirking its responsibility” on the repair and cleanup of what University of Maryland researchers say is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.

“The President has his facts wrong — again,” Moussa said. He added, “Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here.”

DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis said in a statement Monday, “We have been coordinating with U.S. EPA since the Potomac Interceptor collapsed.”

Who is responsible?
Asked why Trump was placing blame on Moore outside of Maryland’s jurisdiction, a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Maryland was slow to coordinate with federal entities on the ruptured pipe and has not kept up with needed updates of the state’s water and wastewater infrastructure.

Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will play a key role in coordinating the response, but noted the agency is being impacted by a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

The partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund DHS through September. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FEMA.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to the sewage spill on social media, posting, “Add this to the long list of reasons Democrats need to get serious and fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

The spill was caused by a 72-inch (183-centimeter) diameter sewer pipe that collapsed last month, leading to millions of gallons of wastewater shooting out of the ground and into the river.

DC Water says fixing the pipe in the aftermath of the Jan. 19 rupture has been complicated.

A video inspection of the pipeline earlier this month revealed the blockage inside the collapsed sewer line is “far more significant” than originally thought. The agency said it discovered a large rock dam about 30 feet (9 meters) from the breach in the sewage line, which requires treatment before the current spill can be addressed.

The emergency repair is expected to take another four to six weeks. The work will address the immediate repairs to the damaged section of the pipe and several other issues, including environmental restoration.

Washington, D.C.’s Department of Energy and Environment says the drinking water remains safe, but has urged people to avoid unnecessary contact with water from the Potomac River, avoid fishing and keep pets away.

An ongoing fight between Trump and Moore
The president and Moore, a Democrat viewed as potential 2028 presidential contender, have frequently sparred since Trump’s return to the White House last year.

Trump says he’s excluding Moore and Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from a White House dinner for governors set for Saturday as state leaders gather in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting.

The president and aides have also criticized Moore and other Maryland officials for violence in the state’s biggest city, Baltimore, with Trump threatening to send National Guard troops as he has elsewhere around the country.

Moore and other Democratic officials in Maryland pushed back that homicides in Baltimore have reached historic lows with sustained declines starting in 2023, and said the state did not need National Guard troops.

The Trump administration has also questioned Moore about “DEI contracting practices” and “ballooning project costs” for the rebuilding of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The crucial bridge collapsed in March 2024 after a massive container ship crashed into it.

The president told reporters that his dissatisfaction with Moore’s handling of reconstruction of the bridge and the sewage spill are why he’s not including him in next weekend’s White House dinner for governors.

“He can’t fix anything,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida on Monday evening.

Moussa, the governor’s spokesman, said Maryland stands ready to work with federal officials.

“The Potomac isn’t a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment,” Moussa said.

The IDF developed and briefly deployed a classified capability aimed at securing the release of hostages during the war, with plans to transfer those rescued to a concealed location inside Israel, but the effort ultimately failed and the method was abandoned, according to a report aired on Channel 12 News.

During the course of the fighting, the military activated a sensitive and previously undisclosed tool that enabled forces to draw terrorists out from tunnels in Gaza. Defense officials hoped the tactic would create an opportunity to extract hostages safely and move them to a secure, undisclosed site within Israel.

The broader plan envisioned holding the rescued captives at that secret location for several days. During that window, Israel intended to launch an additional operation to free other hostages still being held.

However, the initial mission did not succeed in securing the hostages through this approach. Following the failed attempt, Israel discontinued use of the method and did not return to it for the remainder of the war, the report said.

{Matzav.com}

With Purim approaching, I would like to share a thought that has been weighing on me, and perhaps it will resonate with others as well.

When we learn the Megillah, it is easy to read the story of Mordechai and view his actions as obvious, even expected. Of course Mordechai refused to participate in the festivities of Achashverosh. Of course he stood firm. Of course he didn’t bend.

But if we try to place ourselves back in that moment, I am not so sure it was so simple.

Imagine the conversation at the time.

“Mordechai, how can you not attend? Achashverosh’s government supports the Jewish community. He allows us to live peacefully. Perhaps he even helped fund our mosdos. The food is kosher! What exactly is the problem? Why make a scene? Why risk everything?”

After all, Chazal tell us that the food at Achashverosh’s party was indeed kosher. On paper, there may have been many justifications to attend. It would have been easy to rationalize participation, to explain it away, to say, “We can be there without being influenced.”

And yet Mordechai refused.

He understood that something deeper was at stake. It wasn’t just about the technical halachos of the food. It was about values, about identity, about the message being sent by participating in a culture that was fundamentally at odds with Torah.

Mordechai saw what others either could not see, or chose not to see.

And perhaps many criticized him. Perhaps they said he was being extreme. Perhaps they argued that he was endangering the community by taking such a hard stance.

But history showed that Mordechai was right.

Which brings me to a question for our generation.

We live in a time of tremendous bracha, where many in our community have achieved significant success and influence. With that success often comes a certain culture — one that sometimes celebrates excess, ostentation, and values that are not aligned with Torah.

There are events, environments, and social norms that, while they may be technically permissible in certain respects, still feel worlds apart from the spirit of Torah.

And again, the justifications are familiar.

“These people support Torah institutions.”
“They give tzedakah.”
“They help our mosdos survive.”
“Why make waves? Why alienate them?”

But I wonder: where is the Mordechai of our time?

Who will be willing to stand up and say that not everything that is technically permissible aligns with Torah values? Who will have the courage to draw a line, even when it is uncomfortable, even when there may be real consequences?

Who will be willing to forgo honor, opportunity, and support in order to stand for what is right?

Purim reminds us that salvation can come from unexpected places, but it also reminds us that it begins with individuals who are willing to stand alone when necessary.

Perhaps the question is not only who will be the Mordechai — but whether we are prepared, in our own way, to follow his example.

A Freilichen Purim to all.

Marty Stein

Balmtimore, MD

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 devastating tragedy has struck as a 27-year-old Israeli mother of two passed away earlier this week at a hospital in Uman, Ukraine, following an illness.

Her aron is expected to be flown to Eretz Yisrael for kevurah in Kiryat Arba, near Chevron.

Following her petirah, a report was immediately received at the ZAKA International Unit’s emergency center. Representatives and volunteers from the unit swiftly sprang into action, working in coordination with Rabbi Eli Cheshin, Israel’s Consul in Ukraine Mrs. Keti Nachshon, and local authorities to ensure proper kavod hameis and to expedite the process of returning her to Israel.

“Unit teams are operating with all relevant authorities in Ukraine and with Israel’s Foreign Ministry in order to bring the deceased to burial in Israel as quickly as possible. Upon the arrival of her body in Israel, the levayah is expected to take place in Kiryat Arba,” ZAKA said in a statement.

Nachman Dickstein, Commander of ZAKA Europe, stated: “The International Unit accompanied the young woman during her hospitalization and assisted as much as possible, including in medical and community aspects. Sadly, despite all efforts, she was Niftar at the local hospital.

“From the moment of her passing, we acted quickly with the hospital and authorities in Uman to secure all required documentation for her return to Israel. We are doing everything possible to ensure she is brought to a dignified burial in Israel as soon as possible. I would like to thank Rabbi Eli Cheshin of Uman and Israel’s Consul in Ukraine Mrs. Keti Nachshon for their critical assistance and close support on the ground, which helped advance the handling of this painful case.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Bnei Brak experienced another difficult evening on Monday, as groups of fringe youths engaged in prolonged confrontations with police along Rechov Ezra, igniting fires, attacking motorists, and causing significant traffic disruptions throughout the city. The incidents have raised serious concern among residents, particularly given the impact on the city’s Torah atmosphere and the welfare of its youth.

What began in the early afternoon as a protest near the Vizhnitzer center quickly spiraled beyond control. As the hours passed, additional marginal elements joined the scene, and the demonstration turned into an extended public disturbance. Garbage bins were set ablaze, major roads were blocked, and confrontations with police continued well into the evening.

Large police forces were dispatched to the area multiple times in an effort to restore order and disperse the crowds. According to law enforcement officials, officers used crowd-control measures, including batons, after police personnel and passing drivers were reportedly attacked and a tangible threat to public safety emerged.

As reported earlier, Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert responded sharply to the unrest, expressing deep pain over the events. “In recent hours in the city, there have been uncontrolled and unsupervised demonstrations and protests, which are an educational disaster for our children’s souls. These demonstrations originate with a handful of fringe individuals who are dragging young people into actions whose consequences no one can foresee.”

The mayor urged parents to act decisively to protect their families. “I ask every parent to take responsibility for himself and his family and ensure that no one from their immediate family is present in these areas that are dangerous from an educational standpoint. At the same time, the police are operating on the scene to prevent the continuation of these irresponsible events in our city.”

Although authorities say there is no direct link, the disturbances come just one day after serious clashes broke out on Chagai Street following the assault of two IDF servicewomen. Those incidents also continued for hours, resulted in numerous arrests, and required a significant police presence in several parts of the city.

Many residents voiced sorrow that such scenes are unfolding in a city identified with Torah and spiritual growth, and community leaders once again called on parents and educators to safeguard both the physical safety and spiritual wellbeing of the city’s precious youth.

{Matzav.com}

The KCL has issued a kashrus alert addressing concerns related to the growing use of Instacart for shopping at kosher supermarkets.

According to the Vaad, orders placed through Instacart are fulfilled by third-party shoppers who may not be knowledgeable in matters of kashrus. In many cases, the kosher supermarket may be unaware that the individual purchasing the items is shopping on behalf of Instacart.

The alert highlights particular concern regarding items that require halachic seals (chosamos), including fresh meat, fresh fish, deli items, and prepared foods. The Vaad warns that when such products are ordered via Instacart, there is no reliable assurance that the required seals will be properly affixed by the kosher establishment, potentially resulting in delivery without appropriate halachic safeguards.

In light of these concerns, the KCL strongly recommends that food items requiring halachic seals not be purchased through Instacart at this time. Instead, consumers are urged to order these items directly from the kosher supermarket, which is aware of the halachic requirements and can ensure that proper seals are in place prior to delivery.

Dear TLS Editor,

With Purim approaching, I would like to share a thought that has been weighing on me, and perhaps it will resonate with others as well.

When we learn the Megillah, it is easy to read the story of Mordechai and view his actions as obvious, even expected. Of course Mordechai refused to participate in the festivities of Achashverosh. Of course he stood firm. Of course he didn’t bend.

But if we try to place ourselves back in that moment, I am not so sure it was so simple.

Imagine the conversation at the time.

“Mordechai, how can you not attend? Achashverosh’s government supports the Jewish community. He allows us to live peacefully. Perhaps he even helped fund our mosdos. The food is kosher! What exactly is the problem? Why make a scene? Why risk everything?”

After all, Chazal tell us that the food at Achashverosh’s party was indeed kosher. On paper, there may have been many justifications to attend. It would have been easy to rationalize participation, to explain it away, to say, “We can be there without being influenced.”

And yet Mordechai refused.

He understood that something deeper was at stake. It wasn’t just about the technical halachos of the food. It was about values, about identity, about the message being sent by participating in a culture that was fundamentally at odds with Torah.

Mordechai saw what others either could not see, or chose not to see.

And perhaps many criticized him. Perhaps they said he was being extreme. Perhaps they argued that he was endangering the community by taking such a hard stance.

But history showed that Mordechai was right.

Which brings me to a question for our generation.

We live in a time of tremendous bracha, where many in our community have achieved significant success and influence. With that success often comes a certain culture — one that sometimes celebrates excess, ostentation, and values that are not aligned with Torah.

There are events, environments, and social norms that, while they may be technically permissible in certain respects, still feel worlds apart from the spirit of Torah.

And again, the justifications are familiar.

“These people support Torah institutions.”
“They give tzedakah.”
“They help our mosdos survive.”
“Why make waves? Why alienate them?”

But I wonder: where is the Mordechai of our time?

Who will be willing to stand up and say that not everything that is technically permissible aligns with Torah values? Who will have the courage to draw a line, even when it is uncomfortable, even when there may be real consequences?

Who will be willing to forgo honor, opportunity, and support in order to stand for what is right?

Purim reminds us that salvation can come from unexpected places, but it also reminds us that it begins with individuals who are willing to stand alone when necessary.

Perhaps the question is not only who will be the Mordechai — but whether we are prepared, in our own way, to follow his example.

A Freilichen Purim to all.

Marty Stein-Balmtimore, MD

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

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party, said this week that he would counsel his own daughter against serving in the Israel Defense Forces, citing the stance of leading rabbinic authorities and long-standing religious principles.

Speaking during his party’s faction meeting in the Knesset, Smotrich was asked directly by a reporter how he would respond if his daughter expressed interest in enlisting. He replied, “If my daughter asked me, I would try to educate her not to go” serve in the military.

He pointed to the guidance of senior rabbinic leadership as shaping his position. “The Chief Rabbinate is against this. This is the position of my rabbis,” says Smotrich. “I hope that you, these big progressives, can also respect the values of several thousand years…. And I of course respect those who think differently than I do.”

The question of religious women serving in the IDF remains a source of ongoing debate within the national religious community. While many young women from that sector choose to perform national service in lieu of military enlistment, it is also not uncommon for graduates of religious high schools to join the army. At the same time, a number of prominent religious Zionist rabbis have publicly opposed female enlistment, contending that army service does not align with standards of modesty and appropriateness.

Smotrich himself entered the military later in life, enlisting at age 28 and completing a shortened period of service. Over the years, he has also voiced criticism of mixed-gender combat frameworks within the IDF.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli police are strongly pushing back against reports claiming that security officials advised the Defense Minister not to travel to Bnei Brak amid ongoing tensions in the city.

On Monday evening, commentator Amit Segal cited a report by Amiel Yerachi of News24 alleging that the Defense Minister had intended to pay a shiva visit to Gerrer Askan Moti Babchik in Bnei Brak, but ultimately refrained from doing so following recommendations from security forces due to heightened unrest over the past 24 hours.

However, senior police sources categorically denied the claim.

In a conversation with B’Chadrei Chareidim, officials clarified that no such directive was ever issued. “The police made it clear that the minister can arrive just like all the other ministers who visited today. There is absolutely no security restriction preventing the visit,” sources said.

They further emphasized: “Anyone who spoke with the police was told unequivocally that they could come. The Prison Service Commissioner, members of Knesset, ministers and former ministers — everyone who inquired received approval.”

The denial comes against the backdrop of the violent clashes that erupted Sunday in the streets of Bnei Brak shortly after two IDF soldiers were rescued on Rechov Chagai. Large police forces were dispatched to restore order, utilizing crowd-control measures to disperse rioters. A total of 22 suspects were arrested in connection with the unrest.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Data from the Knesset Research and Information Center, presented to the Education Committee chaired by Religious Zionist MK Zvi Sukkot, revealed an unusual, unprecedented, and largely unregulated trend in Israel’s school system: a surge in Arab teachers working in the Hebrew state educational system—with no formal government decision dictating such a policy and with no effective oversight.

Approximately 3,984 Arab teachers are currently employed in Hebrew-language schools in Israel, nearly double the number in 2020–2021, with 1,683 Arab teachers in Hebrew-language schools.

The proportion of Arab teachers in the total teaching workforce has risen in a short time from 1.9% to roughly 4%, a notable shift that has occurred without thorough public review.

The figures also show that by 2025 nearly half of the teacher-training colleges serving the Hebrew state system had accepted at least one Arab teacher.

In light of the findings, the Knesset Education Committee will convene an emergency discussion on the issue with the participation of educational officials and representatives from government ministries and local authorities.

Committee chair MK Zvi Sukkot sharply criticized the development, saying, “This isn’t an isolated mistake and is not a coincidence—it’s a de facto policy that is advancing without being officially set. While the educational system is undergoing value-based and structural changes without oversight under the banner of a ‘teacher shortage,’ foreign entities are exploiting the gap and are trying to reshape the character of education in Israel.”

“Our responsibility is to establish clear rules about which organizations may operate in the educational system, alongside strict supervision and full compatibility with Jewish identity values. Ignoring the data means ignoring reality—we cannot allow a revolution to take place through the back door.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)