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Israel is preparing for a possible collapse of the ceasefire and even potential missile fire from Iran, a day after Iran responded to the implementation of the US’s Project Freedom by attacking the United Arab Emirates and Oman for the first time since the ceasefire began.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, President Trump may approve a military response against Iran within days. On Monday, U.S. defense officials told Fox News that US military commanders in the Persian Gulf have been granted authority to strike Iranian forces preemptively.

The IDF has raised its alert level, and ministers from the expanded security cabinet have been summoned to an urgent meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Although the IDF is attempting to reassure the public, stressing that Home Front Command guidelines remain unchanged at this stage, Israeli mayors are actively preparing for the potential resumption of Iranian fire and are opening public shelters, Ynet reported.

The mayors of Haifa and Rishon L’Tzion, Yona Yahav and Raz Kinstlich, told Ynet on Tuesday that they are preparing their cities for any development.

Rishon L’Tzion Mayor Kinstlich said, “Everyone knows I take a stricter approach since the city leads in the number of sirens. At the same time, we are not rushing, but we are on full alert. We already inspected all public shelters this morning. Unfortunately, we are used to going from zero to one hundred faster than a Tesla.”

“Unfortunately, about 50,000 residents of Rishon lack protective spaces. That’s exactly why we’re activating all our mass protection measures. We are opening educational institutions, and residents can come sleep there.”

The Ashdod municipality also announced the opening of shelters. The city emphasized that this is an internal preparedness measure only, with no change to Home Front Command guidelines.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said, “In Haifa, life goes on as usual. We haven’t raised the alert level. Residents have iron discipline. I don’t believe terrorist organizations, and we are preparing ourselves for any surprise.” He added that 35% of residents lack protection and noted that the municipality is working to change this: “We are moving to fortify those homes. I believe it will take about a year and a half.”

Ashdod Mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasri called on residents to remain alert and follow instructions: “In light of rising tensions, I instructed on Monday night to raise the city’s alert level and increase preparedness across all municipal systems. There is full readiness to open fortified facilities, the operations center is staffed, and the municipal hotline is reinforced. Our task teams are on full alert and prepared for any scenario.”

Iran carried out three waves of missile and drone strikes against the UAE, wounding three people, and also fired at Oman, moderately wounding two people in a strike on a residential building.

The UAE issued a statement saying that its air defenses “engaged” 19 missiles and drones—12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones. Three Indian nationals were injured in a fire caused by a drone strike on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, and at least one ship was also attacked off the UAE coast.

An Israeli air defense system deployed to the United Arab Emirates was involved in intercepting the missiles, a source told CNN.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has been deliberating for days between two options: severely punishing Iran for refusing to abandon its nuclear activity, or avoiding a significant escalation that could further entangle the US in a conflict in the Middle East.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)  The Mogen Avrohom records a sobering account from the Kavanos HaArizal. A certain individual had the habit of reciting Nachem every day. He continued the practice on Lag BaOmer as well – ignoring its significance. For doing so, he was punished severely.

The story raises a sharp question. Why should the words of Nachem, words of mourning over Yerushalayim, generate punishment specifically on Lag BaOmer? What is so weighty about this day that even a private and pious practice can become a transgression?

The answer lies in the Ramah’s ruling (Shulchan Aruch OC 493:2) that on Lag BaOmer one engages slightly in Simcha. The brevity of the Ramah’s words masks the seriousness of the obligation. Commemorating Lag BaOmer, even with only a small measure of joy, is no minor matter.

Torah authorities cite four reasons for marking the day:

First, it commemorates the students of Rabbi Akiva who ceased dying on this day, although the deaths persisted between Pesach and Shavuos (Shla Pesachim 525).

Second, it is the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who revealed the inner secrets of the Torah (Chayei Adam, Moadim 131:11).

Third, it is the day Rabbi Akiva granted ordination to his five remaining students, among them Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who did not die in the plague (Pri Chadash OC 493).

Fourth, it commemorates the Manna, which began to fall on this day after Bnei Yisroel left Mitzrayim (Responsa Chasam Sofer YD 233).

Each of these four reasons deserves examination.

The Students of Rabbi Akiva

The Talmud (Yevamos 62b) teaches that 12,000 pairs of Rabbi Akiva’s students died because they did not extend honor to one another. Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zatzal asked the obvious question. How could the great students of Rabbi Akiva have neglected so basic a principle?

His answer is illuminating. Chazal teach that Kinah, Kavod, and Taavah, jealousy, the pursuit of honor, and the pursuit of desires, take a person out of this world. The students of Rabbi Akiva reasoned as follows. If honor is so spiritually toxic, how can we extend this poison to one another?

Rav Levenstein explains that they did not realize a critical distinction. Honor is poisonous only when one seeks it for oneself. When one extends honor to another, when one builds the self-esteem of a fellow Jew, the dynamic is entirely different. Such honor is not poisonous. It is healthy. It is the very stuff of which a holy community is built.

Why then were the students punished if the insight was so subtle?

Because they were great enough to have figured it out.

Their level of Torah and middos was such that this nuance should have been within their grasp. The failure to delve into the psychology of honor, to ask the second-order question, was their error. There is a sobering lesson here. A chumra, a stringency, when misapplied, can itself become a spiritual failure. Refusing to honor another out of a misplaced fear of spiritual harm is not piety. It is a tragedy.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Rashbi, whose Yahrtzeit we commemorate on Lag BaOmer, merited to compose two extraordinary sections of the Zohar, the Idra Rabbah and the Idra Zuta. Rav Yoseph Chaim, in his Responsa Rav Pe’alim (YD 156), explains why Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, beyond his masters the Tannaim, merited to commit these teachings to writing.

Although his teachers were greater than he was, Rashbi possessed a particular gift. He could couch the deepest secrets in language so esoteric that the teachings could be expounded publicly without fear. Only those who genuinely merited the inner meaning would penetrate the surface and grasp what lay beneath.

On Lag BaOmer we commemorate not only that Rashbi transmitted these remarkable teachings, but that he safeguarded them. He ensured that the deepest truths of Torah would not be cheapened, abused, or taught to those who were unprepared to receive them.

Jewish Continuity

The semicha that Rabbi Akiva conferred upon his five remaining students was a heroic act that altered the course of Jewish history and, with it, the course of the world. The five were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar Ben Shamoa.

Under the pressure of Roman tyranny and religious oppression, these scholars knew what was at stake. They were entrusted with the noblest ideals of Tanach, with the Oral Tradition, with the future of Klal Yisroel itself. They understood that no matter the cost, the chain of transmission must not be broken. They were the future educators of every generation that would follow. It was a moment when the forces of darkness pressed hard against the light, and the light of Torah won out. Torah Judaism would go on to alter the moral consciousness of the world.

This is what Lag BaOmer commemorates. The words of the Mogen Avrohom about the man punished for failing to mark the day are now better understood. To overlook Lag BaOmer is, in some measure, to overlook the moment when Jewish continuity itself hung in the balance and held.

The Manna

The Manna represents the spiritual nourishment that Hashem granted Klal Yisroel upon their departure from Mitzrayim. It was the food that allowed the Jewish people to develop a deep Dveikus, a clinging bond, with the Creator, a bond that has defined who the Jewish people are as a nation.

Although the Manna no longer falls, the obligation it represents has never ceased. The Jewish people are charged to continue that bond, to continue imitating Hashem, to continue striving to be like Him. The Talmud (Shabbos 133b) teaches, Mah Hu Rachum af attah Rachum veChanun. Just as He is merciful, so should you be merciful. Just as He is kind, so too must you be kind. Just as He clothes the poor, so should you clothe the poor. Just as He buries the dead, so should you bury the dead.

This is the message of the Manna that endures, and this is what Lag BaOmer commemorates.

Meron, Bonfires, and Upsherin

No discussion of Lag BaOmer would be complete without addressing the customs that have come to define the day in the popular imagination, namely the pilgrimage to Meron, the lighting of bonfires, and the upsherin of three-year-old boys.

The Arizal is central to all three. The Arizal himself made the journey to Meron, and the practice of lighting hadlakos at the kever of Rashbi traces back to the kabbalistic tradition that grew around him. The bonfires are understood by some to allude to the great spiritual light that Rashbi brought into the world through the teachings of the Zohar. Others connect the fires to the tradition that on the day of Rashbi’s passing the world was filled with light, and his students saw fire surround the room.

The minhag of bows and arrows is tied to the teaching that a rainbow was never seen during Rashbi’s lifetime. The rainbow is a sign of Divine restraint in the face of a generation that would otherwise be deserving of destruction. Rashbi’s merit was so great that the rainbow was unnecessary in his day. Children carry bows on Lag BaOmer as a tribute to that merit.

Upsherin, the first haircut for a three-year-old boy, is conducted at Meron on Lag BaOmer in many communities. The custom is rooted in the Arizal’s practice and in the halachic reality that haircuts are permitted on this day after the restrictions of Sefirah. For many families, bringing a child to Meron for his first haircut is among the most cherished moments of religious life.

It should be noted that the Chasam Sofer expressed reservations about elements of the Meron practice, particularly the festive nature of a Yahrtzeit observance, since the Talmud itself does not establish Lag BaOmer as a holiday. Nonetheless, the minhag has been embraced across the breadth of Klal Yisroel, and the spiritual outpouring at Meron each year is a sight that must be seen to be believed.

How the Day is Observed

Perhaps because of the deaths of so many of Rabbi Akiva’s students, the minhag is to celebrate only modestly, not to make Lag BaOmer into a full-fledged Yom Tov. The Chasam Sofer points out that the Talmud itself does not mention Lag BaOmer as a holiday at all.

How then is the day marked? The Bnei Yissasschar writes that the custom is to light a number of candles in shul on this day. Fasting is not permitted, even for a Yahrtzeit, with the sole exception of a fast for a bad dream. Tachanun is omitted on Lag BaOmer and at the preceding Mincha. Weddings are held and attended. Singing, dancing, and music are permitted (see Pri Megadim, Eishel Avrohom 493:1).

The Lessons of the Day

As the song and dance of Jewish weddings rises this Lag BaOmer, and the words ring out, Od Yeshama, let it still be heard in the cities of Yehudah and in the outskirts of Yerushalayim, the sound of joy and the sound of happiness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, four lessons should accompany the music.

Building the self-esteem of others and according honor to one’s fellow is among the most important avodos a Jew can perform. Safeguarding the teachings of Torah, protecting them from cheapening, is paramount. Jewish continuity and the chinuch of the next generation is the axis on which everything turns. And the Dveikus, the bond with Hashem that the Manna once made tangible, must remain the center of a Jewish life.

May Hashem bring the Geulah Sheleimah speedily in our days.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Facing a growing wave of Hezbollah explosive drones targeting soldiers along the northern front, the IDF is adopting an unexpected but immediate solution: equipping soldiers in Lebanon with shotguns, i24News reported on Monday evening.

Shotguns are considered particularly effective at knocking down drones at short range, and the IDF cautiously estimates the measure could reduce the likelihood of soldiers being struck by as much as 80%.

An initial supply of hunting shotguns (originally designed for bird hunting) has already been acquired, with final field testing now underway ahead of deployment.

Illustrative. Shotgun.  (Photo: Yehuda and Shomron District Police)

The move comes as Hezbollah increasingly deploys fiber‑optic drones, sometimes called “wired drones,” which remain physically tethered to their operators by a very thin cable that unwinds behind them. Unlike conventional drones that rely on radio signals, they are immune to electronic warfare; commands and video are transmitted through the cable, rendering jamming ineffective. The lack of radio emissions also makes it significantly harder to detect the operator or target the launch team.

A senior security official recently described the challenge as far more complex than earlier UAV threats, admitting to i24News: “It’s quite a surprise. We were not sufficiently prepared for this threat.”

More advanced countermeasures, including interceptor drones and other specialized systems, are still weeks away from operational readiness. In the meantime, shotguns are being deployed as an immediate, practical response to an urgent operational gap.

At the same time, the IDF has issued new guidelines for frontline conduct aimed at reducing exposure to the threat. While the specifics remain classified, the broader approach reflects a growing recognition that countering explosive drones requires a shift in tactics.

Army Radio reported on Tuesday morning that Hezbollah has fired approximately 70 explosive drones at IDF forces since the so-called ceasefire began two and a half weeks ago. Eleven of them caused casualties and fatalities among soldiers. Two of the drones crossed into Israeli territory and injured soldiers inside Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

KIRYAS JOEL, N.Y. (VINnews) — Thousands of Chasidim gathered Monday evening in Kiryas Joel for a Lag BaOmer celebration, as travel to Israel’s traditional pilgrimage site at Mount Meron remained restricted.

The annual event, marked by music, dancing and ceremonial bonfires honoring second-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, drew visitors from across the northeastern United States.

Tens of thousands of Jews participated in tonight's Lag B'Omer bonfire in the Satmar Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel, NY.

Due to crowd restrictions in Meron, Israel, this year's Lag B'Omer event in Upstate NY was the largest in the world. pic.twitter.com/175zqUGSfU

— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) May 5, 2026

Attendance has grown steadily in recent years, and organizers say the Kiryas Joel gathering is now considered the largest Lag BaOmer bonfire event in the United States, led by the Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum.

Local and state law enforcement, along with emergency personnel, were deployed throughout the area to manage crowds and ensure safety during the gathering, which continued late into the night.

BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at a fireworks plant in a central Chinese province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others, state media reported Tuesday.

China’s official news agency Xinhua said the blast occurred at a fireworks plant in Changsha city of Hunan province on Monday afternoon. State media China Daily said the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang, a prominent fireworks powerhouse.

Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed white smoke still billowing in certain areas of the site, with facilities collapsed or damaged.

Nearly 500 rescuers were deployed to the scene and residents in danger zones were evacuated by authorities, citing high risks from two black powder warehouses near the explosion site, the Xinhua report said.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the blast and police have detained the person in charge of the company, Xinhua said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to search for people who are still unaccounted for and save the injured. He called on authorities to investigate the cause swiftly and pursue serious accountability, the report said. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.

To prevent other accidents during the operation, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards.

They also deployed three robots to help with the search and rescue operation.

Liuyang has a long history of fireworks production. The Guinness World Records organization said the first accurately documented firework, the Chinese firecracker, was attributed to Li Tian, a monk who lived near Liuyang during China’s Tang dynasty dating to around 618 to 907 C.E. Li discovered that putting gunpowder in enclosed hollow bamboo stems created loud explosions and bound crackers together to create the traditional New Year firecrackers to drive out evil spirits, Guinness said.

In February, China reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period.

Two months of American and Israeli strikes have failed to meaningfully push back Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, according to U.S. intelligence assessments, according three sources familiar with the matter.

The estimated time Tehran would need to build a bomb has not changed since last summer, the sources said, when analysts concluded that the U.S.-Israeli campaign in June had pushed the timeline out to as long as a year.

The finding, reported Monday by Reuters, undercuts one of the central rationales President Donald Trump has cited for the war he launched in February, which he has repeatedly framed as essential to keeping nuclear weapons out of Iranian hands.

The latest U.S. and Israeli strikes, which began February 28, have largely focused on conventional military targets, Iran’s leadership and its military-industrial base, the sources said. Israel has hit several nuclear-related sites, including a uranium-processing facility in late March, but the bulk of American firepower has gone elsewhere.

That focus, intelligence officials and outside analysts said, helps explain why the timeline has not moved.

“Iran still possesses all of its nuclear material, as far as we know,” said Eric Brewer, a former senior U.S. intelligence analyst who led assessments of Iran’s nuclear program and now works at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. He said the material is likely held in deeply buried underground facilities that U.S. munitions cannot reach.

Before last June’s 12-day war, U.S. intelligence agencies estimated that Iran could produce enough bomb-grade uranium and assemble a weapon in roughly three to six months, two of the sources said. The American strikes that hit the Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan complexes pushed that estimate to about nine months to a year — and there it has stayed.

The June strikes destroyed or badly damaged the three known enrichment plants then in operation. But the United Nations nuclear watchdog has been unable to verify the location of roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. The agency believes about half of that stockpile was held in an underground tunnel complex at the Isfahan Nuclear Research Center, but inspections have been suspended and the material’s whereabouts cannot be confirmed. The International Atomic Energy Agency has assessed that the full stockpile, if further enriched, would be enough for 10 bombs.

The unchanged timeline suggests that any meaningful setback to Iran’s program would now require destroying or removing that highly enriched uranium outright. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have weighed dangerous options to do so, including ground raids to retrieve the material believed to be stored in the Isfahan tunnels, the sources said.

The White House pushed back on the framing that the campaign has fallen short.

“While Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities, Operation Epic Fury built on this success by decimating Iran’s defense industrial base that they once leveraged as a protective shield around their pursuit of a nuclear weapon,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said, referring to the June operation and the war that began in February. “President Trump has long been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and he does not bluff.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Some officials argue the intelligence estimates understate the damage done. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that U.S. strikes on Iranian air defenses have weakened Tehran’s ability to shield its nuclear sites should it decide to dash for a weapon. Israeli assassinations of senior Iranian nuclear scientists, several analysts said, have introduced fresh uncertainty into Tehran’s ability to build a functioning bomb.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York (VINnews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)  Since October 7th, more than 940 IDF soldiers and some 210 members of Israel’s security forces have been cut down by murderous terrorists. For so many of their bereaved families, one yearning rises above every other:

That something of their loved one should yet remain in this world. That a child — a grandchild — a future — should still emerge from the ashes of their loss.

One face of that anguish, recently featured in the Jerusalem Report, belongs to Hadas Levy, a young pediatrician whose fiancé, Capt. (res.) Netanel Silberg, fell in combat in Gaza in December 2023. Levy made a decision that would soon make her the first woman in Israel to give birth to a child whose father had been killed in the war against Hamas.

Her story — and the stories of the some 250 Israeli families who, according to the Health Ministry, have since had their loved ones’ genetic material retrieved and preserved — has placed before the poskim of our generation a series of weighty halachic questions that demand both unflinching rigor and profound rachmanus. What follows is an examination of the underlying halachos.

With the outbreak of the horrific murders of October 7th and the subsequent efforts to eliminate terrorism, many bereaved parents and widows of fallen IDF soldiers and other Israeli security personnel have sought to extract zera from the deceased for future fertility purposes.

The procedure is time-sensitive. When performed within 24 hours of death, viable zera is found in roughly 75 percent of cases. After 72 hours, retrieval generally fails.

Guidelines on the topic were issued by the Attorney General in 2013 and this is the current status:

• A widow or partner does not require family court approval unless a relative opposes the procedure.
• Parents or other relatives must obtain family court approval to retrieve zera.
• During the initial military action the Tel Aviv Family Court issued a temporary directive (through April 30, 2024) permitting parents to retrieve zera without court approval, given time constraints.
• Use of the zera always requires court approval. For a widow, the request is granted on the presumption that the deceased wished to have children with her. For parents, use requires proof that this was the deceased’s wish.

The Three Halachic Scenarios

Three distinct cases must be analyzed, each with different halachic considerations:

• [A] A married soldier with children — the discussion concerns lineage and inheritance.
• [B] A married soldier without children — beyond lineage and inheritance, the laws of yibum and chalitzah must be considered.
• [C] A single soldier — beyond lineage and inheritance, fertility would be performed via the womb of an unmarried woman, requiring its own analysis.

Most of the material quoted here can be found in Rav Tzvi Reizman’s Ish Milchama Siman 23. Rav Mordechai Halperin (Kovetz Beis Hillel Vol. 9, p. 50) was asked about a young bachelor who froze zera before chemotherapy and later died, leaving a letter stating: “There is at the hospital frozen zera of mine, as I would have wanted that it should be made use of.”

Rav Halperin observed that there is no fulfillment of the mitzvah of pru u-revu after death, since “the dead are exempt from any mitzvos” (Shabbos 30a, expounding Tehillim 88:6). However, he suggested that fulfilling the deceased’s will may constitute chesed shel emes, comparing it to saying Kaddish for a parent or other acts of kindness performed for the deceased (Sukkah 49b; Yerushalmi Pe’ah 1:1; Beis Yosef YD 376).

On this basis he initially concluded that fulfilling the deceased’s wish to leave a name and remnant constitutes chesed shel emes. He later modified his position (Kovetz Asia 75-78, p. 113), but maintained the basic permission.

V’Ahavta L’Rayacha Kamocha as a Foundation

Beyond the framework of chesed shel emes, there is an additional and powerful consideration that bears directly upon both the spouse and the parents of the fallen: the mitzvah of v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha (Vayikra 19:18). The Ramban (in his commentary to that pasuk) explains that the obligation requires a person to desire for his fellow every good that he desires for himself — not in measured portions, but in the fullness of what one would wish for one’s own self. The Chofetz Chaim, in the introduction to Ahavas Chesed, develops this principle at length, demonstrating that the mitzvah extends not merely to acts of kindness during life but to the totality of what a person would wish realized on his own behalf.

For many a widow whose husband was killed in battle, the longing to bear his child is among the deepest expressions of the love commanded by this mitzvah. She seeks to actualize for him precisely what he would have desired for himself — a child, a continuation, a name in Klal Yisrael. So too for parents who knew their son’s heart, who heard him speak of the family he had hoped to build, who understand with the certainty that only a parent possesses what their child would have wanted brought into the world after him. The mitzvah of v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha, applied to the deepest aspirations of the deceased, provides a Torah foundation for understanding why these requests are not merely emotional impulses but the very fulfillment of an obligation between Yisrael and Yisrael.

This consideration is perhaps the underlying position of those poskim who permit posthumous retrieval and use, particularly where there is a clear umdana — a reasoned assessment but they qualify it based on the deceased’s known wishes, character, and life trajectory — of what he also would have wanted. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 243) writes that the root of v’ahavta l’rayacha is that one should care for his fellow’s body and money as he cares for his own.

Rav Asher Weiss’s Sharp Disagreement

Rav Asher Weiss, Av Beis Din Darkei Torah (in Kovetz Beis Hillel Vol. 9, p. 53), rejected Rav Halperin’s permission on multiple grounds:

• There is no mitzvah of pru u-revu after death, since the deceased is exempt from mitzvos.
• The principle of “mitzvah l’kayem divrei ha-meis” (the mitzvah to fulfill the words of the deceased) applies only to monetary matters and inheritance, not to other matters (Tashbetz Vol. 2 §53).
• Practically, since one cannot use a bachelor’s zera to inseminate a married woman, the procedure inherently leads to single motherhood which is “not according to the conduct of those who fear heaven and keepers of Torah and mitzvos.”
• Permitting this encourages parents to bring forth children outside of marriage.

His conclusion: “It does not appear at all to fulfill this request… it shall not arise and shall not enter at all.”

Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg’s Position

Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg zatzal (Asia Heh-Vav, Elul 5739, p. 47) ruled: Without consent of the deceased, the procedure is forbidden. But with explicit consent or a clear assessment (umdana) that this was his wish, fertility is permitted, since “the Torah considers very greatly the human will to leave a name and remnant in the world, as one learns from the Parashah of Yibum.”

He invoked the Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 598) on the root of yibum: there is no greater remnant for the deceased than offspring established through one who shared his flesh.

Rav Halperin relied on Rav Goldberg’s reasoning to permit fertility for a deceased bachelor as well. Rav Weiss rejected this analogy, arguing that the reasons of mitzvos cannot be extended beyond their explicit context, especially yibum, which contains kabbalistic dimensions.

The Status of a Common-Law Partner

A particularly sensitive question arises when the fallen soldier was not formally married but lived together with his partner in a stable household, as is common in modern Israeli society. Many are of the opinion that, according to Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin zt“l, such a common-law living arrangement is considered like marriage in halachic terms. Rav Henkin held the position — developed in his teshuvos and discussed extensively by his talmidim — that a couple who lived together openly and exclusively as husband and wife may be regarded as having effected the third form of marriage listed in the first Mishna in Kiddushin.

On this view, the common-law partner of a fallen soldier may perhaps be treated, for the purposes of posthumous fertility, much as a halachic widow is treated: there is a presumption that the deceased wished to have children with her, the umdana is strong, and the considerations of v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha apply with their full force. This position is not universally accepted — many poskim require an actual chuppah and kiddushin and do not extend Rav Henkin’s reasoning to contemporary arrangements — but it is widely cited and forms a meaningful basis for leniency in cases where formal marriage did not occur but a genuine marital relationship clearly did. Practically, a sho’el u’meishiv must be consulted in each individual case.

Summary

The questions raised by posthumous fertility in the wake of October 7th touch the deepest places in halacha and in the human heart. The poskim are divided: Rav Asher Weiss rules stringently across the board; Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg permits where there is consent or a clear umdana; Rav Halperin extends that permission, with qualification, even to a deceased bachelor. The mitzvah of v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha provides a Torah foundation for the spouse and parents who seek to fulfill the deepest wishes of their loved one, and the position attributed to Rav Henkin zt“l regarding common-law arrangements broadens the category of those who may halachically be treated as a widow for these purposes.

As always in matters of such gravity, every individual case requires the guidance of a competent posek who knows the family, the circumstances, and the wishes of the niftar.

May Hashem comfort the bereaved among Tzion and Yerushalayim, and may the names and remnants of those who fell protecting Klal Yisroel be remembered as a zchus for us all.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

A respected talmid chacham known for his humility and lifelong dedication to Torah, Rav Yitzchok Menachem Cohen zt”l passed away Monday at the age of 82.

The niftar collapsed on the eve of the recent Yom Tov and was taken to Sheba Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized until his petirah Monday afternoon.

The levayah will be held tonight at his home on Meromi Sadeh Street 11 in Modiin Illit, proceeding to Segulah Cemetery in Petach Tikvah for kevurah.

Rav Cohen zt”l was born in Yerushalayim on the 7th of Teves 5704 to his father, Rav Aviezri Eliezer Cohen zt”l, of the Bayit Vegan neighborhood. As a child, he davened at Yeshivas Kol Torah, where he was exposed to many gedolei Yisroel there.

He later continued his learning at Yeshivas Kol Torah for his yeshiva ketanah years, before advancing to Ponevezh Yeshiva, where he became a close talmid of the mashgiach, Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l, as well as of the Ponevezher Rov. He was a regular participant in the mashgiach’s shmuessen.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Avraham Schwartz zt”l, mashgiach of Yeshivas Or Yisrael in Petach Tikvah, who had passed away prior to the chasunah. Following his marriage, he initially lived in Petach Tikvah and developed a close connection with the rosh yeshiva of Or Yisrael, Rav Yaakov Neiman zt”l.

He later moved to Bnei Brak, where he joined Kollel Chazon Ish, immersing himself in Torah learning for decades. There, he developed a close relationship with the rosh kollel, Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l, and merited learning alongside the Sar HaTorah, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, as well as other leading gedolim of the generation. Throughout his life, he remained exceedingly modest, avoiding attention and never seeking recognition.

He maintained halachic discussions with many gedolei Yisroel, who held him in high regard. Approximately 20 years ago, he relocated to Modiin Illit to be near his children, where he continued his daily sedorim, learning both in the morning and afternoon and maintaining his chavrusashafts consistently, even during difficult periods. He completed Shas multiple times, always quietly and without fanfare.

Seven years ago, his wife, Mrs. Devorah Cohen a”h, passed away suddenly. He accepted the loss with deep emunah and continued his regular learning schedule, often learning with his children over the phone. He took great joy in hearing their chiddushim and would share his own insights with them as well.

He was niftar Monday afternoon in the hospital, surrounded by family.

Tehei nishmaso tzerurah b’tzror hachaim.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Asher Yedidya Lerner zt”l, a longtime resident and one of the founders of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood in Bnei Brak and a key figure behind the well-known Eim V’Yeled organization, passed away after years of illness at the age of 71.

The levayah is set to take place Tuesday morning, Lag BaOmer, at 11:00 a.m., departing from his home at 20 Giborei Yisrael Street in Bnei Brak. The procession is to pass the Khal Chassidim Shul in Ramat Elchanan and continue to the Ponovezh Bais Hachaim for kevurah.

Rav Lerner was born in Kfar Chassidim on the 20th of Av, 5714, to his father, Rav Nachman Lerner zt”l, and his mother, Mrs. Devorah Lerner a”h. In his youth, he was counted among the outstanding talmidim of Kfar Chassidim.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife, Chedva, daughter of Rav Shmuel Eliyahu Weinberg z”l, who served as the fourth mayor of Bnei Brak. She was also a descendant of the Slonimer Rebbe of Tel Aviv and a niece of the Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisrael.

Following his marriage, Rav Lerner was among the founders of Ramat Elchanan in Bnei Brak, where he became known for his extraordinary acts of chesed. When his mother-in-law, Esther a”h, daughter of Rav Moshe Eckstein z”l, established the Eim V’Yeled organization, he stood at her side and ultimately took on a leading role in running the institution.

He earned a reputation as an exceptional baal tzedakah, admired and respected by the rabbanim of the neighborhood. He was diligent in attending daily shiurim in the shul, drawing strength and vitality from his learning. A man of integrity and action, he was known for his honesty, his pursuit of tzedakah and chesed, and his humility. He loved Torah and those who studied it, and even as he endured suffering, he continued learning with acceptance and faith.

A particularly remarkable aspect of his life was his dedication to honoring his parents. After the passing of his mother and father-in-law, he and his wife devoted themselves for many years to the daily care of his father and mother-in-law. Even after falling ill, he maintained his regular learning schedule and continued his acts of tzedakah and chesed.

He is survived by ten children—sons and daughters—who continue in his path.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

A controversial decision by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to sharply limit media access to Meron has sparked backlash, as the government enforces security restrictions on Lag BaOmer events while thousands are already present on the mountain.

Despite overseeing the hilula and being responsible for communications, Karhi advanced a plan to restrict the number of journalists allowed to report from Meron, using a lottery system established by legal advisers to determine which outlets would gain entry.

The move comes even as large crowds remain on the mountain and additional visitors are expected throughout the day.

In a surprising outcome, several of Israel’s most prominent media organizations were excluded from the lottery. Among those denied access are leading outlets such as Kikar HaShabbat, Channel 12 in the general media, and B’Chadrei Chareidim, despite their large audiences.

Announcing the results, Karhi said: “Let us pray that the day passes peacefully with Hashem’s help. I call on the public not to come to Meron this year, and to celebrate within their communities and towns. I also call on ministers and members of Knesset to set a personal example and not to come. And you shall greatly guard your souls.”

Chareidi officials involved in organizing the hilula expressed strong confusion and criticism over the decision, noting that efforts had been made to allow broader media access. “Apparently, with decisions like these, all that’s left for us is truly to pray that the day passes peacefully,” those sources said.

According to the official statement, “Similar to the framework in 2024, it was decided by the minister in charge of the hilula, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, to once again hold a transparent and equitable lottery among the various media outlets. This is intended to balance the operational need to reduce the number of people on the mountain with the preservation of press freedom and the public’s right to know. Based on security directives, entry was approved for only 30 media organizations, with each outlet permitted to send a team of two — a journalist and an accompanying staff member.”

Among the outlets that were granted access are Galei Tzahal, Kol Chai, Kan (Moreshet/B), Kol Barama, Yisroel Hayom, Walla, Haaretz, Ynet, Kan 11, News 13, Channel 14, and Hidabroot, along with smaller publications, niche magazines, WhatsApp groups, and freelance photographers.

Sources close to Karhi attempted to deflect responsibility, saying, “The lottery and the criteria were set by the legal advisers of the Yerushalayim Affairs Ministry.”

However, officials within that ministry pushed back, stating, “The decision regarding the number of journalists was made by the minister in charge, Shlomo Karhi — we did not want this.”

{Matzav.com}

Support for the US-Israel military campaign against Iran has declined among “connected” American Jews—those affiliated with Jewish institutions—falling from 68 percent in the conflict’s early stages to 60 percent following a ceasefire that began April 8, according to newly released polling data.

The Jewish People Policy Institute conducted the survey of connected American Jews between April 15 and 19. The results, released Sunday, reveal shifting attitudes as the war has progressed.

The most pronounced shift occurred among Jews identifying as “leaning liberal,” with support among this group plummeting to 42 percent from 57 percent in early March, a decline of 15 percentage points in roughly six weeks.

Opposition to the war surged concurrently, with approximately one-third of respondents now expressing disapproval, compared to 26 percent shortly after the conflict’s outbreak. The poll found that only 14 percent of respondents believed the war had achieved “major success.”

The JPPI emphasized that its survey reflects sentiments among institutionally connected Jews rather than American Jewry broadly. The institute’s panel includes fewer intermarried Jews, more Jews affiliated with religious denominations and more individuals with Israeli residency experience than demographic data suggests characterizes the American Jewish population overall.

The findings diverge from broader American Jewish opinion. Two earlier polls conducted weeks into the war, before the ceasefire took effect, found that most American Jews overall opposed the US military campaign against Iran.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

We regret to inform you of the Petirah of Mrs. Rivky Goldberg A”H of Lakewood, who was Niftar today.

Mrs. Goldberg A”H, a Lakewood resident for over half a century, is survived by her children Fishel Goldberg (Toms River), Shayma Goldberg (Far Rockaway), Miriam King (Flatbush), Yehoshua Goldberg (Lakewood) and Sholom Goldberg (Lakewood).

The Levaya is scheduled to take place Tuesday morning at 10am at the chapel in Lakewood, 613 Ramsey Avenue, with Kevurah at the Mount Judah cemetery in Ridgewood, New York. There will be no Hespeidim.

Shiva will be at 640 7th Street in Lakewood until Monday Morning. Shaima will be sitting in his home 1722 Brookhaven Ave, Far Rockaway starting Motzei Shabbos untill Monday morning and Mrs. King will be sitting in her home on Motzei Shabbos, 2613 Avenue I in Brooklyn.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani came out of a coma Monday and was awake and speaking while continuing treatment in a Florida hospital after battling pneumonia, longtime friend John Catsimatidis told reporters.

Catsimatidis said he received the update Monday afternoon from a close former aide to the 81-year-old. “He’s talking, he’s alert. To me, that’s great news,’’ the supermarket and media mogul told reporters.

Giuliani was hospitalized over the weekend after falling ill with a serious respiratory infection, his business partner Tom von Essen – the city’s fire commissioner during 9/11 – said.

“Rudy had a tough weekend. He had pneumonia,” von Essen told The NY Post, describing Monday as “an important day’’ in terms of Giuliani’s recovery.

A spokesman for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, confirmed to the Post the former mayor was recovering from pneumonia and remained under observation as a precaution.

He is now breathing independently, with family members and his primary doctor by his side, the spokesman said.

“Mayor Giuliani is the ultimate fighter – as he has demonstrated throughout his life – and he is winning this battle,” Goodman said.

The illness is linked to a chronic condition tied to Giuliani’s exposure during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, his representative added.

“On September 11th, Mayor Giuliani ran toward the towers to help those in need, which led to a restrictive airway disease diagnosis,” the spokesman said.

“This disease adds complications to any emerging respiratory issue, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain his blood pressure.”

The latest update followed Sunday’s disclosure that Giuliani – a close ally of President Trump – was in critical but stable condition with an unspecified illness at the time.

Messages of support poured in, including from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“Absolutely, I’m wishing strength and recovery to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his loved ones during this difficult time. And I hope that his recovery is steady, and I hope that his family finds peace in one another during this time,” Mamdani said during a press conference.

“I think former Mayor Giuliani is someone that we, as New Yorkers, know well, and he’s been a fixture in our city’s politics and public life for so many years, and I know that many New Yorkers are concerned by reports he is in critical condition and so we do keep him and his family in our prayers at this time,” he added.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki told the Post he had been expecting to see Giuliani at a charity event later in the week.

“I was looking forward to seeing him … and being able to talk at length,’’ Pataki said. “I haven’t talked to him in a few months.

“We were great partners for the city and the state for seven years together, and we were able to just do a tremendous amount to make the city and state a better place by working together.

“So obviously now we just hope he gets better,’’ Pataki said.

Pataki said he was stunned to learn Giuliani had been hospitalized.

“It was just a shock’’ to learn Giuliani was even hospitalized, he said.

“You just take for granted that figures that have such a large profile in our state and our country will be around for a long time,’’ he added.

At the same media gathering, WABC host Dominic Carter also expressed support, saying, “History is going to judge [Giuliani] as the greatest mayor of New York City ever.”

Asked about their long friendship – despite past legal disputes – Catsimatidis said the bond remains strong.

“Friends for 40 years, brothers for 40 years,’’ he said.

At a Lag BaOmer shiur delivered tonight, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein addressed the current security situation that has prevented travel to Meron this year, offering a chizuk-filled perspective: Even if we cannot go to Rashbi, Rashbi can come to us.

Speaking at his weekly shiur in the central bais haknesses of Ramat Elchanan, Rav Zilberstein opened by stressing the greatness of the day. “Baruch Hashem, we have reached a very great day, Lag BaOmer,” he said. “A day that is capable of many good things. Chazal greatly praise this day, and all those who know how to be mispallel on this day and perform maasim tovim on this day — Chazal greatly praise them.”

He went on to reflect on the situation facing Klal Yisroel. “Today we are in a matzav where not all the nations of the world are with us. Many are against us in a major way. But we rely on HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and we direct our tefillos that they should ascend upward, be’ezras Hashem, and that we should merit the special segulos that HaKadosh Baruch Hu granted us for this day, Lag BaOmer.”

Rav Zilberstein then shared a powerful teaching he once heard from his father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Referring to the long-standing minhag of traveling to the kever of Rashbi in Meron, he recalled asking whether Rav Elyashiv would go.

“There were always those who traveled to Meron. Today there is no Meron — that is not a simple thing,” Rav Zilberstein said. “I once heard from my father-in-law, Maran Hagaon Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. I asked him if he was traveling to Meron, and he told me a sharp line: ‘Why do I need to go to Meron? Rashbi comes to me…’”

He continued with the explanation he heard: “‘Why are you asking me if I will go to Meron? What do you mean? I use every moment for limud haTorah — and instead of me going to him, he comes to me.’”

Rav Zilberstein explained that the meaning is clear: “Rabi Shimon bar Yochai comes to someone who learns his Torah. That is what Rav Elyashiv meant — I learn his Torah, and he comes to me to hear how I am learning it.”

Jewish New Yorkers accounted for the overwhelming majority of confirmed hate crimes in the city last month, according to New York Police Department statistics released Monday.

The NYPD documented 30 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes out of 50 total hate crimes recorded in April, representing 60 percent of all bias-motivated incidents despite Jews comprising approximately 10 percent of the city’s population.

The remaining confirmed hate crimes targeted other groups at substantially lower rates. Nine incidents targeted Black residents, three were directed at Hispanic individuals, five were motivated by sexual orientation bias, two were based on religious grounds unrelated to antisemitism, and one was motivated by gender. No confirmed hate crimes targeted Muslims, Asians, white people or other ethnic groups during the month.

If there is a silver lining, the April total marks a decline from the prior year. In April 2025, police confirmed 43 antisemitic hate crimes—13 more than April 2026. However, the figure reflects an uptick compared to recent months. February recorded 21 confirmed antisemitic incidents, while March documented 32.

Police officials acknowledge that monthly totals fluctuate based on external factors including news developments, public protests and weather patterns, which influence both incident frequency and reporting.

The NYPD altered its reporting methodology in recent months. The department previously reported suspected but unconfirmed hate crime incidents. In February, it shifted to reporting only confirmed cases. After facing criticism for the change, the agency began reporting both suspected and confirmed incidents starting in March. The methodology shift has complicated year-to-date comparisons, as January lacks confirmed incident data and February lacks suspected incident information.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Newly released recordings have ignited political controversy after Minister Idit Silman was heard making sharp allegations about former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s ability to function while in office.

The recordings, aired by Channel 14, capture remarks Silman made during a closed-door gathering of activists, where she described what she claimed took place behind the scenes during the previous government under Bennett’s leadership. In the conversation, she asserted that Bennett was in a severely weakened mental state and was not effectively running the government.

Silman is heard saying: “I’ll tell you something most people don’t know. Practically speaking, in the previous government, Naftali Bennett did not function, and that was from the beginning. He was both confused and stammering. In my opinion, in general, he was in a very, very poor mental state – everyone around him knew.”

She continued with a more striking claim: “Everyone around him knew it. They would give him pills in all kinds of red boxes, supposedly so he could function.” According to her, his alleged inability to lead resulted in power shifting to his political partner: “The one who actually ran the Prime Minister’s Office was Lapid and his entire team.”

Silman also addressed her decision to leave the coalition — a move that ultimately brought down the government — saying: “As far as I’m concerned, when I brought them down, I brought down Lapid as prime minister, and that was clear to everyone.”

No response was issued on behalf of Silman following the publication of the recordings.

A statement from Bennett’s “Together” party dismissed the claims, saying: “Fake. The ‘Together’ party led by Bennett wishes Silman great success in the upcoming primaries. There is no doubt she will bring great honor to Likud.”

{Matzav.com}

I am writing as an Orthodox Jewish man living in Israel, but for the first twenty years of my life I lived on the very block in Golders Green where this week’s attack took place. I do not speak from theory or headlines – I know exactly what it means to live there as a Jew.

What happened this week is tragic. But let us be honest: it is not new, and it is not surprising.

Antisemitism is not a recent “wave” or a sudden resurgence. It is a constant reality that has accompanied the Jewish people for thousands of years. From the Spanish Inquisition to the Crusades, from York to Germany to Russia – this has been the pattern of our history. Anyone who pretends otherwise is ignoring reality.

Because of this, our response must be grounded in truth, not emotion.

The more we make noise, the more we place ourselves at the center of attention, the more we risk inflaming what already exists. This is not a popular thing to say, but it is a truthful one. Our role in בגלות has never been to draw attention to ourselves or to demand that the world solve antisemitism. That has never worked, and it will not start working now.

Living in harmony does not mean loudly confronting antisemitism at every opportunity. It means living with awareness, restraint, and responsibility – not making ourselves into a constant public issue.

For this reason, some of the reactions this week were not just misguided, but deeply irresponsible.

When a victim, speaking publicly from a hospital bed, declares that “the government is not doing enough” or that “they have let us down,” one must ask: what exactly is being demanded? No government, no matter how well-intentioned, can eliminate antisemitism. Statements like this do not solve the problem – they amplify it, and they place Jews once again at the center of grievance and attention.

Equally disturbing was the behavior of members of our own community who jeered and shouted when Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to Golders Green. This was not strength. It was a חילול השם and a disgrace. It reflects a loss of perspective about how Jews must conduct themselves among the nations.

We must also be honest about another uncomfortable point: when Jewish political figures act in ways that are seen as provocative on the world stage, the consequences are not contained locally. Whether it is Itamar Ben-Gvir ascending Har Habayit or public declarations of military power by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, these actions resonate far beyond Israel. They affect how Jews are perceived everywhere, including in places like Golders Green.

This is not about blame. It is about responsibility.

Antisemitism is a fact. It has always been a fact. And the more it is fought loudly and publicly, the more it risks intensifying. History has shown this again and again.

Our survival has never depended on public declarations or demands. It has depended on understanding the reality we live in and acting with caution, humility, and seichel.

The events in Golders Green should not only sadden us – they should remind us of what we already know, and what too many are choosing to forget.

Signed,
B.K.

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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal magistrate judge on Monday pressed a jail official to explain why a man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempting to kill President Donald Trump was placed on restrictive suicide watch after his arrest.

Officials at the city jail in Washington, D.C., removed Cole Tomas Allen from its designated “suicide status” over the weekend after his attorneys complained that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.

But the relaxed conditions didn’t satisfy U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui’s concerns that Allen may have received disparate, punitive treatment in violation of his due process rights. Faruqui noted that the D.C. jail routinely houses convicted killers and others charged with violent crimes without placing them on 24-hour lockdown.

“It could drive a person crazy to be in that situation,” he said.

Faruqui apologized to Allen over his confinement conditions. In response to a news report on that apology, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro criticized him in a social media post that said Faruqui “believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant.”

Allen’s lawyers said he wasn’t showing any suicidal risk factors after his arrest. But a jail psychiatrist evaluated him and initially concluded that he posed a suicide risk, according to Tony Towns, acting general counsel for the city’s corrections department.

“Every case is different, your honor,” Towns said.

Allen was moved into protective custody after the jail lifted the suicide prevention measures. His attorneys didn’t object to his new confinement status. They had asked the magistrate to cancel Monday’s hearing, but Faruqui forged ahead with it due to his “grave concerns” about Allen’s treatment in jail.

Allen was injured but was not shot during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.

Allen was armed with guns and knives when he ran through a security checkpoint and pointed his weapon at a Secret Service agent, who fired back five times, authorities said. Pirro has said that Allen fired a shot that struck the agent’s bullet-resistant vest.

Allen later told FBI agents that he didn’t expect to survive the attack, which could help explain why he was deemed to be a possible suicide risk, said Justice Department prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is charged with attempted assassination of the president and two additional firearms counts. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Allen was prohibited from having anything in his cell. He asked for a Bible and a visit from a chaplain but hasn’t received either, according to Ohm.

NEW YORK (AP) — Doris Fisher, who co-founded the iconic clothing chain The Gap Inc. in 1969 with her late husband Don, has died. She was 94.

Fisher died on Saturday surrounded by her family, a Gap spokesperson confirmed on Monday. The San Francisco-based company did not specify a cause of death.

The couple co-founded The Gap after a frustrating shopping experience when Don Fisher couldn’t find a pair of jeans that fit, according to the retailer. The Fishers opened one small store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Initially men’s Levi’s jeans and record tapes were the only items for sale. But the brand became the foundation for a global retail empire and reshaped American fashion with a focus on simple casual looks from khakis and jeans to T-shirts and sweater sets.

The chain eventually expanded to other nameplates — Banana Republic and Old Navy — and now generates more than $15 billion in sales globally.

Fisher was the company’s fashion merchandiser for nearly four decades, while her husband focused on the business side. The company said that she came up with the company’s name, specifically to bridge the “generation gap” between parents and children. Don Fisher died in 2009.

“There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher,” Gap’s CEO and President Richard Dickson said in a statement issued Monday. “In Gap-speak, she was a true original. Doris was a full partner in Gap Inc.’s founding and a path-breaking entrepreneur at a time when that was highly unusual for women. She understood firsthand the value of self-expression, diversity, and inclusion.”

Dickson, who has been spearheading a turnaround after several years of a sales malaise, also said that Doris Fisher “worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. always did more than sell clothes.” Gap hired Dickson in July 2023.

Gap noted that Doris Fisher’s influence extended beyond merchandising and store design. She helped shape the cultural tone of Gap advertising and product development, while maintaining a “steadfast” presence in the company’s expansion and pushing the company to focus on the customer’s needs. Gap went public in 1976.

The Fishers also were involved in philanthropic endeavors. The couple amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country, Gap said. In 2009, the family pledged more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest gifts of its kind.

Doris Fisher was also an advocate of educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. She served on the board of Knowledge Is Power Program, known as KIPP, a network of high-performing charter schools aimed at creating opportunity for underserved students.

Born in San Francisco in 1931, Doris Feigenbaum grew up in a family “steeped in values of enterprise, culture, and community service,” according to Gap. She graduated from Stanford University in 1953, where she studied economics.

She is survived by her three sons — Robert, William, and John — all of whom have carried forward the family’s business and philanthropic commitments with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KIPP, Stanford University, The Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony, and The Gap Foundation.

She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, the company said.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of killing one person and injuring a dozen more in a firebomb attack on Colorado demonstrators showing support for Israeli hostages in Gaza plans to plead guilty this week, according to court documents.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if a state judge accepts his guilty plea in the June 1 attack in downtown Boulder, according to the documents filed by his attorneys on Sunday in a related federal case.

Soliman had previously pleaded not guilty after he was accused of throwing two Molotov cocktails during the demonstration at a pedestrian mall. An 82-year-old woman who was injured in the attack later died. A dozen others were also injured.

Soliman is an Egyptian national who federal authorities say was living in the U.S. illegally. Investigators say he planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.”

Soliman faces dozens of state charges including murder and attempted murder.

He has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges. Prosecutors are considering whether to seek the death sentence in that case, according to his attorneys. Soliman’s attorneys said he offered last August to plead guilty to the federal charges and would accept a sentence of life in prison.

The Associated Press left voicemail messages for Soliman’s attorneys in both cases. His federal defenders said in Sunday’s court filing that the attack “was profoundly inconsistent” with Soliman’s prior conduct and “came as a total shock to his family.”

Before the attack, Soliman had been living with his family in a two-bedroom apartment in Colorado Springs. He had worked in a series of low-paying jobs since moving to the U.S. from Kuwait in 2022 with his wife and their five children, according to his attorneys. The couple divorced in April, his attorneys said.

Shannon Carbone with the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the state case, declined to comment on Soliman’s intention to plead guilty, citing court restrictions on public comments by prosecutors.

“From the very first day, our office has been committed to fighting for justice in this case,” Carbone wrote in an email, adding that County Attorney Michael Dougherty will address the case following Thursday’s hearing.

Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration at Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, “Free Palestine!” Police said he told them he got scared because he had never hurt anyone before.

Federal prosecutors allege the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual connection to Israel. But Soliman’s federal defense lawyers say he should not have been charged with hate crimes because the evidence shows he was motivated by opposition to Zionism, the political movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel.

An attack motivated by someone’s political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.

State prosecutors have identified 29 victims in the attack. Thirteen were physically injured, and the others were nearby and are considered victims because they could have been hurt. A dog was also injured in the attack, and Soliman has been charged with animal cruelty.

EDGEWATER, NJ (VINnews)-John Sterling, the unmistakable radio voice of the New York Yankees for 36 seasons and a beloved figure whose bombastic calls became synonymous with Yankees baseball, died on May 4, 2026, at the age of 87. His passing was announced by WFAN, the team’s radio flagship. He died at a hospital in Englewood, New Jersey, from complications related to heart failure following recent health issues, including a heart attack earlier in 2026.

Born John Sloss on July 4, 1938, in New York City, Sterling grew up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side as a Yankees fan, absorbing radio broadcasts and dreaming of one day calling games himself. He attended Moravian College, Boston University, and Columbia University’s School of General Studies before launching his broadcasting career at a small station in Wellsville, New York. He later changed his last name to Sterling for its professional appeal.

A Storied Career Across Sports

Sterling’s early work included play-by-play for the Baltimore Bullets (NBA), Morgan State football, New York Islanders (NHL), New Jersey Nets (ABA/NBA), and a stint with the Atlanta Braves and Hawks. He returned to New York in 1989 to become the Yankees’ primary radio play-by-play announcer on WABC, later moving to WFAN.

Over his tenure, Sterling called more than 5,600 games, including a remarkable streak of 5,060 consecutive regular-season games from 1989 to 2019. He broadcast every game of Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame career and every pitch thrown by Mariano Rivera. He was on the call for eight World Series, including the five championship runs in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.

His partners in the booth included Michael Kay (1992–2001) and, most enduringly, Suzyn Waldman (2005–2024), forming a partnership filled with chemistry, inside jokes, and shared passion for the team.

Signature Style and Iconic Calls

Sterling was known for his theatrical, larger-than-life delivery, deep baritone, and unapologetic Yankees fandom. His most famous sign-off after victories — “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!” — echoed through car radios, beaches, and living rooms for generations, growing longer and more emphatic after dramatic wins or titles.

He pioneered personalized home run calls, a tradition that delighted fans:

Bernie Williams: “Bernie goes boom!” or “Bern, Baby, Bern!”

Derek Jeter: “Jeter, Jeter, Jeter!”

Alex Rodriguez: “An A-bomb from A-Rod!”

Aaron Judge: “All rise! Here comes the Judge!” or “It’s a Judgian blast!”

Others included “The Giambino!” for Jason Giambi, “Robbie Canó, don’tcha know!” and creative ones for later players like Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto.

His standard home run call — “It is high! It is far! It is gone!” — became a staple, though he was occasionally criticized for jumping the gun on fly balls due to his enthusiastic style. Supporters saw it as part of his charm: a broadcaster who lived and died with every pitch.

Later Years, Retirement, and Legacy

Sterling slowed his schedule in his final seasons, citing travel fatigue, and announced his retirement in April 2024. He returned for the final homestand and postseason, with his last call coming in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Post-retirement, he hosted a weekly talk show on WABC.

A 12-time Sports Emmy winner (including for his work on YES Network’s Yankeeography), he was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame and was a multiple finalist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and the organization praised Sterling as a “pillar” who brought excitement and passion to broadcasts. Michael Kay called him part of the “Yankee firmament,” while Aaron Boone and players like Aaron Judge remembered his dedication and wit.

Sterling is survived by his children, including triplets born in 2000. He lived in Edgewater, New Jersey, and faced health challenges later in life, including a blood infection in 2020 and a foul ball incident in 2023 that he shook off to continue broadcasting.

John Sterling wasn’t just the voice of the Yankees — for millions of fans, he was Yankees baseball on summer nights. His calls will echo in highlight reels and memories for decades. The pinstripes have lost one of their most enduring icons.

Theeeeee Yankees — and their fans — will miss him dearly.

An armed individual was shot by U.S. Secret Service officers Monday afternoon in the vicinity of the Washington Monument, triggering a security lockdown at the White House and the evacuation of journalists to the briefing room.

The incident, which occurred several blocks south of the White House along the National Mall, unfolded as President Trump was meeting with small business owners in the complex. The event continued without interruption.

Secret Service officials declined to provide specifics about the circumstances that led officers to discharge their weapons, stating only that “one individual was shot by law enforcement; their condition is currently unknown.” The agency did not immediately identify the individual or provide details about any weapon the person possessed.

Law enforcement personnel established a security perimeter around the area as officers responded to the scene. Journalists working at the White House were directed into the briefing room during the initial response, a standard protocol when potential threats are detected within the vicinity of the presidential compound.

Sources briefed on the incident told Fox News Digital that the situation appeared contained with no indication of a broader security threat.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Motorists in New Jersey could soon have a simpler way to check and pay outstanding traffic and parking fines under legislation that would create a centralized license plate search system.

The bill, which was recently introduced in the state Legislature, would require the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) to develop and maintain an online platform allowing vehicle owners and operators to search for violations tied to their license plates.

Under the proposal, users would be able to enter a license plate number to view any outstanding motor vehicle or parking violations associated with that vehicle. The system would also allow drivers to pay fines electronically, streamlining a process that is currently handled through a patchwork of municipal court systems.

The measure directs the MVC’s chief administrator to work in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts and local municipal courts to establish the system.

Supporters say the centralized platform would improve transparency and convenience for drivers by consolidating records that are often spread across multiple jurisdictions. It could also help municipalities collect unpaid fines more efficiently.

The bill includes provisions aimed at protecting user data and is designed to prevent unauthorized access and mandates encryption of all stored information.

If enacted, the legislation would take effect on the first day of the seventh month following its passage, though the MVC would be permitted to begin preparatory administrative steps in advance.

The bill awaits a hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

A wave of antisemitic vandalism shook the local Jewish community Monday morning, as swastikas and hate-filled graffiti were discovered across multiple synagogues and Jewish homes.

Among the sites targeted was Congregation Machane Chodosh, along with other nearby Jewish institutions. At one location, the phrase “Heil Hitler” was spray-painted, while a cornerstone dedicated to a Holocaust survivor was also defaced in what officials are calling a deeply disturbing incident.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin visited the scene, condemning the acts and expressing concern over the rising climate of antisemitism. The NYPD has launched an investigation and is currently searching for at least four suspects believed to be responsible.

Sydney Altfield, CEO Teach Coalition

Sydney Altfield, CEO of Teach Coalition, which helps oversee security funding for many of the affected institutions, including Congregation Machane Chodosh, issued a strong response:

“Waking up to swastikas on a synagogue, homes, and a Jewish center that houses a preschool is not just vandalism, it is a direct act of intimidation against an entire community.

We’re working closely with synagogue leadership and guiding next steps to protect families and strengthen security in the short term.

This is exactly why sustained investment in security for Jewish institutions is so critical. It also underscores how important it is not only to secure that funding but also to ensure institutions can access it.

We will continue working with Congregation Machane Chodosh and other institutions to help them secure the grants and resources needed to strengthen their security across the community.”

Screenshot

Authorities urge anyone with information to come forward as the investigation remains ongoing.

A grassroots effort to bring back Spirit Airlines has drawn more than $22 million in pledges within a day of the carrier’s shutdown. The campaign, “Let’s Buy Spirit,” aims to relaunch the airline as a community-owned company modeled after the Green Bay Packers football team, with support from former passengers, employees, and aviation enthusiasts who say the low-cost carrier played a key role in keeping fares affordable.

Spirit Airlines ceased operations on May 2 after years of financial pressure, failed merger attempts, and rising costs. The airline grounded its fleet, canceled all flights, and ended a 34-year run, leaving passengers scrambling for alternatives. Its final revenue flight landed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport shortly before the closure was announced.

Organizers behind the campaign say the goal is to give everyday travelers a stake in the future of low-cost aviation, branding Spirit as “The People’s Carrier.” The effort has gained traction on social media, where supporters are sharing plans for a restructured airline, though key details remain unclear.

The proposal would shift ownership away from traditional investors toward broad public participation. While the idea has sparked interest, aviation experts note the industry’s high costs, regulatory barriers, and operational challenges would make any revival difficult.

Supporters argue Spirit’s disappearance could drive up ticket prices, pointing to the airline’s long-standing role in pushing competitors to lower fares through its ultra-low-cost model.

Two new Citizen Defenders units have been established in Har Nof and Beitar Illit, expanding grassroots emergency response capabilities within local communities.

The units are made up of licensed, trained volunteers — primarily local residents — who are prepared to respond in the critical moments before official security forces arrive. The initiative is being coordinated with local authorities and includes professional screening and advanced training programs.

Officials say the program reflects a growing push for community responsibility and preparedness amid ongoing security concerns.

“This is about responsibility — a community that protects itself is a strong community,” a spokesperson said.

Citizen Defenders continues to expand across Israel, with existing units already active in Jerusalem, Afula, and Beit She’an.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A major development took place this past Thursday, as Apple Bank officially signed a heter iska with KFI, allowing the bank to operate in a way that meets all the halachic standards for its frum customers.

The agreement was completed under the guidance of Harav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz shlit”a, Dayan of Skver in Boro Park.

Top executives from Apple Bank, including senior leadership, attended the signing at the dayan’s home. Bank officials made clear they are committed to accommodating the needs of their observant clients and ensuring their services are structured properly.

After the signing, the bank’s leadership received a formal certification. With Apple Bank operating hundreds of branches, including in many heimishe neighborhoods, the move is expected to have a wide impact for the frum community.

For those for whom it is already Lag Ba’omer and for whom it is permitted to listen to music:

WATCH:

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and CEO Sam Altman’s top lieutenant, disclosed in court Monday that his stake in the artificial intelligence company is worth nearly $30 billion.

Brockman, who also said he did not personally invest any money in OpenAI, was testifying Monday in the trial that centers on the company’s 2015 founding as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Elon Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

Brockman’s disclosure would put him on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people, with wealth comparable to Melinda French Gates.

The civil lawsuit accuses Altman and Brockman of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind Musk’s back.

Late Sunday, OpenAI lawyers tried to admit as evidence a text message Musk sent to Brockman two days before the trial began. According to a court filing — which did not include the actual text exchange — Musk sent a message to Brockman to gauge interest in settlement.

When Brockman replied that both sides should drop their respective claims, Musk shot back, according to the filing, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the trial, did not admit the text exchange as evidence.

MINEOLA, N.Y. (VINnews) – A Long Island obstetrician-gynecologist and his adult son were arraigned Thursday on drug and conspiracy charges after authorities say the doctor wrote hundreds of phony prescriptions for controlled substances without examining patients.

Dr. Richard Taubman, 71, of Long Island, and his son, Eric Taubman, 33, both pleaded not guilty in Nassau County Court. They were released on their own recognizance.

Prosecutors allege the father-son operation functioned as a “family-run distribution hub for controlled substances,” with Eric Taubman sending patient names and medication requests — including for Percocet, Adderall and Xanax — to his father, who then issued prescriptions without conducting medical exams, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said the scheme came to light after concerned pharmacists in Queens contacted a Drug Enforcement Administration tip line in 2022. That tip triggered a multi-year investigation.

Authorities allege the pair issued hundreds of pills to numerous individuals over a three-month period in 2022.

Neither the doctor nor his son commented as they left the courthouse.

The case remains under investigation.

The atmosphere at the recent "Well Connected" event, presented by Makdim, reached a crescendo of energy at the Ezra Medical Center booth. 

In a powerful display of community engagement, well over a 1,000 women visited the station, transforming the space into a bustling hub of education and empowerment.

The booth was anchored by the expertise of NP Darleen, NP Baila Wachsman, and Leah Klein OTR, director of Pelvic Floor Therapy, alongside a dedicated team of managers and administrative staff. 

These practitioners, known for their comprehensive care—especially in women’s wellness—engaged with attendees spanning all ages and stages of life. 

The high volume of interactions underscores a significant shift in the local landscape: a collective awakening to the importance of proactive health management.

The impact of the event was immediate and measurable. Beyond the initial conversations, countless women took the decisive step of booking well-visits for the coming weeks, prioritizing their long-term wellness. 

This overwhelming turnout serves as a testament to the community’s growing commitment to health and the trusted role Ezra Medical Center plays in facilitating that journey. 

By bridging the gap between expert medical advice and the women who need it, the event highlighted a bright future for communal well-being.

[Video below.] Former Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. and Israel war with Iran “had to happen,” defending the ongoing conflict as a necessary response to decades of hostility from Tehran.

“Iran has been at war with America and our most cherished ally, Israel, for 47 years,” Pence said during a televised interview on Sunday, arguing that the Iranian regime has consistently targeted American forces and interests through proxy groups.

The fighting has now entered its third month, contributing to rising energy costs and escalating tensions across the Middle East.

Public sentiment in the United States remains cautious. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 61% of Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran was a mistake, reflecting widespread doubt about the operation.

Despite that, Pence has continued to strongly support Donald Trump and his handling of the situation, portraying the strategy as a necessary stand against a hostile regime.

In a post on X, Pence praised Trump’s recent move to secure maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “strong move” and expressing backing for U.S. forces involved in the mission.

“God bless all our troops engaged in Project Freedom,” Pence wrote Sunday night.

The effort is aimed at restoring access to one of the world’s most vital shipping routes after Iran restricted movement in the area, sending global oil prices higher.

Those disruptions have translated into higher costs at home, with average gas prices in the United States climbing to approximately $4.46 per gallon, a sharp increase from last year.

Trump has described the operation as both a strategic and humanitarian mission, pledging to ensure safe passage for vessels moving through the strait and to stabilize global commerce.

The move is part of a broader push by the administration to increase pressure on Iran while maintaining leverage in ongoing diplomatic considerations.

Pence, who has long advocated for a firm U.S. approach toward Iran, reiterated his support for military action during recent public appearances.

Speaking earlier this month at an event in Ohio, Pence said he backs Trump’s decision to use force against Iran and emphasized the importance of projecting American strength on the global stage.

“We worked together closely,” Pence said of his time with Trump, The Columbus Dispatch reported, pointing to their shared approach on national security and foreign policy.

Supporters of the administration argue that decisive action is necessary to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Critics, however, warn that the conflict could escalate further and question whether the current strategy provides a sustainable long-term solution.

{Matzav.com}

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $25 million in grants to support litter cleanup efforts across the state, including over $171,000 designated for Lakewood Township.

The funding is part of the state’s annual Clean Communities program, which provides resources to municipalities and counties for litter abatement, public education, and enforcement initiatives. Lakewood will receive $171,493 to support local cleanup efforts, including removing debris from public spaces, maintaining stormwater systems, and organizing volunteer initiatives.

Statewide, $25.2 million in grants is being distributed, with $22.4 million allocated to municipalities and $2.8 million to counties. The funding is derived from taxes on businesses that produce litter-generating products, as well as penalties collected from litter-related violations.

Acting DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the program helps towns like Lakewood maintain cleaner public spaces without overburdening local budgets.

“By partnering with the Clean Communities Council to provide this critical funding, the DEP is ensuring that municipalities and counties can keep their communities healthy and clean without bearing the costs of these initiatives alone,” Potosnak said in a statement.

The program is administered in partnership with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, which oversees reporting and implementation across all 21 counties and 558 municipalities in New Jersey. The council also supports volunteer-driven efforts such as Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Beach programs.

In Ocean County, several municipalities also received funding, including Toms River ($267,494), Brick ($200,263), Jackson ($140,268), and Manchester ($132,007).

Talmidim of Hesder yeshivot designated for non‑combat roles in the IDF appealed to the Rabbanim of the Hesder Yeshiva Association, requesting intervention and assistance with the military authorities, Arutz Sheva reported on Monday.

In a detailed letter sent to the Rabbanim, the talmidim described challenges related to maintaining a religious lifestyle as well as a sense of lack of meaning in their military service. They emphasized that their appeal comes “out of deep respect and a sense of responsibility both to the world of Torah and to our service in the IDF.”

The talmidim noted that while combat tracks maintain a clear group framework, non-combat service often takes place in environments that are not suited to a fully religious observant lifestyle, creating significant challenges in ruchniyus and halacha.

The letter raised another major issue of service in non-combat units—the lack of group enlistment typical of field units. The talmidim explained that serving in isolation makes it difficult to maintain the spiritual framework built during their years of yeshiva, and serving alongside peers who share similar values is critical for maintaining religious identity and connection to Torah life.

Beyond challenges in ruchniyus, the talmidim noted a sense of under‑utilization in their assigned roles, partly due to the shorter service period in the Hesder track. “There is often a sense of lack of meaning in the roles assigned to soldiers in this track,” they wrote, adding that many positions do not require significant professional training and are not aligned with their personal abilities.

As a possible solution, the students propose creating tailored frameworks that include short professional training courses, enabling them to qualify for more meaningful roles. They noted that the IDF already has models that combine professional training with a Torah‑observant lifestyle, which could be adapted for their situation.

The talmidim requested that the Rabbanim raise these issues with the relevant IDF officials to “allow for better preservation of our Torah lifestyle alongside a meaningful contribution to the military system.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on the public not to travel to Meron for the Lag BaOmer gathering at the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai, warning that attendance this year could pose a serious danger to life.

Ben Gvir conducted a comprehensive security assessment Monday evening at Mount Meron, joined by Communications Minister Shlomo Karchi and senior officials from Israel’s security establishment. The meeting focused on preparations for the annual event, which in past years has drawn massive crowds.

Among those present were Police Commissioner Dani Levy, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Eyal Caspi, Deputy Police Commissioner Amir Hetzroni, Northern District Commander Meir Eliyahu, Jerusalem and Heritage Ministry Director-General Shimi Elbaum, and other senior members of the command staff.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Ben Gvir issued a clear message to the public: “This year in Meron, we are guided by the principle of guarding your lives — we are calling on the public not to come. I understand the feelings of everyone who wants to celebrate and rejoice; it is something we all deserve. But this year, as all the leading rabbonim have said: It is a matter of life and death. Do not come to Meron.”

He stressed that the decision was based on security concerns as well as instructions from leading rabbinic authorities, pointing to the tense situation in northern Israel and the restrictions imposed by the Home Front Command.

Ben Gvir also praised the work of the security forces on the ground. “I want to commend the police officers who are standing at checkpoints in the cold, under difficult conditions, and acting with great sensitivity. The officers are working in a very careful and respectful manner, and we call on the public not to come to Meron — do not put your lives at risk.”

Authorities have established a limited framework for this year’s event, restricting it to three official lighting ceremonies: the central lighting by the Boyaner Rebbe, a ceremony representing the religious Zionist community led by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, and a third lighting for Sephardic communities led by Rav Shlomo Amar.

The tighter restrictions were set following decisions by the Home Front Command and police due to the ongoing security situation in northern Israel. In addition, Rav Shlomo Amar is scheduled to hold the traditional Sephardic lighting in Yerushalayim this evening instead of in Meron, at a gathering near the Shema Shlomo institutions in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood.

{Matzav.com}

An urgent asifa was held by Gedolei Yisroel for Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim in southern Eretz Yisroel, to raise awareness about recent tactics involving various seemingly innocent job opportunities being advertised to bochurim and avreichim. These opportunities are often presented as positions in fields such as computer programming, engineering, high tech, and other professional areas, with offers of training, salary, benefits, and exemptions from regular army duties.

The event, which was arranged by Ezram Umaginam, was addressed by Gedolei Roshei Yeshivos and Rabbonim. They explained that these “seemingly innocent” job opportunities are often presented under new names, such as “Kodkod” and “Ma’aleh Tzur,” and are advertised as programs that do not require participants to comply with standard army protocol, such as wearing a uniform or staying on an army base overnight.

The Rabbonim warned that this can mislead an innocent bochur or avreich who is looking to earn an honest living. He may believe he is joining a professional training or employment program, only to later discover that he has effectively enlisted in the IDF and is subject to its rules and regulations. Once inside the system, he can be transferred to different units and pressured to compromise his Yiddishkeit. Most seriously, they said, this creates a breach in the barriers that have been placed between the olam haTorah and the IDF, endangering the entire olam haTorah.

The asifa was addressed by Chavrei Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Chachmei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah and Shas, including Hagaon Rav Eliezer Piltz, Rav Aryeh Levy, Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein, Rav Chaim Feinstein, Rav Shmuel Betzalel, and others. Strong letters were also written by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Dov Landau, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, and Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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President Donald Trump publicly suggested that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could face impeachment after the New York Democrat sharply criticized the U.S. Supreme Court over a recent ruling.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump targeted Jeffries for describing the Supreme Court as “illegitimate” in response to its decision involving congressional redistricting in Louisiana.
“Hakeem Jeffries, a Low IQ individual, said our Supreme Court is ‘illegitimate.’ After saying such a thing, isn’t he subject to Impeachment?” Trump wrote. “I got impeached for A PERFECT PHONE CALL. Where are you Republicans? Why not get it started?”
Trump added, “They’ll be doing this to me!”

Jeffries had released a statement days earlier criticizing the Court’s decision, which addressed whether Louisiana’s congressional district maps comply with the Voting Rights Act.

He argued that the ruling weakens key protections in the landmark civil rights law and could affect minority voters’ ability to elect representatives of their choosing.
“Today’s decision by this illegitimate Supreme Court majority … is designed to undermine the ability of communities of color all across this country,” Jeffries said, calling the outcome “unacceptable” but “not unexpected.”

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Louisiana case focuses on how states draw congressional districts and the degree to which race may be taken into account under the Voting Rights Act.

The ruling is one of several ongoing disputes nationwide over redistricting, an issue both political parties are closely monitoring due to its potential impact on upcoming elections.

A suspect in the murder of a Jewish man in Toronto last week has been arrested.

Daniel Stopnicki, 47, was walking his dog in a park in the North York neighborhood of Toronto Thursday when he was shot and killed in broad daylight. Police responding to a report about gunfire at about 12:25 p.m. found him unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Police pronounced him dead at the scene after attempting lifesaving measures.

Daniel Stopnicki. (Credit: Toronto Police)

A man was arrested nearby, 67-year-old Michaelo Markicevic, an ex-cop. It’s unknown if the suspect and victim knew each other.

Markicevic has been charged with second-degree murder.

Amid a string of attacks against Jews in Toronto, some have tied the murder to antisemitism, but so far the motive of the ex-cop is unknown.

The mysterious murder of Daniel Stopnicki pic.twitter.com/RUfPaefVUK

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) May 3, 2026

Social media tributes described Stopnicki as a technology lecturer and “one of the kindest people I knew.” One user posted: “He reached out and invited me into a WhatsApp group for people struggling with mental health. I almost said no, but I am so glad I didn’t. That group, and Dan, helped change my life in a real way. I am going to miss him so much. We need to end gun violence.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sharply criticized Economy Minister Nir Barkat on Monday over his “Israel Basket” initiative with Carrefour, accusing him of effectively boycotting hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in Judea and Samaria. Barkat fired back with a pointed response, escalating the public clash between the two.

Bennett, who heads the “Together” party, attacked the program in a post on X, writing: “Economy Minister Nir Barkat is boycotting half a million Israeli citizens who live in Judea and Samaria.”

He continued his criticism, saying: “Instead of lowering prices through competition, he invented a foolish move in which Israeli taxpayers transfer 50 million shekels to Carrefour — the same chain that boycotts residents of Judea and Samaria for anti-Israel reasons. This is a shameful capitulation to the antisemitic BDS. Both a failure and a disgrace. I will not allow anyone to boycott half a million wonderful Israelis.”

Bennett attached a screenshot showing a map of Carrefour branch locations, which indicated that the chain does not operate stores in Judea and Samaria. While Carrefour does not maintain physical branches in those areas, it does provide online delivery services to some communities there.

In the months following the October 7 attack, the global Carrefour chain became a target of a BDS campaign, which led, among other steps, to the closure of its operations in Jordan in early 2024. Last year, the company also shut down its operations in Oman and began operating there under the “Hypermax” brand.

Barkat responded with a post of his own on X, stating: “The former head of the Yesha Council who changed his skin in order to steal the position of prime minister together with Mansour Abbas, and who called Judea and Samaria the ‘West Bank,’ will not preach to a government that has carried out a tremendous revolution in settlement, established more than one hundred new communities, and is investing hundreds of millions, together with the Economy Ministry, in building new industrial zones. You are a failure and a disgrace.”

At the center of the dispute is the “Israel Basket” initiative promoted by Barkat in recent months, which began being sold through Carrefour last month. The program was designed by the Economy Ministry to encourage supermarket chains to offer lower prices on a range of basic goods, in exchange for a government-backed marketing campaign spearheaded by Barkat, who allocated 50 million shekels for the effort during an election year.

The initiative has drawn significant criticism over how the products included in the basket were selected, with critics arguing that health considerations were overlooked and that specific brands were chosen arbitrarily instead of broader product categories. In addition, most Israeli supermarket chains chose not to participate in the tender, leaving Carrefour as the only bidder — and eventual winner. A Channel 12 News review conducted when the basket launched found that prices were actually higher than those offered by competing chains.

The Economy Ministry responded: “Unfortunately, today no retail chain operates branches in every part of the country without exception. However, in certain areas of Judea and Samaria, Carrefour’s online ordering service is available. The main goal of the ‘Israel Basket’ project is to encourage competition and reduce prices across all supermarket chains — a reduction in prices that we are already seeing in practice in chains operating in Judea and Samaria. The Ministry of Economy and Industry continues to examine additional ways to expand the project’s reach to more cities and communities.”

{Matzav.com}

Assemblyman Avi Schnall has introduced two bills that would let school districts redirect unspent nonpublic school aid between related programs instead of returning the money to the State — a fix that could keep millions of dollars working for students each year.

Under current law, when a district does not spend the full amount of State aid it receives for a specific nonpublic school program, the leftover funds must be refunded to the State. The money cannot be moved to a related program where it might still be needed, even if students in that same district could benefit.

In FY 2024 alone, New Jersey districts refunded more than $21 million in unspent nonpublic school aid — about 14 percent of total entitlements. Lakewood, which serves the largest nonpublic school population in the state, refunded roughly $8.5 million that year, including $3.5 million in Auxiliary Aid and Transportation funds and $3 million in Handicapped Aid.

“This is money that was already approved, already appropriated, and already designated to support nonpublic school students,” said Assemblyman Schnall. “When a district has unspent funds in one program but unmet needs in another, it makes no sense to send that money back to Trenton. We should be letting districts use every dollar to serve the children it was meant for.”

Schnall’s legislation pairs together programs that serve overlapping needs and allows districts to shift unexpended aid between them: Nonpublic Textbook Aid and the Nonpublic Technology Initiative would be linked, recognizing that both programs support classroom learning materials. Nonpublic Nursing Services aid and Nonpublic Security Aid would also be linked, since both support student health and safety.

Any funds still unspent across both paired programs at year’s end would still be refunded to the State, preserving accountability while giving districts meaningful flexibility.

“Every school year, families and administrators identify real needs that go unfunded — a textbook shortage here, a security upgrade there,” Schnall said. “This bill is a commonsense fix that respects taxpayers and the students who depend on these services.”

Members of the Lakewood Chevra Kadisha were among more than 100 burial society leaders from across North America who gathered for an inaugural leadership conference focused on strengthening one of the most humble and quietly performed mitzvos.

The event, hosted by the Orthodox Union in partnership with the National Association of Chevra Kadisha (NASCK), brought together administrators and volunteers from more than 50 cities across 17 U.S. states and Canada. Participants represented a wide spectrum of Orthodox Jewish communities, including Chasidic, Yeshivish, Chabad, Sephardic and Modern Orthodox groups.

Chevra Kadisha members are responsible for preparing the deceased for burial in accordance with Jewish law, a role often described as “chesed shel emes,” or the truest form of kindness, because it is performed without expectation of recognition or reciprocation.

“The people who devote the most time and energy to serve the community often go unrecognized, by choice,” said Rabbi Ezra Sarna of the Orthodox Union, who helped organize the conference. “Bringing them together creates an opportunity to share expertise, build relationships and strengthen their work.”

Rabbi Elchonon Zohn, founder and president of NASCK and a leading authority on Jewish burial practices, said the gathering fostered a sense of unity among participants from communities both large and small.

“From smaller communities to major Torah centers, the energy and shared purpose were palpable,” Zohn said. “Everyone came to learn, grow and support one another in this sacred mission.”

The conference featured sessions on both religious law and practical challenges, including the technical aspects of ritual preparation, known as tahara, and how modern medical procedures can complicate that process. Other discussions focused on volunteer recruitment, coordination with medical examiners, and maintaining relationships with funeral homes.

Organizers said those relationships are particularly important, as Chevra Kadisha groups typically operate independently but rely on funeral homes to carry out their work.

“There is a responsibility to ensure families are cared for in accordance with their traditions and values,” said Rabbi Shmuel Fromowitz of NASCK. “Clear communication is critical.”

Attendees also participated in roundtable discussions and informal networking sessions, exchanging ideas and strategies shaped by the needs and regulations of their respective communities.

For Ari Wartelsky, who oversees the Bergen County Chevra Kadisha, the open exchange of ideas sparked by the networking sessions stood out as particularly valuable.

“While funeral home costs can be challenging, Chevros Kadisha depend on them to serve kehillos with dignity and care,” says Wartelsky, who presented on transporting the deceased in Bergen County, New Jersey. “At the same time, we must continue exploring ways to reduce the financial burden on families.”

Organizers expressed hope that the conference will become an ongoing effort to support and strengthen Chevra Kadisha organizations nationwide.

John Fetterman (D-Pa.) visited a new Chai Lifeline facility in Jackson, N.J., publicly offering his endorsement of the good work the charity organization does.

Chai Lifeline works around the world to offer support in every conceivable way — emotional, financial, social — to families with children suffering from life-threatening illness, crisis or loss.

Rabbi Sruli Fried, director of Chai Lifeline New Jersey and executive director of Bike4Chai, expressed gratitude for Fetterman’s “genuine interest in our work and his strong support for the Jewish community and for Israel [which] mean a great deal to the families we serve.”

“This center represents hope, compassion and community, and it was meaningful to share that with him in person,” he added.

Sen. John Fetterman accepts a Bike4Chai hoodie from Chai Lifeline. (From the Chai Lifeline Facebook account)

In a Facebook post, the organization wrote about the visit, mentioning a Bike4Chai hoodie it gifted the senator with.

“Senator John Fetterman visited our new Chai Lifeline New Jersey center in Jackson today! He spent time with the families, volunteers, and staff who make this community so special,” the statement said. “We are grateful for his strong support of the Jewish community and Israel, and for taking the time to see our work up close.”

“And yes … he left with a Bike4Chai hoodie,” the statement added.

Bike4Chai is a two-day bicycle riding event covering more than 100 miles that raises millions of dollars for Chai Lifeline.

The hoodie is a particularly appropriate gift for the senator, who famously eschews a suit and tie in favor of a hoodie and shorts.

Fetterman has broken with his party over Israel, emerging as a strong advocate for the Jewish state, a fierce fighter against antisemitism and a stalwart ally of the Jewish people.

The Royal Commission into Antisemitism in Australia, led by Virginia Bell, is quickly learning some uncomfortable truths. For example, in hearings that began Monday, Jewish groups informed the commission that in the year following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Jews in Australia endured 2,062 antisemitic incidents and that Jewish parents feared sending their children to school.

An Australian Jewish writer, Michael Gawenda, described the shift in attitude toward him before and after the worst massacre to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

“For me, friendships ended,” he wrote to the commission. “I had lived my life in the public sphere, as an Australian journalist and editor and later as a journalism educator, but I was being reduced to a Zionist supporter of a genocidal Israel … People I mentored did not contact me, not even when the physical attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions were growing, when it was clear that Jew hatred was becoming more pronounced.”

Virginia Bell heads the Royal Commission into Antisemitism.

Gawenda said that promotional events for his book, “My Life as a Jew in Melbourne,” were canceled.

“Bookshops, it seemed, were keen to have me,” he explained. “But after October 7, these were canceled, mostly on the basis that staff at the bookshops did not feel safe to have a Jewish book featured this way.”

An anonymous witness wrote that Australia was no longer “golden.”

“We never expected synagogues to be burnt down. We never expected Jews to be hunted on Bondi Beach,” she wrote. “We really didn’t expect this sort of thing in this country: this was the safest place in the world and it was golden. And it is not any more, there is so much fear and so much anxiety.”

She said that her family no longer felt safe in Australia and planned to move to Israel.

Alex Ryvchin, chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said his childhood home was firebombed in January 2025.

Alex Ryvchin, chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, testifies before the commission. (From a post on X)

“That was January; by December on that same road, three kilometers down, there was a horrific massacre that has transformed us permanently,” he said. “We were on a path to catastrophe.”

He said that death threats continue to plague him.

The daughter of a Bondi Beach victim also testified to the commission.

“Antisemitism was allowed to come into the open,” said Sheina Gutnick, whose father, Reuven Morrison, was killed in the attack on Bondi Beach.

So far, nearly 6,000 people have submitted reports of their experiences to the commission. Hearings are expected to continue until May 15.

Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service announced it will grant access to classified files on Josef Mengele, the Auschwitz SS doctor known as the “Angel of Death,” reversing years of refusals to historians and researchers seeking to examine the material.

The decision came after the intelligence service reassessed the file’s classification status. Access will be granted under conditions and restrictions to be defined, and the move will also trigger a broader review of the agency’s policy on accessing classified archival material held in the Swiss Federal Archives.

The dossier has long drawn historian interest because it may contain evidence about whether Mengele was present in Kloten, Switzerland, in March 1961—and critically, whether Swiss authorities knowingly allowed the internationally wanted Nazi fugitive to escape.

Mengele served as an SS physician at Auschwitz, where he murdered thousands of prisoners and conducted horrific medical experiments. Following Nazi Germany’s defeat, he fled to South America, where he died in 1979 without ever facing justice for his crimes.

For decades, Switzerland’s intelligence service denied access to the file, citing source protection, foreign intelligence concerns and privacy rights of Mengele’s descendants. Historian Gérard Wettstein challenged the refusal in court, ultimately forcing the reassessment.

The intelligence service now says the Mengele dossier falls under a 2001 government decision establishing a liberal access policy for archival material reviewed by the Bergier Commission, which investigated Switzerland’s wartime ties to Nazi Germany.

The file will be made available not only in Wettstein’s current appeal but in future cases under the same conditions.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

BERLIN (AP) — A driver plowed into people in the center of the German city of Leipzig on Monday, leaving two people dead, authorities said.

The city’s fire service director, Axel Schuh, said that another two people were seriously injured and taken to hospitals. He said that about 20 additional people were “affected,” without offering details.

Much about the incident remained unclear.

Mayor Burkhard Jung said authorities didn’t know of a motive. But he said that “there is no longer any danger … it is under control. The police have caught the suspected perpetrator.”

Photos from the scene showed a silver car with a battered front after the incident, which happened at about 5 p.m.

The incident happened in Grimmaische Strasse, a street that leads into central Leipzig’s shopping area.

Police spokesperson Susanne Lübcke said the driver stopped the car himself and was in the vehicle at the time he was detained.

Leipzig is located southwest of Berlin and has more than 630,000 inhabitants, making it one of the biggest cities in eastern Germany.

President Barack Hussein Obama expressed doubts about Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s approach to Iran, saying the Israeli leader has consistently pushed for a more aggressive military posture on the issue.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker, Obama said Netanyahu made similar arguments to him during his time in office as those later presented to President Donald Trump. “I think my prognosis was accurate,” Obama stated. He added that Netanyahu may have “gotten what he wanted,” but questioned whether the outcome serves Israel or the United States. “Whether that’s what is ultimately best for the Israeli people, I would question that. Whether I think it’s what is good for the United States and America, I would question that,” he said, noting “an ample record” of disagreements with Netanyahu.

Shifting to broader international issues, Obama spoke about the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the evolving global order, warning that repairing relationships with allies could prove more difficult than resolving internal challenges. He pointed to the system established after World War II as a major achievement, highlighting institutions like NATO and the World Bank as part of a structure that, despite its flaws, helped foster global stability and economic growth.

Obama said the United States played a leading role in building that framework by choosing cooperation rather than force. At the same time, he cautioned that recent developments have weakened those alliances. He stated that US partners “can no longer count on us being the hub of that international order,” citing policy decisions and rhetoric that have unsettled traditional allies.

He warned that a reduced American presence on the world stage could have far-reaching consequences. “If we don’t talk about human rights, human rights don’t get talked about that much,” he said, adding that US leadership remains critical, though it may increasingly depend on example rather than directive influence.

Responding to comments made by President Trump regarding Iran, Obama stressed the need for moral clarity in leadership. He said that American leadership must reflect “a basic regard for human dignity and decency,” warning that without such principles, “the world can break in very bad ways.”

Obama also pushed back on the idea that Trump’s presidency signals a rejection of his own policies, saying most Americans still support his positions.

{Matzav.com}

A Brooklyn woman has taken legal action against New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles, claiming staff at a central Brooklyn office violated her religious rights by demanding she remove her wig during a driver’s license photo appointment last November.

Sara Fellig, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman, says the incident left her emotionally distressed and fearful following the alleged disregard for state exemptions allowing religious head coverings in official identification photos.

According to court documents, Fellig arrived at the DMV office with her young daughter for a scheduled appointment. As a married Orthodox Jewish woman, she wore a partial wig and head covering. When Fellig approached the photo counter, a DMV employee instructed her to remove the covering. Fellig objected, explaining that her face was visible and that New York regulations permit religious exemptions for such items. Her mother, who accompanied her, elaborated on the religious significance of the covering under Jewish law.

The employee remained firm, telling Fellig she could not wear “your hat,” and other staff members reinforced the directive.
Faced with pressure from the crowded office—which held nearly 100 people—and mindful of recent antisemitic incidents she had experienced, Fellig decided against contacting her rabbi for guidance. She cited concerns about the current climate against Jewish communities, referencing the Gaza conflict.

Ultimately, she complied with the demand and took the photo, though she later reported experiencing guilt and emotional distress.

In her lawsuit, Fellig seeks monetary damages, cancellation of her current license photo, and issuance of a new one at no cost. She argues that the image’s continued existence causes ongoing harm each time it is viewed.

Her attorney, Emma Freeman, noted that New York’s DMV rules are appropriate but contended they were not applied in Fellig’s case.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge told the U.S. government Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid a legal dispute at a historic Washington golf course that President Donald Trump plans to renovate.

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn’t going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League. She also told the National Park Service that it should first discuss any plans with government lawyers if it was going to cut down more than 10 trees.

Monday’s hearing came after the plaintiff’s emergency petition seeking to stop work at the course, citing news reports that major renovations were to begin Monday.

Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the Park Service, said during the hearing there was no plan to begin such work Monday but added that a safety assessment was underway.

Reyes told the parties she didn’t want to play the role of the “Parks and Rec” department, an allusion to the sitcom, but said she also didn’t want trees being bulldozed.

“I’m no Amy Poehler,” she said referring to the show’s star.

At one point during Monday’s hearing, the judge said she was made aware that closure signs had been put up at the site, which led to Griess asking someone to check. He later reported that there were no such signs. Reyes asked that if any such signs were found that the government’s attorney be told.

The complaint filed against the Department of the Interior argues that the Trump administration’s reconstruction of East Potomac Park, including the East Potomac Golf Course, would violate the congressional act that created the park in 1897. The roughly 130-year-old act established the park for the “recreation and the pleasure of the people.” The course itself opened in 1919.

Trump, an avid golfer, also plans on renovating a military golf course just outside of Washington that has been used by past presidents going back decades.

The Buyaner Rebbe is leading the Lag Baomer Hadlakah in Meron tonight, Monday, joined by a limited crowd, amid strict security restrictions put in place by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Israeli forces destroyed a 30-meter-long (nearly 100-foot) Hezbollah tunnel and a large adjacent weapons cache during operations in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday.

The tunnel had been used by Hezbollah to advance attacks against Israel, according to the military. Troops located the cache next to the tunnel entrance, which included approximately three tons of explosives, 43 Claymore-style mines, additional mines and anti-tank guided missile systems.

In the past 24 hours in the western sector of southern Lebanon, the IDF also struck Hezbollah operatives and approximately 15 terror group infrastructure sites, the military reported.

The operations come amid ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities along Israel’s northern border following months of cross-border attacks.

(JNS) – Following an announcement by Israel’s largest dairy producer, Tnuva, that it would raise prices on some products ahead of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, supermarket chain Shufersal said it would remove certain items from its shelves.

Products set to increase in price include butter, which will rise by 4.8%, as well as unregulated long-life milk and two types of white cheese, which will increase by 1%.

Shufersal had requested that the price hike be postponed until after Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah and during which many observant Jews traditionally increase their consumption of dairy products.

“I congratulate every chain that tries to deal with price increases by monopolies. Unfortunately, customers still demand these products because they are part of their daily needs,” Yesh Atid lawmaker Simon Davidson told JNS on Sunday.

“The problem is not the chains, but the ministries that need to do their job, such as the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance. They are not addressing the monopolies or preventing them from raising prices in the first place,” he added.

Milk and dairy prices have been the subject of controversy for months, particularly after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s proposed reform to open the market to greater competition—aimed at lowering prices and reducing the dominance of major producers—was shelved in March.

At the time, Smotrich noted that three companies—Tnuva, Tara and Strauss—control 85% of the market and charge prices more than 50% higher than those abroad. Opening the market to imports and reducing domestic production, he argued, would have provided meaningful relief to consumers.

While Tnuva plans to implement its price increases in May, Strauss is expected to follow with hikes beginning June 1.

“There have been several price increases over the past two years, and unfortunately, each time companies sought to raise prices, they succeeded and the public paid,” said Davidson.

“If the same thing had happened in France or any modern European country, the public would have taken to the streets to protest and stop the increases. In Israel, this does not happen,” he added.

Davidson also criticized the timing of the increase, noting that Tnuva reportedly distributed a 200 million shekel ($68 million) dividend to shareholders in early 2026.

“On one hand, they are putting hundreds of millions into their pockets, and on the other, they raise prices whenever it suits them—especially when Shavuot is approaching and consumers will buy these products out of necessity,” he said.

“In my opinion, the public should boycott these companies, but the problem is the lack of competition. When there is no competition, every monopoly does as it pleases,” he added.

Davidson called for measures to increase competition as a way to curb rising dairy prices in Israel.

“We see it in banking, dairy products and meat. When there is no competition, prices keep rising and the public pays. We have become one of the most expensive countries in the world because there is no competition,” he said.

“We need to create fair and effective competition for these large players,” he added.

WATCH:

Israel’s first Boeing KC-46 refueling aircraft completed its initial test flight in the United States and is expected to be delivered within about a month, the Defense Ministry announced.

The aircraft will be designated “Gideon” in Hebrew. It is the first of six refueling planes purchased by the Defense Ministry’s U.S. procurement mission as part of a broader military buildup aimed at extending operational range and maintaining air superiority.

The KC-46 will be fitted with Israeli systems and adapted to the Air Force’s operational requirements. Boeing describes the KC-46 as the world’s most advanced refueling aircraft. The announcement came a day after Israel said it was purchasing two fighter jet squadrons, including F-35s and F-15IAs, signaling an accelerated military modernization effort.

The new aircraft will replace aging Re’em refueling planes, which are based on the Boeing 707 and have served the Israeli Air Force for many decades. Israel signed a deal in 2022 to purchase four KC-46 aircraft and later bought two additional planes, making it the third country to acquire the system. Japan purchased two similar aircraft before Israel.

“The new refueling aircraft will make an important and significant contribution to the strategic capabilities of the IDF and the Air Force,” said Ido Nehushtan, president of Boeing Israel and a former Air Force commander, when the initial deal was announced.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Despite authorities shutting down access to Meron, many have made their way up the mountain.

House Democrats’ campaign arm has broadened its list of competitive congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections, adding eight new seats in its first expansion of the current election cycle.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced Monday that it updated its “Red to Blue” program, bringing in additional candidates from across the country, including a mix of backgrounds such as Grammy-winning performers, law enforcement officials, and first responders.

“As the American people reject House Republicans’ disastrous, cost-spiking agenda, House Democrats have the momentum to take back the majority,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement.

“These latest additions to our Red to Blue program represent the strength of our people-first message and the broad appeal of our top-tier candidates,” DelBene added. “These candidates will win because they are authentic, independent-minded leaders who are rooted in their communities.”

The latest group of candidates added to the program, which was first introduced in February, includes Marlene Galan-Woods (Ariz.-1), Jasmeet Bains (Calif.-22), Jessica Killin (Col-5), Joe Baldacci (Maine-2), Bob Harvie (Pa.-1), Bob Brooks (Pa.-07), Bobby Pulido (Texas-15), and Johnny Garcia (Texas-35).

The update comes shortly after the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) unveiled revisions to its own candidate support initiative, known as the “MAGA Majority” program.

Both parties’ programs focus on a mix of districts considered vulnerable due to retirements as well as seats seen as realistic pickup opportunities.

Among the newly added Democrats is Baldacci, who is running to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

Despite being held by a Democrat, that district favored President Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of 53.8% to 44.2%, underscoring its Republican-leaning tendencies.

Many of the candidates added to the list are challenging Republican incumbents.

One example is Bob Harvie, who is competing against Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

Fitzpatrick, who serves as the GOP co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers’ Caucus, is widely viewed as one of the more moderate voices within the House Republican Conference.

With the new additions, the “Red to Blue” program now includes 20 candidates, up from the previous 12.

Candidates selected for the program receive key support from the DCCC, including strategic guidance, fundraising help, and campaign training resources.

Being chosen for the list signals confidence from party leadership in those running in closely contested races.

To qualify, candidates must meet specific benchmarks related to grassroots organizing and fundraising.

Looking ahead to November, historical trends suggest challenges for the party in control of the White House, which has typically lost House seats in nearly every election cycle since 1938, with only two exceptions.

Still, recent polling compiled by RealClearPolitics shows Democrats holding a 5.7-point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot.

{Matzav.com}

Is Australia finally waking up and pushing back against the tsunami of antisemitic attacks that have swept through the country in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel?

The mayor of Sydney canceled an event by an anti-Israel group called Stop the War on Palestine that promotes the slogan “Globalize the intifada.”

The event was scheduled for Tuesday against the backdrop of the Royal Commission’s hearings this week on antisemitism and the state of New South Wales (NSW)’s consideration of banning the phrase.

“I have asked the City’s CEO to withdraw the booking of an event in a City-owned venue that is advertised as: ‘Why it is right to say Globalise the Intifada,'” Mayor Clover Moore posted on Facebook Monday.

A non-Jewish British nurse breaks down as she explains why she finds the phrase “Globalize the intifada” upsetting. (From a post on X)

“I have long supported the principles of peaceful assembly, protest and freedom of speech,” she added. “However, these rights must always be balanced with a responsibility to ensure public safety and respect for all members of our diverse community.”

Moore took aim at Rupert Murdoch-owned media outlets, which she said campaigned against the event in bad faith.

“The coverage has exploited trauma, painting complex issues in black and white and, in bad faith, demanded our communities take sides,” she scolded. “The media has an important role in how it presents and helps the community interpret challenging issues, and I am extremely concerned that in this case, some outlets are driving a discourse of division that has heightened tensions more than any small community event could.”

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has decided to cancel an event supporting the phrase “Globalise the Intifada” that was set to take place on Tuesday, while sensationally blaming the media for spreading "division".https://t.co/DOwJjQSdJd

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 4, 2026

NSW council members had previously resisted calls to cancel the event, saying they supported freedom of assembly if no laws are broken. Nevertheless, following public backlash, the event was initially moved from a state council-owned community center to the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre before being canceled altogether.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies approved of the step taken by the mayor to cancel the event.

“We have been engaging intensively with the council to explain why this event would endanger public safety and grievously undermine social cohesion,” the organization posted on Facebook. “We are pleased that this toxic event will no longer take place at a council venue and reiterate our calls for this phrase to be proscribed as swiftly as possible.”

This move could be too little, too late, or it could mark a turning point. But many observers say that once the genie of antisemitism is unleashed in the way it has been, it can no longer effectively be returned to the bottle.

VIENNA (AP) — Austria expelled three Russian Embassy employees who were suspected of espionage by using antennas on Russian diplomatic buildings, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

The ministry confirmed a report aired Sunday by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, which said Austrian authorities suspected the three diplomats of engaging in spying activities using antennas on the roofs of the Russian Embassy in Vienna and a diplomatic compound in the Donaustadt district.

The installations allowed Russia to intercept data transmitted by international organizations based in Vienna via satellite internet, ORF reported.

Austria hosts several U.N. agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“Espionage is a security problem for Austria. In this government, we have changed course and are taking decisive action against it,” Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in a statement.

“We have made this unequivocally clear to the Russian side, also with regard to the array of antennas at the Russian embassy. One thing is clear: it is unacceptable for diplomatic immunity to be used to engage in espionage.”

Western European nations and Russia have expelled each others’ diplomats on several occasions since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Austria, a European Union member with a policy of military neutrality, was initially hesitant to take such action but has recently expelled more Russian diplomats.

According to ORF, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in April over the diplomats’ activities. The Russian side was asked to lift their immunity in order to allow prosecutors to pursue an investigation, but it refused, leading to the expulsions, ORF reported. They have already left Austria, it said.

In her statement, the foreign minister said that Austria was currently tightening the espionage law to prevent such cases. The legislation now in place punishes espionage by foreign services only if it targets Austrian interests. According to the Austrian Press Agency, changes proposed by the government would call for the similar protections when it comes to international organizations.

The Russian Embassy in Vienna did not respond to a request for comment. In a post on Telegram on Monday, it wrote that it had taken note of Austria’s “outrageous” decision concerning its employees.

Moscow will respond strongly, the statement said, adding, “Vienna bears full responsibility for the further deterioration of bilateral relations, which are already at a historical low.”

Manchester Township is seeking a new council member following the resignation of Council President Roxanne Conniff who stepped down from her position citing personal circumstances that require her to move out of town.

Conniff, who has served on the Township Council since taking office on January 3, 2023, announced her resignation during the last council meeting, during which she reflected on her deep roots in the township.

“I was born and raised here in Manchester. This town helped shape my values, my sense of community, and the way I see the world,” Conniff said. “It is where I learned what it means to help those in need, to take pride in where you come from, and to give back whenever you can.”

Conniff’s unexpired term runs through December 31, 2026 and the Township Council is now seeking a replacement to fill the vacancy. According to a public notice issued by Municipal Clerk Teri Giercyk, interested candidates must submit resumes by May 5 for consideration.

Interested residents should send their resume to the Municipal Clerk.

Councilwoman Michele Zolezi, who has served on the council since being appointed in 2021 to fill the seat held by Robert Hudak and then won election to finish the term, will replace Conniff.

(JNS) – A couple of hundred French Jewish doctors interested in moving to Israel gathered in Paris on Sunday in a major immigration fair for medical professionals.
The event was held during a time of global turbulence in the Jewish Diaspora, which is especially noticeable in the 450,000-strong community in France that is also home to the largest Muslim population in Europe, and where a recent survey showed that nearly four of five French Jews feel unsafe.

“It is becoming more and more difficult to live here because of antisemitism,” said Raphael Mimoun, 26, a general practitioner in Paris who attended the event with his wife, who is a surgeon.

“The majority of young people are thinking a lot about how they can live in Israel before it is too late,” said Eva Cohen, 30.

Filling a shortage of physicians in Israel

The third MedEx Paris event, which seeks to concomitantly address the shortage of physicians in Israel, was organized by the nonprofit Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s ministries of aliyah and integration, health, and the Negev and the Galilee, along with the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency for Israel.

Similar events geared exclusively for medical professionals have been held over the last two and a half years in Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and Montreal.

During the gathering, the aim of which was to streamline government bureaucracy for physicians, more than 50 applications for medical license conversions were submitted to the Israeli Health Ministry.

Wartime immigration

Still, with war raging in Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on the country’s south, immigration has been a challenge.

Last year, 558 French Jews immigrated to Israel, compared to 519 the year before, according to figures from Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Ministry.

The number of French doctors who moved to Israel jumped from 25 in 2004 to 57 last year.

“Our challenge is that Israel should be the top priority for those who decide to leave, and that means we do everything we can to facilitate a smooth absorption,” Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Ofir Sofer, told JNS.

He noted that the program has reached over a third of its goal to bring 2,000 doctors to Israel from around the world over five years, with their impact on the nation’s healthcare system making a mark in periphery areas such as the Negev and the Galilee.

‘No future in France’

“There is always antisemitism, but I am a proud Jew,” said Eitan, a general practitioner and a 37-year-old father of three who said he is planning to move to Jerusalem within the decade for the benefit of his children. “There is no future in France.”

“People here are on the edge of their seats and have to make a hard decision, co-founder and chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh Tony Gelbart told JNS. “There has always been antisemitism around the world, but when it comes straight in your face and not just behind your back, you get concerned.”

“We always used to say not running away from something but running to something, but now running away in several countries has become the reality,” he said.

Over the last quarter century, the group originally became a household name in promoting immigration from the United States and Canada.

“This is the first time in 25 years where we are seeing here a concern expressed by so many of not seeing a stable future here for themselves and future generations,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, the organization’s co-founder and executive director.

A connection to Israel after October 7

“I want to help Israel as it will be the only country that will be there for me if I need help,” said Melvin, 35, from Brussels, who is doing his residency in plastic surgery and hopes to move in about five years. “Here, I’m afraid to show I am Jewish because there is a lot of antisemitism. If you want to be successful, you need to hide your Judaism.”

“With all the events that have happened over the last couple of years, we feel very connected to Israel,” said Laurent Bonnamy, 57, a gynecologist from the French Polynesian island of Tahiti who began the process of notarizing his medical documents. “Over here, we feel useless for the Jewish nation and for Israel.”

Multiple explosions were reported across Dubai as the UAE activated its air defense systems in response to an incoming missile threat.

According to the UAE Ministry of Defence, four cruise missiles launched from Iran were detected. Air defenses successfully intercepted three of the projectiles, while the fourth fell into the sea before reaching land.

The interceptions were heard in several parts of the country, with residents describing loud blasts overhead.

Meanwhile, inbound flights to Dubai International Airport (DXB) were temporarily placed in holding patterns as authorities responded to the situation.

A long-standing historical question surrounding the burial place of the navi Amos may be nearing resolution, as new research indicates that the kever is not located in ancient Tekoa, as traditionally believed, but rather at a nearby site known as “Khirbet Qasr Antar,” approximately two kilometers away.

For generations, it was accepted that the kever of Amos—one of the last nevi’im among Trei Asar—was in Tekoa. However, the new findings suggest that the location may instead be at this alternate site, which for centuries served as a makom aliyah l’regel for Yidden, before its precise location was lost in the 17th century due to instability in the region.

The research, conducted by archaeologist Michael Tchernin together with Shay Halevi of the Israel Antiquities Authority, brings together accounts of early oleh regel, aerial imaging, and physical findings uncovered at the site. Among the key sources are descriptions from 15th-century Jewish travelers, Rav Yitzchak ben Alfra and Yitzchak Latif, who wrote of a structure built above a burial cave—details that closely correspond with what has been found at Khirbet Qasr Antar.

According to the study, the site functioned as a major makom kadosh for visitors from the 4th century until the early 17th century, after which it was abandoned and gradually forgotten. Although the research effort began about a decade ago, it has recently taken on new urgency due to significant destruction caused at the site by antiquities looters.

The full findings, revealing the identification process and supporting evidence, will be presented at the upcoming “Tenth Judean Region Research Conference,” scheduled for Tuesday, the 18th of Iyar, in memory of Dr. David and Chana Amit. The conference is being held in collaboration with the Kfar Etzion Field School, KKL-JNF, the Israel Antiquities Authority, the David Yellin Foundation, the Eastern Regional R&D Center, and Bar-Ilan University.

Following the conference, a special guided visit is planned to the proposed kever of navi Amos, as well as to Tel Tekoa, subject to security clearance, allowing participants to see the intriguing findings firsthand.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A rodent-borne illness is suspected of causing an outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has killed three people and sickened others.

Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe. In the Eastern Hemisphere, it has been linked with hemorrhagic fever and kidney failure. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

The disease gained attention last year after late actor Gene Hackman ’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.

The World Health Organization said in a statement Sunday that detailed investigations of the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. The virus is also being sequenced.

The virus is spread by rodents and more rarely, people
Hantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation. People are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning out enclosed spaces with little ventilation or exploring areas where there are mouse droppings.

The WHO says that while it rarely happens, hantaviruses can also spread directly between people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region — the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.

It was an astute physician with the Indian Health Service who first noticed a pattern of deaths among young patients, said Michelle Harkins, a pulmonologist with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center who for years has been studying the disease and helping patients.

Most U.S. cases are in Western states. New Mexico and Arizona are hot spots, Harkins said, likely because the odds are greater for mouse-human encounters in rural areas.

The illness starts with flu-like symptoms
An infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening. Experts say it can start with symptoms that include a fever, chills, muscle aches and maybe a headache.

“Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu,” said Dr. Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually show between one to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent. As the infection progresses, patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid.

The other syndrome caused by hantavirus — hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome — usually develops within a week or two after exposure.

Death rates vary by which hantavirus causes the illness. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35% of people infected, while the death rate for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome varies from 1% to 15% of patients, according to the CDC.

A lot of unknowns about the illness and treatment
There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.

Despite years of research, Harkins said many questions have yet to be answered, including why it can be mild for some people and very severe for others and how antibodies are developed. She and other researchers have been following patients over long periods of time in hopes of finding a treatment.

There are “a lot of mysteries,” she said, noting that what researchers do know is that rodent exposure is key.

The best way to avoid the germ is to minimize contact with rodents and their droppings. Use protective gloves and a bleach solution for cleaning up rodent droppings. Public health experts caution against sweeping or vacuuming which can cause virus particles to get into the air.

A Lakewood man was arrested Friday night after allegedly fleeing from police during a motor vehicle stop, with a second suspect later located using department drone technology.

According to the Lakewood Police Department, the incident occurred on May 1, 2026, at approximately 10:55 PM, when an officer attempted to stop a vehicle on Cedarbridge Avenue after observing multiple motor vehicle violations.

Police said the vehicle initially slowed but then fled, prompting a brief pursuit that was quickly terminated due to safety concerns. A short distance later, the vehicle came to a stop and two occupants exited, fleeing into a nearby wooded area.

Officers pursued on foot and apprehended the driver, identified as 41-year-old Evan Cruz of Lakewood, following a short chase. During the encounter, the officer observed signs of alcohol impairment, and Cruz was taken into custody without further incident.

A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed multiple open containers of alcohol.

Authorities said a department drone was then deployed, allowing officers to quickly locate the second individual, identified as 33-year-old Juan Carlos Ramirez-Hernandez of Lakewood, in the wooded area. He was taken into custody without incident.

Cruz was charged with second-degree eluding, obstruction, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, refusal to submit to chemical testing, and multiple motor vehicle violations. He was lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending court proceedings.

Ramirez-Hernandez was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest by flight and was later released pending a future court appearance.

Police officials noted that the incident underscores both the dangers of fleeing from law enforcement and the effectiveness of drone technology in assisting officers in rapidly locating suspects.

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