Israel Searches for Solution to Drone Threat

Everyone in the country has been talking about two topics: Meron and the draft law. As I reported in a separate article this week, we are waiting for gedolei Yisroel to render their decision on the law taking shape; any rumors that the gedolim have already made a decision are unfounded. The country is waiting for their decision with no small measure of tension. And the fate of the hillula in Meron was a topic of discussion as well.

Nevertheless, the topic that is holding the public’s attention more than anything else, even more than the political arena heating up, is the issue of enemy drones. Apparently, Hezbollah possesses drones that the IDF does not know how to contend with. The drones have injured many Israeli soldiers and even caused a few fatalities. This is a serious problem, since large numbers of Israeli soldiers have been deployed in Lebanon in the hope of wiping out all of Hezbollah’s terror nests, and the drones are turning the area into a death trap. Anyone who has been following the war between Russia and Ukraine is aware that the dangers posed by these drones have been revealed there as well.

The new explosive drones are controlled remotely by a technology known as First Person View (FPV), which aids their precision and makes it easier to train their operators. The drones are civilian products that came to the front lines from the world of drone competitions. They are astonishingly fast weapons, with a capacity to fly at speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour, and are incredibly cheap, with a price tag of only about 1200 dollars apiece. Their explosive payloads are smaller than the load carried by the average suicide drone or rocket, but they can still be deadly. Thanks to a program that corrects flight errors, the drones can be incredibly precise. Videos from Ukraine show the drones attacking all sorts of moving targets, pursuing soldiers and following them into tunnels, and entering bunkers through their ventilation shafts or military outposts through their windows. But all these features existed in FPV drones even a year or two ago; the latest development is the drones’ mode of operation. The newest drones rely on fiber optic cables, which isn’t really a new development; it is based on an American study in 1978 that set out to identify the next generation of smart missiles. Each drone is equipped with a tiny camera and linked to a fiber optic cable that carries images back to the operator and relays course corrections to the drone. Explosive drones reached Lebanon long before anyone in Ukraine had thought of the idea. In fact, Hezbollah was one of the first terror groups in the world to use drones, mainly because of their availability.

The IDF has encountered enemy drones on many occasions; the weapons appeared in the early days of the war in 2023. Hezbollah videos have shown explosive drones damaging Israeli antennas and equipment, and the IDF has used sophisticated jamming technology and smart weapons to thwart these devices. However, the Israeli countermeasures sometimes fail, and the results can be tragic. A drone can attack its target at high speed or approach and attack a weak point such as the hatch on top of a tank, the window of a command center, or the door of a bunker. Videos of drone attacks in Ukraine illustrate the lethal nature of these devices; the statistics are painful to behold. If we are to believe President Zelensky, the drones killed 35,000 of Putin’s soldiers in December 2025 alone.

The IDF admits that it is still having difficulty finding a solution for the threat posed by the drones, although there are technological measures in existence that make it possible to neutralize a drone regardless of its communication system. Hezbollah has already understood the advantage that a drone can provide, and it is clear in Israel that there is a need to prepare for a situation in which terrorists are able to use drones with fiber optic cables that are 30 or even 60 kilometers long. With an arsenal of such drones, the terrorists can threaten Israeli communities in the north even without amassing tens of thousands of rockets and hiding them in bunkers that cost billions of dollars to construct. Israel understands that it will need to develop new detection systems and deploy appropriate weapons to take down the drones before they can cause damage. At the beginning of the week, Prime Minister Netanyahu published a video in which he announced, “Several weeks ago, I ordered the establishment of a special project to combat the threat posed by drones. Today, I will receive a progress report. It will take time, but we are working on it.”

Israeli Navy Repels Flotilla

Israel recently dealt with another form of terror as well: a flotilla headed toward Gaza. This isn’t the first time that anti-Israel elements have organized such a flotilla with the goal of turning public sentiment against Israel throughout the world, framing the Israeli government as a cruel regime committing war crimes against the “innocent” population of Gaza. Last week the IDF intercepted another flotilla heading toward Gaza in the vicinity of Crete, surprising the “peace” activists, who thought they wouldn’t encounter the Israeli navy until they arrived in the vicinity of Gaza this week. They were surprised by the early Israeli attack and claimed that their ships were attacked by armed Israeli soldiers. The IDF seized more than 20 vessels in the flotilla, which were carrying a total of about 175 activists. The flotilla consisted of dozens of other ships as well, most of which reversed course in response to the Israeli demands. If any ships continue sailing toward Gaza, the IDF plans to take control of them as well. An Israeli source explained that the decision to intercept the flotilla in international waters at such a great distance from Israel was due to its size; the flotilla consisted of over 100 ships and 1000 activists.

Videos uploaded by participants in the flotilla show the initial encounter with the Israeli navy. A voice can be heard announcing, “This is the Israeli navy. Any attempts to breach the maritime security closure on the Gaza Strip constitute a violation of international law. If you want to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, you can do so through established and recognized channels. Please change your course and return to your port of origin. If you are carrying humanitarian aid, you are welcome to proceed to the Ashdod port, where the aid will undergo a security inspection and will then be transferred to the Gaza Strip. You are required to change your course. Any additional attempt to sail toward Gaza will endanger your security and will leave the IDF no choice but to use all necessary means at its disposal to enforce the legal maritime blockade. It is dangerous to remain on your current course. If you continue your attempts to breach the blockade, we will stop your ship and work to have it confiscated through judicial proceedings in court. You bear full responsibility for your actions.” The Israeli takeover of the offending ships evoked widespread condemnation, amid claims that the Israeli navy had aimed weapons at the flotilla and taken over its ships “in an illegal fashion in international waters.”

The flotilla’s organizers released a statement claiming that it was part of a “broad global movement at sea and on land, which is working to dismantle systems that enable apartheid, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded, “The driving force between the flotilla’s provocation is Hamas, which works together with professional provocateurs with the goal of preventing President Trump’s peace plan from progressing to its second stage, and diverting attention from Hamas’s refusal to disarm.”

The Lag Ba’omer Festivities: What the Decision Makers Cannot Understand

The country has been through an incredible number of upheavals regarding the hillula of Lag Ba’omer in Meron. The issue was the subject of a meeting with Netanyahu, a cabinet session, and then warnings from the Home Front Command. It is frightening to consider the fact that matters of life and death are decided by people who are far removed from understanding halachic considerations. After all, we are no longer in the days when the religious community remained mute after receiving orders from Shin Bet or the Mossad, and certainly from the Home Front Command. The behavior of the security services in recent years should be enough for all of us to realize that one cannot rely on their meaningless efforts and empty proclamations. In the case of the hillula in Meron, there is also a saddening aspect to the situation, since no decision should have been made without first taking all the relevant considerations into account—and none of the government officials deciding on the issue have the slightest understanding of the religious significance of Meron. None of them is personally acquainted with even one of the tens of thousands of people for whom Meron is in their lifeblood and Rabi Shimon bar Yochai is their guiding light.

Of course, we all take danger seriously; religious Jews have deep respect for the need to avoid physical peril. But that does not excuse the decision makers for their behavior and double standards. No one has prevented soccer games attended by thousands of fans from taking place in the north, and no one even considered banning mass gatherings for the Druse on their recent holidays. For that reason, I tend to suspect that the decision makers are simply too quick to pull the trigger when it comes to Jewish religious practices. The same double standard was in evidence when the authorities banned davening at the Kosel during the war with Iran, while there was no such ban on the demonstrations on Rechov Kaplan. We simply cannot trust the Home Front Command; they do not understand the meaning of Lag Ba’omer or Rabi Shimon, nor do they understand the significance of davening at the Kosel, which they view as a mere tourist attraction.

Rav Dovid Chefetz told a story about his father, Rav Noach Chefetz, who was a brilliant master of Kabbalah: “My father once wanted to travel to Rabi Shimon bar Yochai’s kever on Lag Ba’omer, at a time in his life when it was difficult for him to walk. We contacted Ezer Mizion, and they sent an ambulance from Tzefas. They instructed us not to enter the tziun, perhaps because of the coronavirus. We spent the entire trip asking my father to daven for us; his prayers had extraordinary power. Finally, we were standing beside the wall closest to the tziyun. At that point, we were sure that he would begin davening tearfully for healing for himself and for all of Klal Yisroel’s needs. But that is not what he did. He did not have the strength to stand, so he supported himself on the wall and began to daven quietly, ‘Rabi Shimon, when will I achieve the virtue of humility? When will my soul be like dust before everyone?’ That was the purpose for which he made the trip to Meron in an ambulance!” Rav Dovid concluded.

This is just one illustration of the meaning of Meron and the festivities of Lag Ba’omer to the righteous. And here is another example: I once met with Rav Menachem Kirschenbaum (who passed away in Teves 5786). Rav Kirschenbaum was a descendant of the Tzemach Tzedek, and while he lived in Yerushalayim, Meron was a central focus of his life. For many years, since he was young and until the end of his life, he traveled to Meron and danced with incredible passion on every Lag Ba’omer. When I visited him at home, he showed me a vast archive of pictures and videos that he had captured over the course of decades, some of them both rare and historic. When he spoke about Meron, his eyes sparkled with delight. For decades, he was the one who began the dancing in the Rashbi’s courtyard immediately after Maariv on Lag Ba’omer. And I can’t help but muse that if Rav Menachem had been present at the cabinet meetings, the government officials might at least have begun to appreciate the cost of their decisions.

Sadly, since the year 5780, there has been only one year when a relatively normal hillula was held in Meron on Lag Ba’omer. First there was the Covid pandemic in 5780, followed by the terrible tragedy of 5781. In the year 5782, severe restrictions were imposed on the event, leading to an absolute collapse. In 5783, it was placed under chareidi control and there were fewer police officers present, which made it possible for a reasonable hillula to be held. Since that time, sadly, the Lag Ba’omer festivities have repeatedly been plagued by war, missile attacks, and the closure of the mountain.

A New Perspective on the Oppression of Torah Learners

A certain talmid chochom recently met with one of the gedolei hador (whose identity I have not been given permission to divulge), and they discussed the legal system’s ongoing efforts to harm lomdei Torah. I have already reported on this subject several times; one of the latest initiatives is a bid to revoke the tax-deductible status of charitable donations made to yeshivos. The talmid chochom quoted the Yalkut Shimoni’s comment that the enslavement of the Jewish people in Mitzrayim is a sign of their stature; had it been a different nation, the Midrash attests, Pharaoh would not have oppressed them. He added a quote from the commentary Zayis Raanan: “Bnei Yisroel did not assimilate among them, and instead observed Hashem’s mitzvos; that is why he despised them.” The talmid chochom went on to expound at length on the merits and importance of remaining separate from the nations of the world, a practice that sustains us as a nation. He therefore concluded that we must give thanks to Hashem when we are despised by the nations.

This idea is supported by a comment of the Shem MiShmuel on the Haggadah of Pesach, which suggests that the words “v’hi she’amdah laavoseinu v’lonu—this is what has stood for our forefathers and us” refer to the Haggadah’s description of Bnei Yisroel’s enslavement, as the Zohar states, “What was the reason for the golus and for Mitzrayim? … It was orchestrated by Hashem so they would not have a connection with [the Mitzrim] … and this helped them avoid assimilating.” Similarly, the Shem MiShmuel states, the constant enmity and attacks on Klal Yisroel from the nations of the world has preserved us during this long exile as well. As the nations attempt to destroy us in every generation, that itself has kept the Jewish people separate from the nations and enabled them to avoid assimilation.

The gadol listened to the talmid chochom’s discourse and nodded, and then the talmid chochom continued, “Perhaps that also explains the hatred of amei haaretz for talmidei chochomim in our generation and the persecution of lomdei Torah. Perhaps it was decreed on us to prevent us from mingling with them and connecting with them, and we should give thanks for this as well.”

“I hear,” the gadol replied. In other words, he did not share his own opinion, but he also did not negate the possibility. That should give us some food for thought.

The Supreme Court’s Audacity

I have written about the Supreme Court many times, but that is because the court keeps generating more news stories. The judges’ audacity simply knows no bounds. They are aware that most of the public is outraged by their behavior, that bereaved families view them as enemies, and that the entire political system is furious over their conduct, yet nothing seems to stop them. Last week, the court heard petitions calling for the minister of justice to convene the Judicial Selection Committee. Justice Minister Levin has refused to convene the committee, which operates under his aegis, until he receives consent to appoint judges from both sides of the political map. The judges of the Supreme Court had no qualms about discussing the petitions despite the fact that they are themselves part of the dispute, which is essentially a power struggle between Levin and the court. Despite the ultimate conflict of interest, they consider themselves fit to render an official ruling on this issue. Yet they seem to wonder why people view them as shallow politicians!

Justice Yitzchok Zamir, who served as attorney general during the time of the Bus 300 affair and later became a justice on the Supreme Court, was recently interviewed on the radio and decried the threat supposedly posed by politicians to the judges. “Professor Zamir is with us today, breaking a 30-year silence,” the interviewer intoned as she introduced him, implying that this was a sign of a dangerous situation. The truth, however, is that Zamir had a very different reason for his decision to speak out: He wanted to promote a book that he is releasing about the Bus 300 affair. What seemed to be a noble effort to promote societal values was actually a cheap public relations ploy. Moreover, Zamir wasn’t breaking his silence at all, for the simple reason that he has never been silent. He has appeared before the Constitution Committee multiple times in recent years, and he has also been interviewed at least once a year, including one particular interview that ran for two hours and ten minutes. He even once spent 13 minutes talking about the judicial reform, which he decried as a major threat. I was outraged when the interviewer remarked that he had chosen the path of silence for many years, and Zamir did not bother to contradict her. Such is the “integrity” of the justices of the Supreme Court.

And I am not done yet. During his interview, Zamir said, “We are already in a regime ruled by one individual. The prime minister controls the government and the government controls the Knesset, and there is no separation of powers, which is vital in any democracy.” If those words sound familiar, it is because they were heard once before—from the autocratic judge Aharon Barak, in his “We Are Subjects” speech in Haifa. Is it possible that the judges copy from each other? Or at least that they mimic their secular admor, with his credo that everything is subject to judicial review?

As for the substance of Zamir’s comments, both the original statement and his imitation are pure nonsense. Every prime minister controls the government, and the government always controls the Knesset. The coalition under Ben-Gurion, for instance, was far more draconian and dictatorial than today’s government, and the same was true of Ariel Sharon’s administration. But this does not contradict the fact that there is complete separation of power between the executive and judicial branches of the government.

Someone once quipped that one doesn’t have to be a thief in order to be a politician, but it can certainly help. In a similar vein, one does not have to be a superficial plagiarist to be a justice on the Supreme Court, but those traits are certainly helpful for that purpose.

The Cost of a Presidential Visit

This is somewhat amusing, but President Trump never seems to fade out of the headlines in Israel. It is completely understandable that he is constantly subject to media attention in America, but the same phenomenon occurs here in Israel as well, and that isn’t only because he seems to be the one who dictates whether there will be a ceasefire or a resumption of warfare with Iran. Even his visit to the Knesset on Hoshanah Rabbah is still occupying the media’s attention, generating constant reports and investigations of how much it cost the Israeli taxpayer.

This week, the media reported that Trump’s visit to Yerushalayim on October 13, 2025, a six-hour visit after the last twenty hostages were released from Hamas captivity, came with a price tag of 900,000 shekels for the Knesset alone (i.e., not including the costs of various security arrangements and escorts). It was a historic visit that took place with very little advance warning and came on the eve of the holiday of Simchas Torah, and there is no question that the tight schedule had an impact on the cost of his visit. The Knesset was decorated with floral arrangements and special screens for the occasion, and the Knesset even produced caps bearing the words “Trump—President of Peace.”

Here is a breakdown of some of the expenses: The caps produced in honor of Trump’s visit came with a price tag of 17,000 shekels, and gardening in honor of his visit cost 315,000 shekels. The floral arrangements were purchased for a total cost of 50,000 shekels, equipment for simultaneous translation was rented for about 100,000 shekels, the satellite transmission to the United States of Trump’s speech cost 40,000 shekels, and an expansion of wireless reception in the Knesset resulted in a cost of 21,000 shekels. Additional expenses included lighting and other logistical arrangements, as well as payments to various vendors in case of cancelation.

Trump’s entourage, including diplomats, official photographers, foreign media personnel, and security guards, was estimated to consist of about 250 people. There were 600 people present for the event in the Knesset. The Knesset speaker was criticized for inviting close associates and members of the Likud: “Among the guests who do not hold official positions were, among others, vote contractors for the Likud and party branch heads, American businesspeople, the Falik family, who are close to Prime Minister Netanyahu; Gabe Grossman, who hosts a conservative podcast; and Ben Shapiro, and this is only a partial list.”

The Knesset was not fazed by the criticism. The Knesset public relations office responded, “The Knesset is proud to be hosting a historic visit from President Donald Trump, and preparations were made for the visit as for any other occasion of supreme political significance…. The results of the visit and President Trump’s speech in the Knesset reverberated on a global level and were a source of national pride to the State of Israel, establishing the Knesset’s position as a parliament of central importance in the world and an institution that represents Israeli democracy.”

A Master of Kiruv

At the annual Lev L’Achim convention at Binyonei Ha’Umah, the International Convention Center in Yerushalayim, Rav Dov Landau had the following to say: “The people of this country are thirsting for the Word of Hashem. The people of Israel, even those who are far removed from religion, appreciate and value the Torah and those who learn it…. We must certainly appreciate and honor the precious yungaleit who dedicate their time to volunteering for Lev L’Achim, sometimes amid various difficulties, to learn Torah with other Jews with great pleasantness, without argument or debate, so that the light of the Torah and those who study it guides them back to the proper path. This leads to a proliferation of bnei Torah, yirei Shomayim, and Jews who observe mitzvos and an increase in kavod Shomayim, creating pleasure for our Father in Heaven, Who yearns for His children to return to him.”

Givat Shaul—and the religious community of Yerushalayim as a whole—recently bade farewell to Rav Moshe Chalkowski, the longtime director of the Neve Yerushalayim seminary. (Rav Moshe’s wife, Rebbetzin Rochel, otherwise known as “Bambi,” is a legendary midwife in Shaare Zedek and the founder of a chessed organization dedicated to assisting women and families in distress.) For decades, Rav Moshe taught Torah and assisted his wife in her chessed activities, but his crowning achievement was his work in kiruv. In his seminary, he taught thousands of girls who went on to build homes steeped in Torah. When I visited the family during the shiva, I came across a volume containing handwritten recollections shared by the visitors. One of those anecdotes, told by a woman named Zissy (apparently a sister-in-law of Rebbetzin Chalkowski), read as follows: “A baalas teshuvah once came to Uncle Moshe, and he asked her if she observed Shabbos. ‘I do whatever I know,’ she said. ‘As do I,’ he replied. That brief exchange was enough to win her over.”

Models for Our Children

Last week, I attended a deeply moving event—the bris of a child born to his parents after eight years of waiting. The sandak was Rav Shlomo Breuer, mashgiach of Yeshivas Bais Mattisyohu, Yeshivas Bnei Reem, and other yeshivos as well. The honor of amidah labrachos was given to Rav Moshe Wolpin, a renowned rosh yeshiva and rosh kollel in Yerushalayim who is considered a spiritual heir and successor of Rav Abba Berman. The child’s maternal grandfather is Rav Yaakov Romm, who heads Kollel Halacha L’Moshe in Mattersdorf, Yerushalayim, along with his brother, Rav Aharon Romm, whose name you may recognize from his visits to America on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah. Halacha L’Moshe is one of the most prominent and longstanding kollelim in Yerushalayim, which was founded by Rav Yaakov’s father, Rav Moshe Dovid Romm, who happens to be the baby’s namesake as well.

Rav Moshe Dovid Romm (who passed away at the beginning of Adar Rishon 5774/February 2014) deserves to be the subject of an article in his own right. He was a master of kiruv who influenced thousands of people to become bnei Torah and who traveled far and wide to teach and disseminate Torah. In his later years, he founded the kollel that bears his name today. Rav Moshe Dovid was an outstanding personality in the Torah world with many close connections to gedolei Yisroel of the previous generation. One of the great men who shared a bond of friendship with him that nearly qualified as brotherhood was Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, who remembered him being one of his earliest talmidim. After his petirah, his sons compiled his chiddushei Torah into two volumes under the title Moshe Yedabeir. Rav Yaakov Romm, his son, spoke at the bris, and I will quote a portion of his comments.

“This baby has been named for my father, and I will therefore share a vort of his,” Rav Yaakov said. “Every day, in the birchos haTorah, we recite the prayer, ‘Please make the words of Your Torah pleasant in our mouths.’ Then we go on to say, ‘May we and our offspring all know Your Name and study Your Torah.’ Why don’t we extend the first request in the brocha to our children as well? Why don’t we beseech Hashem to make the Torah pleasant for them, too? My father explained that the sense of pleasantness and sweetness of learning Torah is passed down from father to son. When a child sees his father learning Torah with passion and eagerness, he will desire to have the same experience. Therefore, there is no need for us to ask for it. Learning Torah lishmah, on the other hand, is not passed down automatically from generation to generation; therefore, we must daven for our children as well.

“My father used to illustrate this point as follows,” he continued. “He would say, ‘There were times when I heard Uri Zohar on the radio when he was still a prominent entertainment figure and I felt compelled to turn it off. I simply couldn’t tolerate listening to his conceit. But then he made a radical transformation and moved into our neighborhood on Rechov Sorotzkin, and I became acquainted with him. He spent his days and nights poring over the Torah, never stepping away from his shtender, and he became a talmid chochom. This was how I witnessed how the Torah can elevate a person to an extraordinary level of nobility and pleasantness.’ My father used to say this in Yiddish, and he was amazed at how a person could become so deeply refined and elevated that everyone was always eager to be in his presence.”