Israel’s Health Ministry announced Monday evening that it is investigating a new suspected case of Ebola involving an individual who recently returned to the country from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The person arrived back in Israel several days ago and subsequently developed a fever along with other symptoms, prompting the individual to seek medical attention. Health officials stressed that Ebola has not been confirmed and that laboratory testing is now underway.

“The individual, who returned to Israel several days ago, sought medical treatment after developing a fever and additional symptoms. At this stage, this is only a suspected case, and the necessary tests are currently being conducted. The test results are expected to be received in the coming days. The individual will be treated under isolation conditions in accordance with the professional protocols established for dealing with high-risk infectious diseases and will be transferred to Ichilov Medical Center, which has been designated as one of the centers equipped to receive suspected cases of this kind,” the Ministry said.

While awaiting the test results, the patient will remain under strict isolation protocols intended for suspected cases involving highly dangerous infectious diseases.

The Health Ministry is also conducting an epidemiological investigation in accordance with its established procedures to determine who may have come into relevant contact with the individual and identify any additional measures that may be necessary.

Israeli authorities carried out a large-scale enforcement campaign across Judea and Samaria over the past two days, demolishing illegal structures in Area C that officials said posed security and environmental concerns, including construction near the security fence and an important archaeological site.

The first operation took place Sunday in the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm, where forces from the Efraim District Coordination and Liaison office entered the area together with the Civil Administration’s Supervision Unit. IDF soldiers from the regional brigade provided security for the operation.

Authorities targeted unauthorized structures that had been erected immediately adjacent to the security fence near the Israeli communities of Bahan and Bat Hefer.

According to defense officials, the construction was carried out in Area C despite an existing order prohibiting building at the location. Officials said the unauthorized structures created an immediate security and safety concern because of their proximity to the fence and nearby Israeli communities.

Enforcement operations shifted to the Binyamin region the following day, with personnel from the Binyamin District Coordination and Liaison office joining the Supervision Unit and regional brigade forces for an operation near Birzeit.

During that operation, authorities demolished illegally constructed infrastructure in the Wadi Zeytun, also known as Ein Obeid, archaeological area in Area C.

The construction had been erected near the ancient road leading to Jerusalem and beneath the historic Khirbit Tarfon site, an archaeological location dating back to the First and Second Bais Hamikdash periods.

The IDF, Civil Administration and other security agencies said enforcement actions against unauthorized construction would continue throughout the region as part of an ongoing effort to uphold law and order.

Officials said authorities would particularly focus on illegal construction deemed to pose threats to security, public safety or stability in Judea and Samaria.

Election officials are raising concerns about the growing number of mail-in ballots reaching election offices after state deadlines, with recent primary results showing a sharp increase in late-ballot rejections as the November midterm elections approach.

Data obtained by The New York Times from 12 states found that ballots arriving too late to be counted represented an increasing portion of rejected mail votes during recent primary elections.

Several of the states included in the data are home to closely contested congressional and statewide races that could play a role in determining which party controls Congress following the November elections.

In Wisconsin, approximately 5,000 mail ballots arrived too late to be counted during the state’s spring primary. Those ballots represented 78% of all rejected mail-in votes.

The numbers marked a significant increase from the comparable 2023 election, when approximately 2,300 late-arriving ballots were rejected, accounting for 47% of discarded mail votes.

Michigan experienced a similar increase during its August primary. More than 10,000 mail ballots arrived after the state’s 8 p.m. Election Day cutoff and were rejected, nearly double the number discarded for arriving late in 2024.

Washington state, meanwhile, recorded more than 20,000 ballots that arrived after the applicable deadline, compared with approximately 16,000 during the comparable previous period.

The U.S. Postal Service says it generally delivers more than 95% of mail ballots on time. Nevertheless, concerns about ballot delivery have increased amid financial pressures, operational changes and reports of slower service in certain parts of the country. The issue is particularly significant in states requiring election officials to receive ballots by Election Day.

“There are any number of factors that may impact the timeliness of a returned ballot,” the Postal Service said in a statement. “As such, our consistent message to voters who choose to vote by mail is to mail early.”

Adding to the concerns is a USPS policy that went into effect in December clarifying how postmarks are assigned. Under the policy, a postmark may indicate the date a piece of mail reaches a processing facility rather than the date a voter actually deposited it in a mailbox.

Election specialists have warned that the difference could become important for ballots sent shortly before Election Day, particularly for voters in rural areas located far from regional postal processing facilities.

Fourteen states currently permit ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted after Election Day. In June, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that federal law does not bar states from providing those post-election grace periods, leaving the policies in place ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Another legal battle centers on an executive order issued by President Donald Trump and a Postal Service regulation requiring states to turn over certain voter information and comply with federal standards governing ballot envelopes.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani temporarily halted the rule Thursday, concluding that states were likely to suffer irreparable harm from requirements that would be practically impossible to put into effect before the midterm elections. A hearing on the dispute is scheduled for Sept. 3, while the administration is appealing the ruling.

Election officials in several states are taking additional steps aimed at reducing the likelihood that mail ballots will arrive too late. Colorado, for example, has expanded the number of ballot drop boxes in the state by 78% since 2018.

Wisconsin officials are similarly advising voters who are concerned about postal delivery times to use ballot drop boxes where available, cast their ballots early or place mail ballots into the postal system well ahead of Election Day.

Washington elections director Stuart Holmes said the concerns are not directed at individual postal workers, but at the reliability of the broader delivery system.

“The Postal Service, these are great people, hard-working people,” Holmes said. “But their operation has become unreliable.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

It was a beautiful summer afternoon several weeks ago when I took a walk with my children through southern Crown Heights. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the neighborhood was peaceful.

Then, as we approached the intersection of Clarkson Avenue and Albany Avenue, that tranquility was suddenly shattered by the deafening sounds of heavy construction. The noise was impossible to ignore. I looked toward the construction site and was stunned by the sheer scale of what was being built.

I later began researching the project at 681 Clarkson Avenue and was deeply troubled by what I learned. The massive development is slated to contain 1,081 units, including supportive housing intended to serve people struggling with mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness.

Whatever one’s views on the need to provide services and housing for vulnerable New Yorkers, a project of this extraordinary size raises serious questions for the surrounding community. What will be the impact of concentrating such a large supportive-housing population in one location? What safeguards will be put in place? What additional policing, sanitation, medical services and other resources will be provided? And what has been done to ensure that the surrounding families and residents will not bear the consequences of decisions made without adequate community input?

As a parent raising children here, these questions concern me deeply.

Crown Heights is our home. Families have invested their lives in this neighborhood. Children walk these streets to school and shul. Residents deserve to know what such an enormous project will mean for public safety, quality of life and the future character of the community.

And 681 Clarkson Avenue does not exist in a vacuum. Residents are already watching additional homeless and supportive-housing facilities expand in and around the neighborhood. At the same time, new bike lanes and other street changes are eliminating badly needed parking, while the anticipated Albany Avenue MTA bus route threatens to place still more pressure on streets already struggling to accommodate residents, businesses and traffic.

At some point, residents have a right to ask: How much can one neighborhood reasonably be expected to absorb?

Perhaps most disturbing has been the relative silence surrounding these changes. Where is the public discussion? Where are the community meetings? Where are our elected officials and local leaders demanding answers about the cumulative effect these projects will have on Crown Heights?

This is not an argument that people struggling with homelessness, addiction or mental illness should be abandoned. They need help, treatment and appropriate housing. But compassion does not require concentrating enormous numbers of vulnerable individuals in one neighborhood without addressing the legitimate concerns of the families already living there.

The construction is moving forward. The changes to our streets are moving forward. Once these decisions are implemented, reversing them may be exceedingly difficult.

Crown Heights residents therefore need to start asking questions now — loudly, respectfully and persistently. Our elected officials and community leaders should tell us exactly what is planned, what protections are being put into place, and why so much is being concentrated in this particular area.

Silence is not a plan for the future of Crown Heights.

A Concerned Resident

With Tishrei approaching, thousands of travelers will be making their way to and from Israel for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos. Chaim V’Chessed offers the following important reminders to help ensure a smooth journey.

Travelers Insurance

Every holiday season,  Chaim V’Chessed  is contacted by travelers to or from Israel, who encounter a medical crisis and discover that they do not have sufficient medical insurance.

It cannot be emphasized enough that both Israelis traveling abroad and visitors to Israel must obtain appropriate travelers insurance before traveling.

Customs

Travelers entering Israel should be aware of customs regulations. The duty-free allowance for gifts is $200 per person. Items exceeding the allowance should be declared.

Jewelry and other valuables should never be brought into Israel in their original store packaging. New jewelry in boxes, especially multiple pieces, may appear to Customs officials to be newly purchased merchandise intended for resale, potentially resulting in customs charges and even suspicion of smuggling. Jewelry intended for personal use should be removed from its packaging and brought as a personal item.

Travelers leaving Israel with expensive jewelry, watches, electronics or other valuables that they intend to bring back should consider declaring these items to Customs before departure.

Bringing Food into Israel

Food imports are subject to restrictions. As a general rule, travelers may bring up to 3 kg of food, with no more than 1 kg of any one type. Raw meat may not be brought into Israel.

Arba Minim

Those traveling to Israel for Sukkos with Arba Minim should be aware of Israel’s agricultural import regulations.

As in previous years, one esrog may be brought into Israel for personal use. Lulavim, hadassim and aravos may not be brought into Israel and may be confiscated at the airport.

Travelers whose lulav, hadassim or aravos are confiscated will be provided with replacement Arba Minim through arrangements made by the Ministry of Agriculture.

ETA-IL

Passengers en route to Israel must obtain an ETA-IL before traveling. Travelers should apply only through the official government website, at this link. Beware of unofficial sites which charge additional fees.

Israeli citizens traveling on an Israeli passport do not require an ETA-IL. Additionally, Israeli citizens are currently permitted to enter Israel using a foreign passport, if they hold one. While technically they are exempt from the ETA-IL requirement, Chaim V’Chessed that they obtain one regardless. The same applies to student visa holders.

Check Your Passport

Before heading to the airport, check the validity of every passport in the family and make sure all travelers meet the entry requirements for their destination.

Foreigners traveling to Israel must have at least three months of validity on their passports to enter the country.

Safe Travels!

Whether you are traveling for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or Sukkos, a few minutes of preparation can prevent significant problems during your trip. Ksiva v’Chasima Tova!

{Matzav.com}

A collection of suitcases still bearing flight tags, barcodes and Israeli security-screening markings from Ben Gurion Airport has mysteriously surfaced for sale at a flea market in Paphos, Cyprus, raising questions about how the luggage made its way from Israel to the market.

The unusual discovery was made by Liri Bork-Shavit, an Israeli who frequently travels between Israel and Cyprus. She spotted the apparently well-preserved suitcases at Paphos’ weekly flea market and immediately recalled piles of unclaimed luggage she had documented at Ben Gurion Airport several months earlier.

Bork-Shavit, who is known as a social activist, told Walla that the sight brought her back to photographs she took during July and August, when disruptions and heavy congestion plagued Ben Gurion Airport. At the time, she saw large quantities of luggage sitting without apparent owners both inside the airport and outside the terminal.

According to Bork-Shavit, the suitcases being offered for sale in Paphos still displayed tags and markings associated with Israeli security screening, making them stand out from the other merchandise.

“It doesn’t look like regular flea market inventory,” she said.

Bork-Shavit initially believed the luggage might have belonged to El Al, but she later determined that the markings primarily indicated that the bags had passed through security screening at Ben Gurion Airport rather than establishing that they had belonged to passengers on a particular airline.

Despite the photographs and the unusual circumstances surrounding the discovery, there is currently no official evidence establishing that the suitcases are among those that went missing at Ben Gurion Airport during the period of travel disruptions.

It also remains unclear who originally owned the bags or how luggage carrying Israeli airport markings ultimately ended up for sale at a flea market in Cyprus.

“Someone might still recognize their suitcase there,” Bork-Shavit told Walla, while stressing that she does not yet have a complete explanation for how the luggage reached Paphos.

A veteran prosecutor in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has accused his superiors of directing him to investigate President Trump and his political allies without legitimate grounds, alleging that the state’s top law enforcement office was being used to pursue James’ political opponents.

Daniel Wiesenfeld, who previously worked as a Brooklyn prosecutor and is now assigned to James’ Investor Protection Bureau, made the explosive allegations in an email sent to thousands of employees in the attorney general’s office. According to the Times Union, Wiesenfeld said his supervisor ordered him “to find and pursue crimes” involving people and organizations connected to Trump. The email was subsequently deleted.

In the message, Wiesenfeld alleged that Investor Protection Bureau Chief Shamiso Maswoswe specifically told him to investigate “Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger)… without having a credible reason for targeting the organizations and individuals,” according to the report.

Federal regulators recently gave approval to Hewlett-Packard’s $14 billion merger with Juniper Networks.

Wiesenfeld argued that prosecutors should be equally concerned about political interference in law enforcement regardless of which side is accused of engaging in it.

“If you believe Trump is using the [Department of Justice] attorneys to prosecute his enemies and further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish [James] is doing exactly the same thing,” Wiesenfeld allegedly wrote in the message, which was reportedly distributed to approximately 2,000 employees before being removed.

Wiesenfeld went on to urge his fellow prosecutors to resist any effort to use their positions to go after individuals based on their political affiliations.

“I ask you that you not serve as Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies,” he allegedly wrote. “Instead, I hope you choose to prosecute crimes and find the individuals accountable, rather than targeting individuals and then finding crimes.”

Wiesenfeld said prosecutors should instead devote their resources to problems including “rampant nonprofit homeless shelter fraud and antisemitic crimes in and around synagogues,” while accusing James of spending “significant public taxpayer dollars to target convenient public enemies,” according to the Times Union.

The allegations come against the backdrop of years of bitter political and legal conflict between Trump and James.

While campaigning for attorney general in 2018, James pledged to “prosecute the president for crimes committed in New York state” if voters put her in office. She subsequently launched legal action against Trump after becoming attorney general.

James’ office secured a judgment against Trump, his sons and his company in 2024 in a civil fraud case involving allegations that property values and Trump’s wealth had been overstated. An appeals court later upheld the finding against Trump while eliminating the massive financial penalty that had been imposed.

Trump has repeatedly pointed to James’ case against him as evidence that the attorney general has pursued him for political reasons.

Wiesenfeld, meanwhile, was placed on paid administrative leave following the controversy. A spokesperson for James described the situation to the Times Union as “a personnel matter.”

“The office of the attorney general is committed to upholding New York’s laws and protecting the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers, regardless of political beliefs,” the statement said. “We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary.”

Republican officials in New York seized on Wiesenfeld’s accusations, arguing that the email supported their longstanding claims that James has politicized her office.

“Letitia James weaponized the attorney general’s office into a political hit squad and then tried to cover up her tracks,” state Republican Chairman Ed Cox told The Post on Sunday. “She is utterly unfit to serve.

“New Yorkers deserve an attorney general who prosecutes criminals, preserves public records and enforces the law without fear or favor,” Cox added.

The controversy also drew a response from the campaign of Republican attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy, whose spokesperson, Nicole Kiprilov, said Komatireddy would pursue a different set of priorities if elected.

“When Saritha is attorney general, she will instruct her attorneys to lock up repeat offenders, build residential treatment for the homeless, and root out fraud — not target people because of their politics,” Kiprilov said.

“It’s good to see that even the rank-and-file in the AG’s office agree that this is the right way forward. Let’s work together — across partisan lines — and create a safer, more affordable New York.”

Komatireddy previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, where she held several senior positions, including chief of International Narcotics and Money Laundering, deputy chief of Appeals and deputy chief of General Crimes.

She also previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Melissa DeRosa, a former top aide to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also weighed in on the allegations Sunday, criticizing James in a post on X.

“@TishJames has been abusing her office for political gain for years.

“Don’t criticize Trump’s use of DOJ if you’re not going to call out hers -/ it’s wrong when either side does it.”

{Matzav.com}

Nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the health catastrophe linked to the toxic aftermath of the World Trade Center’s destruction continues to grow, with the number of certified 9/11-related cancer cases surging nearly 1,700% over the past decade and civilians now accounting for more cases than first responders.

Figures compiled by the World Trade Center Health Program show that cancer certifications among first responders, survivors, downtown Manhattan residents, workers and others exposed to conditions around Ground Zero have climbed from 3,204 in 2015 to 57,044 this year — an increase of approximately 1,680%.

“Sadly, we lose roughly two clients a day and see a new cancer certification every 50 minutes,” said lawyer Michael Barasch, whose firm represents thousands of people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program.

The latest numbers also mark a significant and sobering shift in the long-term impact of the attacks. For the first time, cancer cases among civilians who lived, worked or went to school in the vicinity of Ground Zero have exceeded those recorded among firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who spent extended periods at the site.

Survivors now account for 28,913 cancer cases, compared with just 694 in 2015 — an increase of 4,066%. Responders account for another 28,131 cases.

Health officials are also seeing growing numbers of uncommon forms of cancer among both survivors and responders exposed to the toxic dust and debris unleashed when the Twin Towers collapsed.

Among those diagnoses are 82 cases of thymus cancer, which affects the thymus gland located behind the breastbone in the upper chest. Tumors of the thymus are extremely rare and make up less than 1% of cancer cases overall.

Another 591 people have been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancers, rare tumors that can develop in areas including the pancreas, bowels, lungs and adrenal glands. Among 9/11 survivors, the number of neuroendocrine cancer cases rose 6% between March and June alone.

Male breast cancer has also emerged among those exposed to Ground Zero contaminants. There are currently 188 certified cases involving men, an unusually high figure for a disease that is rare among males.

Brain cancer has affected another 163 people in the 9/11 population. That figure increased by 14 cases, or 9%, during the most recent quarter.

Part of the continuing rise in cancer diagnoses is believed to be connected to the aging of those who were exposed following the attacks. Many Ground Zero survivors and responders are now in their late 50s, 60s and early 70s, when the likelihood of developing cancer generally increases.

But the statistics among World Trade Center Health Program members remain striking. CDC data through June show that 67% of the program’s 145,275 current members have been certified with at least one of 69 cancers associated with 9/11 toxic exposure. By comparison, the lifetime risk of developing cancer among Americans overall is approximately 40%, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The mounting death toll from illnesses associated with the aftermath of 9/11 has also far surpassed the number killed on the day of the attacks. At least 9,425 people have now died from post-9/11-related illnesses — more than three times the 2,977 victims killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

“9/11 did not end on 9/11. The cancer clock is ticking 24/7,” Barasch said.

Among those living with the consequences is Leslie Lane, now 76, who worked for Merrill Lynch in the World Financial Center across from the World Trade Center. She was inside her office when hijacked planes struck the towers.

As Lane made her way out of the area that morning, she remembered encountering the massive cloud of debris that engulfed lower Manhattan.

“You could taste the dust. You could taste the fuel, greasy gas,” she told The Post.

Two days after the attacks, Lane reported to another Merrill Lynch office at 222 Broadway to help arrange the relocation of the company’s lawyers. By November, she had returned to working downtown.

Nearly two decades later, during a routine medical examination in 2020, doctors discovered that Lane had thymus cancer.

“I was lucky. The cancer was caught early,” she said.

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering subsequently removed the tumor surgically, and Lane has remained free of a recurrence.

Lane believes the cancer resulted from the contaminants she breathed in following the destruction of the World Trade Center.

“Thymus cancer is a very rare form of cancer. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke,” she said.

She also recalled how the air continued to carry the unmistakable residue of the disaster long after officials assured people that conditions were safe.

“For months afterward, you could taste the fuel in the air in the back of your throat and mouth. They kept telling us the air was safe. I don’t think it was,” she said.

Electrician James Ryan, 65, also spent extensive time at Ground Zero following the attacks. His work included providing lighting at locations throughout the disaster site, including areas in and around the Pile, as well as rewiring portions of the World Trade Center PATH train facilities.

Years later, Ryan went for a routine medical checkup and doctors detected blood in his urine. An MRI followed, leading physicians to discover pancreatic cancer while it was still at an early stage.

Ryan underwent surgery in 2019 in which doctors removed part of his pancreas.

“I got very lucky,” Ryan said.

Despite the enormous number of people already being treated or monitored, Barasch said thousands more who were exposed to the toxic environment surrounding Ground Zero may still be outside the system.

He estimates that only about 15% of civilians exposed to 9/11-related toxins have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program.

Among the people represented by his law firm are individuals who were students at schools and colleges near the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks and who later developed serious illnesses at relatively young ages. Students at Stuyvesant High School, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Pace University and nearby elementary and middle schools were among those potentially exposed.

Barasch is urging anyone who was in the affected area and may have been exposed to enroll in the World Trade Center Health Program and undergo appropriate medical screening.

“Early detection is the difference between life and death,” Barasch said.

{Matzav.com}

A preliminary investigation into the massive disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport on August 20 has found that workers leaving their shifts before completing scheduled overtime hours created a critical staffing shortage in the baggage-handling system, ultimately leading airport management to halt baggage intake and close check-in counters.

The investigative committee presented its initial findings Sunday to the Israel Airports Authority Council. According to the findings, the sudden shortage of employees in the baggage sorting operation caused a major backlog and raised concerns that continuing to accept luggage would overwhelm the system and lead to even more severe disruptions.

According to information first reported by Channel 12, employees who had been scheduled to work shifts that included overtime left after completing nine hours. The resulting reduction in manpower placed significant pressure on the baggage sorting operation.

Ben Gurion Airport Director Zohar Gefen subsequently ordered the baggage system halted. The preliminary investigation found that, given the circumstances at the time, his decision was justified.

The incident has become the focus of a dispute between Israel Airports Authority management and workers’ committee chairman Pinchas Idan.

Following the incident, Idan acknowledged that he had instructed employees not to work the additional three hours beyond their nine-hour shifts. He argued, however, that the departure of several baggage handlers did not justify shutting down the airport’s check-in operation.

Airport management has countered that the employees had been scheduled in advance to work 12-hour shifts and that their departure left the baggage-handling operation without sufficient personnel to function properly.

The disruption caused lengthy lines, delays and flight interruptions throughout the airport that day, with some planes departing without passengers’ luggage.

Although operations resumed approximately two hours later, it took several additional hours before the airport gradually returned to normal operations.

An estimate released at the time by Israel’s Finance Ministry placed the economic damage caused by the disruptions at approximately 25 million to 30 million shekels.

The investigative committee emphasized that its work is not yet complete and that the findings presented Sunday do not constitute its final report. At this stage, investigators have provided only a preliminary reconstruction of the events and have not issued conclusions regarding individual responsibility or ultimate accountability for the breakdown.

The committee’s complete findings and conclusions are expected to be released once the investigation is completed.

Meanwhile, officials at Ben Gurion Airport are already preparing for their next major operational challenge: the busy Tishrei holiday travel season.

The airport director warned employees that unusually large numbers of passengers are expected to pass through Ben Gurion during the upcoming holidays. He called on both Israel Airports Authority employees and managers to assist with airport operations in an effort to handle the anticipated crowds and prevent a repeat of the August 20 disruptions.

{Matzav.com}

A Skverer avreich from Yerushalayim was arrested in the Eilat area and sentenced to 10 days in Military Prison 10 on charges of draft evasion, just days before the bris of his newborn son, which is scheduled to take place this Thursday.

The arrest has caused an uproar within the Skverer community, with the avreich’s family and friends urgently appealing to the relevant authorities to allow him to leave prison and participate in his son’s bris.

B’Chadrei Chareidim has learned that the avreich had made several attempts in recent weeks to regularize his status with the IDF at the recruitment office. However, for various reasons, he was reportedly unable to enter the office and complete the necessary procedures.

After being told that he was not expected to encounter any difficulties or face arrest in the Eilat area, the avreich traveled there. Upon arriving at Camp Yotam, however, he was unexpectedly taken into custody by military authorities on allegations of draft evasion and was subsequently sentenced to 10 days in military prison.

The arrest stunned his family and friends, particularly because his newborn son’s bris is scheduled for Thursday, just two days away. Relatives and friends are pleading with officials to show compassion and permit him to leave prison so that he can attend the family simcha.

Those close to the family say that the avreich is fully prepared to cooperate in resolving his military status as soon as he is given the opportunity to do so.

The avreich is also seeking to settle his status so that he will be able to travel to the United States for the upcoming Sukkos and Simchas Torah period and spend the Yom Tov in the presence of his rebbe, the Skverer Rebbe.

Family members and friends are expressing hope that authorities will take the unusual and sensitive circumstances into consideration and allow the father to be present for his son’s bris.

More than 350,000 people have already participated in Selichos gatherings at the Kosel during the first half of Elul, as exceptionally large crowds continue to stream to the  site ahead of the Yomim Noraim.

More than 50,000 mispallelim packed the Kosel plaza in Yerushalayim on Thursday night for the fourth major Selichos gathering of Elul. The enormous crowd gathered near the remnant of the Bais Hamikdash for an emotional night of Selichos and tefillah.

Figures from the first half of Elul indicate a particularly significant increase in attendance this year. More than 350,000 people have visited the Kosel to participate in Selichos gatherings since the beginning of the month.

In addition to the major organized gatherings, which attract tens of thousands at a time, thousands of additional mispallelim have been arriving at the Kosel each night to recite Selichos.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation said there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people participating this year compared to previous years.

“This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of participants in the Selichos gatherings, and not only at the central gatherings, with thousands of worshippers gathering every night at the Western Wall plaza to recite Selichos, and tens of thousands flocking to the gatherings held throughout the month of Elul,” the foundation said.

Along with reciting Selichos, those gathered offered heartfelt tefillos for the welfare of IDF soldiers and members of Israel’s security forces, for unity among the Jewish people, and for peace and security in Israel.

Preparations are already underway at the Kosel for the next major Selichos gathering, which is expected to once again draw tens of thousands of people to Yerushalayim.

Crowds at the Kosel are anticipated to continue growing as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur draw closer.

{Matzav.com}

A man was killed Sunday night after a fire erupted in an underground parking garage of a residential building in Rishon Lezion, with initial reports indicating that a Tesla may have crashed into a wall before catching fire.

Fire and rescue crews were dispatched to the building on Ahi Lahav Street and worked for an extended period to extinguish the blaze and search the smoke-filled garage.

Once firefighters brought the fire under control, they discovered a person inside one of the vehicles with no signs of life.

Magen David Adom paramedics and EMTs examined the victim but were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

“When we arrived at the scene, we saw a vehicle on fire. After prolonged operations by the firefighting forces, a person was located inside a vehicle, unconscious. We performed medical examinations, but unfortunately, there were no signs of life,” paramedics Benny Joseph and Shaked Ron Tal Cohen said.

According to Israel Fire and Rescue Services, preliminary findings indicate that the blaze began in an electric vehicle and subsequently spread to several other vehicles parked nearby.

A separate report from the scene indicated that the electric vehicle was a Tesla that apparently struck a wall for reasons that remain unclear and then burst into flames.

Authorities stressed that the circumstances surrounding the reported collision are still under investigation, and no official determination has yet been released regarding the cause of the fire.

Even after the flames were extinguished, firefighters remained at the scene and continued ventilation operations to clear the heavy smoke from the underground garage.

Volunteers from ZAKA’s Central District were also dispatched to the scene and assisted police in preserving the dignity of the deceased and collecting findings from the area.

A fire investigator from Israel Fire and Rescue Services, together with police investigators, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deadly incident.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu issued a sharp message on the Chareidi draft controversy Sunday night, declaring that those who are not learning Torah should enlist in the IDF and that anyone who proclaims, “We will die rather than enlist,” should be sent immediately to jail.

In a wide-ranging interview with Yinon Magal on Channel 14’s “The Patriots,” Netanyahu laid out his security and political priorities ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset. He placed defeating the Iranian regime at the top of his agenda, pledged to complete the disarmament of Hamas and Hezbollah, addressed divisions within the political right, criticized Itamar Ben Gvir and Ofer Winter, and discussed further changes to Israel’s judicial system.

“Anyone who does not learn Torah should enlist. And anyone who says, ‘We will die rather than enlist,’ should go straight to jail,” Netanyahu said.

Iran was at the center of Netanyahu’s discussion of Israel’s security challenges. The prime minister said that despite the severe blows Tehran has suffered, the Iranian regime has not abandoned its nuclear ambitions.

“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon as long as I am prime minister,” Netanyahu declared.

He went further, saying that Israel must ultimately bring about the defeat of the Iranian regime.

“This regime must be defeated. I am committed to that, and it is possible. They are weaker than they were,” Netanyahu said.

According to Netanyahu, defeating the Iranian regime would also bring Israel closer to completing its campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas would be stripped of its weapons, whether voluntarily or through military force.

“The plan for Gaza is the elimination of Hamas. We will disarm it the easy way or the hard way. We will disarm them. I am committed to it, and I will do it,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said his government had withstood enormous pressure during the war and promised that Israel would also finish the job of disarming Hezbollah.

Summarizing his priorities, Netanyahu said, “First and foremost—to defeat Iran. It is in our hands.”

Netanyahu also devoted a significant portion of the interview to the upcoming election and the danger that competing parties could split the right-wing vote.

He welcomed talks between Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin over a possible political alliance and said he would assist efforts to bring them together “in every way.”

Netanyahu was more critical of Ben Gvir, taking issue with his refusal to join forces with Smotrich.

“Today Ben Gvir needs to do it. He is categorical: ‘I am not uniting,’” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said examinations conducted by his camp indicate that mergers among right-wing parties would strengthen the bloc. He warned that little time remains to prevent right-wing votes from being wasted.

“We have very little time, a week and two days, to enable this merger so that we do not lose a single vote,” he said.

Netanyahu also spoke at length about Ofer Winter, revealing that he met with the former senior IDF officer several weeks ago and offered him a place in Likud.

“I told him, look, there are two possibilities—you can come to us and be welcomed, or you can go your own separate way,” Netanyahu recounted.

Netanyahu warned that Winter’s decision to run independently could ultimately damage the right-wing bloc.

“I am concerned that this party could do one of two things—either waste votes or cause one of the parties to fall,” he said.

He also expressed skepticism about Winter’s declaration that he would support Netanyahu following the election.

“Winter said that he would support me. That’s fine and that’s true, but he added a ‘but,’ and a ‘but’ is an escape hatch,” Netanyahu said.

Turning to the judicial system, Netanyahu acknowledged that his government’s previous effort to enact changes had failed to accomplish its objective.

“We need to learn the lessons. The fact is that we did not succeed,” he said.

At the same time, Netanyahu made clear that he has not abandoned plans to make further changes to the judiciary. He said that if voters give the right another mandate, his government would seek to restore what he described as the proper balance between the branches of government.

“There is an understanding that the balance must be restored, and with that understanding we will succeed in doing it, and I am committed to doing it,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu was also questioned about the night before the October 7 massacre and whether events might have unfolded differently had he been awakened and informed of the warning signs that were emerging.

His answer was unequivocal.

“It would have looked completely different. That is the truth,” Netanyahu said.

He then went further, saying, “If they had woken me up, this would not have happened. I’m not saying that nothing would have happened, but it would not have happened like this.”

The prime minister called for the release of official protocols from the period surrounding the attack and said materials he presented to the state comptroller had surprised the comptroller. Netanyahu also reiterated his opposition to establishing a state commission of inquiry, instead proposing what he described as a “balanced commission of inquiry.”

Toward the end of the interview, Netanyahu returned to the Chareidi draft crisis and acknowledged that mistakes had been made in efforts to pass legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students.

“The draft law did not pass because mistakes were made. It can and must be handled differently,” Netanyahu said.

According to Netanyahu, the number of Chareidim entering the IDF is approaching 5,000. He said that on the day of the interview alone, 500 Chareidim enlisted, including 300 who entered combat tracks.

Netanyahu stressed that he has “enormous respect for the Torah world,” while drawing a firm distinction between those genuinely engaged in Torah learning and those who are not.

“Anyone who does not learn Torah should enlist,” Netanyahu said.

Dozens of Chareidi protesters gathered outside the Tel Hashomer recruitment office in Ramat Gan early Monday morning, attempting to block access roads as the IDF prepared to induct hundreds of Chareidi recruits into specially designated military programs.

The demonstration followed a similar protest Sunday outside the Tel Hashomer recruitment office, as opposition continues to grow over efforts to increase the enlistment of Chareidim into the IDF.

Seeking to disrupt Monday’s scheduled induction, dozens of protesters arrived at the entrance to the Tel Hashomer military base during the night, bringing mattresses and sleeping equipment and remaining there until morning.

The protesters deliberately arrived hours in advance in an effort to establish a presence at the site before the recruitment process began and interfere with operations at the induction center.

At daybreak, the situation at the entrance to the base became increasingly chaotic as protesters moved onto nearby access roads and attempted to block traffic leading toward the military compound and recruitment office.

The demonstrators sought to prevent or delay prospective recruits from reaching the base, resulting in traffic disruptions and confrontations with police officers attempting to maintain access to the area.

Protesters continued gathering around the Tel Hashomer complex throughout the morning, repeatedly attempting to interfere with vehicle traffic and the arrival of recruits.

The demonstrations came as the IDF prepared Monday to receive hundreds of Chareidi recruits who are slated to serve in combat-support positions through the military’s “Maalot Tzur” and “Project Yoav” programs within the Technology and Logistics Directorate.

President Trump on Monday called for Iran’s leaders to be prosecuted for “war crimes against humanity,” delivering a blistering assessment of the Islamic Republic as a “failed nation” amid continued fighting between Tehran and Washington and renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD!” the president proclaimed on Truth Social. “They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.”

Trump then pointed to the Iranian regime’s violent suppression of anti-government demonstrations, while accusing Tehran of relying on propaganda and empty rhetoric.

“The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of ‘[garbage].’”

Iran has faced accusations of massacring demonstrators who took to the streets against the regime late last year. Some estimates have placed the number of people killed at 30,000 or more.

Trump’s comments came on the heels of a new US military operation targeting rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island. The launchers were used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically vital waterway that handled nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply during peacetime.

“U.S. forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X Sunday evening. “In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”

Following the US strikes on Larak Island, Jordan said its forces intercepted eight Iranian missiles that had been fired toward American military sites inside the country. Officials said the Iranian attacks caused no significant damage.

Trump nevertheless promised a forceful response to the Iranian missile launches, telling Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, “We’re going to hit them hard.”

CENTCOM announced last week that US forces had successfully removed mines from portions of the Strait of Hormuz and had been escorting and directing oil tankers through the critical shipping route.

Iran’s ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait has emerged as one of Tehran’s primary sources of leverage against the United States since the conflict began on Feb. 28.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said that approximately 9 million barrels of oil are currently moving through the Strait of Hormuz each day, a steep decline from the more than 20 million barrels that passed through the waterway daily before the war.

{Matzav.com}

A group representing retired Port Authority police officers is urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks, arguing that his appearance at Ground Zero would inflict “deep pain” on many first responders, survivors and relatives of those murdered.

John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, made the request in an Aug. 14 letter to Mamdani that was reported over the weekend by Fox News. McDevitt asked the mayor to refrain from participating in the Sept. 11 ceremony at the World Trade Center site.

“For us, September 11 is not a political occasion, a photo opportunity, or a platform for public officials,” McDevitt wrote to Mamdani. “It is a solemn day of remembrance for those who were murdered, those who responded, those who survived, and the families who have carried these losses for twenty-five years.”

The association stressed the particularly close bond its members have with the World Trade Center, which it described as “our home.” The September 11 attacks claimed the lives of 37 Port Authority police officers, along with 47 other members of the Port Authority family.

“Thirty-seven of our brothers and sisters made the ultimate sacrifice,” McDevitt wrote. “Their memorial should not become the center of political controversy.”

According to the retired officers, Mamdani’s political associations, policy positions and previous public statements have generated “profound concerns” among their members. The organization said those concerns are particularly significant given the sacrifices of the victims and the law enforcement officers who responded to the attacks.

“We believe your presence at Ground Zero on this 25th anniversary would cause deep pain to many members of the 9/11 community,” McDevitt wrote. “It also risks shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrifice the ceremony exists to honor.”

Rather than appearing at Ground Zero, McDevitt suggested that Mamdani commemorate the anniversary in another fashion, such as issuing a written statement, delivering public remarks or participating in a separate event.

“This is our day to remember,” he wrote. “Please allow us to remember in peace.”

Mamdani has previously indicated that he plans to attend the September 11 ceremony, saying he intends to “proudly honor” the victims’ families, survivors and first responders whose lives were permanently altered by the attacks.

The letter from the retired officers follows a separate petition calling for Mamdani to be kept away from the ceremony that has attracted more than 95,000 signatures. Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed in the September 11 attacks, launched the petition in July.

The petition raises numerous objections to Mamdani, who took office in January as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Among the issues cited is his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

It also points to Mamdani’s appearance during his campaign with Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj. The petition describes Wahhaj as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and says he had previously advocated for gun-free jihad.

Mamdani’s decision to appoint Ramzi Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel is another issue raised by the petition. Kassem has represented convicted Al-Qaeda member Ahmed al-Darbi as well as radical organizer Mahmoud Khalil.

The petition additionally criticizes Mamdani for endorsing state Senate candidate Aber Kawas, who had previously characterized the September 11 attacks as something that “a couple of people did” and voiced support for Ahmed Ferhani, who was convicted in connection with a terror plot.

Also cited is Mamdani’s backing of congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who had previously described the United States as “a f-ing disgrace” and spoke about using an American flag as a napkin.

The petition further draws attention to social media posts Mamdani made in 2015 concerning Al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki, in which Mamdani defended al-Awlaki and attributed his radicalization to American policy.

Statements made by Mamdani’s father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, are also included among the petition’s objections. Those remarks have been characterized as expressing sympathy toward suicide bombers.

Judea Pearl, whose son, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, has also publicly backed the effort opposing Mamdani’s presence at the Ground Zero commemoration.

Pearl wrote on social media: “My late son, Daniel, is not a direct victim of 9/11, yet he was murdered by Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM), the 9/11 architect. I wish I could join the petition to bar Mayor Mamdani from the memorial — his anti-American ideology differs little from that of KSM’s.”

{Matzav.com}

A planned White House meeting between President Donald Trump and the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum of Kiryas Yoel, has sparked a fierce public dispute, with conservative activist Laura Loomer attacking the invitation and questioning why the Rebbe is being given access to the president, radio host Sid Rosenberg joining the criticism, and Satmar Headquarters firing back by pointing to Kiryas Yoel’s overwhelming electoral support for Trump.

The controversy erupted after Loomer wrote on X that the Rebbe is expected to meet with President Trump on Thursday and asserted that White House Jewish Liaison Martin Marks had arranged the meeting. Loomer sharply criticized Marks over the invitation and claimed that the Rebbe intends to use the meeting to urge Trump to intervene with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu over the drafting of yeshiva students in Eretz Yisroel.

Loomer wrote: “BREAKING: White House Jewish Liason Martin Marks appears to be setting President Trump up for a political crisis. Satmar Rebbe, one of the leaders of the haredi movement that rejects the State of Israel has been invited by Marks to meet with @POTUS on Thursday. @martinjmarks

“These are anti-Israel pro-Mamdani rabbis who are being hosted with open arms in the Oval Office. Did anyone bother to do any vetting? The Grand Rabbi of Satmar was reportedly invited to the White House by Martin Marks and plans to ask President Trump to pressure Israeli PM Netanyahu @netanyahu to end the draft of ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students, as reported in Hasidic news outlets.

Loomer cotninued: “Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the Grand Rabbi of Satmar in Kiryas Joel, previously directed his representatives to endorse jihadist Zohran Mamdani @ZohranKMamdani for NYC Mayor and supported Kathy Hochul against Lee Zeldin @epaleezeldin for NY Governor in 2022. He then said Mamdani isn’t an anti-Semite, which is outrageous. I am told that endorsements for GOP candidates are NOT currently on the agenda for this meeting, per White House sources. Why is White House staffer @martinjmarks scheduling precious face time between President Trump and anti-Israel lunatic Democrat rabbis who are frowned upon by majority of the Jewish community? Who will Martin Marks invite to the White House to meet with President Trump next, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed? @AbdulElSayed

“Bizarre things are happening at the White House this week and I don’t think anyone has told President Trump. This is going to severely [anger] the Jewish Republicans in the MAGA base who voted for President Trump. It’s also going to create tension with world leaders ahead of Rosh Hashanah.”

Loomer’s broadside was followed by an even more heated reaction from Sid Rosenberg, the New York radio personality and outspoken Trump supporter. Rosenberg took direct aim at the Satmar Rebbe and urged Marks to reconsider the meeting, using unusually harsh language in his X post.

“This is a HUGE mistake!!! This Rabbi is a TERRIBLE guy and has no right being anywhere near @POTUS! …Come on Marty! You can’t do this! Please!!!! I kill this guy and @rabbiindig on my show all the time! The worst Jews have to offer!!!”

The attacks prompted a public response from Satmar Headquarters, which addressed Loomer directly and disputed the political picture she presented of the Rebbe’s community.

Satmar’s response focused particularly on the voting record of Kiryas Yoel and the Town of Palm Tree, home to Rav Aharon Teitelbaum and a major center of Satmar Chassidus. The statement argued that the community has demonstrated exceptionally strong support for Trump in presidential elections and urged Loomer to examine the actual voting record.

Satmar Headquarters wrote:

“Dear @LauraLoomer

“We appreciate your concerns regarding the recent invitation extended to the Grand Rebbe of Satmar, Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum, to meet with President Trump. However, it’s important to clarify regarding the community of Town of Palm Tree and Village of Kiryas Joel, the seat of Grand Rebbe Aron which is home to a significant number of Satmar Hasidim. Historically, Palm Tree/Kiryas Joel leadership has shown strong support for President Trump in both recent presidential elections, voting overwhelmingly in his favor—more than any other Jewish community in the nation. This demonstrates a deep commitment to his leadership and policies within our community. We encourage you to fact-check the voting trends and sentiments of Kiryas Joel residents. Engaging in respectful dialogue about our community’s perspectives can foster better understanding and unity during these complex times. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we hope for a constructive conversation moving forward. Best, @HQSatmar”

The dispute highlights the complicated political position occupied by Satmar. Satmar is famously and ideologically opposed to Zionism and the State of Israel on religious grounds, while the heavily Chassidic Kiryas Joel community has simultaneously delivered enormous margins for Trump in presidential elections. Its political activity on the state and local levels, however, has not always aligned with Republican candidates.

Loomer’s criticism centered heavily on those distinctions, particularly the Satmar leadership’s relationships with Democratic politicians and its position regarding Zohran Mamdani. She also sought to frame the planned meeting as potentially problematic for Trump’s relationship with pro-Israel supporters.

The immediate issue expected to be raised at the White House, according to Loomer and reports she referenced, is the ongoing battle in Israel over the draft of yeshiva students. The issue has become an extraordinary point of concern throughout the Chareidi world as arrests and enforcement measures against yeshiva bochurim have intensified.

Rav Aharon Teitelbaum has been among the prominent Chassidic leaders speaking out against efforts to draft yeshiva students, and the reported White House meeting would provide an opportunity to bring those concerns directly to President Trump.

Satmar’s public response did not address the substance of what Rav Aharon plans to discuss with Trump or dispute that the draft issue could be raised. Instead, its statement concentrated on rejecting Loomer’s portrayal of the community’s relationship with Trump and emphasized the extraordinary margins the president has received from voters in Kiryas Joel.

The increasingly heated exchange now places additional attention on Thursday’s expected meeting.

{Matzav.com}

Several Canadian websites, including those operated by government-related services, briefly labeled Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on Sunday, even though Google had said its adoption of President Donald Trump’s new name for the lake would be limited to users in the United States, according to CBC News.

The unexpected appearance of the name on Canadian sites came one day after Google Maps said it had changed its designation of the lake in response to an executive order signed by Trump. Google said it acted after the US government’s official geographic names database was updated to reflect the new name.

Despite Google’s assertion that the change would be restricted to US users, maps used by a number of Canadian organizations subsequently began identifying the body of water as “Lake America.” CBC News reported that the affected sites included Hydro One’s power outage map, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s store locator, GO Transit’s station finder, and a Canadian federal government map dealing with housing and infrastructure.

Hydro One confirmed that its map was displaying the wrong name and attributed the problem to a third-party mapping provider.

“We are aware that Lake Ontario is being incorrectly labeled on our outage map,” a spokesperson told CBC News in an email, adding that Hydro One regrets the “error.”

The utility said it was working to have the designation corrected.

“The issue originates from a third-party mapping service,” the utility said. “We are working with our vendor to correct the issue as quickly as possible and restore the proper geographic reference.”

Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency that oversees GO Transit, similarly acknowledged the problem and said it was reviewing its online services to ensure the traditional Canadian name remained in place.

“We are actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario,” Metrolinx said.

The agency said it was also moving to shut down the particular mapping feature where the new name had appeared.

“We are in the process of disabling the map function on the GO stations’ page where this occurred.”

MapQuest, meanwhile, announced on social media that it does not intend to use Trump’s chosen name for the lake. Apple has yet to publicly indicate whether it plans to make any changes to its own mapping services.

Trump announced Thursday that Lake Ontario would be known as “Lake America” in the United States, making the move as relations between Washington and Ottawa have become increasingly strained over trade.

Sitting at the Resolute Desk, Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake’s name within the US geographic naming system. Although the order gives the department 30 days to implement the change, Trump declared that the new designation was “official, effective immediately.”

Trump said he had “notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, we’ve done everything that you have to do.”

The fight over the lake’s name is unfolding against the backdrop of an escalating trade battle between the United States and Canada, with both governments imposing tariffs on goods from the other country. Washington announced 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian products following the collapse of trade negotiations, while Ottawa retaliated with tariffs covering $20 billion in American goods, including dairy products, steel, appliances and agricultural equipment.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected Trump’s effort to rename the lake, pointing to the centuries-old origins of the Lake Ontario name.

“The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big”.”

Carney noted that the name existed long before either modern Canada or the United States came into being.

“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” added Carney.

The Canadian prime minister concluded by portraying the dispute as part of broader changes taking place in the United States while insisting that Canadians would continue referring to the lake by its longstanding name.

“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” concluded the Prime Minister.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei accused the United States and Israel on Sunday of seeking to undermine unity across the Muslim world, issuing the charge as questions continue to swirl over his health and whereabouts following months without a public appearance.

In a message issued for Islamic Unity Week, Khamenei described Washington and Jerusalem as fundamentally hostile to Muslim solidarity and claimed that even Muslim governments maintaining close relations with the two countries are not immune from that hostility.

“The criminal rulers of the US and the illegitimate Zionist regime are the sworn enemies of this unity and friendship,” Khamenei said in a message marking Islamic Unity Week. He added that even leaders of Muslim countries regarded as allies of Washington and Jerusalem were subject to what he characterized as their hostility.

Khamenei went on to contend that greater solidarity throughout the Muslim world could have strengthened the position of Palestinian Arabs. He questioned whether they would have remained “so defenseless” if Muslims had acted as “a single, united hand.”

His comments followed another appeal for unity issued two days earlier, when Khamenei called on Iranian government officials to protect national cohesion and refrain from statements that could erode public confidence.

Addressing Government Week on Friday, Khamenei issued a categorical warning against conduct that could deepen divisions within Iranian society.

“I firmly declare that committing anything that harms social cohesion is forbidden.”

Khamenei also instructed officials to steer clear of “discouraging statements that weaken national and public motivation.” He criticized what he portrayed as manufactured political divisions, citing such competing formulations as “war or negotiations,” “consensus or extremism” and “compromise or warmongering.”

The Iranian leader urged government authorities to emphasize the country’s “power and strength,” maintaining that focusing excessively on Iran’s vulnerabilities could benefit its adversaries while damaging the morale of those who support the regime.

Khamenei additionally turned to Iran’s mounting economic problems, urging officials to address inflation, unemployment, rising prices, investment and domestic manufacturing. He also expressed support for efforts to diminish the dollar’s importance within the Iranian economy.

Despite the series of statements attributed to him, Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the 40-day war began on February 28. His disappearance from public view came after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint American-Israeli strikes on Iran and Mojtaba Khamenei subsequently assumed the position of Supreme Leader.

The prolonged lack of a public appearance has fueled persistent speculation about Khamenei’s physical condition and location, with some reports alleging that he sustained severe wounds and others raising the possibility that he is no longer alive.

In July, Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath cited an Israeli defense source who claimed Khamenei had fled Iran. The source further alleged that Ahmad Vahidi and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials were preparing statements in Khamenei’s name. According to the same account, growing internal disputes within the IRGC, coupled with unrest across Iran, were threatening the organization’s continued stability.

CNN reported in March that Khamenei had been wounded on the opening day of the war. According to that report, his injuries included a broken foot, wounds near his left eye and cuts to his face.

Another report issued earlier this month and attributed to Khamenei’s office claimed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had participated in a conference with the Supreme Leader. However, no photographs, video or other visual documentation of the purported meeting were released.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the continuing uncertainty surrounding Khamenei during an interview last week with The Glenn Beck Program. Trump said he believes the Iranian leader remains alive, although he asserted that Khamenei suffered extensive injuries.

“I don’t think he’s dead. He was very seriously wounded,” Trump said. “The left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing, he was very seriously wounded. But I don’t think he’s dead.”

Trump also said that Iranian officials continue to publicly conduct themselves as though Khamenei remains in command, repeatedly portraying their decisions as requiring his authorization.

“And if he is, they’re putting on a pretty good show because they talk about, you know, going back to talk to him all the time, you know, to get a final blessing on things,” the President said.

Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, is urging the British government to reconsider planned sanctions and trade restrictions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, warning that the measures could hurt British Jews, damage UK-Israel relations and ultimately undermine efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Rabbi Mirvis said he presented those concerns directly to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband during a meeting Friday, amid reports that Britain is preparing punitive measures in response to Israeli plans to build housing in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.

“I welcomed the opportunity on Friday to meet with the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon. Ed Miliband. While we share fervent hopes for a future of peace and security in the Middle East, I explained why I believe the UK Government’s intended sanctions will be counter-productive and even endanger such a vision of peace,” Rabbi Mirvis said in a post on social media.

The Chief Rabbi also warned that the move would be particularly troubling for British Jews amid what he described as unprecedented hostility toward Jews and Israel.

“I told the Foreign Secretary that many within the UK Jewish community will view such measures with deep dismay, at a time when the vilification of Jews, Judaism and the Jewish State has already reached unprecedented levels,” he added.

Rabbi Mirvis questioned whether the proposed sanctions would have any meaningful effect on Israeli government policy. Instead, he said, their economic impact could expand well beyond their intended targets and potentially develop into a broader boycott of Israel.

“The intended policy will not influence Israeli decision-making in the way the Government intends. Instead, it risks inflicting real harm across the region. Given the obvious challenges of defining and implementing such measures, there is a clear danger that they will spiral into a de facto boycott of trade with Israel more broadly, damaging the long-term relationship between our two countries and threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Palestinian workers,” continued Rabbi Mirvis.

The Chief Rabbi said British Jews could also bear an outsized share of the consequences because of their extensive religious, family, educational and charitable connections to Israel. He warned that heightened anti-Israel rhetoric has repeatedly been accompanied by increased hostility toward Jews.

“These measures will also disproportionately affect British Jews because of our close religious, family, charitable and educational ties to Israel. Over recent years, we have seen repeatedly that when rhetoric towards Israel escalates, hostility towards Jews is never far behind.”

Rabbi Mirvis made clear that he condemns attacks against Palestinians carried out by Israeli extremists, but argued that Britain’s proposed policies could perversely strengthen those responsible while punishing many others who reject such violence.

“I strongly condemn the reprehensible violence perpetrated against Palestinians by a small number of extremists, yet the UK Government’s proposals will only embolden the tiny minority who support such criminality, while penalizing countless others who abhor it.”

He also challenged the British government’s rationale for targeting Israel over construction in E1. Rabbi Mirvis noted that previous diplomatic frameworks for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have envisioned the strategically located area remaining under Israeli control.

“The stated justification for punishing an ally in this way, is Israel’s long-planned construction of homes in the E1 area. Yet successive peace efforts, from Oslo to Camp David and beyond, have envisaged a final agreement in which this area would remain under Israeli sovereignty. It is therefore difficult to escape the painful conclusion that domestic political considerations are driving foreign policy, the impact of which is negative both for prospects for peace in the Middle East and for the UK Jewish community,” concluded the Chief Rabbi.

Rabbi Mirvis’ intervention followed a report in The Times that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is preparing a series of measures in response to Israel’s E1 construction plans. Among the possibilities reportedly under consideration are restrictions on goods associated with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and sanctions against individuals involved in moving the housing plans forward.

Israel recently published a tender for seven residential complexes in E1 encompassing 1,234 housing units. Those homes are part of approximately 3,400 units that received approval for construction in the area last August.

Miliband responded to the tender by sharply condemning Israel and demanding that the plans be rescinded.

“This Israeli Government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act. E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution,” Miliband said.

The British foreign secretary maintained that construction in E1 conflicts with London’s commitment to establishing a Palestinian state and asserted that Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines violate international law.

“The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to E1 and our support for a two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. All settlements damage that prospect and are a flagrant breach of international law,” he claimed.

Miliband said he personally conveyed Britain’s objections to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. He also revealed that London’s Foreign Office summoned Israel’s Chargé d’Affaires to formally protest the E1 plans.

“Today, I made clear to the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that the Israeli Government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion. In addition, the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires has been summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, where we set out the UK’s profound objection to this move by the Netanyahu government and demanded an immediate reversal,” said Miliband.

Miliband further signaled that the British government intends to unveil additional steps against Israel in the coming weeks.

“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution. In the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies, protect the viability of the Palestinian state, target sanctions at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion and support a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” the UK Foreign Secretary declared.

Sa’ar responded by forcefully rejecting Britain’s demands and accusing Miliband of addressing Israel in a condescending manner.

“I reject outright the statement of the UK Foreign Secretary and the patronizing tone of his words,” Sa’ar wrote on social media.

The Israeli foreign minister defended the right of Jews to live throughout Eretz Yisroel and invoked Britain’s own historic recognition of the Jewish people’s connection to the land.

“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom. More than a century ago, the Balfour Declaration formally recognized the historic right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in the Land of Israel – including in the area in question.”

Sa’ar then turned Britain’s criticism back on London, pointing to territories under British control far from the United Kingdom and accusing the government of applying a double standard to Israel.

“Britain itself still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores. It is absurd for Britain to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic tiny homeland, when the Jewish people’s connection and right to this land is the most extensively documented of any people in human history.”

Sa’ar also rejected the suggestion that Israel had suddenly authorized a new E1 construction initiative. He said the underlying decision dates back to 2025 and that the tender process had already been moving forward for months before the latest documents were released.

“There have been no new decisions regarding development in E1. The decision was made in 2025. The tender process has been underway for several months, with certain tender documents published only in recent days. The British Foreign Secretary’s statement is entirely one-sided.”

The Trump administration is preparing another round of banking sanctions against Iran this week as Washington intensifies its effort to cut Tehran off from the global financial system, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Bessent said the administration is prepared to use aggressive financial measures to pressure Iran and those facilitating its access to international markets.

“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said in the interview. “We are showing people that we know who you are, you know who you are, and this has got to stop.”

Bessent made the remarks ahead of Group of 20 meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is expected to meet individually with finance officials from major global economies as well as developing countries. Winning broader international support for the campaign to economically isolate Iran is expected to be a central subject of those discussions.

As the war with Iran approaches its sixth month, the Trump administration has increasingly turned to financial pressure as another major front in the conflict. U.S. officials have labeled the expanding effort an “economic D-Day” against Tehran, building upon sanctions that Washington has maintained against Iran for decades.

Last week, Bessent unveiled “Operation Economic Outcast,” an initiative aimed at further restricting Iran’s access to money and isolating its government from the international financial system. The United States later announced additional sanctions targeting UAE branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr.

As part of the Treasury Department’s proposed action, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, would prohibit Banque Misr UAE from maintaining correspondent banking relationships with American financial institutions. Such a move would significantly restrict the bank’s ability to process dollar-denominated transactions connected to Iran.

The administration has thus far largely relied on warnings to governments that continue doing business with Tehran instead of imposing sweeping new sanctions against those countries. China presents one of Washington’s most significant challenges because it remains Iran’s largest trading partner and the leading buyer of Iranian oil.

Bessent told AP that he intends to address China’s continued purchases of Iranian oil directly with Chinese officials during the G20 gathering. Asked about possible U.S. sanctions against Beijing over that trade, he said “all options are on the table.”

The Treasury secretary also pushed back against claims that the Trump administration has been reluctant to challenge China over its economic relationship with Tehran, calling that characterization “a completely false narrative that the media picked up on.”

Despite the tensions over Iranian oil, Bessent said the United States and China have overlapping interests in two critical areas: restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

{Matzav.com}

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The Movement for Quality Government in Israel on Sunday called for a criminal investigation into former Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef following sharp remarks he made about Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara during his weekly shiur, including his declaration that “she will get her blow.”

The organization submitted its request to the attorney general, state attorney, police commissioner, and head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division, asking authorities to open either a criminal investigation or, at minimum, a preliminary inquiry into whether Rav Yosef’s remarks crossed the legal threshold for incitement to violence.

As previously reported, Rav Yosef strongly criticized Baharav-Miara over her controversial decision to order the cancellation of the main hilula event commemorating his father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l.

“The attorney general, who hates religion, decided to cancel the hilulos for Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l,” Rav Yosef said. He then sharply condemned her decision, saying, “This wicked woman is messing with Maran? Hakadosh Boruch Hu will destroy her; she will get her blow.”

Rav Yosef continued by recalling the enormous turnout at his father’s levayah and contrasting the restrictions on the planned gathering with events held in memory of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“Listen, at Maran’s levayah, my father’s, there were almost a million people there, all of the Jewish people. There were secular and religious Jews, knitted kippahs, white kippahs, Chassidim, Litvaks. Whoever was at the levayah and saw the broad public that was there — everyone was there, a million people. So, the anniversary of the Rav arrives, and they want to hold a memorial for him as they should, as befitting his honor, as the entire public recognized his greatness, and suddenly they issue a legal opinion. This wicked woman, the attorney general — I don’t know what her name is — this crazy Miara, issues a legal opinion that it is forbidden to hold a gathering in honor of Maran. Rabin was murdered close to elections, and for him they don’t prohibit it.

“He belongs to the left, fine, let them hold a gathering, why not? But Maran was the gadol hador, who was not a political person. Maran was a Torah figure. Rabin was a political person, but Maran was a Torah figure. She issued an opinion this week that it is forbidden to hold gatherings before elections. They should not listen to her at all. Hakadosh Boruch Hu will destroy her; He will give her her blow. She is messing with Maran, with Maran, the gadol hador. This will not pass in silence. Hashem should help that she gets her blow.”

In its request, the Movement for Quality Government argued that Rav Yosef’s comments must be viewed in the context of what it described as an increasingly hostile public atmosphere and repeated attacks against the attorney general and other senior public officials.

The organization noted Rav Yosef’s stature and broad public influence, pointing out that his weekly shiur is recorded, broadcast and viewed by a large audience.

According to the organization, the totality of the remarks raises a genuine concern that they could constitute incitement to violence under Section 144D2(a) of Israel’s Penal Law. It said determining whether the comments crossed the criminal threshold requires consideration of the identity and influence of the speaker, precisely what was said, the context in which the remarks were delivered, the audience and the extent to which they were disseminated.

“Given Rabbi Yosef’s high standing and the broad distribution in which the remarks were heard, garnering thousands of views, this raises a concern about the commission of acts of violence. Therefore, the movement demanded that law enforcement authorities open a criminal investigation against Rabbi Yosef, or at the very least a preliminary inquiry, and act to fully pursue the matter if it is found that there is a basis to do so,” the organization said.

Attorney Yael Bloch, director of the litigation department at the Movement for Quality Government, said criticism of the attorney general is legitimate but argued that Rav Yosef’s comments went beyond permissible criticism.

“It is permissible to criticize a decision by the attorney general. It is forbidden to turn that criticism into harsh statements that raise concern about incitement to violence against her. This is not the first time Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has used his position and influence to attack the rule of law and the gatekeepers. We are not the ones who determine whether an offense was committed — that is the job of law enforcement authorities. Now they must examine the remarks seriously and quickly.”

Shas MK Michael Malchieli responded sharply to the demand for an investigation and defended Rav Yosef’s right to express his daas Torah.

“The ginger’s brazenness is reaching the heavens and breaking a new record. No one will be able to harm Maran shlita, who stated his opinion, daas Torah, clearly. The Shas movement will continue to grow stronger despite the ginger’s bitterness and whims.”

President Donald Trump warned Sunday that allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon could lead to the destruction of Israel and potentially much of the Middle East, as he defended the ongoing U.S. military and economic campaign against Tehran and vowed that the Islamic Republic will never become a nuclear-armed state.

Speaking with Trey Gowdy on Fox News, Trump portrayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an intolerable danger and said Tehran’s longstanding role as a sponsor of terrorism makes preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons imperative.

“Iran is a number one leading state sponsor of terror, you’ve heard that many times, in the whole world. They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

.@POTUS: "Iran is the number one leading state sponsor of terror… They cannot have a nuclear weapon." pic.twitter.com/XmfAxTcFvT

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 31, 2026

Trump said he has repeatedly faced questions about whether the military campaign against Iran was necessary. He said the scale of destruction possible from a nuclear weapon makes the answer obvious.

“I have numerous people say, ‘Well, did you have to do it?’ And then I say, ‘Do you think it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ Nuclear weapon is massive destruction. You know, take what you see and multiply it times 100. And everybody says no.”

According to Trump, the U.S. pressure campaign has inflicted extraordinary damage on Iran, with the naval blockade and financial restrictions hitting the country particularly hard.

“The blockade has been unbelievable. The financial hits that we’re giving them, we’re hitting them very hard. Never, nobody’s ever been hit like this,” he said.

Calling Iran “a failing nation,” Trump indicated that he does not necessarily need a negotiated agreement to bring the confrontation to a successful conclusion, saying he is willing to see how events unfold.

“And at the right point, we’ll either win or they’ll do something. But I don’t mind winning, just winning. I don’t need a signature on a piece of paper,” Trump said.

Trump also asserted that Iran’s armed forces have suffered devastating losses during the campaign, including the destruction of major portions of its naval, air and air-defense capabilities.

“But we’re doing very well. Their Navy’s gone. Their Air Force is gone. Their leaders are gone. All of their anti-aircraft, I mean, it’s all wiped out.”

While describing Iranians as “tough people” and “smart people,” Trump condemned the country’s rulers in stark terms. “But they’re very evil,” he said.

Trump further accused the Iranian regime of killing tens of thousands of demonstrators, claiming that the death toll has continued to climb in recent months.

“They killed 52,000 protesters as of three months ago. And sadly, they’ve added very substantially to that list.”

Trump alleged that the crackdown has expanded beyond those taking part in demonstrations.

“Even people that aren’t protesting, they go into the houses and they take them and they shoot them,” Trump added.

Turning to the potential consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran, Trump said Israel’s survival would be directly threatened and suggested the repercussions could engulf the entire region.

“These are very violent, evil people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, Israel would be gone. If I weren’t president, Israel would be gone. There would be no Israel and there would probably be no Middle East,” Trump stated.

Trump also cited Iranian attacks on Gulf states after the outbreak of hostilities, saying Tehran targeted countries that had previously maintained relatively neutral relations with the Islamic Republic.

“And the way you know that is people that were sort of neutral got along with them for years. As soon as the shooting started, they started aiming at Saudi Arabia, at Qatar, at UAE, at Bahrain, at Kuwait. They were aiming. Everybody was shocked. I was surprised,” he said.

Those attacks, Trump argued, ultimately worked against Iran by costing Tehran whatever regional backing or neutrality it had previously enjoyed. He said the episode also demonstrated what those countries might have faced had Iran possessed nuclear weapons.

“I thought it was a very good thing because they lost all of the support that they had. They had a certain amount of support. They were, let’s say, neutral, largely neutral. That means that if they would have had a nuclear weapon, they would have fired it,” Trump said.

Trump reiterated his warning that the consequences of an Iranian nuclear weapon could have been catastrophic throughout the Middle East.

“So I think the Middle East would have essentially been gone. But Israel definitely would have been gone,” added the President, who said the danger could eventually have spread farther.

“And I guess we would be next or Europe or someplace. But no, you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. And they won’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump’s remarks were broadcast just hours after American forces struck Iranian military targets on Larak Island. The attack reportedly left two people dead and two others wounded.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by threatening retaliation. Iranian forces subsequently fired missiles toward U.S. bases in Jordan.

The attack on Larak Island represented the first American strike inside Iranian territory since late July, when Trump halted a two-week U.S. military campaign centered on the strategically vital waterway.

Trump announced last week that U.S. naval forces had completed the removal of mines from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said American forces were maintaining intensive surveillance of the area and warned that Washington would respond immediately to any attempt to place additional mines in the strait.

“Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites. There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect.”

Iran, however, has maintained that the conflict remains underway. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi subsequently said Tehran continues to consider itself at war and would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until its demands are met.

“We are still in a state of war, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Gharibabadi said, in comments quoted by Iranian media, while stressing that reopening the strategic waterway would require an end to the conflict on all fronts, the lifting of the blockade and a resolution of the situation in Yemen.

Gharibabadi said those conditions would have to be fulfilled before Iran permits the crucial shipping route to reopen.

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will only happen in exchange for ending the war on all fronts, lifting the blockade, and resolving the situation in Yemen.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Tzemach Mazuz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim, sharply criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the decision to cancel this year’s central memorial gathering for Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, accusing her of continually seeking new ways to harm bnei Torah.

Speaking during his weekly address at Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim on Motzoei Shabbos, Rav Mazuz invoked a posuk from Bereishis while condemning the attorney general.

“That poor attorney general — her mind all day is ‘only evil all day’ (Bereishis 6:5). Every day she thinks, ‘What can I do to the bnei Torah? How can I harm them?’ Every day she thinks of a new decree,” Rav Mazuz said.

Rav Mazuz then described seeing a newspaper headline on Friday reporting that Baharav-Miara had barred the annual memorial gathering honoring Rav Ovadia Yosef.

“I saw a headline in the newspaper on Friday: ‘The attorney general prohibits holding the hilula of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l.’ Yes, why? (She even has reasons…) ‘Because it could influence people to vote Shas. No! We want pure elections. Everyone should vote according to the dictates of his conscience.’ How ‘pure’ she is… Yes.”

Rav Mazuz continued his criticism, sarcastically referring to Baharav-Miara as “holy” and comparing her to the wicked biblical Queen Izevel.

“Almost every day, look at the front page of the newspaper — what this ‘holy’ attorney general, this wicked Izevel, thought of and came up with that night. Yes, she is unfortunate!” Rav Mazuz said.

The controversy erupted after reports Thursday that the attorney general had directed that this year’s memorial gathering for Rav Ovadia Yosef be canceled, despite legislation providing for the event.

According to the stated reasoning behind the decision, Rav Ovadia Yosef is closely identified with the Shas party, and holding the gathering could therefore amount to election propaganda even if no explicitly political statements were made during the event.

Critics have pointed to what they describe as a glaring double standard involving the annual state memorial for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was directly identified with the Labor Party, they argue, yet the official state ceremony commemorating him continues to be held even when its date falls in close proximity to Election Day.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s judicial complaints commissioner has upheld a complaint filed by a man who said a bais din warned him that refusing to sign a proposed divorce agreement could result in NIS 10,000 in legal costs, finding that the warning could have been perceived as improper pressure to accept the bais din’s proposal.

Retired Judge Asher Kula, the Commissioner for Complaints Against Judges, released summaries Sunday of several recent decisions involving complaints against judges and batei din, including the case involving the NIS 10,000 warning.

According to the complaint, the man was appearing in proceedings involving a divorce claim filed against him and was not yet represented by an attorney. During the hearing, the head of the bais din allegedly warned him that if he did not sign the divorce agreement, his refusal would “cost” him NIS 10,000 in legal expenses.

The man maintained that, at that stage, he did not understand the implications of the agreement being presented to him. He therefore asked not to sign anything until he could obtain legal advice and have the terms and consequences of the agreement explained to him.

After reviewing the circumstances, Kula determined that the complaint was justified.

According to the commissioner, raising the possibility of imposing NIS 10,000 in costs immediately after the man said that he was unwilling to sign the agreement or proceed with the divorce before obtaining legal counsel could have been understood as pressure to accept the bais din’s proposal.

In a separate decision, the commissioner addressed the handling of a case in small claims court. A complainant said a senior registrar had failed for approximately six months to rule on a municipality’s request to dismiss a lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction.

A decision dismissing the lawsuit was ultimately issued only on the morning the hearing was scheduled to take place, less than four hours before the proceeding was set to begin.

The complainant said that because of the delay, he lost a day of work and was forced to prepare unnecessarily for a hearing that ultimately never took place.

The commissioner acknowledged that on the morning of the scheduled hearing, the registrar acted efficiently in attempting to notify the parties and prevent them from making an unnecessary trip to court. Looking at the case as a whole, however, Kula concluded that greater consideration should have been given to the litigant’s time.

Another complaint involved the issue of equal treatment between the parties during proceedings in a bais din.

A woman complained that the man’s attorney was permitted to question her at length, while her own attorney was not afforded a comparable opportunity to question the man.

The review found that the bais din itself had extensively questioned both parties and concluded that the factual record necessary to decide the case had been sufficiently developed.

Nevertheless, the commissioner observed that once the attorney representing one side had been permitted to question the opposing litigant, the bais din should have considered granting the other side’s attorney a similar opportunity. Doing so, he said, would help preserve procedural equality between the parties as well as the appearance of justice.

Nicolás Maduro has released the first photos of himself from a New York federal detention facility, eight months after he was captured in a special U.S. operation and brought to the United States.

The images show the ousted Venezuelan president smiling, dressed in athletic clothing and flashing a victory sign with his hands. They are the first photos of Maduro to emerge from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since January alongside his wife, Cilia Flores.

“I want you to know that we are standing firm,” Maduro wrote in a message accompanying the photos.

In another post, Maduro said he was sending the pictures as a “small gift” to his grandchildren and supporters, thanking them for “every word, every gesture and every blessing.”

According to those close to Maduro, the photographs were actually taken on June 25, around Father’s Day, but only reached his family by mail this week.

Maduro is facing four charges in the United States related to narco-terrorism and has denied the allegations against him.

During his first court appearance in January, Maduro declared, “I am innocent. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country.”

He subsequently described himself as a “prisoner of war.”

Maduro and Flores are expected to go on trial in June 2027.

The release of the prison photographs comes as Venezuela and the United States have reached a massive oil agreement under which the U.S. will control 65 billion barrels of the country’s oil reserves.

{Matzav.com}

Hundreds of bnei Torah gathered outside the gates of Prison 10 on Sunday evening for a large atzeres chizuk and protest following the arrest and imprisonment of yeshiva bochur Yisrael Guchafi of Bnei Brak.

The gathering, attended by rabbonim, roshei yeshiva and hundreds of members of the Olam HaTorah, was held following an unusual joint call issued by Rav Moshe Maya, senior member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, and Rav Shlomo Machpud, a member of the Moetzet, who urged the public to attend and protest the arrests of bnei yeshiva.

Rav Machpud addressed the gathering with an impassioned speech, sharply condemning the latest arrests.

“This is nothing new. For 78 years, the state has fought against everything holy in the Jewish people. But the latest decrees have surpassed them all.”

“They built the state only to destroy Judaism. They do not really want soldiers. They do not want them in the army. They are not interested in the yeshiva students who are in the yeshivos.”

“What interests them? To uproot Judaism from the Jewish people!”

“They know that the Jewish people are not a nation except through their Torah. The Torah is our life, and they cannot move us even a hairsbreadth.”

The joint letter issued by Rav Maya and Rav Machpud was headlined “Lech Kenos Es Kol HaYehudim” and expressed a forceful protest over what the rabbonim described as “the degradation of the honor of Torah and the persecution of those who learn it.”

The letter declared that “it is incumbent upon every individual to participate and protest the arrest of Torah scholars at a gathering honoring the Torah,” following the imprisonment of the yeshiva bochur, who, the letter said, had been jailed “for the sin of toiling in Torah.”

The rally comes amid a growing wave of arrests of bnei yeshiva in recent days. Among the cases that have drawn particular attention is that of Guchafi, a talmid at Yeshivas Kfar Chassidim, who was arrested in Haifa after becoming involved in an incident with an inspector over a malfunction with his Rav-Kav transit card. He was subsequently turned over to the military police.

Another recent arrest involved Motti Mishkovsky, a grandson of Rav Nosson Zochovsky, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov. Mishkovsky was arrested near the Ben Shemen Forest and transferred to military police custody. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to 20 days in Prison 10.

Avraham Angel, a talmid at Yeshivas Nezer Yisrael, was also transferred to Prison 10. Angel was initially arrested on Route 443 on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. According to the report, police officials had explicitly indicated that he would not be transferred to the military police, but he was ultimately handed over and imprisoned.

Officials with the Tzeva Shachor system reacted angrily to the developments, warning that the manner in which the arrests are being handled could have serious consequences.

“The lack of trust in the police and law enforcement system will lead directly to anarchy and a complete loss of control during future attempts to arrest yeshiva students in the field.”

Rav Yitzchok Yosef also addressed the arrests during his weekly shiur, recounting an incident involving a yeshiva bochur who had previously been imprisoned in a military facility and endured severe spiritual challenges while incarcerated.

“The prisoners, the poor yeshiva boys who were arrested. One of the prisoners told me that they took him to a detention facility, and the television was on the entire time. He was there for several days. He begged the guards — I am a yeshiva student, I am a ben Torah, why are you showing television, all kinds of immodesty, all kinds of things. They did not listen to him, as though they were forcing him.”

{Matzav.com}

Community leaders, bereaved families and the gabbaim of the Tiferes Yisrael shul in Beit Shemesh gathered Sunday for the solemn kevurah of the remains of Sifrei Torah that were burned in the missile strike that devastated the shul and claimed lives earlier this year.

Before the kevurah, remarks were delivered by Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, City Council member Nati Gabay and Tzion Revach, who had donated one of the Sifrei Torah and whose son, Gavriel Baruch Hy”d, was killed in the same tragedy.

The Tiferes Yisrael shul, where the Sifrei Torah had been housed, was completely destroyed in the missile strike. The shul is now at an advanced stage of reconstruction and is expected to reopen to mispallelim in time for the upcoming Yomim Tovim.

For Revach, the kevurah carried an especially painful significance. After having buried his son, he was now taking part in the kevurah of the Sefer Torah for which he had painstakingly saved, shekel by shekel, in order to have it written.

“For me, this is a difficult day. It takes me back to the terrible blow I suffered this year when I buried my son, and now I am burying the Sefer Torah for which I collected shekel by shekel in order to have it written. But I find comfort in the rebuilding of the shul, which will symbolize our revival and our ability to rise from our mourning.”

Mayor Greenberg spoke about the pain of the kevurah while pointing to the rebuilding of the destroyed shul as a source of hope and renewal following the tragedy.

“We are burying here today, with sorrow and honor, the Sifrei Torah that went up in flames at the site of the missile strike that hit the city during the ‘Operation Lion’s Roar’ war. The shul that was completely damaged is at an advanced stage of reconstruction, and with God’s help, the site will be ready in time for the Yomim Tovim. May the year and its curses end; may the year and its blessings begin.”

City Council member Nati Gabay described the kevurah as the closing of another painful chapter for Beit Shemesh, while noting the extraordinary anguish endured by Revach.

“Another painful chapter in the history of the city came to an end today. For Tzion, this is a second burial after losing his son. We are now rebuilding the temporary miniature Bais Hamikdosh, and with Hashem’s help, it will only be an interim station until the permanent structure is built and the community is returned to the shul.”

{Matzav.com}

As first reported here on Matzav.com, several admorim from New York have received official invitations from the White House to attend a special meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., this coming Thursday, with the gathering expected to focus on matters of importance to Klal Yisroel and the Jewish community.

Invitations were extended to the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel, the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe and the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey. The meeting is also expected to provide an opportunity for the Admorim to express hakaras hatov to President Trump for his efforts on behalf of the Jewish community in a range of areas.

The Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum, addressed the invitation during his tish on Leil Shabbos Kodesh with talmidim of the mesivta in Kiryas Yoel, explaining that he ultimately decided to accept the invitation in the hope that the meeting could be used to help Jews facing difficult circumstances.

Preparations for the gathering are now underway, with askanim representing the various Chassidishe courts coordinating with political officials. Consultations are also being held in the homes of the Admorim as the details are finalized for what could become an unusual and historic gathering of prominent Admorim at the White House.

Speaking at his tish on Leil Shabbos, the Satmar Rebbe began by citing the posuk of “Dirshu es shlom ha’ir,” speaking of the obligation to seek the welfare of the government. He noted that Jews in the United States are privileged to live under a malchus shel chesed, with the government maintaining good relations with the Jewish community and providing conditions far better than those Jews experienced in Europe in earlier generations.

“I received an invitation from the White House last Sunday to meet with the president this coming Thursday, together with other rabbis and community activists. At first, I thought not to accept the invitation, since we are now in the month of Elul, we are very busy, and in the yeshiva we are in the middle of the sugya of chatzi shiur, and we need to prepare for the Yomim Noraim. After all, this is a non-Jew who has never performed a single mitzvah in his life, and has never merited to shake a lulav or eat matzah. Every single Jew is worth more than him! What is so significant about this?! You go in, sit on a chair for a few minutes and talk to a non-Jew…”

The Rebbe then recalled a similar experience approximately three decades ago, when he participated in a meeting with the president serving at the time. That encounter, he said, ultimately provided an opportunity to help a Jew who was facing serious difficulties.

“But then I remembered that about 30 years ago, something similar happened to me, when we had a meeting with the president at the time, and there was a Jew who was in distress and it was possible to help him, and thank God it was worthwhile.”

The Rebbe related that on the day after that earlier White House meeting, he spoke to the bochurim in yeshiva and sought to place the significance of meeting an American president in its proper perspective.

“The day after that meeting 30 years ago, I spoke at the yeshiva before the boys and said that every Jew is worth more than him. One must know that when reciting the blessing ‘Who has not made me a non-Jew,’ the intention is not referring to a non-Jew who cleans the streets, but to the most important non-Jew, who is the president of the United States, and that is what one should have in mind when reciting the blessing ‘Who has not made me a non-Jew.'”

The Rebbe then cautioned the bochurim against allowing the attention surrounding his prospective White House visit to distract them from their limudim, telling them that their continued immersion in the sugya being learned in yeshiva was far more important.

“I want to ask all the boys, when there is such a matter, it is possible that the boys will get involved in it and become immersed in it, so I ask that everyone diligently continue studying the sugya of ‘chatzi shiur,’ so as not to neglect Torah study and not to become immersed in all the ‘Trumpism,’ as they call it… I tell you: One shiur in the sugya in the yeshiva is worth more in my eyes than this entire matter! Hakadosh Boruch Hu should help that we be able to act on behalf of Jews who are in distress.”

Following the Rebbe’s remarks, those gathered sang with great emotion, “Atah vechartanu mikol ha’amim, veromamtanu mikol haleshonos, vekidashtanu bemitzvosecha, vekeiravtanu Malkeinu la’avodasecha.”

The court of the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, also confirmed that an invitation had been received. Following the news, an archival photograph was circulated showing the Rebbe during a White House visit with President Ronald Reagan in 5747/1987.

The latest development comes nearly a year after plans were made for a meeting between the Satmar Rebbe and Rav Shaul Alter, Rosh Yeshiva of Ger, and President Trump. That planned meeting ultimately did not take place.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein delivered a powerful message of chizuk to a group of melamdim and mechanchim in Holon, telling them that the Torah learned by young children represents Klal Yisroel’s greatest protection and declaring, “You are the real Israel Defense Forces — they stole the name from us.”

The staff members of Talmud Torah Beis Dovid in Holon visited Rav Zilberstein in his learning room in honor of the beginning of the Elul zeman. Hundreds of children learn at the Talmud Torah, which is under Rav Zilberstein’s nesius. The melamdim and mechanchim were accompanied by the school’s director, Rabbi Avraham Ovadia, and came to hear words of guidance and chizuk for their vital role in educating the next generation.

Rav Zilberstein began by addressing the tense security situation and fears surrounding Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“Look, my dear friends, do you know what the prime ministers here are afraid of today? An atomic bomb. It is clear to him that Iran has an atomic bomb, because the biggest liars in the world are Iran; they are the biggest liars in the world. He says that from the way they speak with passion and conviction, it seems to him that they have the bomb. An atomic bomb is the greatest fear in the world today, and I heard that the government here is afraid of the bomb.”

Rav Zilberstein then turned to the melamdim and told them where, from a Torah perspective, Klal Yisroel’s true defense lies.

“Do you know who the greatest force against the atomic bomb is? You! How? There are children who are free of sin — these tinokos shel beis rabban who are here. Their prayer is prayer, their learning is learning; there is no accuser. When Haman came to Mordechai and heard that he was learning with them the laws of kemitzah, he said, ‘I am lost.’ He also knew that the Jewish people have a weapon, and the weapon we have is not drums or dancing; our weapon is the children!

“You, my dear friends, are the weapon of the Jewish people. You teach tinokos who are free of sin, and they are our weapon. The children must learn well, and that is in our hands. Children who learn well are the shield of the Jewish people.”

Rav Zilberstein also stressed the importance of ensuring that children conduct themselves with proper derech eretz, particularly at a time when resentment toward lomdei Torah is intense.

“There are children whom I see in the street, acting a little wild, walking around like that, and it is very bad… We have to be very careful with the children in the street. If people see them outside wandering around freely… the anger against Torah learners is truly terrible. They say: ‘We are all here at war, and look how they are walking around the street, looking here, looking there; there are some who even smoke a few cigarettes. Your brothers went out to war and you will sit here.’ It is destructive!

“You, my dear friends, are today in charge of the Israel Defense Forces. What is the army that we have? The army — this is our army. Children who walk in the street with derech eretz and behave with derech eretz and seriousness — that is the greatest weapon in the world, and it is in your hands.”

Turning to the practical work of chinuch, Rav Zilberstein said that frightening children with talk of an Iranian atomic bomb may not necessarily be the proper approach. Instead, he urged the melamdim to inspire their talmidim through stories of tzaddikim that instill yiras Shomayim and demonstrate what genuine dedication to Torah looks like.

“To instill in them and tell them that there is an atomic bomb, I don’t know if that is exactly the right way. But look at this picture. This is my father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. Let me tell you what happened with him:

“In Yerushalayim, a hot-air balloon (zeppelin) once arrived for the first time. Rav Elyashiv heard that a hot-air balloon had arrived, so he left his house in order to see it. After taking one step, he immediately said to himself: ‘You should be ashamed of yourself. The Jewish people need yeshuos and you are going to see a hot-air balloon? Are you crazy? Is this why you were born into the world? To see a hot-air balloon?’ He immediately went back. Although he very much wanted to see this wonder, he restrained himself and locked himself in. There is no balloon, there is no flying; there is only one thing — the holy Torah!

“Stories of tzaddikim can help tremendously. Stories about tzaddikim are very, very important — stories of tzaddikim that bring inspiration and yiras Shomayim.”

Rav Zilberstein then shared two memories from the Yerushalayim of his childhood, illustrating the sensitivity and yiras Shomayim of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt”l, the author of the Even HaEzel.

“I’ll give you another example of stories of yiras Shomayim. I learned in Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim in Yerushalayim. I was a small child, and our rebbe was Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt”l. We followed him and saw that during the summer he would not take the shortest route from Eitz Chaim to his home, but would make a detour. We wanted to know why he made a detour. Whom do you ask? Only family members. They went and approached the Rebbetzin and said to her: We want to know, Rebbetzin, why does Rav Isser Zalman go this way? She answered: There are very beautiful watermelons there, and he is afraid that he will give an ayin hara!

“If someone else had told me this, I would have told him that either you are telling a joke or you don’t know Rav Isser Zalman. Maybe you are confusing him with somebody else. Why would he even look at the watermelons?

“But since it is written in the Gemara (Bava Basra 2b), Rav Abba said in the name of Rav Huna in the name of Rav: It is forbidden for a person to stand in his friend’s field when the crop is fully grown, and as Rashi explains there, ‘so that he should not harm it with an evil eye.’ What crops do we have in Yerushalayim? When there are good fruits, like a red watermelon, it is like what the Gemara was discussing. Therefore, in his great goodness, he was afraid and concerned about this. It is simply unbelievable.”

Rav Zilberstein then related another incident involving Rav Isser Zalman, this one concerning an ani who came seeking tzedakah.

“Another small story. These things are small, but in truth they are great, and we have to tell children stories of tzaddikim. I learned under Rav Isser Zalman in cheder. A poor man came, knocked and asked for tzedakah. Rav Isser Zalman told him: I don’t have money right now. So he left. A moment later, the Rebbetzin, Baila Hinda a”h, came in and told him that all of her milk had spilled from the pot onto the fire, and she said she did not know why it had happened. Rav Isser Zalman said: I know why… because he did not give tzedakah to the poor man.

“He went out into the street and ran after the poor man, Reb Yankel! So Reb Yankel, the poor man, says to Rav Isser Zalman: ‘Ah, something already spilled in your house’… Yerushalayim is a city of truth. Rav Isser Zalman saw this and did not respond. He only apologized that he had not had money.

“This is what stories of tzaddikim are, and this is what must be done. It is a mitzvah for each of our dear beloved ones to find a story about tzaddikim, to tell stories of quality, like this incident, which was a tremendous mussar haskel for me.”

Rav Zilberstein concluded by returning to his central message to the melamdim: that their daily work with Jewish children is itself part of the spiritual defense of Klal Yisroel.

“These are the things that must be said to talmidei chachomim who are engaged in the Israel Defense Forces. Who are the Israel Defense Forces? You! You who learn with the children — that is the real Israel Defense Forces. They stole the name from us. That name is not theirs. The Israel Defense Forces are us.”

Rav Zilberstein then directed the visitors’ attention from his learning room toward the adjoining kollel, where dozens of avreichim were immersed in their learning.

“Come and see what is going on here. Avreichim are sitting here and do not lift their heads from the Gemara for even a moment. Look. It is a mitzvah to look. Come, look here. Almost all of them have semichah for hora’ah, and there is not one person here speaking devarim beteilim. There is not one person dreaming about devarim beteilim. This is called the Israel Defense Forces. Look here, see here. They sit here day and night; you will not hear one unnecessary word here”…

Rav Zilberstein concluded his remarks with a heartfelt bracha to the melamdim for success in their avodas hakodesh.

“My dear beloved ones, may Hakadosh Boruch Hu help us succeed in carrying out our mission. The Iranians want to prepare only one thing — an atomic bomb — and that is everyone’s fear. But this is the answer: Do not be afraid. Rather, be here (in the kollel), or more correctly, be here (in the Talmud Torah). All the best to you, with God’s help.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued updated emergency guidelines for those planning to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, warning travelers that the ongoing war in Ukraine has created an unpredictable security environment and will result in nighttime curfews and other restrictions during the holiday period.

The ministry urged travelers to strictly follow Ukrainian laws and instructions from local authorities, including presenting identification and other documents whenever requested. Israelis were warned against arguments, confrontations or provocative behavior with authorities that could result in arrest. The ministry stressed that Israeli consular assistance does not extend to interfering with legitimate enforcement of Ukrainian law.

Regarding the continuing security threat, travelers were instructed to take air-raid sirens seriously and immediately enter the nearest protected area whenever an alert sounds. They were also warned to stay away from locations where missiles, drones or intercepted projectiles have fallen.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that photographing or publishing images of military installations, military vehicles, soldiers or the sites of missile and drone impacts is strictly prohibited, including posting such material on social media. Such photographs could expose information about the activities or locations of Ukrainian security forces.

Israeli-Ukrainian dual citizens were given an additional warning. Ukrainian authorities may regard them solely as Ukrainian citizens while they are in the country and could therefore subject them to restrictions applicable to Ukrainian nationals. In such circumstances, the Israeli government’s ability to provide consular assistance may be limited.

Ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage, the Foreign Ministry recommended that travelers download the Israeli Traveler application and make certain that their passports remain valid for the required period.

Those who require medication were advised to bring medical prescriptions written in English. Travelers may bring no more than five packages of medication intended exclusively for personal use, according to the guidelines. Carrying narcotic or psychotropic substances is strictly prohibited, as is bringing medications that are banned in countries through which travelers will pass on their way to Ukraine.

The ministry also cautioned travelers to prepare for heavy traffic and significant congestion on roads and at border crossings as large numbers of visitors make their way to Uman. Travelers were advised against paying tourism taxes through unfamiliar or unauthorized parties and were told to retain all necessary receipts and documentation.

In an emergency, Israelis in Ukraine can contact the emergency line of the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv at +380-96-770-0103. The Foreign Ministry’s Situation Room in Israel can also be reached at +972-2-530-3155.

{Matzav.com}

Three religious Givati Brigade soldiers were sentenced Sunday to 10 days in military prison after refusing to enter an armored personnel carrier with a female medic, triggering an uproar among rabbinic and political figures who accused the IDF of disregarding the religious commitments of observant troops.

The three soldiers, members of the Rotem Battalion and students at Hesder yeshivas, declined to board a Namer armored vehicle while their unit was operating in the Gaza Strip.

The prison sentences quickly drew condemnation from religious and political leaders, who charged that the military had failed to respect accommodations for religious soldiers and had placed them in a situation that conflicted with Jewish law.

Noam Party chairman MK Avi Maoz placed responsibility for the episode on Israel’s political and defense leadership. “Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, this is on your watch. You are turning your back on IDF soldiers,” he said. “Givati soldiers, Rotem Battalion, you risked your lives with self-sacrifice in Lebanon, and today the army is turning its back on you. It is not acceptable that with one hand the army calls on the haredim to enlist, and with the other it harms outstanding soldiers who want to live according to their faith. Even if you are required to sit in prison, do it with your head held high and Jewish pride. Free to be a Jew.”

Rabbi Dror Aryeh, a rabbi at the Hesder yeshiva in Sderot, sharply criticized the soldiers’ punishment as well. “This is brazen arrogance without parallel,” he said. “The Minister of Defense failed to protect dedicated soldiers from progressive theatrics. The soldiers are heroes; jail will not break them. They are the pillar of fire before the camp, and they will be remembered for generations as the true victors in this bizarre story. Their commanders acted contrary to Jewish law and contrary to orders. Those who should have been tried were the commanders who violated the procedures.”

Wives of Soldiers for the Sanctity of the Camp, an organization advocating on issues of religious standards in the military, demanded that the three soldiers be freed immediately and called for action against the officers responsible for the incident.

“We demand that the soldiers be released immediately and that those who mistreat them be punished. The agenda of progressive coercion has reached the lowest moral low point and resulted in extreme, violent action. The IDF is a Jewish army; Jewish law, the mitzvah and sanctity are our guiding principles. Observant Jews should not be treated like a discarded object by commanders who are not worthy of that. This is a disgrace and a badge of shame for the IDF chief of staff and the Minister of Defense.”

The group warned that incidents of this kind could also damage attempts to persuade more chareidim to enter the military. “You will not be able to talk about drafting the haredim as long as observant Jews in the IDF are being persecuted for the existence of Torah and sanctity,” it said.

Rabbi Hagai Lundin, head of the Holon yeshiva, had earlier sent a message of encouragement to the Rotem Battalion soldiers, framing their refusal in the context of their religious beliefs and the approaching Rosh Hashanah.

“Dear friends, I want to remind you now, in the month of Elul ahead of Rosh Hashanah, of the things the rabbi writes in his introduction to the cycle,” Lundin said. He went on to explain that the central focus of a person’s prayers on Rosh Hashanah should be the revelation of Hashem’s kingship rather than his own personal concerns.

“In other words, on Rosh Hashanah, it is a good day that a person must decide with whom he works. Does he work for his own interests, or does he work for Your blessed kingdom, with the Holy One, blessed be He? And you stood precisely in that test. You are not working for the media, nor with the progressive operation, nor for all kinds of people who think that the state belongs to them. You are working for the Master of the Universe, who goes through with Israel, through what the rabbis told you, through the IDF, which is the order to remain in the camp in the humility of purity and sanctity.”

“Therefore, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed,” he concluded. “You did what needed to be done, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will lead the events exactly where they need to go. We are all with you, and most importantly, our Father in Heaven is with you. Wishing you success and a good year.”

The confrontation took place in the Rotem Battalion as troops operating in Gaza prepared for an operational mission that was to include travel in a Namer armored vehicle. A female medic was assigned to be inside the vehicle.

The three soldiers refused to enter. Sources familiar with what happened said they were then asked whether another member of the platoon would agree to participate in the mission, but the soldiers responded that none of their fellow troops were prepared to do so.

According to a source familiar with the episode, the company commander spoke directly with the soldiers and stressed that the mission was both important and urgent. The soldiers nevertheless continued to refuse. The source said the brigade rabbi was brought into the matter and authorized the mission to proceed with the female medic because of the operational urgency and importance involved.

Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner, head of the yeshiva in Mitzpeh Ramon, and Rabbi Shlomo Shushan, head of the yeshiva in Beit She’an, were also reported to have directed their students serving in the company not to enter a combat vehicle when a female medic was inside.

The Association of Hesder Yeshivas backed the soldiers, maintaining that their conduct was consistent with the IDF’s joint service regulations and arguing that soldiers who adhered to those arrangements should not have been disciplined.

The IDF, however, said its joint service regulations generally entitle soldiers who observe a religious lifestyle to conduct operational activities within a gender-segregated framework, while allowing exceptions in unusual circumstances. According to the military, the soldiers’ refusal ultimately prevented the force from carrying out the planned operational mission, which was subsequently canceled.

{Matzav.com}

Gadi Eisenkot will receive security protection through Election Day following a new recommendation from Israel’s Advisory Committee for Personal Security, reversing an earlier decision that had drawn public criticism.

The committee convened Sunday and recommended assigning security protection to Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, through the upcoming elections.

The change came after members of Eisenkot’s team presented security officials with warnings and new information concerning potential threats against him.

The committee also decided that it will hold a separate meeting at a later date to consider security arrangements for Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan. Similar information regarding possible threats against Golan has also been submitted to authorities.

Sunday’s recommendation reverses a decision reached just one week earlier that generated controversy. Shin Bet Director David Zini had determined at the time that there was no justification for providing Eisenkot with security guards.

Zini explained that the Shin Bet had received no intelligence pointing to a concrete threat against Eisenkot. He emphasized that the determination was based entirely on professional considerations and followed consultations that included Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg.

The initial decision prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene publicly later that evening.

Netanyahu instructed Zini to reconsider the issue and ensure that Eisenkot receives an appropriate level of protection based on an assessment of his security requirements.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Amudim has been answering crisis calls since 2014. In that time, more than 321,000 calls have come in across more than 23,000 cases. People reach out for help with sexual abuse, addiction, mental health, and domestic violence. And the need has not slowed down. In an average week, about 70 new cases begin.

What stands out to us is how often the same questions come up. Different people, in different communities and at different points in their lives, often find themselves asking nearly the exact same things. Most of those questions aren’t about the law. They’re  about someone they love, trust, or are afraid to lose.

These are the questions we hear again and again: “What do I do now that I know my father abused my daughter.” , “My brother told me what happened to him years ago. My other siblings do not know. What am I supposed to say to him.” “My son said his rebbi touches him.” “Everyone respects him. Who is going to believe me?”

There is another reason many of these calls reach Amudim. Often, it’s not because we were the first place someone thought to call. It is because asking someone closer felt like it could come with a cost.

You see it most clearly in the questions that do not fit neatly into one category. Someone may need a halachic answer, but the situation also involves mental health. A choson or kallah may be trying to understand what needs to be disclosed before a wedding, and to whom. A mother may be weighing whether to go to the police while also wondering what that decision could mean for her family.

Those questions do not always have an obvious place to go. A rav may understand the halachic side but not have experience with the clinical piece. A therapist may understand the emotional and mental health side but cannot answer a shaila.

So sometimes the question goes unanswered for months or even years, and the person carrying it starts to assume that no answer means there is no way forward. That is not the case.

Rabbi Yisroel Grossberg serves as Amudim’s rav for these kinds of questions, and many of them are ones he hears again and again. Different people, in different years, often come  believing they are the only one who has ever had to ask. In reality, there is often more room in halacha than people realize, and some of the questions that feel hardest to say out loud are the ones we hear most often..

There is another part of this that is important to say carefully. Many of these calls involve someone who is trusted or well regarded in the community. That is not unique to our community. It is part of what can make abuse so difficult to recognize and respond to in any community.

Access is often given to people because they are trusted, and that same trust can make a disclosure harder to believe or act on. The person being described may already have a reputation, a role, or relationships that carry weight, while the person speaking up is left wondering whether anyone will believe them.

Some of the hardest calls come from people who have been carrying these questions for years. They may have spent decades in therapy, raised children, built full lives, and still find themselves wondering: Is it too late?

What Comes Next is a chance to bring those questions into the open, and to answer them in a room where many people may be carrying the same ones without realizing they are not alone.

The panel will include Rabbi Zvi Gluck and Rabbi Avi Landa, LCPC, of Amudim; Dr. Myriam E. Lankry, DSW, LCSW, Amudim’s clinical director; and Zeldy Broyde, founder of Ray of Hope. Nachi Gordon of the Meaningful People podcast will moderate.

This event will take place Thursday night, September 3, at 8:00 PM at 153 Grandview Avenue in Monsey. Separate seating and family seating will both be available. The event is free, seating is limited, and registration is required .

Click HERE to register!

A recording will be released a few days later for anyone who cannot attend in person, or who would feel more comfortable watching privately.

The panel will also answer questions submitted through the registration form. Those questions can be submitted confidentially, without a name.

And if what you are carrying cannot wait until Thursday, Amudim is available confidentially at 646-517-0222.

A new Kan 11 poll shows a dramatic shift in Israel’s political landscape, with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s Likud falling to just 21 seats and former IDF general Ofer Winter’s newly established party crossing the electoral threshold, while a separate Channel 14 survey presents a sharply different picture, giving Likud 31 seats and Netanyahu a commanding lead in the race for prime minister.

According to the Kan 11 survey, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party would emerge as the largest faction in the Knesset with 24 seats. Likud would finish second with 21, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party would strengthen to 14 seats.

Within the right-wing bloc, Otzma Yehudit would receive seven seats and Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich, would win five. Winter’s entry into politics appears to be reshaping the competition for right-wing voters, with his new party projected to win four seats and enter the Knesset.

The remainder of the Kan 11 poll gives the Democrats nine seats, Yisrael Beytenu eight, United Torah Judaism eight, the Joint List eight, Shas seven, Ra’am five and Amcha Yisrael four. Bayit Tzioni, Blue and White and a party led by Gilad Erdan would all fail to cross the electoral threshold.

A Channel 14 poll conducted Sunday, however, produced dramatically different results. In that survey, Likud remains comfortably in first place with 31 seats, followed by Eisenkot’s Yashar with 24. Bennett’s Beyachad receives only six seats.

Channel 14 projects Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu at seven seats each, while Religious Zionism and Amcha Yisrael would each receive four seats.

According to the Channel 14 numbers, the right-wing bloc would command a 63-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 45 seats for the left-wing bloc and 12 for the Arab parties.

Netanyahu also holds a substantial advantage in Channel 14’s question on suitability to serve as prime minister. Fifty-one percent of respondents chose Netanyahu, compared with 35% for Eisenkot and 10% for Bennett.

{Matzav.com}

Michelle Obama is facing criticism after saying she does not miss the years when her daughters lived at home, telling Jon Stewart that she now enjoys having complete control over her schedule while emphasizing that she remains extremely close with her children.

The comments came during Wednesday’s episode of Obama’s “IMO” podcast, where Stewart discussed how the daily responsibilities of raising children had provided structure and meaning in his life. When he asked Obama whether she missed that stage of parenting, her answer was brief.

“I’m good,” Obama said.

The remarks quickly drew criticism, including from California Republican Party Delegate Elizabeth Barcohana, a mother who told Fox News Digital that Obama’s comments appeared to reflect resentment toward motherhood at a time when the subject has become part of a broader national discussion.

Barcohana said she interpreted Obama’s comments as suggesting that she was relieved the years of actively raising daughters Malia and Sasha were behind her.

“There is a difference between a mother expressing exhaustion from the demands of motherhood — which is real and relatable — and expressing resentment,” Barcohana said. “Resentment is what appears to come through in Michelle Obama’s remarks, and it is especially painful to hear amid the national conversation surrounding the Lindsay Clancy trial.

“She seems happy that her daughters’ childhoods are over. That is not a relatable feeling for most mothers at all.”

Obama, however, made clear during the discussion that her feelings about no longer having her daughters at home should not be confused with a lack of affection for them. She said she loves Malia and Sasha and noted that she was scheduled to have dinner with them that same evening.

“I don’t miss them. I don’t. I love them. I’m going to see them tonight for dinner. I love them,” she said. “But Barack cried when they went to college. I was like, ‘Bye, little — goodbye.’ Now I … now Friday nights aren’t wrecked with terror and fear about, ‘Where are you? Where are you?’”

Obama contrasted her reaction to becoming an empty nester with that of her husband, Barack Obama, saying he cried when their daughters left for college while she welcomed the transition.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh was among those who attacked Obama over the remarks, accusing her of having been eager for her daughters to leave home despite the advantages and assistance he said the family’s wealth provided.

“And yet she still couldn’t wait for the kids to leave because the minor demands they made on her time and energy were still too much for her. Just a total raging narcissist,” Walsh said.

Political commentator Link Lauren similarly criticized Obama, arguing that the remarks fit a broader pattern in which she publicly complains about her family and privileged lifestyle.

“This podcast is just her sitting around her mansion in Martha’s Vineyard complaining about how hard her life of luxury is and how much she despises her husband and children,” Lauren said.

Obama offered additional context for her reaction to becoming an empty nester, saying she enjoys the independence that comes with her daughters being adults and believes she already devoted substantial time to raising them and developing close relationships with them.

“I love my schedule. I have a great schedule, and it’s all mine,” Obama said. “I mean, I’ve had so much quality time with my children. So much. Yeah, yeah. I know them inside and out.”

Obama has also spoken positively about Barack Obama’s role as a father. Last year, she said both of them consciously made their daughters a priority during the eight years that the family lived in the White House.

“It was important for both of us, for me and Barack, to carve out that time in those eight years when our girls were in their formative years, you know,” Obama said.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Ted Cruz is leaving open the possibility of another run for the White House in 2028, saying Sunday that his immediate priority is helping Republicans in November’s midterm elections and that decisions about his own political future will come later.

Asked during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” whether he was seriously weighing another presidential campaign, the Texas Republican stopped short of ruling it out, instead emphasizing his work on behalf of GOP candidates around the country.

“The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us there’s a time for every season. This is not that season right now. This is the season of the midterms, and I’ll tell you, I’m spending my time on the road, campaigning for candidates all over the country,” Cruz said.

“There will be a time for that conversation,” he added when pressed about running for president.

The remarks came after Cruz said in a separate interview with MS NOW that Republicans should not assume Vice President JD Vance has already been chosen as President Donald Trump’s political heir.

“There’ll be time to figure that out,” Cruz said in that interview. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion.”

Trump himself fueled speculation about a possible Cruz candidacy when he was asked Thursday at the White House whether the Texas senator might seek the presidency in 2028.

“I would say that he’s very talented. He’s a very good friend of mine. I think he might do that, yeah,” Trump said.

Cruz previously sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and became one of Trump’s most formidable primary opponents. He ended his campaign after losing the Indiana primary. Although the contest between the two included an intensely personal exchange of attacks, Cruz and Trump subsequently developed a close political alliance.

During Sunday’s interview, Cruz also turned his attention to Venezuela, renewing his demand for democratic elections following the Trump administration’s announcement that the United States had obtained majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves.

“There need to be democratic, free elections in Venezuela,” Cruz said, calling for elections to be held “midway through next year.”

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez assumed power after U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro in January and transported him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.

“Delcy Rodríguez was Nicolas Maduro’s vice president,” Cruz said. “Maduro was illegitimate. He was a Marxist. He had seized power contrary to the will of the voters, and from the beginning, I have been urging, and I believe the administration is working towards this, that there should be free and fair elections.”

Cruz said he believes the Trump administration is “working rapidly” toward holding elections in Venezuela, while arguing that those efforts can move forward at the same time as the newly announced oil arrangement.

“The oil deal as announced sounds like it could have a very positive impact on the United States and the United States economy, on American jobs, and a very positive impact on gas prices over the long term,” Cruz said.

The Texas senator said Venezuela should hold elections “no later than midway through next year.”

Earlier this month, Cruz joined senators from both parties in introducing a resolution expressing U.S. support for free and fair elections in Venezuela.

Cruz also weighed in on the U.S. military conflict with Iran, saying the ultimate objective should be the collapse of the Iranian government and urging the Trump administration to provide weapons to protesters seeking to overthrow the regime.

“I would like to see the longer-term objective be regime collapse,” Cruz said.

At the same time, Cruz argued against deploying American ground troops to Iran, saying the United States should instead arm Iranians seeking to bring down the government themselves.

“What I’ve been urging is for President Trump and the Trump administration to arm the protesters, so that the people of Iran … remove this regime from power,” Cruz said. “Not American boots on the ground, but the Iranian people.”

Trump recently posted an image on Truth Social declaring “mission accomplished” in Iran. Cruz said Sunday that the “initial mission” of weakening Iran’s military capabilities had been achieved, while arguing that the eventual removal of the Iranian leadership should remain a longer-term goal.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited a prison holding Palestinian female security prisoners on Sunday, confronting inmates over complaints about their treatment and declaring that he is personally responsible for maintaining stringent conditions behind bars.

Footage of the encounter, which Ben-Gvir posted on his X account, shows the national security minister entering the women’s section of the prison and speaking directly with inmates who complained about the conditions under which they are being held.

During the exchange, one female prisoner complained that the inmates had been unable to shower for several days and were not receiving adequate care.

“This is our third day without showering. We are not receiving medical treatment, and our clothes are not clean.”

Ben-Gvir responded by making clear that the tougher conditions were deliberate and that he stood behind the policy.

“The good conditions in the prisons are over. This is the current situation, and I am directly responsible for everything. I am pleased with these conditions.”

In a social media post accompanying the footage, Ben-Gvir dismissed what he described as the “whining” of prisoners over their conditions, pointing to the treatment of Israeli hostages who had been held captive in Gaza.

“I’ll continue to lead a policy of the bare minimum of the minimum,” he said.

Palestinian organizations reacted angrily to the video. Gaza’s Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs condemned Ben-Gvir’s appearance inside the women’s section and accused him of using the encounter to intimidate and humiliate the prisoners.

The organization said the minister’s presence was “not an inspection visit,” but rather a “political spectacle and public incitement against the female prisoners” intended to frighten the inmates and break their resolve in front of the cameras.

The Palestinian agency further alleged that Ben-Gvir’s statements demonstrated that the conditions imposed on Palestinian prisoners were part of a broader retaliatory policy involving “humiliation, torture, starvation and deprivation.”

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society also criticized the footage, telling Al Jazeera that recording the female inmates and subsequently publishing the video constituted “an assault on their human dignity.”

The organization claimed that hundreds of accounts provided by released Palestinian detainees and prisoners have documented serious mistreatment in Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Ben-Gvir has made tightening conditions for Palestinian security prisoners a central part of his policies since becoming national security minister in late 2022. Measures implemented or promoted during his tenure have included reducing food and water supplies, restricting family visits, limiting the amount of time prisoners may spend showering and eliminating privileges previously available inside prison wings.

{Matzav.com}

New details have emerged from the interrogation of one of two Israeli teenagers charged with carrying out assignments for an Iranian operative, including his admission that he continued performing tasks even after becoming aware of the operative’s connection to Iran. The teen told investigators that he initially thought the individual was a “leftist,” but later acknowledged knowing that he was carrying out assignments for an Iranian agent.

The details, reported by i24NEWS, emerged Sunday following the filing of an indictment against the two minors. During questioning, the teenager described the assignments he performed, the point at which he began suspecting the person directing him, and his actions after realizing that the individual was connected to Iran.

“After I sent him videos of the mall in Herzliya, I deleted everything because I was afraid he would carry out an attack. When he asked me to photograph a mall in Tel Aviv, the number of exits and the guards, I started to suspect – I stopped sending messages and deleted the chat”, the minor told investigators.

Despite those suspicions, however, the teenager remained in contact with the operative. When an investigator asked why he continued carrying out assignments, the teen said the individual contacted him through another username and proposed that he establish a Telegram channel to recruit other teenagers.

“He contacted me from another username and suggested that I open a Telegram channel and think of ways to recruit more teenagers for jobs. He transferred 900 shekels to me so that I would buy a phone, and I forged a KSP receipt”, he said.

Investigators also questioned the teen about his assertion that he had not initially realized he was communicating with an Iranian operative and had instead believed the person was a “leftist.” An investigator confronted him with a message in which the teenager himself had written: “A trick on the Iranian.”

The teen responded: “I called him that, but I still wasn’t sure he was Iranian”.

Later in the interrogation, an investigator confronted the teenager with the issue directly, asking: “Do you confirm to me that you carried out tasks for an Iranian agent knowing that he was Iranian?” The teen answered affirmatively.

“Yes, but he didn’t ask me to do anything dangerous to the country or the citizens. I just wanted money. After the graffiti mission and photographing the mall in Herzliya, he told me that he was connected to Iran. I made a mistake, I regret it”, he said.

The indictment was filed Sunday morning in Haifa District Court against two minors, ages 14 and 16, from Kiryat Motzkin. Prosecutors allege that the teenagers performed a series of assignments for a foreign operative working on behalf of Iran.

According to the charges, one assignment involved spraying graffiti beneath a bridge on Hashmonaim Street in Kiryat Motzkin. The messages painted by the teenagers included: “Extremism has given us endless wars”, “Our future is not in the hands of a dictator” and “We will not allow war to stain our lives”.

The primary defendant allegedly received approximately $250 for spraying and documenting the graffiti. He then gave his friend 150 shekels from the payment. Authorities say the main defendant received approximately 3,500 shekels in total from the operative.

The Iranian operative subsequently instructed the teenager to photograph a shopping mall, particular roads and a government building in the Tel Aviv area. He was also asked to document the number of exits at the mall and the number of security guards stationed there.

The second teenager refused to participate in that assignment, telling his friend that he suspected they were dealing with an Iranian agent. The primary defendant nevertheless proceeded with the task, sending the requested photographs and information to the operative and receiving approximately 600 shekels in return.

As part of one assignment, the teenager photographed the Seven Stars Mall in Herzliya. He later deleted the videos he had sent because he feared the material could be used by the operative to carry out a terrorist attack, but he did not end contact with him.

At a later point, the teenager directly asked the operative whether he was Iranian and was told that he was “connected to Iran.” The teen also sent the operative photographs of his passport and his face to verify his identity, receiving approximately $100 in exchange.

The operative later transferred money to the teenager to purchase a new cellphone that was supposed to be used to establish a channel for recruiting additional people to carry out assignments. The teenager did not ultimately purchase the device. However, in a voice message to his friend, he asked him to recruit “as many children as possible” to the Telegram channel and explained that he was looking for “children who don’t care about getting caught” to undertake “high-risk” assignments.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to report NBC News anchor Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the “Meet the Press” moderator of deliberately misrepresenting his record of endorsements in Republican primary races and calling for possible disciplinary action.

Trump’s criticism followed comments Welker made during an appearance on NBC4 Washington, where she described the results of candidates backed by the president as mixed. Trump countered that his endorsed candidates have won 100% of the Senate primaries and approximately 98% of the House primaries tracked by Fox News.

“Kristen Welker, the Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House, recently and over the longterm,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached,” Trump continued. “Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment. Unfortunately, she is not the only one.”

NBC News responded to Trump’s announcement Sunday by publicly defending Welker, who serves as moderator of “Meet the Press.”

“Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her,” an NBC News spokesperson said.

Welker did not make the disputed statement during Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press.” The comment came earlier in the day while she was appearing live on NBC4 Washington to preview the program. During that appearance, she said Trump had backed “a slate of candidates in the primaries” and “had some mixed results.”

Citing NBC’s own reporting, Welker also predicted that Trump would “loom large” over the upcoming midterm elections. She immediately pointed to Darline Graham’s recent primary victory as an example of a Trump-backed candidate prevailing.

“He’s going to loom large over these midterms. There’s no doubt about that. He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham, of course, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was successful in her primary battle, so now she takes on Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina,” Welker said.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter criticized Trump’s call for FCC action, portraying the president’s demand as an attempt to wield the federal agency against a journalist because of coverage he disliked.

“Trump is getting more explicit about weaponizing the FCC. This morning he said @kwelkernbc will be ‘reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment’ for saying something he didn’t like about his endorsement record. (By law, the FCC can’t punish Welker.) And that’s not all…” Stelter posted to X.

According to a Fox News tracker published Thursday, Trump-endorsed candidates won all 24 Republican Senate primaries in which he made an endorsement and prevailed in 214 of 218 House primaries. Those figures translate to a 100% success rate in Senate contests and approximately 98% in House races.

Two of the victories highlighted by Trump came Tuesday. Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in the Republican Senate runoff in South Carolina, while former Oklahoma state Sen. Mike Mazzei defeated state Attorney General Gentner Drummond by roughly 2,000 votes to secure the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Trump’s gubernatorial endorsements produced a somewhat different record, according to the Fox News tracker. Sixteen of the 21 candidates he backed won their races, while five were defeated, including Pamela Evette in South Carolina, Mike Lindell in Minnesota and Megan Degenfelder in Wyoming.

Trump accused media organizations of focusing on those defeats as a way of diminishing what he characterized as an extraordinarily successful overall endorsement record.

“Their new weapon is to say that my 99% SUCCESS Rate on Endorsements, 100% on Senatorial Endorsements (Many of whom were not even given a shot of winning until I Endorsed!), is either a mixed result, or not very good. In actuality, it is, without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics,” Trump said.

The president concluded by directing his appeal to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and urging the commission to treat the issue seriously.

“The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously,” Trump said.

Carr has previously warned broadcasters that alleged news distortion could become a consideration during the license-renewal process.

The FCC, however, licenses individual broadcast stations rather than networks such as NBC. Under the commission’s published news-distortion policy, action requires evidence that a report was deliberately intended to mislead an audience, rather than simply involving an error, disputed characterization or difference of opinion.

{Matzav.com}

The Torah community in Bnei Brak was plunged into mourning on Friday with the petirah of Rav Chaim Harari zt”l, rov of the Ateres Moshe bais medrash and rosh hakollelim of its network of kollelim. He was 82.

Rav Harari was born to his parents, Rav Moshe Harari z”l and Mrs. Teresa Rochel a”h. He later came to Eretz Yisroel from Argentina and learned at Yeshivas Porat Yosef in Yerushalayim, where his rabbeim included Chacham Shimon Baadani zt”l and Chacham Shalom Cohen zt”l. He remained deeply attached to his rabbeim throughout his life.

As a young avreich, just six months after his marriage, Rav Harari was sent by his rebbe, Chacham Shimon Baadani, on a mission to Mexico to help strengthen Yiddishkeit there. After a year and a half, he returned to Eretz Yisroel, determined to raise his children in the Artzos Hakedoshah.

Rav Harari subsequently served as a ram at Yeshivas Magen Hayeled, Yeshivas Tiferes Moshe and Yeshivas Daroma, becoming deeply beloved by his talmidim.

For many years, both in the yeshivos hakedoshos and in his own bais medrash, Rav Harari served as a baal tefillah during the Yomim Noraim. His tefillos were marked by extraordinary emotion and hishtapchus hanefesh, as a son pleading before his Creator.

Rav Harari maintained a particularly close connection with Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, who gave a haskamah to his seforim. Rav Shach wrote of him: “A rov who is precious among the precious, crowned with virtues and good character traits that the Sages enumerated among the acquisitions of Torah, etc. I have based my words on the fact that I have known him for a long time…”.

Approximately 40 years ago, Rav Harari was among the founders of the Avos organization, a nationwide organization established for Sephardic bnei Torah.

Throughout his life, Rav Harari authored numerous seforim on Shas, halacha and aggadah. Writing and learning Torah were his life and the joy of his heart. About four decades ago, he founded Kollel Ateres Moshe, which he subsequently expanded into a network with several branches.

Rav Harari’s condition deteriorated approximately a month and a half ago, and he was niftar on Friday, Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Ki Savo.

The levayah departed from his bais medrash on Malachi Street in Bnei Brak, followed by kevurah on Erev Shabbos at the Ponevezh bais hachaim.

Hespedim were delivered by the mara d’asra of Bnei Brak, Rav Masoud Ben Shimon; Rav Nissim Ben Shimon; Rav Yitzchok Abitbol, who was Rav Harari’s chavrusa for approximately 40 years; as well as his brothers-in-law and sons.

Rav Harari leaves behind sons, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all continuing the distinguished Torah legacy he devoted his life to building.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism after appearing in a hijab during a visit to an Islamic center, with critics accusing the Democratic governor of engaging in political pandering and questioning how the gesture squares with the party’s longstanding emphasis on women’s rights.

The controversy reflects a broader criticism leveled by some conservatives at the Democratic Party, which they say spent decades portraying itself as a champion of “female liberation” while increasingly embracing Muslim communities and political figures whose religious and cultural practices can conflict with Western liberal values.

Hochul became the latest focus of that criticism after wearing the traditional Muslim head covering while appearing before a Muslim audience in New York.

"Feminist icon" NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men pic.twitter.com/D1RfqBqnf1

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 30, 2026

"Feminist icon" NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men pic.twitter.com/D1RfqBqnf1

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 30, 2026

"Feminist icon" NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men pic.twitter.com/D1RfqBqnf1

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 30, 2026

"Feminist icon" NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men pic.twitter.com/D1RfqBqnf1

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 30, 2026

"Feminist icon" NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men pic.twitter.com/D1RfqBqnf1

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 30, 2026

Kathy Hochul wears a head dress as she panders to Muslims and talks about the Quran in New York.

What is your reaction? pic.twitter.com/ElC8PBOw2a

— AmericanPapaBear™ (@AmericaPapaBear) July 31, 2025

During her Friday appearance, Hochul wore a hijab while addressing attendees and acknowledging several of those present, including Ambassador Tareq Albanai.

“I want to thank his excellency Mr. (Ambassador Tareq) Albanai. I want to thank him for (inaudible) be part of the family, to our imam, and the other executives who are a part of this organization.”

The Islamic Center of New York subsequently publicized Hochul’s Friday visit.

Critics of Hochul argued that her decision to wear the head covering amounted to setting aside Western values in an effort to appeal to an Islamist audience.

The criticism also revived attention on controversial comments made following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha, who served as imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York City. Gemeaha blamed Jews for the World Trade Center attacks during an interview, according to a passage subsequently published by The New York Times:

“Recently, I read an interview with Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha — who was not only the representative in the United States of the prominent Cairo center of Islamic learning, al-Azhar University, but also imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York City. The sheik, who until recently lived in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, explained that ”only the Jews” were capable of destroying the World Trade Center and added that ”if it became known to the American people, they would have done to Jews what Hitler did.””

Critics contend that growing antisemitism and the Democratic Party’s outreach to Muslim and Islamist constituencies expose contradictions between the party’s traditional positions on women’s rights and other socially liberal causes and the views held by some of the groups it courts politically.

Friday’s appearance was also not the first occasion on which Hochul has worn a Muslim head covering.

{Matzav.com}

The United States carried out airstrikes against Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday, marking the first American offensive against the country in weeks as Tehran threatened retaliation.

The attack was launched after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was allegedly preparing to deploy a new wave of underwater mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.

The strategically important waterway has remained a major focus of tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the latest U.S. operation targeting Iranian activity on Larak Island near the strait.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acknowledged that the American strike had taken place and said several people were killed and wounded in the attack.

The IRGC did not immediately disclose additional information about the casualties or provide further details about the extent of the damage caused by the U.S. strikes.

{Matzav.com}

Senior U.S. military commanders have warned Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that the six-month conflict with Iran is placing an unsustainable strain on American forces and potentially weakening defenses elsewhere, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The concerns were detailed in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of War Orders Book by the leaders of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as four-star commanders responsible for American military operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The classified document, produced twice each month, provides an accounting of the worldwide availability of U.S. military personnel, warships, aircraft and weapons systems, according to individuals familiar with the assessment who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.

One source summarized the broader message from military leaders as “too much for too long.”

The commanders of U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command, together with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, registered a formal “non-concur” with the document. The designation indicates that they oppose the deployment extensions even though they will carry out the orders.

Army and Air Force officials approved the extensions while simultaneously warning of substantial risks associated with them.

President Donald Trump has maintained more than 50,000 U.S. Central Command troops on alert for months while seeking to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to American terms for bringing the war to an end. The conflict began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

The United States reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports in early August after Iranian attacks against commercial shipping caused a June memorandum of understanding to collapse, according to a Congressional Research Service report released this month.

Under the Aug. 14 orders, some American forces deployed to the Middle East are expected to remain there through September, while others could stay in the region into 2027.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, objected to the continuing requirement that his command provide an aircraft carrier strike group and destroyers for operations against Iran. Leaders of European Command and Southern Command similarly warned Hegseth that transferring ships and surveillance aircraft to CENTCOM has diminished their ability to carry out homeland-defense missions.

Caudle warned Hegseth that the Navy cannot maintain its current operational tempo indefinitely without a clear end date. He also reported that only about one-quarter of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is currently ready for deployment, representing a steep decline from readiness levels before the war.

Speaking recently at an event in Norfolk, Virginia, Caudle publicly described the deployment extensions as “very challenging for our sailors,” adding that he pushes back hard on them, “but the enemy gets a vote.”

The Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which mobilized 2,000 soldiers in March and would be expected to play a central role in any U.S. ground invasion of Iran, is anticipated to remain in the region through at least September, with additional extensions considered likely.

Army Patriot air-defense units are also expected to have their deployments extended. Supplies of Patriot interceptors have been reduced by their extensive use during the Iran conflict as well as earlier transfers to Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Post that decisions about where and how long U.S. forces are deployed are based on current threat assessments, President Trump’s priorities and recommendations from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders.

Parnell added that the Department of War “does not discuss internal operational processes,” including the orders book or “specific concurrences, non-concurrences, or risk assessments.”

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has disputed reports that the U.S. military is facing shortages of munitions.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that oil obtained through his administration’s newly reached agreement with Venezuela will be directed toward replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has fallen to levels not seen in decades following major drawdowns in recent years.

In a social media post, Trump said the process of “topping out” the reserve would begin soon, calling the Venezuelan crude a “Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.”

Questions remain over how quickly oil supplied under the Venezuelan agreement could begin flowing into the U.S. reserve or whether the arrangement will have an immediate impact on fuel costs for American consumers. The broader deal unveiled by Trump on Friday is intended to rebuild Venezuela’s struggling petroleum industry, an undertaking expected to require substantial investment and improvements to the country’s energy infrastructure before production can increase significantly.

As of August 21, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve contained approximately 290 million barrels, putting the emergency stockpile near its lowest level in 44 years. Oil has been released from the reserve under both the Biden and Trump administrations amid international supply disruptions, including those stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict with Iran.

The announcement came a day after Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez disclosed additional details about the energy agreement with Washington, saying the arrangement would run for 25 years and seek to increase crude production to 1.5 million barrels per day while maintaining Venezuelan sovereignty over the country’s natural resources.

In an address Saturday night, Rodriguez characterized the agreement as “historic,” saying it could play a major role in reviving Venezuela’s economy, expanding government revenues and determining the country’s economic direction in the years ahead.

“This 25-year bilateral project envisages the development of 17 strategic oilfields with a production target of more ⁠than 1.5 million barrels per day,” Rodriguez said on state broadcaster VTV.

“That figure relates solely to the bilateral agreement between Venezuela and the United States.”

Rodriguez said the planned 1.5 million barrels per day represents an initial production objective. The wider initiative also calls for developing eight previously undeveloped oil blocks as Venezuela seeks a broader expansion of its energy industry.

President Trump first unveiled the arrangement Friday, announcing plans for the United States to obtain partial control over Venezuela’s enormous petroleum reserves. The administration is betting that American companies can help rehabilitate the country’s badly weakened oil sector while creating an additional source of crude that could contribute to lower fuel prices in the United States.

Trump offered relatively few specifics about the structure of the agreement, saying the United States had obtained majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven petroleum reserves through a partnership involving private industry.

Although Venezuela possesses the largest proven oil reserves in the world, its current output stands at only about 1.25 million barrels per day, considerably below its potential. Years of inadequate investment, poor management and international sanctions have taken a heavy toll on the country’s oil industry.

Rodriguez estimated that the agreement could ultimately produce approximately $209 billion in revenue for the Venezuelan government if oil averages $65 per barrel, while acknowledging that petroleum prices could change. She said Venezuela would receive approximately $19 from every barrel produced and sold through the agreement, potentially providing a major new source of government income.

The Venezuelan leader insisted that the arrangement does not surrender the country’s control over its petroleum resources. She said Venezuela would retain “ownership of and sovereignty” over its natural resources, “while leveraging capital, technology and operational expertise to support the recovery of a strategic industry that has been severely affected by sanctions.”

The agreement has nevertheless encountered opposition inside Venezuela. Earlier Saturday, dozens of groups supportive of the government assembled in central Caracas to demonstrate against the U.S. presence in the country.

Despite those protests, Rodriguez publicly embraced the energy arrangement following Trump’s announcement, arguing that it would stimulate Venezuela’s economy while generating additional revenue for the government.

Venezuelan authorities are now preparing to finalize agreements as early as next week that would award new exploration and production rights to several energy companies, including firms based in the United States.

Two people familiar with the negotiations said Friday that Chevron is among the companies expected to complete discussions aimed at moving its existing Venezuelan joint ventures into the new energy framework.

White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that federal immigration agents will pursue illegal immigrants wherever necessary, stressing that criminals and national security threats will find “no safe harbor” as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement efforts across the country.

“President Trump is the president of the United States because he promised to enforce immigration law, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“We’re sending a message to the world: The borders are no longer open. You can’t come here for a free pass and expect to stay forever,” he added.

During the interview, Homan mounted a broad defense of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies, addressing controversies involving arrests near school bus stops, the deportation of Haitians who have lost Temporary Protected Status, and accusations that ICE officers mistreated individuals being deported.

One issue involved reports from Connecticut that ICE agents arrested parents in the vicinity of school bus stops. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has accused immigration authorities of targeting parents who were waiting with their children in Danbury.

Homan said he had not been informed about the specific incidents but pledged to raise the matter with the Department of Homeland Security.

“ICE is out there to enforce the law against those that have been ordered removed by a federal judge,” Homan said. “And especially if they’re a criminal or if they’re a national security threat, there’s no safe harbor for them in this country. We’ll go where we need to go.”

Homan pushed back against claims that ICE agents were deliberately attempting to intimidate children, describing those allegations as political rhetoric that has helped fuel threats against federal immigration personnel.

The border czar also defended the administration’s decision to deport Haitians after their Temporary Protected Status was terminated, despite the violence and instability that continue to plague Haiti.

“They lost their TPS status. They’re ordered removed. They got to go home,” Homan said. “They have no status here anymore. They can’t stay here.”

Pressed on whether he was comfortable with people being sent back to Haiti in light of the country’s dangerous security conditions, Homan said he was not familiar with the current situation there but insisted that ICE has an obligation to carry out lawful removal orders.

“The bottom line is they’ve been ordered removed,” he said. “The judge has made a decision. They must go home.”

Homan also discussed Sunday the deportation of Milo Yiannopoulos, the British right-wing provocateur and Trump supporter who was taken into custody Thursday and deported to the United Kingdom the next day.

According to Homan, his understanding of the case was that Yiannopoulos had remained in the United States beyond the expiration of his visa, failed to appear for immigration court proceedings, and subsequently was ordered deported by a judge.

“He had his due process, ordered removed by a federal judge, and ICE removed him. It’s that simple,” Homan said.

Homan rejected suggestions that Yiannopoulos received special treatment because he was removed from the country only a day after his arrest. He said the Department of Homeland Security has been working more broadly to reduce the amount of time individuals spend in detention and to carry out deportation orders more rapidly.

The interview also touched on a New York Times report alleging that deportees who resisted leaving a U.S. deportation flight after it arrived in Liberia were subjected to abusive treatment. Homan said he did not believe the alleged conduct had taken place, while emphasizing that the accusations would nevertheless be investigated.

“We use minimum force required to make a detainee comply,” Homan said. “If someone acted out of line, it would be investigated by internal affairs.”

Homan additionally renewed his support for outfitting ICE field officers with body cameras, although he said he could not verify whether the agency had achieved its goal of providing cameras to every officer by the end of August.

“I’m a big proponent of cameras because I want the American people to see what the officer sees when he makes a decision,” Homan said.

Homan said the rollout of the cameras was underway but acknowledged that he did not know whether implementation had been completed across the agency.

“Are they 100% deployed today? I’m not sure,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

The Council on American-Islamic Relations included educational material blaming U.S. support for Israel among the factors behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and directing students to Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America” in a back-to-school resource guide that was subsequently removed.

CAIR, one of the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy organizations, released its annual “Back to school resource guide” for K-12 students on Monday. The 16-page document contained a link to a “Muslim Studies Curriculum” presenting an account of 9/11 and its aftermath. The link disappeared from the guide the following day.

Screenshots of the material obtained by The Post show that the curriculum described the perpetrators of the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, as a “group self-identifying as Al Quaeda hailing from the mountains of Afghanistan.”

The curriculum attributed the motivations behind the Sept. 11 attacks in part to U.S. “support of Israel,” along with American involvement in the Persian Gulf War and the “vast presence” of U.S. military forces throughout the Middle East.

The material then focused on the American response to the attacks, saying 9/11 produced an “aggressive shift in US domestic and foreign policy,” helped launch the War on Terror in the Middle East and resulted in an “erosion of civil liberties of many Americans.”

“While Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism existed long before the 9/11 attacks, this time period marked a stark shift in US policy and state sponsored Islamophobia in the US and abroad. There was immediate backlash against anyone perceived to be Muslim” wearing traditional garb, the curriculum stated.

The guide also argued that Muslims received unfair treatment in media coverage following terrorist attacks, contrasting that response with the treatment of “white supremacists” and “extreme animal rights activists” who, according to the material, had also resorted to “violence to further their cause.”

Nicholas Haros Jr., whose mother, Frances, was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, condemned the material as “evil propaganda.” Haros has previously drawn attention for criticizing Rep. Ilhan Omar over her description of 9/11 as an occasion when “some people did something.”

“Israel had nothing to do with 9/11,” Haros said.

He warned that children growing up decades after the attacks could be influenced by an account of the events that places blame on the United States.

“The further we get from 9/11, this new generation of kids will learn to blame our country. These kids are going to be poisoned – and that’s the intent.”

The curriculum devoted considerable attention to what followed the attacks, saying the period saw “the rise in hate crimes and discrimination against American Muslim and perceived- Muslim communities.”

CAIR separately said in a press release that classroom discussions surrounding the terrorist attacks can become “a particularly dangerous time for Muslim students,” who “often experience a surge in bullying during school lessons about 9/11.” The organization has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the state governments of Texas and Florida.

Among the recommended materials included in CAIR’s student resources was bin Laden’s “Letter to America,” the manifesto in which the 9/11 mastermind sought to explain and justify his hostility toward the United States.

In that document, bin Laden wrote, “Your law is the law of the rich and wealthy people, who hold sway in their political parties, and fund their election campaigns with their gifts. Behind them stand the Jews, who control your policies, media and economy.”

The curriculum also presented background on bin Laden’s emergence during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. It portrayed him in the context of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion and referred to the fighters as “rebels.” Among them, the guide said, was a “man named Osama bin Laden,” who with the “people later formed the Taliban.”

Another recommended background resource was the film “V for Vendetta,” which the guide described as being about “a young woman living in a dystopian society meets a shadowy freedom fighter who is plotting to overthrow their tyrannical government.”

The guide additionally defended bringing international political issues into classrooms, arguing that doing so could “promote understanding.”

Its suggested material also addressed how educators should speak with children about Gaza and “genocide.” The Post noted that the section did not discuss the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people, including children, were killed.

When The Post contacted CAIR and asked whether the organization continued to stand behind the 9/11 material, CAIR did not deny that the hyperlink had been removed. The organization instead pointed to an attached note offering a general explanation for revisions made to an earlier version of the document.

The contents of the guide drew condemnation from Jewish community representatives, who accused CAIR of providing students with a distorted presentation of both the Sept. 11 attacks and the Israel-Hamas war.

“CAIR just nationalized a curriculum that refuses to call the 9/11 hijackers terrorists, assigns Osama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ as high-school reading, and coaches five-year-olds on Gaza without ever naming Hamas or October 7. That is not inclusion – it’s dangerous propaganda,” Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, told The Post.

CAIR was established in 1993. The organization came under federal scrutiny during the prosecution of officials associated with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based charity that was shut down after five of its leaders were convicted in 2008 in a case involving more than $12 million sent to Hamas.

{Matzav.com}

NASA’s newest major space observatory began its journey Sunday, launching on an ambitious mission to discover distant planets, investigate the mysterious forces shaping the universe and survey billions of galaxies and stars at unprecedented speed.

The $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off shortly after sunrise from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Its destination is an observation point approximately 1 million miles from Earth, where it will operate in the same region of space as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Roughly the size of a bus, Roman is named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer. The spacecraft is expected to spend more than three months traveling to its observation point before beginning a sweeping examination of portions of the universe that scientists have struggled to study in detail.

“It’s going to find thousands of supernovae, tens of thousands of planets, billions of galaxies and tens of billions of stars,” said NASA science mission director Nicky Fox. “It’s going to be able to do things that we’ve never been able to do before with its massive field of view.”

Roman’s enormous viewing area is one of the features that sets it apart from NASA’s other flagship observatories. Its field of view is more than 100 times wider than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, which continues producing remarkable images after 36 years in orbit.

The Webb telescope, meanwhile, offers an even narrower but extraordinarily precise view, allowing scientists to closely examine extremely distant objects dating back nearly to the Big Bang.

Scientists plan to use Roman, Hubble and Webb in complementary roles. Their observations will also be combined with findings from the European Space Agency’s Euclid spacecraft and the National Science Foundation’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile as researchers pursue answers to some of astronomy’s most enduring questions.

Among Roman’s major assignments will be searching distant galaxies for stars surrounded by planets. After Roman identifies promising worlds, Webb’s greater sensitivity and power can be directed toward those targets for closer examination.

“Roman’s vast reach will allow us to find the weird, the rare and the unusual,” senior project scientist Julie McEnery said ahead of the launch. “We’ll redefine what it means to find a needle in a haystack.”

The mission is also expected to provide scientists with important new information about dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious components believed to account for most of the universe despite remaining largely invisible and poorly understood.

By creating an enormous catalog of galaxies, Roman will allow researchers to study the expansion of the universe and better understand the role these unseen forces play in determining its structure and evolution.

One of Roman’s greatest advantages will be the speed with which it can conduct its surveys.

According to McEnery, Roman can accomplish in approximately one month a survey of the Milky Way that would require Hubble roughly a century to complete. Scientists expect the telescope to rapidly scan the dense galactic bulge at the center of the Milky Way, producing an exceptionally deep view into the heart of our galaxy.

Roman is equipped with a wide-field infrared camera offering sensitivity comparable to Hubble while operating about 1,000 times faster.

It also carries an experimental coronagraph designed to block the overwhelming light coming from distant stars. By artificially creating an eclipse-like effect, the instrument could allow Roman to directly photograph faint planets orbiting stars that would otherwise obscure them from view.

NASA engineers have also designed Roman with the possibility of extending its operating life. The telescope can be refueled, meaning a robotic servicing spacecraft developed during the next decade could potentially replenish its fuel and keep it operating longer.

The mission reached the launch pad nearly a year ahead of schedule and remained within its budget. Roman also becomes the first NASA space telescope named for a woman.

Retired NASA scientist Ed Weiler said the recognition is particularly appropriate. Weiler, whom Roman hired in 1978, dubbed her the “Mother of Hubble” because of the crucial role she played in advancing the concept of placing observatories above Earth’s atmosphere.

Roman joined the newly established NASA in 1959 and became a forceful advocate for space-based astronomy, arguing that telescopes operating beyond the atmosphere could observe the universe with far greater clarity and reach. She died in 2018 at the age of 93.

“This is very, very fitting. I think Nancy would be very proud” that the telescope carrying her name will investigate fundamental mysteries including dark energy, Weiler said.

Roman’s primary mirror measures nearly 8 feet in diameter, approximately the same size as Hubble’s. Unlike a mirror originally manufactured specifically for a NASA telescope, however, Roman’s was once surplus hardware from a U.S. spy satellite program.

The National Reconnaissance Office donated two unused mirrors to NASA more than a decade ago so they could be repurposed for scientific missions. One ultimately became the heart of the Roman Space Telescope, while the second remains in storage.

{Matzav.com}

A Jewish mother who brought her 4-year-old son to a Lower Manhattan puppet performance expecting an entertaining show about New York City says she was stunned when the production abruptly shifted into attacks on Israel, including accusations involving Israeli military actions and references to U.S. taxpayer support for the Jewish state, the NY Post reports.

“The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus,” produced and performed by the Boxcutter Collective, appeared this month at the International Puppet Fringe Festival, a multiday event supported in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. The troupe promotes the production as “a celebration of” New York City.

Promotional material presented the show as a whimsical tour through familiar elements of city life. “Featuring dancing skyscrapers, giant rats, fossil-fuel-fighting flowers, a live brass band, and Lady Liberty herself,” its description states.

But roughly 15 minutes into the Aug. 13 performance, according to a 43-year-old Brooklyn mother who attended with her young son and asked that her name be withheld, the production suddenly departed from its New York theme and began incorporating political messages aimed at Israel.

“The anti-Israel stuff came out of nowhere,” the mother said.

“It went from pizza rat and parallel parking to accusations of Israel bombing hospitals.”

The approximately hourlong performance was held in a crowded courtyard before what the mother estimated was an audience of about 200 people. One segment featured eight performers staging a flotilla scene, which she said prompted enthusiastic anti-Israel reactions from members of the audience. The production also included comments about U.S. tax dollars being sent to Israel, according to the mother.

The woman, who described herself as a “proud Zionist,” questioned why such material was inserted into a production otherwise advertised as a celebration of New York.

“How does anti-Israel propaganda figure into a play that’s otherwise entirely about New York? Is hatred for Israel as synonymous with the City’s brand as pizza rat?” she asked, adding that her 4-year-old son “kept asking what was happening when he saw I was taken aback.”

The mother, a refugee from the Soviet Union who now lives in Windsor Terrace, said she became increasingly alarmed as the performance continued and members of the audience appeared receptive to what she characterized as “the litany of accusations” directed at Israel.

“(I was) feeling like I was surrounded by my ideological enemies,” she said.

“This particular group had very antisemitic views,” she said of the Boxcutter Collective. “It felt like a mob – the hairs on your neck stand up.”

The Boxcutter Collective has previously participated in pro-Palestinian programming. In November 2023, weeks after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which approximately 1,200 people were killed, the troupe participated in a performance of the “Gaza Monologues” on “The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.” The event was presented in response to the “horrific war taking place in Gaza.”

The Brooklyn mother said she decided against challenging the performance because she feared how the surrounding audience might react.

“I knew that if I shouted something against Hamas, the crowd would turn against me, so I kept my mouth shut,” the mother told The Post. “My generation is now experiencing a fresh iteration of antisemitism here in New York that my family escaped back in the Soviet Union.”

Manuel Moran, founder and producer of the International Puppet Fringe Festival, told the Jerusalem News Syndicate earlier this week that festival organizers may not have known beforehand that the performance would contain the controversial material.

“As with many festivals, the full content of a production is not always known in advance, and the company premiered many elements of this work as part of the event,” Moran told JNS. “We stand behind our role in providing a platform for artists while recognizing that artists are responsible for their own work and should be able to speak to it directly.”

Moran also pointed to other programming at the festival, telling JNS that one performance incorporated Yiddish elements. He said the Israeli Hanut Theater Company had also been invited to participate but was unable to secure the necessary visas.

The controversy drew criticism from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, who questioned the use of government funding for programming that left a Jewish attendee feeling threatened.

“This is an inappropriate use of public resources. Publicly funded cultural programming should never contribute to an environment in which Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe,” Greenblatt wrote on X.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. John Fetterman is escalating his criticism of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, warning that the party has a “socialism problem” and accusing far-left candidates of damaging Democrats politically.

The Pennsylvania Democrat singled out Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, making clear that sharing a party affiliation would not prevent him from publicly condemning candidates he believes have moved too far to the left.

“These garbage kinds of people like El-Sayed in Michigan,” Fetterman told The Hill in an interview. “I don’t care if he’s a fellow Democrat.”

Fetterman also pointed to Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson in Maine, who has received the endorsement of the state’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter. He additionally cited Graham Platner, a far-left candidate who withdrew from the Maine Senate contest after a former girlfriend accused him of rape, an allegation Platner denied.

“Look at these other terrible communists and socialists,” Fetterman said. “Our party has a socialism problem.”

“I’ll be the one Democrat that calls it for what it is and not use the euphemism that it’s a big-tent situation,” he added.

Fetterman reserved particularly sharp criticism for El-Sayed’s decision to campaign alongside left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who previously drew widespread condemnation for declaring that “America deserved 9/11.”

“Democrats like El-Sayed are proud to campaign with garbage like Hasan Piker,” Fetterman said.

The comments are the latest example of Fetterman’s growing public break with the progressive flank of his party, with Israel emerging as one of the most significant areas of disagreement.

Fetterman has established himself as one of the Senate Democratic caucus’s strongest supporters of Israel and has repeatedly pushed back against members of his own party over their positions toward the Jewish state. Last month, he went so far as to say that he would leave the Democratic Party if it officially adopted an anti-Israel posture.

“If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,” Fetterman said at The Hill Nation Summit.

Fetterman’s willingness to challenge Democrats from the right has also earned him unusually strong approval among Republican voters in his home state.

A recent New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena University poll found that 73% of registered Republicans in Pennsylvania hold a favorable view of Fetterman.

{Matzav.com}

Tenant complaints across New York City have jumped dramatically this year, with landlords and housing analysts accusing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration of encouraging renters to flood the city’s 311 system with grievances as part of a broader campaign to increase pressure on property owners, the NY Post reports.

A Post analysis of 311 service requests found that renters have submitted 573,656 complaints so far this year across the five boroughs, a 25% increase from the 459,519 complaints recorded during the comparable period in 2025.

The increase comes as Mamdani officials have repeatedly urged tenants who believe they are being mistreated by landlords to report problems to the city. Property owners say some renters are now filing complaints with 311 without first contacting their landlords and giving them an opportunity to address the issue.

“The city put us in a situation where they’re just slowly beating us to death and blaming us,” said Lincoln Eccles, who owns a 15-unit building in Crown Heights. “The apparatus of the government is geared to squeeze us.”

The surge is showing up across a wide range of complaints handled by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which receives tenant grievances submitted through 311. During the past week alone, HPD received 67 complaints involving clogged toilets, a 500% increase from the same period last year.

Stu Smith, an investigative analyst at the Manhattan Institute, said he views the growing tenant-organizing effort as part of a much broader ideological agenda.

“All of this tenant organizing is part of a long term project to take wealth away from people and redistribute it,” Smith said. “They’re figuring out what pressure points they can act on to get their way.”

Brooklyn, where Mamdani enjoys particularly strong support in neighborhoods including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Williamsburg and Greenpoint, has experienced the sharpest increase in complaints.

Residents of the borough have filed 169,675 complaints so far this year, compared with 128,337 over the same period in 2025, representing an increase of approximately 32%.

Queens has also outpaced the citywide increase. Complaints there have risen 29% from the same period last year.

The increases come amid a concerted effort by City Hall to encourage renters to report housing problems and organize collectively. Cea Weaver, Mamdani’s tenant advocate, explicitly urged residents earlier this year to make use of the city’s complaint system.

“Call 311,” Weaver told New Yorkers in February. “City Hall’s door is open,” she added, while saying in an interview with In These Times that the administration intended to become “bold and creative” in its housing policies.

Weaver, who previously described property ownership as a “weapon of white supremacy,” has also said, “if you don’t believe in the government’s sacred right to seize private property, it’s over.”

At a July briefing about the administration’s “rental ripoffs” hearings, Weaver said the city was increasing its ability to investigate landlords and enforce housing regulations.

“We’re expanding headcount to be able to do more housing code inspections and more targeted enforcement,” she said.

Mamdani himself promoted the administration’s enforcement efforts in April when he accompanied an HPD inspector through a Harlem apartment building for a social media video. The mayor highlighted six violations discovered during the visit, including relatively minor infractions involving information that was supposed to be displayed at the building entrance, and declared that “no issue is too small.”

The number of complaints soared during that same week. Citywide, 17,768 complaints were submitted, compared with 10,877 during the corresponding week in 2025, an increase of 63%.

The jump was even greater in Brooklyn, where complaints rose from 3,223 during that week last year to 5,499 this year, an increase of roughly 70%.

Some landlords say the campaign has fundamentally changed their relationships with tenants.

“They’re calling HPD non-stop day and night,” said property owner Yossi Azour, who is battling the Weaver-founded Crown Heights Tenants Union over his Hawthorne Street building.

“They’re playing the innocent victim and causing people to lose their property and suffer.”

“It’s a disaster,” Azour added, saying he had never encountered anything comparable during his three decades as a property owner. “That Mamdani is saying landlords are bad and housing should be free, it gives them headwind.”

Landlords told The Post that some of the complaints they have encountered appear frivolous, including tenants reporting a lack of heat during the summer and one renter objecting to the color of paint on a wall.

The administration’s expanded enforcement efforts are tied to Mamdani’s “block by block” housing plan, unveiled in May, which increased HPD’s budget by $2 billion.

The NYS Tenant Bloc, the nonprofit organization Weaver headed before joining the Mamdani administration this year, has openly described legal action over building repairs as one component of a broader effort that could ultimately shift properties away from private landlords.

“If landlords can’t maintain their buildings, tenants will,” the NYS Tenant Bloc said in June. “The Mayor’s Housing Plan directs $2.2 billion to taking housing off their hands.”

Under the existing enforcement process, a tenant complaint submitted through 311 is forwarded to HPD, which contacts the property owner. If the matter remains unresolved, an inspector can be dispatched to the apartment and issue a violation if a problem is found.

Violations that remain unresolved can lead to further city action. In the most serious cases involving numerous persistent and severe building-wide problems, HPD can pursue legal proceedings that can eventually result in management or ownership of a property being transferred.

Mamdani announced this week that his administration is moving to accelerate the court process for housing cases.

“People wait weeks, if not months, for a case to be heard,” he told reporters. “Today we take a critical step towards ending that.”

Property owners contend that some tenants have learned to exploit the enforcement process, filing complaints to establish a record against landlords while withholding rent.

“The tactic is to make these complaints. Make it seem like there is no interest in fixing the issue,” Eccles said.

The administration’s Office of Mass Engagement has also participated in door-to-door tenant outreach. Members of the office canvassed alongside the Democratic Socialists of America in Flatbush last week, encouraging renters to “band together” in their dealings with landlords.

Luis Altamiranda, president of Esther Consulting Group and a Washington Heights property owner, said misuse of the complaint system existed before the current administration but has increased substantially since Mamdani became mayor.

“I’ve totally seen what I would describe as a weaponization of 311 complaints,” Altamiranda said. “It existed before Mamdani, but it’s gotten by far exponentialized since he’s taken office.”

“What I see a lot of is you have tenants that have massive amount of arrears, and then they use the 311 complaints to create this sort of narrative that the landlord’s not doing his job.”

Christine Renzi, an East Village landlord whose family owns 11 apartment buildings, said she has also noticed a significant change in attitudes toward property owners.

“The landlords are being targeted,” Renzi said. “My father was never targeted like this. We used to get a lot of respect for being a landlord.”

“I actually have a tenant that feels that he does not have to pay his rent because of Mamdani. They feel like they are absolutely entitled to have a free ride,” she said.

Natalie Bonnano, 47, who owns 300 properties in Brooklyn and Staten Island with her sister, said confusion over Mamdani’s rent policies has even led some tenants to question whether they are required to pay rent at all.

“We even had one tenant who called me and asked why she was being charged rent. She thought that’s what the rent freeze meant,” Bonnano said.

Ann Korchak, board president of Small Property Owners of New York, warned that repeated or baseless complaints can also undermine renters who are dealing with legitimate and serious housing problems.

“A fair and effective housing enforcement system should ensure that property owners are given reasonable opportunity to correct legitimate violations and weed out bogus tenant complaints. There also must be consequences for tenants who create the violations in the apartments, or report false complaints.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City childcare providers are scrambling to keep classrooms staffed and ready for the new school year as long-awaited city payments remain tied up, threatening the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ambitious expansion of free childcare, including his new 2-K initiative, the New York Post reports.

With the school year set to begin Sept. 10, operators contracted to run 2-K, 3-K and pre-K programs say they have yet to receive advance payments normally distributed in August. Some providers are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars and say they have been forced to use personal savings, retirement funds and credit to cover payroll, supplies and other expenses needed to open their doors.

Adrienne Bond, director of Quick Start Daycare Center in Queens, said her center is still waiting for approximately $400,000 from the city and warned that the delay could leave her without enough employees when children arrive.

“If we do open up on the first day of school, I won’t have staff,” Bond said.

“Mamdani promised positive change in early childhood education, and many trusted him by electing him to office, so when is that coming? We are anxiously waiting.”

Bond said she has already put $400 of her own money into the center and exhausted $35,000 from a private after-school program to keep expenses covered.

Despite those measures, she was forced to postpone two staff paychecks and still faces unpaid bills from food suppliers. She has also sought an interest-free bridge loan, but that money has been delayed amid a backlog at the city Department of Education.

“I’m pleading with them for the bridge loan,” she told The Post.

The mounting financial problems are affecting providers involved in Mamdani’s new 2-K pilot as well as operators of the city’s established free 3-K and pre-K programs, raising concerns about whether some centers will be financially prepared to open when the academic year begins.

Universal free childcare was a centerpiece of Mamdani’s successful 2025 mayoral campaign. With support from Gov. Kathy Hochul, his administration subsequently announced the “2-Care” pilot for 2-year-olds, with plans to make the program available citywide over the next four years while expanding the existing 3-K and pre-K systems.

Mamdani and Hochul promoted the childcare initiative at a joint appearance earlier this month, highlighting $1.2 billion in state funding committed to the effort.

But much of the expansion depends upon private childcare operators that contract with the city. Many of those providers have worked with the city for years and depend heavily on advance payments to hire employees, purchase supplies and prepare their facilities before children return in September.

Reports of the growing financial crisis surfaced earlier this week, with City & State and The New York Times describing providers contemplating extraordinary measures to remain afloat. Some were considering putting up $90,000 of their own money, taking reverse mortgages on their homes or telling employees to file for unemployment benefits while they waited for city funding.

Five childcare providers who spoke with The Post described similar financial pressures and delays.

A Queens childcare operator who requested anonymity said she was awarded a new 2-K class but was told she would not receive the money needed to operate it until November. She also applied for a loan but received less than half of the five-figure amount she had requested.

“I’m done — somebody needs to shine a light on what’s going on in this place because it’s an absolute disaster,” she said. “I have gone into my personal bank accounts, went into my 401(k), and I’m not doing it again.”

On Staten Island, The Play Group Experience is waiting for a $160,000 advance payment, according to director Lori Cangiolose. She said she personally spent $800 preparing the center for its September opening.

“We received zero funding that we usually receive in August to get us through to open,” Cangiolose said.

“One of my colleagues, she just had to foot $1,800 out of her own pocket to do some repairs and fix the toilet just to prepare for September, and this money should’ve been coming from the DOE.”

The situation is similarly difficult at Let’s Play & Learn Park, where director Olena Olson said the center has not received a $300,000 advance for its 3-K and pre-K programs.

Olson, whose center is in Park Slope, said she is using a $60,000 credit line and revenue from privately paid 2-K tuition while also giving up her own salary in order to meet payroll and building expenses.

“I will be OK for September if it takes that long,” Olson said. “But come October, if I don’t have either the loan or the advanced payment, then I don’t even want to think about it.”

Providers say another potential lifeline — interest-free bridge loans offered through the DOE — has itself become bogged down by delays.

“It’s such a Catch-22,” Bond said.

“Whatever the amount is on the bridge loan, when you get your advancement, they’re going to take it back from you. It’s always as if you’re penny-pinching because they’re always taking back what they appear to give you.”

As providers struggle to keep their programs financially viable, city agencies have also been pointing fingers over responsibility for the holdup.

DOE officials have blamed the city comptroller’s office, contending that contracts had not yet been registered, a required step before payments can be processed.

Officials in Comptroller Mark Levine’s office disputed that explanation, saying the DOE had not yet provided the contracts that needed to be registered. As of Friday, the comptroller’s office had not received any of the 2-K contracts, according to officials.

“The start of the school year is not an unexpected event,” Levine said in a statement.

“The city knew these contracts needed to be approved by now, and failing to get them done on time risks setting back our affordability agenda,” Levine said.

“These are small providers with little financial cushion. Forcing them to begin caring for children without contracts or payment puts enormous strain on these organizations.”

The breakdown has fueled broader questions about whether the Mamdani administration has the administrative infrastructure necessary to carry out the enormous childcare expansion it has promised.

One DOE insider said universal childcare was “too important to fail” and argued that the city cannot expect providers to personally finance a government initiative.

“New York City cannot build universal childcare on the backs and bank accounts of the people already holding the system together,” the source said.

“The administration continues to make ambitious promises about expanding 2-K, 3-K and pre-K. But universal child care cannot be built through press conferences and promises alone,” the insider added.

“It requires a government with the capacity, staffing and resources to deliver and right now, City Hall is demonstrating that it is in over its head.”

Mamdani was questioned earlier this week about the mounting difficulties facing childcare providers, including concerns from some operators that they may be unable to open next month. The mayor responded by reiterating the importance his administration has placed on resolving the situation, saying, “we have made this very clear that this is a top priority internally.”

Mamdani spokeswoman Jenna Lyle acknowledged that the payment delays were “unacceptable,” while placing part of the blame on the administration of Mayor Eric Adams, saying it had eliminated 600 employees involved in building and administering the city’s childcare system.

Questions remain, however, over why those staffing shortcomings were not resolved before the Mamdani administration moved ahead with its large-scale universal childcare expansion.

City Hall says it is now taking emergency measures to get money to providers before classes begin. Officials said overtime has been approved to accelerate loan processing and that providers should receive approvals within five business days.

“We are expediting the processing and disbursement of loans for providers,” Lyle said. “And we are pulling additional staff from across city government, including every available contracting staffer at New York City Public Schools, to finalize outstanding contracts and quickly get them to the comptroller for payment.”

{Matzav.com}

With the month of Elul underway and the Yomim Noraim approaching, Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim, delivered an impassioned shmuess at Yeshivas Zichron Meir in Yerushalayim, led by Rav Isser Yehuda Malin.

In his remarks, Rav Ezrachi focused on the indispensable role of yiras Shomayim alongside Torah learning, stressing that even intense and diligent learning cannot accomplish its purpose without tefillah and deliberate work on a person’s inner world. He also warned against treating mitzvos casually and urged the bochurim to develop genuine sensitivity to the difficulties and suffering of others.

Rav Ezrachi began by discussing the unique closeness that Hakadosh Boruch Hu grants Klal Yisroel.

He noted that when the malachim sanctify Hashem’s name, their declaration begins with three words before Hashem’s name: “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, Hashem Tzevakos.” Klal Yisroel, however, is permitted to invoke Hashem’s name after only two words, as in “Shema Yisroel, Hashem.”

“The malachim need an introduction of three words; without that they cannot sanctify His name,” Rav Ezrachi said. “And Klal Yisroel — us — Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings us closer than the malachim.”

That special closeness, he explained, is tied directly to the way a Jew conducts himself, particularly in the area of yiras Shomayim.

“Because you fear Me. And yiras Shomayim is everything,” he said.

Rav Ezrachi stressed that yiras Shomayim does not simply emerge automatically from Torah learning. It must itself become the focus of sustained effort.

He cited the Gemara’s account of the mother of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok, who was told by astrologers that her son was destined to become a thief. She therefore instructed him to keep his head covered at all times so that he would possess yiras Shomayim, and she urged him constantly to daven for Divine mercy.

One day, Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok was sitting and learning when his head covering fell off without his noticing. Sitting beneath a palm tree that did not belong to him, he suddenly experienced an overpowering urge for its fruit and bit off a cluster with his teeth.

Rav Ezrachi pointed to the Gemara’s description that Rav Nachman was sitting and learning at that very moment.

“Torah alone, without yiras Shomayim, is nothing,” Rav Ezrachi declared. “He was sitting and learning — and this was Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok.”

He then cited the Gemara’s discussion of what a person must do to acquire wisdom. While increasing one’s time in the bais medrash is essential, the Gemara teaches that a person must also daven to the One to Whom wisdom belongs.

Rav Ezrachi said bochurim sometimes approach him seeking a bracha and describe their plans to learn with tremendous hasmadah and greater depth.

“You can remain an am ha’aretz,” he warned. “You can delve deeply and remain an am ha’aretz all the days of your life.”

The Gemara’s message, he explained, is that neither component can be discarded.

“A person can daven all day and not learn, and he will remain an am ha’aretz. A person can learn all day and not daven, and he will remain an am ha’aretz. One without the other is impossible.”

Rav Ezrachi returned to Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok, noting that after recognizing his vulnerability, he devoted himself so intensely to developing yiras Shomayim that he eventually became one of the generation’s outstanding examples of it.

“When a person hears that he is lacking something, and he understands what he is lacking, then he devotes his entire self to it,” Rav Ezrachi said.

The lesson, he said, is that recognizing a spiritual weakness must lead to serious work rather than resignation.

“Torah alone does not guarantee yiras Shomayim. For yiras Shomayim, you have to work,” he said. “Without work, there is no yiras Shomayim at all.”

Rav Ezrachi then turned to a teaching of Rav Shimon bar Yochai regarding the proper attitude toward mitzvos.

“Honor the mitzvos, because the mitzvos are My emissaries. If you honor them, you have honored Me; if you do not honor them, you have disgraced Me,” he quoted.

There is no neutral territory, Rav Ezrachi said. The way a person approaches a mitzvah reflects the way he relates to Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

He offered the everyday example of a bochur who is supposed to wake up at a certain time but opens his eyes, rolls over and goes back to sleep.

“There are probably bochurim like that everywhere who have difficulty getting up,” he remarked. A person may tell himself that he is tired or hungry, but, Rav Ezrachi said, he must understand the spiritual significance of treating an obligation casually.

“If he would know that by doing so he is disgracing the Creator of the world!”

The same principle, he said, applies to bein adam lachaveiro. If someone believes another person slighted him and retaliates, he must ask himself how his behavior accords with the commandment to love another Jew. Likewise, if a rebbi asks a talmid to do something and the talmid agrees but only gets around to it three hours later, that too reflects how seriously he regards the obligation.

“There is nothing in between,” Rav Ezrachi said.

Before acting, he urged, a person should stop and consider: “What am I about to do? Am I going to honor the Creator of the world, or, chalilah, the opposite?”

Even something as ordinary as responding to a mother’s request can carry that significance.

“A mother asked him to go do something. ‘Of course, I’ll do it’ — and he does it three hours later. Is he honoring or disgracing? I’m not talking about his mother — I’m talking about Hakadosh Boruch Hu!”

Rav Ezrachi said that Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok ultimately came to understand why his mother had insisted so strongly on his covering his head and davening.

“The moment he understood, he dedicated his entire life to yiras Shomayim.”

Understanding something intellectually, Rav Ezrachi continued, is only the beginning. A person must internalize it until it changes the way he sees and experiences the world.

“To feel it means acquiring an outlook of yiras Shomayim,” he said. “Without this, it is worth nothing.”

Rav Ezrachi then cited the Torah’s command regarding tzedakah, “You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not feel bad when you give him.”

Drawing on Rabbeinu Yonah, he explained that the act of giving alone does not complete the person’s obligation. The giver must actively work on his heart until he genuinely wants to give.

“As long as he does not work on his heart so that his heart wants it, nothing will help,” Rav Ezrachi said.

He then illustrated the importance of developing genuine sensitivity to another person’s pain with a teaching of Targum Yonasan concerning the enslavement in Mitzrayim.

Rav Ezrachi recounted the description of a delicate young pregnant woman who was forced to labor with mortar and bricks. She miscarried, and the fetus became mixed into the mortar. Hakadosh Boruch Hu instructed the malach Gavriel to descend, form a brick from it and bring it before Him.

The message, Rav Ezrachi explained, is directed at every person. It teaches how seriously one must take the suffering of another human being.

Sometimes, he said, people hear that someone is struggling, hurting, ill or crying, yet the information barely penetrates their consciousness.

“It sounds to us like music,” he said, describing the danger of becoming accustomed to hearing about other people’s pain without truly feeling it.

Rav Ezrachi cited the Chazon Ish, who writes that when a person hears that someone is lacking something, he should immediately try to help.

“If you cannot help him, daven for him, even if he is an unlearned, ordinary and simple person,” Rav Ezrachi said, quoting the Chazon Ish’s teaching.

Failing to respond, he explained, reveals that a person has not adequately developed the capacity to participate emotionally in another’s suffering.

Rav Ezrachi concluded the shmuess with a bracha to the bochurim and the yeshiva’s staff that they merit Divine assistance and success during the coming year.

“You should know that even to receive siyata diShmaya, one needs siyata diShmaya,” he said. “It is not simple. When you understand, know and feel, then you will feel that you are succeeding. Every person should rejoice in the success of his friend.”

{Matzav.com}

Rebbetzin Yehudit Yosef, daughter-in-law of Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, has spoken out against the controversial decision to cancel memorial events honoring him, saying the move disregards the legacy of a towering religious figure whose influence reached across Israeli society.

The memorial events were canceled following a directive from legal officials, who argued that Rav Ovadia’s close identification with the Shas party could cause the gatherings, taking place near the election period, to be regarded as political campaigning.

“I am in tremendous pain today, and there are moments when I feel that this is it — I can no longer remain silent,” Rebbetzin Yosef began.

“When I heard that they want to cancel the memorial for my father-in-law, Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef, of righteous and holy memory, it hurt me, and it continues to hurt me deeply,” she said. “And not because of the event or the ceremony, but because of its significance and what it says.”

Rebbetzin Yosef emphasized that Rav Ovadia belonged far beyond the confines of any political party or particular community.

“Maran belonged to everyone: Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Chareidim, secular Jews, traditional Jews, Chassidim, yeshiva students and soldiers. Everyone entered his home, and he felt the pain of every one of them,” she said.

She also recalled witnessing Rav Ovadia’s concern for Israelis during times of war and tragedy.

“I saw him during wartime. I saw nights when he did not close his eyes. I saw him cry when he heard about soldiers who had fallen and about another family whose world had been destroyed. I saw him pray from the depths of his heart for the wounded,” she said.

Officials working under the attorney general ordered the cancellation of the memorial ceremony for Rav Ovadia, maintaining that his identification with Shas could cause the gathering to be considered political propaganda during the election period.

Rebbetzin Yosef said she found the decision particularly painful given Rav Ovadia’s decades of devotion to the Jewish people.

“That is why it is so difficult for me to understand: How can you take such a figure, who dedicated an entire lifetime to this nation, and decide that he is not worthy of stopping, remembering and honoring him?”

She concluded by drawing a distinction between the government’s ability to cancel a particular event and its inability to erase Rav Ovadia’s enduring influence.

“Perhaps you can cancel a ceremony, but you cannot cancel a legacy, and you cannot decide for millions of people whom they will remember and whom they will honor.”

The cancellation has sparked an uproar in the Chareidi community, with prominent rabbinic figures sharply criticizing the decision.

Rav Yitzchok Yosef, the former Sephardic chief rabbi and son of Rav Ovadia, delivered an especially fierce denunciation of the attorney general.

“The religion-hating attorney general who decided to cancel the memorial gatherings for Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory. This wicked woman is messing with Maran? The Almighty will destroy her; she will receive her blow,” Rav Yosef said.

Rav Elyakim Friedman zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Be’er Hachaim in Modiin Illit and a distinguished talmid of Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik of Brisk, was niftar early Sunday morning at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim following a serious illness. He was 64.

Rav Elyakim was an outstanding talmid chochom whose life was marked by extraordinary hasmadah, meticulous adherence to halacha, devotion to his talmidim, and remarkable personal strength through years of profound difficulty.

Even during his final illness, his commitment to Torah remained undiminished. At the beginning of the current Elul zeman, despite being hospitalized and severely weakened, he left the hospital specifically to return to his yeshiva and deliver the opening shiur of the zeman.

Rav Elyakim was born on 6 Tammuz 5722 to Rav Berel Friedman, who for more than 50 years has served as a rov overseeing shochtim at slaughterhouses operating under several kashrus organizations, including Shearis Yisroel. Rav Berel was also close to Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. His mother, Rebbetzin Ita Henna, is the daughter of the noted Yerushalmi talmid chochom Rav Yeshaya Dvorkes zt”l.

As a young bochur, Rav Elyakim left home to pursue his Torah studies at the Ponovezh yeshiva ketanah in Bnei Brak. He subsequently continued in Yeshivas Ponovezh before going on to Yeshivas Brisk.

It was in Brisk that he became a close talmid of Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik, forming a rebbi-talmid relationship that remained a defining influence upon him for the rest of his life. He was counted among Rav Avrohom Yehoshua’s outstanding talmidim and carried the Brisker approach to learning into his own decades of harbotzas haTorah.

Upon reaching marriageable age, Rav Elyakim married a daughter of Rav Alexander Dinkel zt”l, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah’s yeshiva ketanah, who was niftar in 5744.

Following his marriage, Rav Elyakim settled on Rechov Panim Meiros in Yerushalayim, becoming one of the prominent talmidei chachomim of the Mattersdorf neighborhood. Those who knew him recall his exceptional hasmadah, pure yiras Shomayim, and uncompromising attention to every detail of halacha. His radiant personality and example had a powerful influence on those around him, both within the neighborhood and beyond.

Approximately 20 years ago, Rav Elyakim endured a devastating personal tragedy when his wife passed away, leaving him to raise their 12 orphaned children.

It was during that painful period that his emunah and extraordinary dedication to Torah and his family became particularly evident. His children later recalled that after returning from their mother’s kever at the conclusion of the shivah, it was already late at night. Rav Elyakim nevertheless instructed his sons to pack their belongings and return immediately to yeshiva rather than wait until the following morning. Torah, he impressed upon them, was their life and the length of their days, and it was the surest path forward even amid such overwhelming pain.

Rav Elyakim subsequently married Rebbetzin Chaya Dinner, a daughter of Rav Eliezer Dinenr, gaavad of Adas Yisroel. They were blessed with two daughters.

For many years, Rav Elyakim served as a R”M in Yeshivas Maayan HaTalmud, known as the Kreshinsky Yeshiva. He was later appointed rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Be’er Hachaim, a yeshiva ketanah in Modiin Illit under the leadership of Rav Boruch Soloveitchik.

There, Rav Elyakim became renowned for his exceptional devotion to his talmidim. With great insight, he understood how to approach each bochur according to his individual personality and abilities, guiding his talmidim toward clarity in sevara and imparting to them the foundations and methodology of proper learning.

The bond he forged with his talmidim extended well beyond their years in the yeshiva. Former talmidim remained deeply attached to him years after leaving, viewing him as a rebbi whose guidance and influence continued to accompany them throughout their lives.

In recent years, Rav Elyakim became seriously ill. He initially succeeded in overcoming the disease, but it later returned, leaving him increasingly weak. During the recent period, his condition required hospitalization.

Yet as Elul zman arrived, Rav Elyakim was determined to return once more to his talmidim.

Despite his weakened condition, he left the hospital and traveled to the yeshiva specifically to deliver the opening shiur on the masechta being learned. He also joined the bnei yeshiva for the Yom Kippur Katan tefillos, first delivering an emotional shmuess of chizuk that deeply moved those present.

Afterward, he returned to the hospital, where his condition continued to deteriorate.

Early Sunday morning, surrounded by members of his family, Rav Elyakim was niftar.

He leaves behind a large family, including two young daughters at home, as well as generations of talmidim who were shaped by his Torah and personal example. Among his mechutanim are Rav Shimon Galei, Rav Boruch Soloveitchik, Rav Chaim Peretz Berman and Rav Boruch Dov Diskin.

The levayah was held today at Rav Elyakim’s home at 1 Rechov Panim Meiros in Yerushalayim, proceeding to Har Hamenuchos for kevurah.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario is now making its way onto digital maps, with Google announcing that U.S. users of Google Maps will see the body of water labeled “Lake America,” even as longtime mapping service MapQuest has publicly refused to recognize the change.

Google confirmed on Shabbos that it is beginning to roll out the new designation after the U.S. Geographic Names Information System formally changed the federal name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Under Google’s approach, however, the name displayed will depend on where a user is located.

People accessing Google Maps from the United States will see “Lake America.” Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while people elsewhere in the world will see both names displayed.

Google said the decision follows its established policy of relying on official government geographic databases and using different labels when countries recognize different names for the same geographic feature.

“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, like GNIS, people using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” Google said in announcing the change.

The company used a similar approach after Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed the Gulf of America in 2025. U.S. Google Maps users subsequently saw Gulf of America, while Mexican users continued seeing Golfo de México and users elsewhere were shown both names.

MapQuest, however, is taking an entirely different approach.

The veteran American mapping service declared shortly after Trump signed his executive order Thursday that it had no intention of changing its Lake Ontario label.

“We’re not changing it,” MapQuest wrote on X alongside a screenshot of its map continuing to identify the Great Lake as Lake Ontario.

The terse response went viral, attracting millions of views and giving the mapping service — once a dominant name in online directions before the rise of Google Maps and smartphone navigation — an unusual burst of attention.

MapQuest then went further, creating an online name generator allowing users to substitute virtually any name they wanted for Lake Ontario on a mock map.

“We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure,” MapQuest wrote.

The company demonstrated the feature by producing its own tongue-in-cheek alternative: “Lake Are We Doing This Again?”

MapQuest’s refusal is consistent with its handling of Trump’s earlier Gulf of America order. The service also declined to replace Gulf of Mexico with Gulf of America and instead offered users a similar tool for inventing their own names.

Trump formally signed the Lake America executive order on Thursday, escalating a bitter dispute with Canada following the collapse of trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa.

“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” Trump said before signing the order.

The executive order directs the Interior Department and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to replace Lake Ontario with Lake America throughout the federal government. It calls for the Geographic Names Information System to be updated and for federal agencies to use the new designation on maps, contracts, documents and official communications.

In explaining the decision, the White House pointed to the lake’s importance to American commerce, defense and history, as well as the United States’ financial and logistical contributions to maintaining the Great Lakes.

Trump has argued that the United States bears a disproportionate share of the responsibility for the Great Lakes system, noting that the U.S. Coast Guard operates nine of the 11 icebreaking vessels serving the Great Lakes and that Washington has invested billions of dollars in protecting the freshwater ecosystem.

The order applies to the U.S. federal government and cannot require Canada to change its designation for the shared body of water. Canada has made clear that it will continue calling it Lake Ontario.

The dispute has quickly spread well beyond maps.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a massive sign near Grimsby on Saturday reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected Trump’s change and emphasized that the Ontario name has Indigenous origins dating back centuries.

The Seneca Nation has also called on Trump to rescind the executive order, arguing that the move disregards Indigenous history and the longstanding relationship between Native nations and the United States.

The naming battle comes as relations between the United States and Canada have deteriorated sharply amid an escalating trade war. Trump and Canadian leaders have exchanged increasingly pointed criticism following failed negotiations and the imposition of steep tariffs.

Trump has shown no sign of backing away from his latest geographic rebranding effort. During Thursday’s signing ceremony, after previously changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the president even floated the possibility of turning his attention to a much larger body of water.

“Now all we need is an ocean,” Trump said.

For millions of Americans opening Google Maps, meanwhile, Trump’s latest name change is becoming more than an executive order on paper: Lake America is beginning to appear on their screens. MapQuest users will continue seeing Lake Ontario.

{Matzav.com}

Walmart has agreed to a $50 million settlement with the Justice Department over allegations that its pharmacies improperly filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances, conduct that federal authorities say contributed to the nation’s opioid epidemic.

The agreement brings an end to a federal lawsuit dating back to 2020, in which the government alleged that Walmart pharmacies failed to alert the Drug Enforcement Administration to suspicious prescription activity.

Federal prosecutors accused Walmart’s compliance operation of allowing pharmacies to continue filling invalid prescriptions from medical providers allegedly operating as “pill mills,” despite warnings and concerns raised by the company’s own pharmacists.

“Over an approximately four-year period, a time during which Walmart shipped an estimated 37.5 million controlled-substance orders to its pharmacies, it reported only 204 suspicious orders to D.E.A. — in other words, almost none,” according to court documents.

Beyond the $50 million payment, the settlement requires Walmart to implement additional measures aimed at identifying potentially unlawful distribution of controlled substances. The retailer will establish a hotline allowing employees and patients to report suspected improper dispensing, increase monitoring of dispensing patterns at its pharmacies, and create a process for reviewing doctors suspected of improperly prescribing controlled substances.

“This $50 million settlement makes clear that pharmacies have a responsibility to identify and prevent the unlawful dispensing of controlled substances,” DEA assistant administrator Cheri Oz said in a statement. “Filling illegitimate opioid prescriptions puts patients and communities at risk and undermines the safeguards designed to prevent the diversion and misuse of potentially addictive medications.”

Oz said the agreement is intended both to resolve allegations involving Walmart’s previous practices and to impose safeguards aimed at preventing similar problems in the future.

Oz added, “This settlement addresses past conduct while establishing clear compliance obligations designed to strengthen safeguards and help prevent these failures from happening again.”

The agreement marks the latest major opioid-related legal settlement involving Walmart, the world’s largest retail chain.

In 2022, Walmart agreed to pay $1.3 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by states accusing the company’s pharmacies of helping fuel the opioid epidemic through their handling of prescriptions.

Walmart is one of several major pharmacy chains and retailers to reach large settlements over opioid prescriptions. Kroger, for example, agreed in 2023 to pay $1.2 billion to state and local governments to settle claims concerning its prescription practices.

The opioid epidemic has taken a massive toll in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 806,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription drugs between 1999 and 2023.

{Matzav.com}

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said Friday that President Trump should be immediately removed from office if he is actively considering the first use of nuclear weapons, arguing that merely contemplating such a move should render any president unfit to serve.

“The second any president actively considers the first use of nuclear weapons, that person should be removed from office immediately, because that’s got to be the red line, destroying all of humanity with a nuclear strike,” Carlson said.

Carlson delivered the sharp criticism during a discussion with Joe Kent, who previously served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center before resigning earlier this year over his opposition to the war with Iran.

Pointing to his own opposition to both attempts to impeach Trump during the president’s first term, Carlson questioned why an effort to remove a president would not be justified if that president were actually considering launching a nuclear weapon first.

“Why isn’t there an attempt to remove him from office, like, immediately?” Carlson said. “Anyone who would even tolerate that kind of talk from any of his subordinates or employees is by definition unfit.”

Trump has not publicly stated that he is considering a first-use nuclear strike.

Carlson’s remarks come amid his increasingly vocal criticism of the Trump administration’s policies toward Iran, as well as concerns he has raised about the nuclear strategy currently being developed at the Pentagon.

Earlier in August, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said during a conference that officials are working to provide the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with “credible, rational nuclear options.”

Kent said during his conversation with Carlson that he fears the administration could consider increasingly drastic measures if conventional military action fails to achieve Trump’s objectives in Iran.

“I think we would be fools to think that this couldn’t happen here in this current scenario, especially as the administration scrambles for a way out,” he said.

The comments are the latest sign of the widening divide between Carlson and Trump over American foreign policy. Carlson, who was previously a prominent ally of Trump and the MAGA movement, has become an outspoken critic of the war with Iran.

Trump, in turn, has increasingly attacked Carlson publicly.

Last week, Trump blasted Carlson on Truth Social, calling him a “loser” after Carlson met with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

{Matzav.com}

Ontario Premier Doug Ford escalated Canada’s pushback against President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario on Saturday, unveiling a huge shoreline sign proclaiming, “Lake Ontario. Now and Always,” as Canadian political leaders increasingly turned to ridicule in responding to the president’s decree.

Ford, wearing a Team Canada soccer jersey, presented the enormous sign near Grimsby, Ontario, and posed alongside it for photographs. The billboard measures 24 feet across and 12 feet high and is mounted on 6-foot supports, placing its top approximately 18 feet above ground level. The declaration is displayed in French as well.

The sign was erected following Trump’s executive order directing U.S. federal agencies to use the name “Lake America” for Lake Ontario. The dispute is the latest source of friction between Washington and Ottawa following months of tariffs, Trump’s calls for Canada to become the 51st state and increasingly heated personal attacks between officials in the two countries.

Ford suggested that Trump had targeted the lake’s name because Ontario and the Canadian government had been willing to challenge Washington. He predicted that the Lake Ontario name would remain long after the current dispute had ended.

“Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario,” Ford said in a video posted on social media.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew joined the chorus of Canadian officials mocking the president, likening Trump’s latest renaming effort to an aging rock group trying to recreate the success of an old song.

“You know when a rock band is really over the hill and you see them like in a casino playing some song from like 50 years ago. I think that’s the part of Donald Trump’s presidency we’re at now, Like he thought they had a real hit, a real golden oldie, with the Gulf of Mexico,” Kinew said, referring to Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. “And he’s trying to bring back that, and he’s trying to play the hits for his base. But I think everybody here thinks it’s a little sad and it’s not his best work.”

Some of the most biting criticism came from outside Canada’s political establishment, including historian Robert Bothwell.

“The greatest country on earth takes this moron seriously?” Bothwell said.

Despite his mockery, Bothwell maintained that Trump’s actions toward Canada carry more serious implications than the fight over the lake’s name might suggest. He argued that the president ultimately wants “to subordinate Canada and at best make it a colony, at worst absorb it into the United States.”

University of Toronto professor emeritus Nelson Wiseman similarly characterized the dispute as part of a larger struggle over Canada’s relationship with the United States.

Wiseman said Trump “would like Canada to act like a vassal state, but it refuses to do so. That irritates him.”

The fight comes against the backdrop of a rapidly worsening trade relationship between the neighboring countries. U.S.-Canada negotiations collapsed last week, with officials from both governments accusing the other side of introducing new demands late in the talks. Ottawa has since announced retaliatory tariffs that are expected to take effect next month.

The Lake America order has also become part of an increasingly bitter personal exchange between Trump and Ford. During an interview with The Associated Press earlier this week, Ford invoked President Ronald Reagan while criticizing Trump’s approach to tariffs.

Ford said Reagan would be “throwing up” over the tariffs and would be “disgusted with President Trump.”

Trump responded with attacks of his own, characterizing Ford’s criticism as “bluster” and calling the Ontario premier a “flunky” of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The president also mocked Ford as the “less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother” of the late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Trump showed no indication Saturday that he was backing away from the Lake America designation. He reposted a meme depicting Canada geese with Trump-like blond hairstyles carrying rifles as they “protected” Lake America.

The president has repeatedly used geographic names and maps to make political statements. A map labeled “Gulf of America” was displayed for a time near the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, while Trump has posted other images depicting Canada as part of the United States or as its 51st state.

The name Lake Ontario, meanwhile, dates back centuries and has Indigenous origins. It comes from the Huron word “oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining waters.” The province of Ontario, established in 1867, was itself named for the lake.

Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard, whose people historically lived across territory stretching from the St. Lawrence Valley to the Great Lakes and whose language is the source of the lake’s name, accused Trump of seeking to wipe away Indigenous history.

“I want to tell him that it is unacceptable for us, as a nation, to have a president who can eradicate our history, our culture and our identity,” Picard said.

Carney has likewise refused to recognize Trump’s new designation, emphasizing the Indigenous history of the Lake Ontario name and pointing out that it predates both the establishment of Canada as a confederation and the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

While Trump’s executive order can determine the terminology used by U.S. federal agencies, the president has no authority to require Canada to abandon the Lake Ontario name or adopt “Lake America.”

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reversed controversial guidance Friday that had instructed its journalists not to directly describe the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as terrorism, backing away from the policy after it drew sharp condemnation from political and U.S. officials.

The controversy erupted after an internal CBC memo, first reported by the Toronto Sun, revealed that Basem Boshra, the broadcaster’s senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, had directed employees to “not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.”

FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the CBC directive on Wednesday and called on other officials to speak out against it as well.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra also denounced the guidance in a social media post Friday morning, just hours before CBC announced that it was changing the policy.

“Just this year, @FBI has been instrumental in or directly responsible for multiple disruptions of significant terrorist and violent criminal organizations operating within Canada,” Hoekstra said. “Failure to recognize and confront radical and terrorist ideologies significantly endangers our efforts to establish and harmonize a shared national and economic security partnership.”

Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, joined the criticism, publicly calling on CBC to “immediately apologize and retract this directive.”

“To call 9/11 anything other than a terrorist attack is an appalling distortion of history,” Poilievre wrote. “It dishonours the victims and their families, the survivors, and the first responders who suffered from the horrors of that day.”

The criticism was particularly intense because the guidance emerged shortly before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, in which Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and killed nearly 3,000 people in attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

Amid the mounting backlash, Boshra announced Friday that CBC was revising its policy and would no longer require journalists to attribute the characterization of the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorism to another source.

Boshra explained that CBC’s general journalistic practice has been to attribute terms such as “terrorist” and “terrorism” to sources rather than independently applying those labels to people or events.

“After reviewing our current language guidance, we have decided to adjust it to clarify that direct attribution is not required for describing the historic events of 9/11 as terrorism,” Boshra wrote. “We are doing so to remove what has unfortunately (and unintentionally) become an impediment to clarity and public understanding.”

The dispute over CBC’s terminology comes during an already contentious period in relations between Canada and the United States, with the neighboring countries locked in an escalating trade battle involving sweeping tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced that Canada would retaliate against President Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods “dollar for dollar.”

Trump responded by threatening further import tariffs against Canada as tensions between Washington and Ottawa continued to rise.

The president also escalated his confrontation with Canada this week by signing an executive order changing the U.S. designation of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” adding another flashpoint to the increasingly strained relationship between the two countries.

{Matzav.com}

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed apologized for his response to an attack on a Detroit-area synagogue earlier this year, acknowledging that he should have unequivocally condemned the incident rather than attempting to place the violence in a broader context.

“I made a mistake,” El-Sayed said during an appearance before the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus at the state party’s convention in Lansing on Shabbos. “I should have issued a statement, of course condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.”

El-Sayed was addressing the controversy surrounding comments he made following the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. Authorities said a man deliberately drove a truck into the synagogue and injured a security guard in an attack intended to target Jews.

In his original reaction to the incident, El-Sayed said there was “never a justification for attacking innocent people,” while also declaring that “violence is a cycle,” and using the phrase “hurt people hurt people.”

Authorities have said that the alleged attacker, a naturalized American citizen originally from Lebanon, had lost relatives in an Israeli attack in Lebanon earlier that month.

Speaking to the group of Jewish Democrats today, El-Sayed said his earlier comments were intended to provide a wider context for what had occurred, but he conceded that the immediate aftermath of the synagogue attack was the wrong time to do so.

“If my statement caused pain, I’m sorry,” he said. “That was not what I intended.”

The controversy comes as El-Sayed faces continuing questions over his positions on Israel and Gaza and his associations with political commentators who have been sharply critical of Israel.

During the Democratic primary, El-Sayed appeared on the campaign trail with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. El-Sayed subsequently distanced himself from Piker after the commentator’s remarks about American Jews and support for Israel triggered condemnation from several Democratic lawmakers.

Piker had suggested that if American Jews continued advancing the idea that they are “singularly invested in Israel,” someone might eventually “take action” against American Jews.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) denounced Piker’s comments as “dangerous and antisemitic.”

El-Sayed, meanwhile, has said he has “no plans” to campaign with Piker during the general election as he seeks to reassure Jewish voters ahead of November.

{Matzav.com}

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Nearly three decades after the passing of the Divrei Emunah of Toldos Aharon, a collection of approximately 100 rare and valuable seforim from his personal library has resurfaced and was transferred this week to the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, marking a dramatic development in an inheritance matter that has remained unresolved since the Rebbe’s passing.

The collection, which had apparently never been distributed among the Divrei Emunah’s sons, was brought to the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe on Thursday so that he could personally examine the seforim.

The discovery has generated considerable interest within the Toldos chassidic communities, which divided following the passing of the Divrei Emunah approximately 29 years ago.

According to attorney Reb Aharon Feigel, who has been appointed by the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe to handle the matter, the collection contains valuable seforim whose existence was previously unknown and which did not appear on the lists prepared when the inheritance was originally divided.

Behadrei Chareidim reported that the items are part of the Divrei Emunah’s estate and, under the terms of his will, may not be used by anyone else. They have now been brought to the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe for his review.

The discovery is particularly significant because the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe had maintained for years that additional seforim belonging to his father existed but were missing from the inheritance records.

Feigel said that of the approximately 100 seforim in the newly surfaced collection, only three had previously been known to the heirs and included on the original lists.

Those three seforim had remained undivided because of their substantial value. Their worth made a straightforward physical division among the heirs impossible, while the heirs had refrained from selling them and dividing the proceeds.

The much larger collection has now been examined, and a determination will be made regarding how the inheritance should be divided among the Divrei Emunah’s sons: the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, the Toldos Aharon Rebbe, the Mevakshei Emunah Rebbe, the Nachlas Aharon Rebbe, and Rav Moshe Kahn, rosh yeshiva of Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok.

Feigel described an emotional scene as the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe encountered the seforim again after so many years.

According to Feigel, the Rebbe spent hours going through the collection, and his tremendous emotion and joy were readily apparent. He recognized the seforim individually from his youth, when he spent days and nights immersed in Torah and avodah in the room of his father, the Divrei Emunah.

The approximately 100 seforim may not be the final items from the Divrei Emunah’s estate to resurface.

Feigel said he recently learned of the existence of several additional valuable manuscripts connected to the estate. He is now working to have those manuscripts brought to the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe as well, so they can be examined and ultimately included in the division among the heirs.

The remarkable development comes nearly 30 years after the Divrei Emunah’s passing and the subsequent division within Toldos Aharon, bringing back into the hands of his children seforim that had been part of their father’s world and, for decades, had effectively disappeared from the inheritance record.

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Sources say that some admorim and roshei yeshiva in the United States have been invited to a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House this week, with the future of Orthodox Jewish education and other communal concerns expected to be raised.

Several details now circulating — including the full list of participants — have not been independently confirmed. There has also been no public announcement from the White House confirming the meeting as of today.

The original report said that information had been received in the United States shortly before Shabbos regarding a planned White House meeting between Trump and leading American Torah and Chassidic figures.

Another source subsequently said that information it had received indicated that the meeting was expected to take place this week.

Both sources identify the same core group of invitees: the Satmar Rebbe, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, and Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler. The meeting is reportedly being planned for Thursday.

Sources say that the delegation will use the alleged meeting to express hakaras hatov to Trump for his administration’s support of the Orthodox Jewish community and its institutions.

That stated agenda is consistent with issues that the Trump administration has publicly made a priority. The White House says its religious-liberty agenda specifically includes parental rights in religious education, school choice and institutional autonomy, and Trump established both a White House Faith Office and a Religious Liberty Commission after returning to office.

There is also substantial precedent for contacts between Trump and many of the Chareidi communities whose leaders are reportedly involved.

In April, Trump personally hosted a group of frum communal representatives at the White House for a Pesach gathering. Those present included representatives of Satmar and Skver, Agudath Israel representative Reb Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Yehuda Kaploun, and Tzedek Association founder Reb Moshe Margaretten. New Square Mayor Yisroel Meir Spitzer attended and conveyed greetings to Trump from the Skverer Rebbe.

Trump also sent a personal letter to the Skverer Rebbe in August 2025 on the occasion of the wedding of the Rebbe’s great-grandchild. The letter was presented to the Rebbe by New Square Mayor Spitzer and other Chareidi activists with ties to the administration.

The relationship between the rabbinic leaders named in the current report and Trump goes back considerably further. In 2020, a letter thanking Trump for his defense of religious liberty was signed by an array of leading American admorim and roshei yeshiva, including both Satmar Rebbes, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey and others.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the passing of Rav Yehoshua Safrin zt”l, the Komarna Rebbe of Manhattan, a scion of the illustrious Komarna dynasty and the son of the Komarna Rebbe, Rav Chaim Yaakov Safrin zt”l. He was 91.

The Rebbe was niftar over Shabbos, leaving behind a family and a legacy deeply rooted in the extraordinary Torah and chassidic heritage of Komarna.

Rav Chaim Yaakov Safrin served as the Komarna Rebbe in New York and later in Yerushalayim and was considered one of the outstanding mekubalim and talmidei chachomim of his generation. Rav Chaim Yaakov was renowned for his mastery of both nigleh and nistar. The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l, is reported to have described him as unique in his generation in the realm of remez.

Rav Chaim Yaakov, born in 1891, was a descendant of the great Komarna dynasty and became one of its principal surviving leaders in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when much of the dynasty and its leadership had been destroyed. Survivors of Komarna looked to him to continue the mesorah of the famed chassidus.

The Safrin family had reached America before the Holocaust. Rav Chaim Yaakov recognized the danger developing in Europe and urged others to escape as well. He and his family arrived in the United States in 1938, and his chassidim established Bnei Yaakov Anshei Komarno for him on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

It was within that distinguished family that Rav Yehoshua grew up, surrounded by the distinctive Komarna tradition of intense Torah learning, avodah and the study of Toras hanistar.

The Komarna dynasty traces its roots to Rav Alexander Sender Safrin and, most famously, to his son Rav Yitzchok Eizik Yehuda Yechiel Safrin of Komarna, known as the Heichal Habracha, one of the leading chassidic and kabbalistic figures of the 19th century. The dynasty became particularly renowned for its emphasis on the teachings of Kabbalah and the Zohar alongside nigleh and chassidic avodah.

Rav Yehoshua was one of several sons of Rav Chaim Yaakov who continued the family’s Torah and chassidic legacy. His brothers included Rav Shalom Safrin of Yerushalayim; Rav Nesanel Safrin; Rav Menachem Monish Safrin, who served as the Komarna Rebbe in Bnei Brak; Rav Alter Yitzchok Elimelech Safrin in the United States; and Rav Yissachar Dov Safrin of Bnei Brak.

Rav Yehoshua was the son-in-law of Reb Moshe Menachem Razler zt”l.

He was also one of the last surviving talmidim of Rav Reuven Grozovsky zt”l at Bais Medrash Elyon, carrying with him a connection to that extraordinary generation of American Torah life and to one of its eminent gedolim.

In addition to carrying on the Komarna mesorah, Rav Yehoshua played an important role in preserving and publishing the Torah writings of his father.

Rav Yehoshua was the publisher of works left in manuscript by Rav Chaim Yaakov. Among them was Pri Chaim, containing derushim and chiddushim arranged according to the Alef Bais and based on the four levels of Pardes. Another volume of Pri Chaim contains his father’s writings on Tehillim.

Rav Yehoshua was also involved in bringing his father’s Poras Yosef to print, a collection of 267 teachings organized around Yosef Hatzaddik and the parshiyos of Vayeitzei, Vayishlach, Vayeishev, Mikeitz, Vayigash and Vayechi. The work was preserved in Rav Chaim Yaakov’s own manuscript before being prepared for publication by his son.

These efforts formed part of a larger preservation of Rav Chaim Yaakov’s Torah legacy, which includes works such as Bais Avos, Shabbos Shalom Umevorach, Pri Chaim and Poras Yosef.

Rav Chaim Yaakov eventually left New York for Eretz Yisroel in 1962 and settled in Yerushalayim, where he established his bais medrash in the Geulah neighborhood near Kikar Shabbos. The bais medrash remains active today. He was later buried on Har Hazeisim.

Rav Yehoshua, meanwhile, remained associated with the Komarna presence in New York, carrying the title of Komarna Rebbe in Manhattan and representing another living link to the family’s prewar chassidic heritage.

Despite carrying the Komarna legacy of his illustrious family, he also developed particularly strong ties with Ger and was a major benefactor of Gerrer institutions.

Over the course of decades, Rav Yehoshua became one of those particularly close to the Gerrer Rebbe. His relationship with the Gerrer court was reflected at numerous family simchos, where he was regularly accorded honor and was frequently called upon to recite brachos beneath the chuppah at Gerrer weddings.

Rav Yehoshua also devoted considerable resources to preserving the Komarna legacy established by his father in Eretz Yisroel.

Among his significant undertakings was the renovation and restoration of the well-known Komarna bais medrash on Rechov Malchei Yisrael in the Geulah neighborhood of Yerushalayim. The bais medrash, originally established by his father, became popularly known as “Komarna-Mifal HaPayis.”

The building remains a prominent reminder of the Komarna presence in Yerushalayim and of the legacy of Rav Chaim Yaakov, who perpetuated the dynasty after its European world was devastated during the Holocaust.

Rav Shea was a throwback to the Yidden of old, a Yid whose warmth and good cheer seemed to belong to an earlier generation. He always had a good word to say, and his warm manner and ready smile had a way of putting a smile on the face of everyone he encountered.

His passing closes another chapter in an American Komarna story stretching back nearly nine decades, to the arrival of his father and family in New York on the eve of the destruction of European Jewry.

The levayah will take place Sunday, August 30, at 11 a.m. at Shomrei Hadas Chapels, 3803 14th Avenue in Brooklyn. Following the New York levayah, the aron is expected to be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah.

The family will be sitting shivah in Manhattan.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Sefardi rabbonim are calling on the public to gather outside Israel’s Prison 10 on Sunday night for a major atzeres tefillah and protest following the arrest and imprisonment of Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur Yisroel Guchafi over his military draft status.

Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, and Rav Shlomo Machpud, a member of the Moetzet, issued a joint call urging widespread participation in the gathering outside the Neve Tzedek military prison.

“It is incumbent upon everyone to participate and protest the arrest of talmidei chachomim at the gathering for the honor of Torah,” the rabbonim declared.

The rally is scheduled for Sunday, 17 Elul, at precisely 9 p.m. outside the gates of Prison 10 at the Neve Tzedek military base.

The latest mobilization comes following the arrest of Guchafi, a Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur who was taken into custody and sent to military prison amid the ongoing enforcement campaign against yeshiva students classified by the authorities as draft evaders.

In a letter issued by Rav Machpud and joined by Rav Maya, the rabbonim placed the call under the heading “Lech kenos es kol haYehudim — Go, gather together all the Jews.”

“In light of the degradation of the honor of Torah and the persecution of those who study it, with the arrest of the yeshiva student, the distinguished bochur R’ Yisroel Guchafi of the city of Bnei Brak, who was arrested and sent to prison for the ‘crime’ of toiling in Torah,” the letter states.

The rabbonim said Guchafi’s arrest has now triggered a commitment previously undertaken by Bnei Brak rabbonim during a major gathering held on 14 Tammuz.

At that gathering, the city’s rabbonim declared that if a Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur or kollel yungerman were arrested, they would unite in defense of kavod haTorah and travel to Prison 10.

The new letter quotes that earlier resolution: “If, G-d forbid, one of the yeshiva students or kollel yungeleit from our city is apprehended, we, the rabbis of Bnei Brak, are hereby joined and united to elevate the honor of Torah, to go out to Prison 10 to cry out and daven before Hashem for the annulment of the decree.”

With Guchafi now imprisoned, the rabbonim are calling on the broader public, and Bnei Brak residents in particular, to fulfill that commitment and join Sunday night’s gathering.

The event is being characterized as an atzeres tefillah, public outcry and demonstration of support for Guchafi and his family, amid the broader confrontation over the arrest of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim who have not reported for military service.

Organizers stressed that the gathering is intended to proceed peacefully and in accordance with the instructions of the rabbonim.

“The gathering will take place with Kiddush Hashem, while observing the instructions of the law and with absolute adherence to the guidance of our rabbonim, the Gedolei Hador, and the ushers at the site,” the announcement states.

The letter concludes with a forceful declaration that the community will continue protesting arrests of those engaged in Torah learning.

“The Torah is our life and the length of our days. We will neither rest nor remain silent over the honor of Torah and those who study it.”

{Matzav.com}

A New York appeals court has rejected the latest attempt by the Gabboim of 770 Eastern Parkway to obtain further review in the years-long legal battle involving the iconic Lubavitch headquarters, denying their request to appeal a January 2024 ruling involving Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Agudas Chasidei Chabad.

The one-page order, entered Thursday, August 28, 2026, by the Appellate Division, Second Department, denied a motion filed by Zalman Lipskier, Avrohom Holtzberg and Shalom Ber Kievman. The three had asked the court for permission to challenge the January 2024 decision issued by the Appellate Term.

The court rejected the request.

Although the latest order is exceedingly brief, it represents another consequential development in litigation that has continued for years over the properties and shul facilities at 770 Eastern Parkway and 784-788 Eastern Parkway.

The scope of the new ruling is important. The Appellate Division was not being asked at this stage to conduct a new review of the underlying ownership dispute or issue a fresh determination regarding who owns the properties.

Instead, the Gabboim were seeking the court’s permission to pursue an additional appeal of the Appellate Term’s January 19, 2024 decision.

In Thursday’s order, the Appellate Division described the application by Lipskier, Holtzberg and Kievman as a motion “for leave to appeal” from the January 19, 2024 decision and order.

Having reviewed the submissions from both sides, the four-justice panel issued a succinct determination: “the motion is denied.”

The ruling therefore means that the Appellate Division will not hear the requested appeal.

Justice Francesca E. Connolly signed the decision, with Justices Linda Christopher, Helen Voutsinas and Laurence L. Love concurring.

The latest ruling is the newest chapter in a complicated legal fight that stretches back nearly two decades.

At the center of the litigation are Agudas Chasidei Chabad, which courts have recognized as the owner of 770 Eastern Parkway; Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the owner of 784-788 Eastern Parkway; and Congregation Lubavitch, Inc., the corporate entity associated with the Gabboim.

The buildings encompass the central Lubavitch shul as well as offices and other facilities. For years, the Gabboim have been involved in the everyday administration of the shul.

The dispute has traveled through several levels of New York’s judicial system, including Supreme Court, the Appellate Division and Civil Court.

In an earlier Supreme Court case, Agudas and Merkos secured an ejectment judgment against Congregation Lubavitch, Inc. involving 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. The court determined that Agudas and Merkos were the respective property owners and were entitled to possession. The Appellate Division later upheld the portion of that judgment ejecting CLI from the properties.

A subsequent phase of the litigation began when Agudas and Merkos initiated summary proceedings seeking possession of their respective premises.

Agudas brought proceedings involving 770 Eastern Parkway, while Merkos pursued proceedings relating to 784-788 Eastern Parkway. Merkos additionally commenced a separate proceeding over office space at 302-304 Kingston Avenue, identified during the litigation as the “Gaboyim-CLI Office.”

After conducting a non-jury trial, the Civil Court issued judgments on January 6, 2022, granting possession to the respective petitioners.

The Gabboim and Congregation Lubavitch appealed those judgments.

That appeal resulted in a January 19, 2024 ruling by the Appellate Term that was considerably more complicated than some accounts of the decision indicated.

The Appellate Term dismissed the cases against several entities that had improperly been named as unincorporated associations and vacated the judgments entered against those entities.

Regarding Congregation Lubavitch, Inc., the court modified the judgments covering 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. It vacated the portions entered against CLI and dismissed those portions of the petitions. The court nevertheless upheld the judgment concerning the office at 302-304 Kingston Avenue.

The reason the proceedings involving CLI and the Eastern Parkway properties were dismissed was largely the doctrine of res judicata, which generally bars parties from relitigating claims that have already received a final judicial determination.

The Appellate Term cited the earlier Supreme Court ejectment litigation, observing that CLI had already been ejected from 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway and that the relevant judgment had subsequently been affirmed by the Appellate Division.

Because the question of possession from CLI at those properties had already been adjudicated, the Appellate Term concluded that the later proceedings seeking possession of those same premises from CLI were barred by the previous judgment.

The Kingston Avenue office presented a different situation.

Because the 302-304 Kingston Avenue property had not been included in the earlier ejectment litigation, the Appellate Term found that the proceeding concerning that space was not barred by res judicata. It therefore allowed the judgment regarding that office to stand.

The Appellate Term also turned aside claims that secular courts lacked jurisdiction to resolve the dispute because of its religious dimensions.

The court concluded that questions involving property ownership and possession could be decided through “neutral principles of law,” such as examining deeds, corporate records and bylaws, without requiring judges to rule on matters of religious doctrine.

The Gabboim and CLI subsequently sought another opportunity to challenge the January 2024 decision.

In June 2024, the Appellate Term rejected motions asking it to reconsider its January ruling or, alternatively, to permit an appeal to the Appellate Division.

That denial left another procedural avenue available: asking the Appellate Division directly for permission to hear an appeal.

It was that effort that culminated in Thursday’s decision.

Lipskier, Holtzberg and Kievman asked the Appellate Division for leave to appeal the Appellate Term’s January 19, 2024 ruling.

After reviewing papers submitted in support of and in opposition to their application, the Appellate Division refused to grant permission.

Unlike the extensive January 2024 ruling, Thursday’s order does not reconsider the evidence or analyze the competing arguments regarding ownership, possession, religious questions or the other issues that have surfaced during the litigation.

Its determination is procedural and narrow: the court declined to permit the requested additional appeal.

The practical importance of the decision therefore centers on what remains in place.

The January 2024 Appellate Term ruling continues to govern this particular round of litigation, with the latest effort to secure review by the Appellate Division now unsuccessful.

That decision also exists alongside the earlier Supreme Court and Appellate Division rulings concerning CLI’s ejectment from 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. Indeed, those earlier decisions were the basis for the Appellate Term’s conclusion in 2024 that the subsequent possession claims against CLI were barred by res judicata.

Thursday’s order does not newly rule that the Gabboim must physically leave the shul, nor does it issue a separate determination governing the everyday operation or administration of 770. Its immediate effect is to shut down another attempted route for appellate review of the January 2024 ruling.

Throughout the long-running fight, New York courts have addressed distinct questions involving legal ownership of the properties, the right to possession and the practical administration of the shul — issues that should not be treated as interchangeable.

After years of litigation across multiple courts, the August 28 order marks another significant procedural setback for the Gabboim and further narrows the remaining avenues for challenging the rulings that have shaped the legal battle over 770.

Likud minister Eli Cohen is accusing Israeli pollsters of consistently underestimating the political right, arguing that current surveys do not accurately reflect the strength of Likud and predicting that undecided right-wing voters will ultimately return to the party when elections are held.

Cohen made the comments in his first interview with Ynet since scoring a major victory in the Likud primaries, where he finished first by a wide margin and emerged in a significantly strengthened position within the ruling party.

“Actions beat populism and shouting,” Cohen told Ynet, arguing that Likud members rewarded his record in government rather than political rhetoric.

Cohen pointed to accomplishments from his tenures in the Foreign and Energy ministries, including securing visa-free travel to the United States for Israelis, the natural gas agreement with Egypt, maintaining Israel’s energy sector during wartime and breaking the Israel Electric Corporation’s monopoly.

Despite his strong showing in the primaries and his growing standing within Likud, Cohen declined to engage in speculation about the party’s leadership after Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

“That question is not relevant right now,” Cohen said, stressing that Likud is united behind Netanyahu as the party prepares for the upcoming elections.

Cohen did, however, make clear which senior government position he would like to hold next: finance minister.

According to Cohen, the Finance Ministry should remain under Likud control following the election. He said the next finance minister should prioritize economic growth, reducing the cost of living, increasing employment and narrowing economic disparities, rather than concentrating primarily on the distribution of government funding.

On the contentious issue of Chareidi military service, Cohen adopted an unequivocal position.

“Our Chareidi brothers must also enlist,” Cohen said.

He argued that those for whom Toraso umnaso does not apply should participate in military service, describing increased enlistment as a security, economic and social necessity for Israel.

Cohen also addressed Israel’s confrontation with Iran, saying the country achieved substantial successes in the campaign and significantly delayed Tehran’s nuclear program.

He warned that Israel remains prepared to act again if Iran attempts to rebuild either its nuclear program or its ballistic missile capabilities.

Turning to domestic politics, Cohen challenged the accuracy of recent election polling, maintaining that Likud and the broader right-wing bloc have repeatedly been underestimated by surveys.

Cohen pointed to previous Israeli elections in which, he said, right-wing parties ultimately performed better at the ballot box than polling had suggested beforehand. He predicted that a similar pattern could emerge in the coming election, with voters from the nationalist camp who currently describe themselves as undecided eventually returning to the right when they enter the voting booth.

Cohen also addressed the October 7 massacre, saying Israel should establish a national commission of inquiry with a mandate to examine the conduct of the country’s institutions and decision-makers over a period of years.

At the same time, Cohen argued that Israel’s position in the region has changed dramatically since October 7, saying that the country has emerged as the strongest and most formidable power in the Middle East.

{Matzav.com}

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully denied a report that he is considering a run for president in 2028, rejecting claims that he has privately discussed a possible White House campaign with friends and associates.

Hegseth, who worked at Fox News before joining the Trump administration, responded to the report on X, calling it “100% false” and saying he had directly informed NBC News that he had no plans to run.

He accused the outlet of disregarding his denial, writing that he told NBC he wasn’t running, “but they just lie w/ anonymous ‘sources.’”

The NBC News report, published Friday, said Hegseth had spoken with people close to him about the possibility of seeking the presidency in 2028. The report also pointed to his recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair as one indication that he could be positioning himself for a national campaign.

Hegseth’s trip to the politically significant early-voting state, however, was officially made on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican for whom the defense secretary was campaigning.

No major contender has formally entered the race for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, leaving the prospective field largely a matter of speculation.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has publicly acknowledged that he is interested in another presidential run. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also frequently been mentioned among potential Republican contenders.

Hegseth has previously sought elected office, although his only campaign ended before reaching the primary ballot.

In 2012, he launched a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Hegseth ultimately withdrew from the contest following the state Republican Party convention.

Two years later, Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor and went on to become a prominent conservative media personality.

President Trump nominated Hegseth in 2024 to lead the Department of Defense, and he has served as defense secretary since early 2025.

Speculation over the Republican Party’s post-Trump presidential field has intensified ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, although several of the figures most frequently discussed have stopped short of announcing campaigns.

Prediction markets currently show Vance receiving the most attention among possible GOP nominees. Kalshi gives the vice president a 44% probability of winning the Republican nomination, followed by Rubio at 19%, while no other prospective candidate is above 5%.

Vance has said he intends to make a decision about his political future after the midterm elections.

Rubio, meanwhile, has said he would support Vance for the Republican nomination if the vice president decides to seek the presidency.

The two men have nevertheless been associated with different currents within the Republican Party. Vance has generally been identified with the populist wing of the GOP and its skepticism toward some forms of American intervention overseas, while Rubio has historically been associated with the more traditional interventionist foreign-policy approach that held greater influence within the party before Trump’s rise.

{Matzav.com}

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that she wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement disbanded and replaced by the old Immigration and Naturalization Service, accusing ICE of “wreaking havoc across America” even as she insisted New York will continue cooperating with federal authorities to remove immigrants who commit crimes.

Hochul made the remarks during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” while discussing newly enacted New York legislation restricting agreements that allow local law enforcement agencies to assist ICE with civil immigration enforcement.

The Democratic governor began by drawing a distinction between cooperation with federal authorities involving criminals and the use of local police officers for broader immigration enforcement.

“New York state will never be a sanctuary for criminals, full stop. We work with federal law enforcement, including ICE, when it comes to protecting New Yorkers, and that means we always have and always will work to get criminals off the streets and in the criminal justice system, get their justice, go to jail, and then go back to their home country. That’s how we do it in New York.”

Hochul then turned to agreements that some New York counties have maintained with ICE, arguing that local police resources should not be used to enforce federal civil immigration laws.

“But what we had before was, there were counties that had relationships with ICE, formal agreements, where they would actually be using local law enforcement for civil immigration enforcement. I’m not talking about criminals. I’m talking about someone who the only offense is coming into this country, and these are people with temporary protective status, maybe they had a green card, a work permit, married to an American citizen. They’re going after everybody, because they have to hit those inane Stephen Miller quotas. So, I’ve said, and we passed a law, and it went into effect just this week, you cannot have those agreements with ICE to be using local cops for doing your job, ICE. I want local cops focused on local crimes. And crime has gone down dramatically since I’ve been Governor in the state of New York for the last five years, and it’s because I’ve invested money in law enforcement. We’re building trust between communities and law enforcement.”

The governor argued that assigning local officers to immigration enforcement can divert them from responding to violent crime and other public-safety needs in their own communities.

Hochul then escalated her criticism of ICE itself, saying the massive federal agency should be capable of carrying out immigration enforcement without relying on local police departments.

“It has nothing to do with having our local police diverted from catching the rapists, catching the murderers, responding to an emergency, and doing ICE’s job for them. It’s an $85 billion agency. I think they can take care of themselves. In fact, I wish they would just disband and go back to the old Immigration and Naturalization Service. Remember old INS? People trusted them. They did their jobs. This is a rogue policing state that is wreaking havoc across America. In New York, we say, no more.”

The INS, which Hochul invoked as her preferred model, ceased to exist in 2003 when its immigration responsibilities were divided among agencies within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, including ICE.

Hochul’s comments came as immigration enforcement remains a major point of confrontation between Democratic-led states and the Trump administration, which has pursued an aggressive nationwide campaign to identify, detain and deport illegal immigrants.

The New York governor’s newly signed legislation places the state squarely in that battle by barring local law enforcement agencies from entering certain agreements under which their officers perform immigration-related functions on behalf of ICE.

At the same time, Hochul sought to reject the characterization that her policy would protect immigrants who commit serious crimes, repeatedly emphasizing that New York authorities will continue working with federal law enforcement in criminal cases.

Her broader condemnation of ICE, however, went considerably further than criticism of individual enforcement tactics. Hochul said she wants the agency itself eliminated, arguing that the country should return to an immigration enforcement structure resembling the system that existed before ICE was created more than two decades ago.

{Matzav.com}

A weeks-long crisis over school admissions in London came to a dramatic resolution on Erev Shabbos, when all 20 girls who had remained without a school placement were successfully accepted into institutions, following an unprecedented directive from the city’s rabbonim that no school would be permitted to open until every girl had a place, Matzav.com has learned.

The development brought an end to an issue that had consumed London’s Chareidi community in recent weeks and has drawn considerable attention elsewhere, where families routinely face similar placement struggles at the beginning of the school year.

As previously reported, the rabbonim of the Badatz of Hisachdus Kehillos Hachareidim in London took the extraordinary step of ruling that none of the city’s schools could begin the new school year as long as even one girl remained without an appropriate placement.

The rabbonim had initially sent a warning letter approximately a month ago, calling for the situation to be resolved before the beginning of the new school year.

When the deadline approached and 20 girls still had no school to attend, the Badatz followed through. Last week, the rabbonim formally announced that the schools would not be allowed to open their doors at the beginning of the zeman until the placement problem was resolved in its entirety.

The sweeping directive meant that the entire school system would remain closed rather than allow the school year to begin while a group of girls remained at home.

The ruling generated considerable urgency throughout the community and triggered intensive efforts behind the scenes to find appropriate placements for each of the remaining students.

Those efforts ultimately succeeded.

By Friday, all 20 girls who had been without placements had been accepted into schools, resolving the crisis before the school year began.

Following the breakthrough, the members of the Badatz issued a new letter on Friday announcing that, with every girl now provided for, the schools could open as scheduled.

The outcome has drawn widespread praise in Chareidi circles, with many pointing to London’s handling of the crisis as a possible model for other communities struggling with the painful phenomenon of girls beginning a school year without a placement.

Supporters of the approach noted that admissions disputes can sometimes leave individual families struggling largely on their own, particularly when a girl lacks the connections or influence that might help secure her admission to a desired institution.

In London, the rabbonim effectively made the plight of those girls a responsibility of the entire community. By tying the opening of every school to the placement of every student, the directive created enormous pressure to find a solution rather than allowing the unresolved cases to linger after classes began.

The successful outcome has prompted calls for other Chareidi communities to consider adopting a similar approach.

“May everyone copy this blessed model,” some in the Chareidi community said following news that the final placements had been completed.

The episode has attracted particular attention because placement controversies are hardly unique to London. Each year, families in Chareidi communities elsewhere face the anguish of reaching the beginning of the school year while their daughters remain without an institution.

The London rabbonim’s response established a straightforward principle: the school year would begin for everyone only when there was a school for everyone.

With all 20 girls now placed, London’s schools have been cleared to open — and a crisis that only days earlier threatened to delay the start of the entire school system has ended with every student having a place to begin the new year.

{Matzav.com}

A simmering dispute over Shabbos traffic in Bnei Brak escalated on Friday when large dumpsters were placed across an access road leading into a neighborhood shared by Chareidi and secular residents, effectively blocking vehicles from entering or leaving until police arrived and cleared the roadway.

The dumpsters were positioned shortly before the onset of Shabbos at the entrance to the city’s Mitcham HaSofrim neighborhood. According to Ynet, individuals associated with the Bnei Brak municipality were responsible for placing them there, although the municipality denied that the blockade had been officially authorized.

Residents contacted police and complained that the dumpsters had effectively trapped them inside the neighborhood. Officers dispatched to the scene subsequently had the containers moved, reopening the road to traffic several hours after they had been put in place.

Police also summoned the truck driver who transported and positioned the dumpsters for questioning on suspicion of endangering a transportation route.

The driver reportedly told investigators that he had been carrying out work on behalf of the Bnei Brak municipality. City officials, however, denied instructing anyone to place the dumpsters across the road.

The incident marked the latest escalation in a growing conflict over Shabbos traffic in Mitcham HaSofrim, a relatively new Bnei Brak neighborhood constructed as part of Israel’s Mechir Lamishtaken affordable housing program.

Unlike many other areas of Bnei Brak, the development includes both Chareidi and secular residents who moved there from communities around the country. Tensions have recently intensified over the use of neighborhood roads by vehicles on Shabbos.

The dispute had already spilled onto the street the previous week, when Chareidi residents placed a barrier across the roadway in an effort to prevent Shabbos traffic. Police removed that obstruction as well, determining that the road closure was illegal.

The confrontation continued Friday evening, with some Chareidi residents accusing others in the neighborhood of deliberately attempting to change Bnei Brak’s religious character.

A police source, however, said provocative behavior has occurred on the other side of the dispute as well.

“Even the secular residents deliberately provoke the Chareidim, driving wildly and doing donuts. Anyone who enters by car via the new Landa Bridge passes by shuls. The secular residents have another way to enter,” the source said.

Police said the Bnei Brak municipality had not issued a lawful decision under its municipal bylaws authorizing the road to be closed.

Authorities have reportedly suggested that the two sides bring the dispute before a court and seek a legal determination over access to the road and Shabbos traffic.

For now, however, no resolution has been reached, leaving Chareidi and secular residents of the neighborhood locked in an increasingly bitter dispute over Shabbos observance and vehicle access in one of Israel’s most heavily Chareidi cities.

Dozens of Chareidi protesters blocked the main entrance to Yerushalayim on Shabbos afternoon, preventing Egged buses from entering the capital before the conclusion of Shabbos in an escalating protest against public transportation operating during the holy day.

The demonstration unfolded near the Chords Bridge and Weizmann Boulevard, where protesters moved into the roadway and erected makeshift barriers. At least 13 intercity buses arriving from northern Israel were ultimately prevented from continuing toward the city, according to multiple Israeli reports.

The buses operate on routes connecting northern Israel with Yerushalayim and arrive in the capital while Shabbos is still underway. According to reports, the routes have operated for years under the existing status quo, with passengers dropped off outside the Central Bus Station rather than inside the terminal.

The protesters specifically targeted the Egged buses, with reports from the scene indicating that private vehicles were largely able to maneuver around the demonstration during its earlier stages. The roadway itself was subsequently blocked as the protest expanded.

Journalist Liran Tamari, who documented the scene, initially reported that approximately 10 buses had already been stuck for half an hour while there was no visible police presence. Later reports placed the number of stranded buses at at least 13.

The protest was the second consecutive week in which Chareidim demonstrated at the entrance to Yerushalayim over buses traveling during Shabbos. A local Chareidi report said buses were unable to proceed toward the Central Bus Station for an extended period.

Police eventually announced that reinforced forces were heading to the entrance to Yerushalayim to disperse the protesters and restore normal traffic. Officers also directed motorists toward alternative routes as the blockade continued.

According to a report in Yeshiva World News, police made the announcement approximately an hour after the blockade began and only minutes before the conclusion of Shabbos. Security officials reportedly sought to proceed cautiously because of the timing and the potential for clashes with the protesters.

The demonstration eventually ended after Shabbos, with police reporting that the protesters had left the area and traffic had returned to normal. One police account said the disruptions lasted nearly two hours before the demonstration was dispersed.

The Yerushalayim protest was part of a broader series of confrontations over chillul Shabbos that unfolded in several Israeli cities over the weekend.

In Tzfas, approximately 20 Chareidi protesters attempted to interfere with bus traffic at the Meron Junction on routes operating between Tzfas and Nahariya. Similar demonstrations have taken place there repeatedly on Shabbos.

Tensions have also erupted inside Yerushalayim itself over businesses operating on Shabbos, including demonstrations outside the “Basimta” café.

Yerushalayim Deputy Mayor Adir Schwartz sharply condemned the blockade, calling it a “crossing of a red line.” He argued that attempts to shut down the capital on Shabbos through pressure would encounter resistance from Yerushalayim residents.

{Matzav.com}

A heated discussion over Chareidi voting patterns erupted on an Israeli current affairs program after journalist Ari Kalman argued that the identity of United Torah Judaism’s individual candidates is largely irrelevant to its voters, declaring that the party could put “four monkeys” on its slate and still win seven Knesset seats.

Speaking during a discussion on Kikar HaShabbat’s “Kipot Shchorot” program, Kalman said Chareidi voters cast their ballots based primarily on adherence to the instructions of their rabbonim rather than their personal opinions of the politicians appearing on the ballot.

“This is the beautiful thing about the Chareidi public, that it votes for an idea. To do what the rabbis tell us, even if we don’t understand them,” Kalman said.

Kalman maintained that voters supporting UTJ are therefore not making their decision based on the identities or placement of individual candidates on the party slate.

“We don’t vote because Gafni is number one and Yaakov Asher is number three. Put four monkeys there — and they will still get seven seats,” he said.

Kalman’s remarks sparked a sharp response from fellow panelist Yaakov Wieder, who challenged the notion that Chareidi political representatives themselves consistently follow rabbinic guidance once they are in office.

Wieder focused particularly on municipal politics, arguing that Chareidi political operatives invoke rabbinic authority when seeking votes while making many of their everyday political and financial decisions independently.

“The budget of the mayor of Bnei Brak, 3,000 shekels a day, did he receive approval from a rabbi? Probably not,” Wieder said.

He then leveled a broader accusation at Chareidi political operatives: “They make use of a rabbi once every four years.”

During the discussion, Netanel Isaac described Wieder as a “trailblazer” who has been subjected to “political lynchings” over his positions.

Wieder argued that Chareidi voters are conditioned from a young age to view political obedience through stark religious terms, describing a system of pressure in which voting choices can become associated with concepts of Gan Eden and Gehinnom.

He maintained that this dynamic should be separated from municipal elections, where he argued that residents should focus on the performance of local officials and whether those representatives are serving their constituents.

“Voting, especially for a municipality, is voting for whoever works for you, for whoever does not harm you,” Wieder said.

The contentious exchange aired on “Kipot Shchorot,” Kikar HaShabbat’s program hosted by Yossi Sargovsky, with the debate over rabbinic authority, political operatives and the voting habits of the Chareidi community generating considerable discussion online.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has formally rejected the Trump administration-backed 15-point Gaza plan, but behind the scenes Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has reportedly reached understandings with the Board of Peace on several of the proposal’s central provisions, including the disarmament of Hamas, mechanisms for monitoring the process and urgent humanitarian issues in the Gaza Strip.

According to a report by Israel Hayom, the quiet understandings were reached despite Jerusalem’s public insistence that the 15-point framework presented by the Board of Peace is unacceptable. Significant disagreements remain, however, particularly over what Hamas disarmament would actually entail.

The political calendar is further complicating efforts to move the process forward. With elections approaching in both Israel and the United States, Israeli officials are reportedly reluctant to take steps that could be portrayed domestically as concessions, raising the likelihood that major decisions will be postponed.

The most serious dispute centers on Hamas’s weapons. Nikolay Mladenov, a representative of the Board of Peace, has reportedly made clear that the agreement requires Hamas to surrender all of its weapons and provide maps identifying its tunnel network.

Hamas, however, is presenting a sharply different interpretation. Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan claims the understandings call only for the organization’s heavy weapons to be transferred to the control of a Palestinian technocratic government, with the process overseen by Palestinian “resistance” organizations and without foreign involvement.

Hamas is also reportedly refusing to surrender its weapons to the multinational force that is supposed to operate in Gaza. The terror group is additionally opposing Shin Bet security screening of Hamas personnel seeking to join the new police force envisioned for the Strip.

The Board of Peace and the Trump administration are reportedly attempting to use Hamas’s deteriorating financial position as leverage to force the terror organization to accept the disarmament demands. Hamas has struggled to pay salaries and collect taxes, leaving the organization under mounting economic pressure.

Israeli officials remain deeply skeptical that Hamas will ultimately honor any commitments it makes. The assessment in Jerusalem is reportedly that Hamas will accuse Israel of violating its obligations and use those allegations to justify failing to carry out its own commitments, potentially leaving the process stalled until after the elections.

At the same time, Israel and the Board of Peace have reached understandings on several urgent civilian issues. Plans are being advanced to address sewage and sanitation problems in Gaza before the winter, including concerns that untreated sewage could eventually contaminate the coastline near Ashkelon.

A proposed reopening of the Erez Crossing has meanwhile been frozen. Netanyahu and the defense minister reportedly reversed course on the matter following pressure from right-wing organizations.

Disagreements have also emerged over the entry of tents into Gaza, amid Israeli concerns that some materials brought into the Strip could be repurposed for the manufacture of weapons.

Responsibility for physically collecting Hamas’s weapons is supposed to fall to the International Stabilization Force, or ISF, a multinational force that has yet to become operational.

Military representatives from countries expected to participate in the force, including Uganda, Morocco and Kosovo, have already visited areas where the ISF is expected to deploy. The actual troops, however, are reportedly unlikely to arrive in the near future.

Israel Hayom reported that several unresolved obstacles are delaying the deployment. Israel wants agreement on precisely how Hamas’s weapons will be surrendered, stored and ultimately destroyed, while Hamas continues to reject handing its arsenal to a non-Palestinian force.

The countries expected to contribute troops to the ISF are also wary of placing their soldiers in a position where they could become embroiled in armed confrontations with Hamas.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the Board of Peace said it had delivered a direct message to Hamas through intermediaries demanding an immediate end to all armed activity emanating from Gaza, including the recent launching of kites into Israeli territory.

The Board of Peace also conveyed a message to Israel regarding its obligations under the ceasefire, stressing that all parties must abide by the agreement.

It further told Israel that military operations cannot continue beyond what is necessary to respond to genuine and immediate threats, underscoring the delicate balance Washington and the Board of Peace are attempting to maintain as they push both sides toward implementation of the Gaza framework.

{Matzav.com}

A 20-year-old Trenton woman who authorities say had never possessed a driver’s license in any state has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly striking a mother and her two young children in the parking lot of NPGS in Jackson on Friday, killing an infant boy and injuring his mother and sister.

The child, Yitzchok Rosenberg, was approximately eight months old. He was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center following the crash but was tragically pronounced deceased.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer identified the driver as Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton. Prosecutors say she was operating a Ford Fusion when the vehicle struck the family shortly before noon Friday.

Jackson Township police officers were dispatched at approximately 11:55 a.m. to the NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road after receiving a report of a motor vehicle crash involving pedestrians. When officers arrived, they found that a mother and her two children — a five-year-old girl and an infant boy — had been struck in the parking lot.

The mother had been pushing a baby carriage carrying the two children when the Ford Fusion struck them, according to investigators. All three victims were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The infant was pronounced dead at the hospital, while his mother and five-year-old sister remained hospitalized in stable condition as of Shabbos afternoon.

Central Jersey Hatzolah and other emergency personnel responded to the horrific scene, and a Mass Casualty Incident was declared because of the number of victims and the severity of their injuries, according to frum media reports.

The public has been asked to continue davening for the injured mother and daughter, Chana Golda bas Leah Shaindel and Rochel bas Golda Chana.

The investigation quickly turned to the woman behind the wheel. Authorities determined that CobonGuzman did not merely lack a valid New Jersey license at the time of the crash; prosecutors allege that she had never been issued or possessed a valid driver’s license in New Jersey or anywhere else in the United States.

CobonGuzman has now been charged with manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash, and two counts of assault by auto.

Authorities also arrested a second woman, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, over her alleged role in allowing CobonGuzman to get behind the wheel.

Investigators allege that Lazaro-Flores knew CobonGuzman had never possessed a valid driver’s license but nevertheless permitted her to operate the Ford Fusion. Lazaro-Flores was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death to another.

Both CobonGuzman and Lazaro-Flores were taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they were being held pending detention hearings.

The tragedy sent shockwaves through Jackson and the greater Lakewood community on Friday as word spread that a mother and two children had been critically injured outside the heavily frequented kosher supermarket.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and High Tech Crime Squad are investigating the crash together with the Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed additional details about what caused CobonGuzman to strike the family or the precise circumstances under which she came to be driving the vehicle.

The investigation remains ongoing.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump announced Friday that the United States has reached a sweeping oil agreement with Venezuela that he says will give the U.S. majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan oil reserves, bring massive private investment to the country and help push down gasoline prices for Americans.

In a social media post announcing the agreement, Trump called it “THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY” and said the arrangement would place a majority stake in more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven reserves under U.S. control.

Trump said the enormous new source of oil would serve American energy interests for decades and “substantially lower” gas prices for Americans “long into the future.”

The announcement comes as Americans have faced sharply rising oil and gasoline prices amid the war with Iran, which reached the six-month mark on Friday.

“At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer,” Trump said in the post.

An American official familiar with the agreement told ABC News that the U.S. will hold a 55% share in a joint venture involving a private Venezuelan company. That stake will be divided between equity ownership and oil production.

The arrangement creates the “second-largest private oil company by reserves in the world,” the official added.

Under the agreement, Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez granted the private company a 100-year lease covering oil fields containing an estimated 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, according to the U.S. official.

Rodriguez welcomed the agreement in an English-language statement posted on social media, saying it would “have a significant impact on our nation’s revival.”

The American official said oil produced by the company and supplied at cost will be used in part to replenish the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The arrangement is also expected to provide oil for use by the U.S. military.

According to the official, negotiations leading to the agreement were conducted by the State Department and Defense Department.

The deal comes after years of severe economic turmoil in Venezuela. The country suffered another major blow in June, when two powerful earthquakes struck in quick succession, killing more than 6,000 people.

Rodriguez thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their roles in securing the agreement, describing the pact as a “historic milestone” in the relationship between Washington and Caracas.

“The agreement will allow for a significant increase in oil production with the participation of private operators,” Rodriguez said in the statement, saying the deal calls for the development of 17 strategic fields, with a proven potential of 65 billion barrels of oil, and an investment of more than $100 billion, and more than $209 billion in tax revenue.

“Venezuela is thus ushering in a new era of recovery, growth, production, security, and prosperity for our people,” she said in the post.

Venezuela possesses the world’s largest recognized proven oil reserves, although years of economic deterioration and underinvestment have severely hampered its ability to fully exploit those resources.

Chevron, currently the only American oil company operating in Venezuela, declined to comment on Trump’s announcement.

Trump said the massive energy agreement would also “greatly strengthen” relations between Washington and Caracas, marking a dramatic shift in the relationship between the two countries.

That relationship was transformed in January, when the United States conducted a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of then-President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The two were brought to the United States to face federal charges that include narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

Maduro and his wife have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their trial is scheduled to take place in New York City in 2027.

Rubio also celebrated the new energy agreement in a social media post, calling it a “huge win” for both countries.

“It demonstrates how President Trump’s bold foreign policy is driving America First wins: securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home,” Rubio said in the post. “For the Venezuelan people, this deal will bring nearly $100 billion in private investment, support thousands of high-paying jobs, and drive the reconstruction of Venezuela’s economy.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump lashed out at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday after she declared that the state would refuse to recognize his decision to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” accusing the Democratic governor of siding with Canada while the two countries remain locked in a bitter trade dispute.

“Governor Kathy Hochul is for Canada,” Trump fumed on Truth Social, “a Country that has been ripping off New York State for years, especially under her Administration, instead of the good ‘ol USA.”

“Can you imagine her saying that she won’t respect or acknowledge LAKE AMERICA,” the president continued. “That’s why the Dumocrats are so bad for our Country.”

The clash erupted after Trump on Thursday signed documents directing that Lake Ontario be renamed “Lake America,” with the change taking effect immediately. The move came amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa.

Lake Ontario shares a lengthy border between the United States and Canada, with approximately 250 miles of its shoreline running along northern New York.

Hochul quickly rejected Trump’s proclamation. Shortly after the president signed the order, she posted on X that “New York won’t be calling it that.”

Trump responded with another Truth Social post in which he called Hochul “stupid” and argued that Canada has deliberately targeted New York with its tariffs because Canadian officials view the governor as politically weak.

“They’re aiming at her because they consider her Weak and Ineffective — Not nice!” the president argued.

Trump continued his attack by accusing Hochul of preferring to hand Canada a political victory rather than embrace the new name, while claiming that Canada has treated New York like “garbage.”

“She doesn’t want us to use the name, ‘Lake America,’ she’d rather have Canada get a win,” Trump continued.

The president used both posts to turn the dispute into an issue in New York’s gubernatorial election, urging voters to support Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman against Hochul in November.

Trump concluded by offering an enthusiastic endorsement of Blakeman, portraying him as an aggressive political fighter who would cut taxes and crack down on crime.

“He’s an ‘animal,’ he fights like hell, he doesn’t let anyone else win,” Trump said of Blakeman. “He’s for the people. He’s smart and cunning, and will Lower your Taxes, and Stop Crime.”

Concern continues to mount throughout Vizhnitz and the broader chassidishe world over the condition of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, as his son issued an emotional and urgent appeal for tefillos, saying that his father is undergoing extremely difficult treatments and is in need of great rachamei Shomayim.

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is currently staying in Moshav Ora while receiving treatment. On Shabbos morning, after receiving an aliyah, the Belzer Rebbe instructed that a Mi Shebeirach be recited for the complete refuah of his brother-in-law, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther.

Ahead of Shabbos, the Vizhnitzer bais din called upon chassidim to recite the fourth book of Tehillim on Friday night as a zechus for the Rebbe’s recovery. The Rebbe’s son, Rav Yaakov Mordechai Hager, av bais din of Vizhnitz Elad, also delivered a tearful message to Vizhnitzer chassidim and Jews everywhere, pleading with them to intensify their tefillos.

Speaking in a recording distributed through the Vizhnitz information line, Rav Yaakov Mordechai said: “An emergency cry from every place, to men, women and children and to all of Klal Yisroel: Why are you sleeping? The condition of the Rebbe, our father and shepherd, is very far from good. The Rebbe is undergoing very difficult treatments that weaken him. For two years already, the Rebbe has been suffering greatly from the illness, and these are terrible sufferings. It is already impossible to watch this and endure it. We need a healthy and strong Rebbe, and, G-d forbid, there is no end in sight, that is what the doctors are saying.”

Rav Yaakov Mordechai went on to invoke his father’s constant emphasis on maintaining a close connection with the Ribono Shel Olam, urging the public to use the special opportunity of the month of Elul to plead for the Rebbe’s recovery.

“How much our father always speaks about being connected to the Ribono Shel Olam, and our strength is only through our mouths, to ask of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, especially during these days, when it is written in the seforim hakedoshim that the King is in the field, when it is possible to ask more of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. We are asking for a gift from HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The Rebbe said that 5787 is an acronym for ‘Tehei Shnas Zayin Freilach.’ This is what we see with our father, that constantly, even in this condition, he remains freilach with HaKadosh Baruch Hu, happy with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.”

The emotional appeal comes amid continued concern over the Rebbe’s health and heightened efforts throughout Vizhnitz to increase tefillah for his recovery.

Last week, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey traveled to Moshav Ora to visit his cousin, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe. Because of the circumstances, only four accompanying individuals were permitted to enter. The two Rebbes spent an extended period together, speaking privately for approximately an hour.

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe subsequently sent his son, Rav Chaim Meir Hager, av bais din of Vizhnitz, together with his gabbai, Rav Ben Tzion Stanger, to spend Shabbos in Meron with the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey.

During Seudah Shlishis, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey called upon those assembled to increase their tefillos for the Vizhnitzer Rebbe’s recovery, stressing that “the generation needs him.”

Preparations are meanwhile underway for the upcoming Shabbos Selichos. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is not expected to spend Shabbos in the Vizhnitz neighborhood, but plans call for him to arrive on Motzoei Shabbos for the first Selichos, which will be recited in the presence of a massive crowd. Thousands of chassidim are expected to travel from communities across Eretz Yisroel for the occasion.

In the meantime, organized transportation is bringing groups of Vizhnitzer chassidim from cities throughout Eretz Yisroel to Moshav Ora, where they are being received by the Rebbe for kvittlach. The visits are being arranged in advance through a registration system as Vizhnitzer chassidim continue to intensify their tefillos for the refuah sheleimah of Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther.

{Matzav.com}

British conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the United States to the United Kingdom after immigration authorities arrested him in Louisiana for allegedly remaining in the country beyond his authorized stay, U.S. officials said Saturday.

The Department of Homeland Security said Yiannopoulos was sent back to Britain on Friday. Authorities said he had legally entered the United States in May 2019 but subsequently overstayed. An immigration judge ordered him removed on July 22 after he failed to appear for an immigration hearing, according to a DHS spokesperson.

Yiannopoulos was taken into custody Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Representatives for Yiannopoulos did not respond to requests seeking comment on his deportation.

Yiannopoulos became widely known for his outspoken conservative activism and provocative commentary on feminism, Islam and immigration. He has also been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies.

Immigration authorities initially announced Yiannopoulos’ arrest Friday, saying the British national had entered the United States legally through New York City in May 2019 before remaining beyond his authorized period. DHS said an immigration judge issued the July 22 removal order after Yiannopoulos failed to attend his scheduled immigration proceeding.

“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a spokesperson for DHS wrote in an emailed statement.

ICE’s online detainee tracking system did not disclose where Yiannopoulos was being held following his arrest. It instead directed relatives and attorneys seeking information to the agency’s office in Alexandria, Louisiana, which serves as a major hub for international deportation flights.

Yiannopoulos’ representatives did not respond to another request for comment following his detention, and it was not immediately known whether he had an attorney representing him in the immigration case.

More recently, Yiannopoulos has worked for rapper Ye, previously known as Kanye West, who was scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday night.

Yiannopoulos has spent years as a prominent and controversial figure in conservative political circles, frequently drawing attention for his attacks on feminism, Islam and immigration. His own immigration case drew particular attention because of his outspoken support for President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos wrote on the social platform X last year.

His detention Thursday occurred as federal immigration authorities have sharply increased arrests across the country as part of President Trump’s broader immigration enforcement campaign.

Conservative activist Laura Loomer, who has feuded publicly with Yiannopoulos for years, quickly celebrated news of his arrest on social media.

“I was the first person to report on the fact that Milo was in the US illegally where he incited violence against President Trump and worked for Marjorie Traitor Greene,” Loomer wrote on X.

Yiannopoulos became an especially polarizing figure in 2017 during what he dubbed his “Troll Academy Tour,” a series of appearances on college campuses around the country. His visits prompted heated demonstrations and, in some instances, physical confrontations, with critics accusing him of promoting hate speech while supporters portrayed him as a defender of free expression. BuzzFeed reported around that period that Yiannopoulos had maintained close relationships with individuals who identified themselves as white nationalists.

He remained involved in conservative political and media circles in subsequent years. The Washington Post reported that he served as an intern for then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022 before later managing Ye’s brief 2024 presidential campaign.

Most recently, Yiannopoulos has served as a spokesperson for Ye, whose own public profile has been marked by controversy over antisemitic statements for which the rapper subsequently apologized.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge in California has ruled that the Trump administration cannot deport international students or other noncitizens simply because they criticize Israel or voice support for Palestinians, finding that such action violates constitutional protections for free speech.

U.S. District Judge Noël Wise handed down the decision Friday in a case brought on behalf of Stanford University’s student newspaper, which argued that international students had become afraid to express their views because they feared their speech could result in deportation.

The ruling largely follows the reasoning of a federal judge in Boston who concluded nearly a year ago that the Trump administration had violated the Constitution by targeting noncitizens for deportation solely on the basis of their pro-Palestinian advocacy or criticism of Israel.

In her decision, Wise described freedom of speech and freedom of the press as “foundational to America’s enduring democracy.” She found that portions of the federal government’s deportation framework suffered from constitutional problems involving both free-speech protections and vagueness, violating the First and Fifth Amendments.

The judge pointed to actions taken by federal immigration authorities beginning in March 2025 against individuals who publicly supported Palestinians or criticized Israel’s conduct. Wise also cited government action involving people who made critical remarks about Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk following his assassination last September.

“Tomorrow, or perhaps even today, targets may include anyone in the United States who exercises their freedom of speech to simply express opinions the government does not like,” the judge in San Jose said.

“This downward spiral is antithetical to our Constitution that recognizes our right to speak freely,” she added. “Here you can simultaneously hate the content of a person’s speech and love the country that cherishes the freedom to allow it. Zealous protection of our Constitutional right to free speech is a provocative demonstration of our country’s powerful lack of fear.”

The ruling comes amid an ongoing international dispute over Israel’s military actions, which a growing number of experts — including experts commissioned by a United Nations body — have characterized as genocide.

The Justice Department had not issued a response to the decision as of Saturday and did not reply to a request for comment.

Conor Fitzpatrick, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the organization that filed the lawsuit, welcomed the court’s decision.

“In America, free speech doesn’t just belong to the people who say things the government agrees with,” Fitzpatrick said in a release.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to spend as much as $2 million on Boston Dynamics’ four-legged Spot robots, with the agency planning to use the remotely operated machines in potentially dangerous law enforcement environments, according to a Department of Homeland Security procurement notice.

The acquisition forecast, published Aug. 27, states that ICE “has a requirement to purchase Boston Dynamics SPOT robots and accessories” to support “public safety and law enforcement operations by providing a remotely operated robotic capability for inspection, situational awareness, and hazard assessment in environments that may pose risks to personnel.”

According to the procurement document, deploying the robots would allow ICE personnel to assess potentially hazardous locations without immediately placing officers in harm’s way.

The capability “helps improve officer safety, supports informed operational decision-making, and enhances DHS’s ability to respond to incidents involving dangerous, confined, unstable, or difficult-to-access areas,” the listing says.

DHS projects that the purchase will cost between $1 million and $2 million. The department expects to issue a solicitation on Sept. 4, with a firm-fixed-price purchase order anticipated during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026. The planned contract would remain in effect through April 24, 2027, and the procurement notice indicates that the purchase is not expected to undergo a competitive bidding process.

The equipment is slated for use at Fort Benning, Georgia, where ICE’s Office of Training and Tactical Programs operates its firearms and tactics division. ICE has previously said that approximately 13,000 field officers undergo periodic weapons qualification at the facility. The agency is also expanding both staffing and student capacity there by hundreds of people as it responds to an increase in hiring.

Boston Dynamics’ Spot is a four-legged robot roughly comparable in size to a dog. The machine can be equipped with cameras, sensors and a robotic arm, allowing operators to remotely inspect areas that could be unsafe for humans.

Similar robotic systems have already been deployed by police departments, fire departments and other public-safety agencies. Among their uses have been examining suspected explosives, entering buildings during armed standoffs and surveying locations where hazardous conditions could endanger first responders.

Boston Dynamics promotes Spot for public-safety applications and says it is “committed to partnering with first responders, police departments, fire brigades, military or government agencies charged with keeping the public safe.” At the same time, the company’s terms prohibit customers from employing its robots “as weapons, or to enable weapons, or to harm or intimidate any person or animal.” Boston Dynamics has also joined an industry commitment opposing the weaponization of general-purpose robots.

The use of robotic dogs by law enforcement has previously generated controversy. New York City ended a lease involving a Spot robot in 2021 following criticism over deployments at public housing and during a hostage incident. The city later brought robotic technology back into its policing operations in 2023.

The ICE proposal has not yet resulted in a finalized purchase. Federal acquisition forecasts outline anticipated procurements and can be modified or withdrawn before a contract is ultimately awarded.

{Matzav.com}

Six months after suffering severe, disfiguring injuries in the opening airstrikes of the war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to appear publicly in any photograph, video or audio recording, fueling growing questions inside the country about his health and whether he is actually exercising control over the Islamic Republic, Reuters reports.

Khamenei was elevated to the position of supreme leader following the death of his father in the opening phase of the war. His continued disappearance from public view comes as Tehran confronts consequential decisions over the conflict, along with an economy already weakened before the fighting and now under enormous additional pressure.

Iranian officials and other senior figures insist that Khamenei remains firmly in command. They say he is deliberately staying out of sight because of security concerns while recovering from injuries that disfigured his face, and that he has handed much of the government’s routine management to a small group of senior officials.

Yet the absence of any visual or audible proof of Khamenei’s condition has increasingly raised doubts among Iranians. Since assuming the position approximately a week after the war began, he has released no photograph, video or recording of his voice — an extraordinary situation in a political system built around the supreme leader’s ultimate authority.

“The question is no longer whether Mojtaba is alive, but whether Iran still has a functioning supreme leader,” said Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute in Washington. Khamenei has communicated with the Iranian public only through several written statements subsequently read by broadcasters. His absence was particularly conspicuous last month, when he failed to appear during an elaborate week of funeral ceremonies for his father.

Senior Iranian officials and other insiders maintain that the secrecy is necessary because of concerns that Khamenei could be assassinated. They say he regularly confers with the country’s most senior officials, reviews major reports and personally makes the ultimate decisions on matters of national importance.

President Masoud Pezeshkian offered one public indication of such activity on August 10, saying he had participated in a seven-hour meeting with Khamenei.

Questions about the supreme leader’s absence, however, are beginning to surface even among some of the Islamic Republic’s staunchest loyalists.

“We need to hear our leader’s voice, or see any sign that he is there on top and leading the country to give us more confidence,” said a member of the Basij volunteer militia in Qom, the religious center that occupies a central place in Iran’s theocratic establishment.

The Basij member, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue, said he nevertheless believed Khamenei remained responsible for major decisions. Still, he argued that the failure to release even a single photograph was hurting morale and damaging Iran’s interests.

Among reform-minded Iranians and opponents of the regime, skepticism about the official explanation is considerably stronger. “How do we know that Mojtaba has not been killed?” said Shahrokh, a pro-reform businessman in Tehran who also requested anonymity.

“It is not logical that there is ‌not a single sign proving he is alive, let alone evidence that he is involved in decision-making,” he added.

After six months of warfare against its most formidable adversaries, Iran has sustained extensive damage but its governing structure remains intact. The regime’s military still possesses capabilities that could threaten energy shipments and target American allies in the Gulf.

The Islamic Republic has also demonstrated its ability to survive the deaths of its previous supreme leader and other senior commanders without experiencing an institutional collapse. The political and military command structure has remained operational and loyal to the ideology of the regime.

Iran’s economic position, however, has become increasingly precarious. The financial burden of the war, combined with a blockade that has choked off oil exports for months, has sent the rial plunging and raised fears of another wave of widespread unrest. Iranian authorities violently suppressed mass demonstrations in January, killing thousands of protesters.

Against that backdrop, regime leaders have reorganized their priorities around protecting the survival of the Islamic Republic, rebuilding Iran’s deterrent capabilities and preventing the worsening economic crisis from threatening the stability of the government.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, already one of the country’s dominant institutions before the conflict, expanded its influence after the war began. According to sources familiar with the leadership structure, the Guards remain deeply involved in strategic decision-making within a reorganized system centered around the Supreme National Security Council.

The leadership circle includes senior Revolutionary Guard commanders alongside major political figures, including Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf.

Multiple senior sources inside Iran told Reuters that Khamenei is indeed meeting with members of that group, participating fully in discussions and retaining final authority over all major decisions.

One senior Iranian official said Khamenei’s face-to-face interactions have been restricted to a very small circle. According to the official, authorities have deliberately withheld information about his whereabouts and condition because they fear that releasing details could enable the United States to locate and target him.

A person described as close to Khamenei’s inner circle said his physical condition has improved considerably and characterized the supreme leader as mentally sharp and actively engaged in government decisions.

“Despite all the pressures, services to the people have not stopped. Our ‌foreign policy line is unified and our decisions are coherent. All of this shows the ‌supreme leader is in charge,” a second official said.

Khamenei was never known for seeking the spotlight even before becoming supreme leader. As a senior aide to his father, he generally operated behind the scenes and avoided prominent public appearances. According to senior sources, he suffered facial disfigurement during the opening hours of February 28, when Israeli and American airstrikes launched the war and killed his father.

His continued invisibility has become more difficult to explain, however, now that he occupies the Islamic Republic’s highest position during what is arguably Iran’s gravest national crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The supreme leader is not merely another senior official in Iran’s system, but the figure entrusted with ultimate authority over the country’s most consequential decisions.

“A genuine deal with Washington requires Mojtaba’s unmistakable approval and so does any decision to sustain a long and costly conflict with the United States,” said Vatanka.

“His prolonged absence has created a dangerous situation in which rival factions can all claim to know what ‌the leader really wants,” he added.

New information has emerged about the circumstances surrounding Mali and Liel Yahalomi’s unexplained departure from Israel, including debts exceeding NIS 200,000, a birthday celebration shortly before they vanished, and a fully furnished apartment that appeared to have been abandoned without any preparation for a permanent move.

According to a Channel 12 News report, Mali’s financial difficulties had developed over a lengthy period, with outstanding debts eventually climbing above NIS 200,000 and continuing to increase.

People familiar with the circumstances said there was little indication that Mali was preparing to leave the country. Just days before she disappeared, she attended a surprise celebration organized for her 50th birthday. Relatives and close friends who were present reportedly detected nothing unusual and were unaware that Mali and her daughter were preparing to leave Israel.

The mystery surrounding their whereabouts ended when Mali and Liel were located in Argentina. After they were found, Liel contacted relatives who had assembled at her grandmother’s home. During the late-night conversation, which was facilitated by a local police representative, Liel was heard crying as she assured relatives that she and her mother were safe and had departed voluntarily. She apologized for causing the family alarm and said they would provide additional information.

Meanwhile, the Modi’in apartment rented by the two appeared largely untouched. Furniture and personal possessions remained inside, and investigators reportedly found nothing that would ordinarily suggest that its occupants had been preparing to relocate abroad.

Mali’s son, a married yeshiva student living in Israel with his young son, was reportedly just as surprised as other relatives. Mali had been providing him with financial support, and he had no advance knowledge of his mother and sister’s plans. After their disappearance, he helped relatives gain access to a computer and iPad left behind by providing the necessary passwords.

Investigators and others familiar with the case reportedly believe that Mali’s mounting financial problems played a major role in her decision to leave Israel. She had apparently spent considerable time attempting to strengthen her financial position, earning a master’s degree in hopes of increasing her income and later receiving a promotion at her job. Those efforts, however, were not enough to bring the growing debts under control.

Relatives reportedly suspect that Mali concealed the plan because she feared family members would either try to prevent the departure or offer to pay the debts themselves. The secrecy was particularly striking because some relatives had reportedly acted as guarantors for financial obligations incurred by Mali.

Another development surprised family members after Mali and Liel were located in Argentina: Mali was seen without a head covering. According to the report, the change was especially noticeable because she had become religious approximately two decades earlier. Some relatives viewed the change as a possible indication that Mali and her daughter intended to make a broader break with the lives they had previously led in Israel.

With the mother and daughter remaining in South America, their relatives have been left handling the practical and financial matters they left behind. Those responsibilities reportedly include dealing with the Modi’in apartment and leased vehicles, caring for the dog that remained in Israel, and providing assistance to Mali’s son and grandson.

Police have continued to emphasize that the evidence gathered during the investigation does not point to an abduction. Authorities currently believe that Mali and Liel made a personal and voluntary decision to leave Israel.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Yitzchok Yosef, the former Rishon LeTzion and nosi of Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, sharply attacked Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Motzoei Shabbos over her directive preventing this year’s state-sponsored memorial events honoring his father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l.

Speaking during his weekly shiur, Rav Yosef contrasted the decision with the annual commemorations held for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, arguing that political considerations were behind the differing treatment.

Rav Yosef recalled the enormous and diverse crowd that attended his father’s levayah in 2013, when hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Yerushalayim to pay their final respects.

“At Maran’s funeral, there were nearly a million people there. All of the Jewish people. There were secular and religious Jews, knitted kippahs, white kippahs, Chassidim, Litvaks. Anyone who was at the funeral and saw the broad public that was there — everyone was there, a million people. Now, the anniversary of the Rav arrives, and they want to hold a memorial for him as is proper, as befits his honor, as the entire public recognized his greatness. Suddenly, they issue a legal opinion — this wicked woman, the attorney general, what is her name? Miara, this crazy Miara — issues a legal opinion saying that it is forbidden to hold a gathering in honor of Maran.”

Rav Yosef then questioned why memorial events honoring Rabin were permitted close to elections while events honoring Rav Ovadia were being restricted.

“Rabin, he was murdered under circumstances, just shortly before elections. And they don’t prohibit events for him, because he belongs to the left. Fine, let them hold a gathering, why not? But the Rav, Maran, the gadol hador, who was not a political figure — Maran was a Torah figure, Rabin was a political figure, but Maran was a Torah figure — she issues a legal opinion this week saying that gatherings are forbidden before elections. They should not listen to her. Who is she anyway? HaKadosh Baruch Hu should destroy her, He should give her the blow that is coming to her.”

The controversy surrounds the cancellation of “Yom Maran,” the state memorial day established in honor of Rav Ovadia Yosef, the legendary Sephardic posek and longtime spiritual leader of Shas. The attorney general’s position was that the memorial events could not proceed in their planned format ahead of the upcoming elections.

Rav Yosef rejected the reasoning, emphasizing that his father’s stature extended far beyond partisan politics and pointing to the enormous cross-section of Israeli Jewry that revered him.

He concluded his remarks with another fierce denunciation of Baharav-Miara over the decision.

“She is meddling, meddling with Maran? Maran, the gadol hador, she is meddling with him? This will not pass in silence. Hashem should help that she receives the blow that is coming to her.”

{Matzav.com}

The Belzer community in Yerushalayim was plunged into mourning on Shabbos afternoon with the passing of the young bochur Yehuda Aryeh “Yudel” Weber z”l following a five-year battle with a serious illness. He was just 14 years old.

Yehuda Aryeh z”l was the son of Reb Shmuel Weber, a prominent Belzer chossid, and Mrs. Malka Ginendel Weber. His paternal grandfather is Reb Shlomo Weber, proprietor of the well-known grocery store on 16th Avenue in Boro Park. His maternal grandfather is Reb Boruch Mordechai Kupferstein, a prominent mashpia in Belz.

Yudel attended the Belzer Talmud Torah in Yerushalayim. Last Av, he began learning in the Belzer yeshiva ketana in Yerushalayim.

Despite the difficult treatments he was forced to undergo, Yudel displayed extraordinary determination to continue his learning and attend yeshiva. Even as he struggled with his illness, he made tremendous efforts to come to yeshiva whenever he was able.

Over the course of the past five years, Yudel endured tremendous suffering, which those close to him said he accepted quietly and with remarkable strength and emunah.

Throughout his illness, countless people davened for Yehuda Aryeh ben Malka Ginendel and hoped for his recovery. Tragically, on Shabbos afternoon, Parshas Ki Savo, he returned his pure neshamah to its Creator.

The levayah was held on Motzoei Shabbos, departing from the Sanhedria Funeral Home in Yerushalayim. The procession passed the Belzer Bais Medrash in Kiryat Belz before continuing to the Kahal Machzikei Hadas section of Har Hamenuchos, where Yudel was brought to kevurah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

More than 18 months after returning from Hamas captivity, Omer Shem Tov is speaking about the inner struggle that accompanied his ordeal, describing how faith, humor and hope helped him survive the tunnels of Gaza and how he is now confronting the lasting trauma of what he endured.

In an interview with the Hebrew-language Arutz Sheva website, Shem Tov discussed his new book, “Meeting Myself in Hell,” which focuses less on documenting the brutality of captivity and more on the personal journey he underwent and his decision to choose life and hope after returning home. He said he initially resisted the idea of publishing his story.

“I didn’t want to publish yet another book by a hostage,” he admits. “I told myself there would soon be an entire shelf of hostage books, and I didn’t want to be just another one on that shelf. Eventually, I realized that I didn’t just want to tell people what happened to me. I wanted to talk about how you can rise from the darkness and find light within it.”

Among the most difficult subjects Shem Tov addresses is the guilt he continues to carry over Maya and Itay, two friends whom he persuaded to attend the Nova music festival, where they ultimately found themselves caught in the October 7 massacre.

“Maya was my best friend. I was the one who convinced her to come to the festival, and Itay decided to come because of her. Knowing that they ended up there, were wounded and kidnapped because of me was incredibly difficult. Neither of them ever blamed me, but deep down, it’s a feeling that is very hard to let go of.”

Those feelings have followed him beyond his immediate circle of friends. Shem Tov said encounters with wounded IDF soldiers and the families of troops who were killed while fighting during the war have left him grappling with the sacrifices made in the effort to rescue him and other hostages.

“There are people who went into hell to save me. Some were seriously wounded, and some never came back. When wounded soldiers tell me, ‘I would do it another thousand times,’ it shakes me. It’s hard to comprehend that someone was willing to pay such a price for you.”

One person whose actions remain deeply etched in Shem Tov’s memory is Ori Danino. Although the two had known each other for only a matter of hours before the October 7 attack, Shem Tov said Danino’s instinct to help others was immediately apparent.

“Ori was a light. He was always looking for a way to help. When the attack began, he had already managed to save four people. Then he called me and asked me to send him our location so he could go back and get us too. He knowingly returned into the inferno to save us. Later, he was kidnapped, and after months in captivity, he was murdered. It is a level of heroism that is almost impossible to describe.”

Even amid the terror of captivity, Shem Tov recalled discovering that humor could provide brief moments of relief and help the hostages preserve a sense of normalcy.

“We would quietly laugh into our pillows so they wouldn’t hear us. We even turned the IDF bombardments into a game, trying to figure out where each explosion was coming from. It may sound strange, but that was our way of remaining human.”

The sounds of Israeli military operations above ground brought their own complicated mixture of fear and reassurance. Every explosion carried the possibility of danger, but the sounds also reminded Shem Tov that Israel was still fighting to bring the hostages home.

“Hearing IDF tanks and aircraft gave me strength. I felt that I hadn’t been forgotten, that they were fighting for me. It gave me hope, even though every explosion was frightening.”

Shem Tov said he also attempted to develop a workable relationship with his Hamas captors as a survival strategy. He tried to make himself useful and establish some degree of rapport, even while the abuse continued.

“I cleaned for them, cooked for them, and tried to make them laugh. It didn’t make them human – they continued to beat me, humiliate me and spit on me – but it did slightly improve the way they treated me and helped me survive.”

The most transformative element of his captivity, Shem Tov said, was his renewed connection to faith. During his first days underground, confined in the darkness and barely able to move, he reached an emotional breaking point and decided to surrender his fate completely to G-d.

“During the first week, I simply went crazy. Then came a moment when I said to God: ‘Father, here I am. I’m in Your hands. Do whatever You want.’ From that moment on, I felt warmth, light within the darkness, as if someone was simply wrapping their arms around me. It’s a feeling I’ve been trying to return to ever since.”

Shem Tov also believes there was a profound connection between his own prayers underground and those being recited by his family at home.

“My mother would recite chapters of Psalms at home, and at that exact time I would be reciting the same chapters in the tunnel. I felt her prayers.”

Returning to Israel did not end the battle. Shem Tov said the psychological impact of captivity remains with him and requires constant effort as he tries to rebuild his life.

“I still feel that I have light to spread, but it’s a daily battle inside my head and my soul. Post-traumatic stress doesn’t simply disappear.”

Drawing from that experience, Shem Tov urged others struggling with the psychological wounds of war to speak openly about what they are experiencing. He also called on their families and friends to pay close attention to suffering that may not be readily visible.

“I want everyone dealing with PTSD to understand that it’s okay to talk, it’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to share. It doesn’t make you less of a man or less of a human being. And to those around them, I say: Open your eyes. Look at the people around you. Sometimes what you see from the outside is only a small part of what is happening inside.”

Shem Tov, however, does not want captivity to define the rest of his life. With his ordeal behind him, he is pursuing an ambition he held long before October 7: becoming a professional actor.

“I always dreamed of becoming an actor. I completed an acting course in New York, and my dream is to land a leading role in a major film. After that – an Oscar. I always dream big. After returning from captivity, I feel that anything is possible.”

{Matzav.com}

Between 20% and 30% of the humanitarian aid trucks that entered the Gaza Strip through Israel over the past week were carrying supplies other than food, including medical equipment, medications and materials for water, sewage and sanitation infrastructure, according to new figures released by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.

COGAT published the latest breakdown of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza on its official Facebook page, detailing the types of supplies transferred into the territory during the week.

According to the agency, food continued to account for the overwhelming majority of the shipments, with approximately 70% to 80% of all trucks entering Gaza during the period carrying food products.

Hundreds of additional trucks transported medical supplies into Gaza over the course of the week. Those shipments included wheelchairs, surgical equipment, medications and other healthcare-related items.

Dozens of trucks were also permitted to enter carrying equipment and supplies intended for Gaza’s water and sewage networks, as well as sanitation and hygiene needs. Among the items delivered were large water tanks and chlorine tablets.

COGAT separately reported that approximately 150 Gaza residents holding authorization to enter third countries departed the Gaza Strip last Tuesday. The group traveled through Israeli territory to Jordan before continuing on to their respective destination countries.

The latest figures were released as opposition to Israel’s continued transfer of humanitarian assistance into Gaza remains a source of controversy within the country.

During the past week, Gilad Erdan, chairman of the Ha’achdut party, visited the Kerem Shalom Crossing along the Gaza border, where he participated in a demonstration opposing the continued delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The protesters also voiced opposition to the deployment of foreign forces in the territory.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Shin Bet confirmed tonight that Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, faced a serious assassination threat that led Israeli authorities to urgently remove him from Florida and return him to Israel under heightened security.

The confirmation marked the first time the Israel Security Agency publicly acknowledged receiving intelligence pointing to a significant threat against Yair Netanyahu’s life.

According to the Shin Bet, security officials conducted an assessment after receiving the intelligence and determined that the danger was sufficiently severe to warrant bringing Netanyahu and his security detail back to Israel immediately.

The disclosure came several days after Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed that Iran had sought to assassinate one of his sons. At the time, the prime minister did not identify which of his children had been targeted.

The Shin Bet’s statement also followed a report in the United States that Israeli intelligence had discovered an Iranian operation targeting Yair Netanyahu as early as December, while he was residing in Hallandale Beach, near Miami, Florida.

According to that report, Iranian operatives had progressed beyond simply discussing a possible attack. Members of the cell were allegedly already active in the area, surveilling Netanyahu’s residence and collecting information about his movements and daily schedule.

American authorities were informed once Israeli officials determined the seriousness of the threat, according to the report. Yair Netanyahu was then ordered to leave the area without delay.

The evacuation was carried out so urgently that Netanyahu reportedly left personal possessions behind in Florida. He was subsequently transported back to Israel under heavy security.

Israeli security officials said the extraordinary measures were based on concrete intelligence indicating that Netanyahu faced a genuine threat to his life. The objective, they said, was to remove him from the danger as quickly as possible.

The confirmation provides additional context to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments earlier this week regarding the extensive security provided to members of his family. Netanyahu argued that such protection should not be viewed as a luxury or special privilege, saying that actual threats against his relatives demonstrate that the security measures are necessary.

{Matzav.com}

In a first for the Karlin-Stolin chassidus — and what is being described as an unprecedented development in the chassidishe world — the traditional sale of aliyos for Rosh Hashanah will move online this year, with members of the chassidus bidding through a specially created digital platform.

The change was announced ahead of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah and will apply to aliyos for both days of Yom Tov at Karlin-Stolin’s massive bais medrash in Givat Ze’ev.

Until now, as is customary in shuls and chassidishe courts around the world, the aliyos were auctioned in the traditional fashion, with a gabbai announcing each aliyah and members of the tzibbur submitting their bids in the bais medrash.

But the enormous growth of the Stoliner community has made that increasingly difficult.

Thousands of chassidim crowd into the main bais medrash in Givat Ze’ev for the Rosh Hashanah tefillos, creating practical difficulties in conducting an auction and ensuring that the gabbai’s announcements can be heard throughout the enormous crowd before Krias HaTorah.

As a result, Stoliner askanim decided that this year’s auction will instead take place in advance through a dedicated digital system.

The decision was outlined in an official notice distributed to members of the chassidus under the heading “Sale of Aliyos for the Upcoming Days of Rosh Hashanah.”

“For the sake of benefit and convenience, and due to the large number of attendees, kein yirbu, and the difficulty created in selling the aliyos and making the announcements heard by the entire congregation, it has therefore been decided to establish a special platform for the sale of aliyos for the days of Rosh Hashanah,” the announcement stated.

Under the new arrangement, chassidim interested in purchasing an aliyah during the two days of Rosh Hashanah will be able to participate in an auction conducted through a digital platform developed specifically for that purpose.

Full details regarding the bidding process and how members of the chassidus can participate are expected to be released in the coming days.

The move is believed to mark the first time that a major chassidus has shifted the sale of Rosh Hashanah aliyos from the traditional in-person auction to a digital bidding system conducted in advance.

The development has generated considerable discussion both within Karlin-Stolin and across the broader chassidish world. The sale of aliyos by a gabbai in the bais medrash is a familiar tradition stretching back generations, making the decision to replace the live auction with a technological alternative particularly noteworthy.

At the same time, the unusual change reflects a challenge created by Karlin-Stolin’s considerable growth: a practice that worked easily when a congregation numbered in the hundreds becomes far more complicated when thousands of mispallelim are gathered under one roof.

This Rosh Hashanah, the aliyos themselves will remain unchanged. The bidding for them, however, will be taking place in a decidedly different way.

A military judge has barred prosecutors from using a 2007 confession by accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, ruling that the statements were not voluntary and delivering another major complication to a prosecution that has already dragged on for more than two decades.

Lt. Col. Michael Schrama concluded that statements Mohammed gave investigators in 2007 could not be admitted against him, according to a report by the New York Post. The ruling was not initially released publicly, but sources familiar with the decision said the judge had excluded Mohammed’s confessions from the case.

Mohammed, who has been held at Guantánamo Bay for more than two decades, is accused of serving as the principal architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.

The decision creates yet another potential obstacle as the military commission attempts to finally bring Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators to trial after years of legal disputes, procedural battles and repeated delays.

The development came during the same week that Schrama established June 2028 as the trial date for Mohammed and three co-defendants: Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. The announcement came shortly before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Prosecutors had sought to begin proceedings much sooner, asking for a January 2027 trial. Schrama rejected that timetable, finding that it would not provide sufficient time for the “resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.”

Military prosecutors were contacted by Fox News Digital regarding Friday’s decision. The organization 9/11 Families United declined to offer Fox News Digital a comment on the ruling.

The exclusion of Mohammed’s confession is the latest development in a case that has repeatedly stalled amid complicated legal fights, including disputes involving evidence and unsuccessful attempts to resolve the prosecution through plea agreements.

A major effort to settle the case appeared to be taking shape in 2024, when Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi agreed to acknowledge their involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks. Under that arrangement, the three would receive life sentences and be spared the death penalty.

All three defendants remain in U.S. military custody at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The proposed agreements prompted intense criticism from numerous relatives of those murdered on Sept. 11, many of whom objected to an arrangement that would remove the possibility of capital punishment.

The Biden administration subsequently withdrew the deal, a decision that triggered additional litigation and further complicated efforts to bring the extraordinary long-running case to a conclusion.

Beyond taking the death penalty off the table, the proposed agreement would have required the defendants to respond to questions from victims’ families seeking answers about the planning and execution of the attacks.

With Mohammed’s 2007 statements now excluded and the trial scheduled for June 2028, the prosecution of the men accused of orchestrating the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil is poised to continue well beyond the attack’s 25th anniversary.