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A dramatic incident sent shockwaves through the olam haTorah Sunday evening after a bochur from Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo was detained by authorities, prompting concern among family members and sparking warnings of a public response from the yeshiva if he was not released.

The bochur, Uriel Rosenfeld, reportedly left his home at approximately 6:00 p.m. and was scheduled to attend a wedding. When he failed to arrive and his family was unable to determine his whereabouts, concern quickly grew.

Family members contacted attorney Shlomo Chadad, who immediately began efforts to locate him.

After making inquiries, Chadad learned that Rosenfeld was being held at the Anatot police station.

Sources within Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo warned that if the bochur was not released immediately, the yeshiva would launch a public campaign on his behalf, including demonstrations and possible road blockages.

A short time later, Rosenfeld was released, bringing the immediate episode to an end.

The incident nevertheless heightened concern throughout the yeshiva world amid the ongoing arrests of bnei yeshiva and the growing tensions surrounding enforcement measures directed at those whose military status has not been regularized.

The arrest drew particular attention due to Rosenfeld’s association with Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, one of the largest and most prominent yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel, headed by Rav Sholom Ber Sorotzkin, who was in the United States last night for the Adirei HaTorah event and the wedding of Reb Lipa Friedman’s child. Rav Sorotzkin previously led the historic gathering of the olam haTorah that drew hundreds of thousands in a public display of support for bnei yeshiva and lomdei Torah.

{Matzav.com}

Violent disturbances erupted overnight in Beit Shemesh after the arrest of a yeshiva bochur classified by authorities as a draft evader, leading hundreds of demonstrators to gather outside the local police station. The unrest escalated as dozens of protesters forced their way into the station compound, set fires, and clashed with police officers and Border Police personnel.

According to police, the arrested individual, a yeshiva bochur from Beitar Illit, was detained during a routine inspection conducted under a recently implemented enforcement policy. Authorities said he was transferred to military police custody before protesters arrived at the scene.

As the night progressed, tensions intensified. Police reported that a group of demonstrators breached the station grounds, ignited several fires in the area, and engaged in confrontations with security forces attempting to restore order.

The disturbances come amid growing controversy surrounding a directive issued by Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy instructing officers to proactively locate and arrest yeshiva bochurim who have not regularized their military status.

Police said the protest initially began outside the Beit Shemesh station in response to the bochur’s detention by military police. Although the detainee had not been brought to the station itself, the gathering quickly grew. At a certain point, authorities said, dozens of rioters turned violent, stormed the station compound, and set nearby vegetation ablaze.

Yerushalayim District police officers and Border Police troops were deployed to disperse the crowd and push demonstrators away from the facility. Police said several separate fires broke out in the adjacent wooded area during the disturbances. Fire and Rescue Services responded to the scene and succeeded in extinguishing the blazes.

Later in the night, security forces managed to clear protesters from the police station grounds and surrounding roads. However, clashes continued in the vicinity of Route 38, where demonstrators allegedly hurled stones at police and attempted to block traffic.

Several individuals were arrested on suspicion of rioting and assaulting police officers. Jerusalem Region Commander Chief Superintendent Shlomi Bachar arrived at the scene and oversaw the police response.

Police said forces remain deployed in the area and are continuing efforts to restore calm and prevent additional disturbances.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump sharply criticized CNN on Sunday night over its coverage of ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran, insisting that a proposed nuclear agreement explicitly bars Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and accusing the network of misrepresenting the contents of the deal.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump rejected reports suggesting that the draft agreement fails to adequately address Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Fake News CNN said today, routinely, that my Iran Nuclear Deal doesn’t talk about Nuclear, when actually it states, very clearly, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote.

The president argued that the proposed agreement contains far more than a simple pledge by Iran and includes extensive provisions dealing with nuclear-related issues.

“It then goes on, in very strong and lengthy detail, to discuss various other aspects of Nuclear. In fact, that’s what most of the agreement is about,” Trump stated in his online post.

Trump also took aim at CNN itself, questioning whether the network can recover from its current struggles despite changes in ownership.

“CNN, and so many others in the Fake News Media, is a Low Ratings disaster. Even with new ownership, it is unlikely to ever get better!!!” he wrote.

The president’s remarks came as reports emerged that negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain active. Earlier Sunday, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian officials are preparing a new set of revisions to the draft agreement after Trump sought tougher language and additional commitments from Tehran.

Tasnim, which is closely aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other hardline elements within the regime, said indirect talks between the two countries are continuing.

The report followed an earlier story by Axios indicating that Trump has instructed negotiators to make several significant changes to the preliminary agreement reached during discussions between American and Iranian officials.

According to Axios, those instructions were delivered during a high-level meeting held Friday in the White House Situation Room.

The original draft reportedly required Iran to commit to abandoning efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon but contained few concrete obligations beyond that declaration. The framework established a 60-day period for further negotiations aimed at determining additional nuclear restrictions and the scope of potential sanctions relief from the United States.

Among the key issues slated for future talks were the disposition of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and limitations on future enrichment activities.

Sources cited by Axios said Trump now wants those provisions strengthened and incorporated more directly into the agreement rather than postponed to later negotiations.

Trump also discussed the negotiations during an interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, which aired on Fox News on Motzoei Shabbos. He expressed confidence that the United States would ultimately achieve its objectives in the talks.

The president emphasized that he is not under pressure to reach a quick agreement and reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains his central demand.

“We’ve defeated their military, essentially defeated their military. I would rather get a deal because we can open the strait immediately upon signing. The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons,” he stressed.

{Matzav.com}

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Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni delivered a blistering interview on Sunday night, accusing coalition partners of treating the chareidi community unfairly, criticizing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and warning that growing tensions surrounding the draft issue could lead to “social chaos.” He also declared that the traditional right-wing bloc no longer exists in its previous form, asserting that “from now on there is only one bloc — the bloc of Torah.”

Gafni made the remarks during an appearance on Channel 14’s The Patriots, against the backdrop of the ongoing coalition crisis and his recent statements distancing himself from the right-wing camp.

At the start of the interview, Gafni addressed the daycare subsidy bill, which recently passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset, as well as clashes with opposition lawmakers and coalition members who opposed the measure. He used the opportunity to sharply criticize Attorney General Baharav-Miara.

“About this it is said: Woe to the wicked and woe to his neighbor. Whatever she says goes. She is above the law.”

Turning to criticism of the police and calls within the chareidi community to suspend cooperation with law enforcement, Gafni stressed that he respects the rule of law but warned that longstanding relationships between the police and chareidi leadership are being jeopardized.

“We are a country governed by law, and whatever the law requires should be done. I do not challenge that. But since the establishment of the state, there has been cooperation between the leadership of the chareidi public and the police, including district and regional commanders. If you want us to continue working together with you on community and municipal matters, then stop arresting Torah learners.”

Gafni said the current atmosphere surrounding the chareidi community is becoming increasingly difficult and cautioned that the consequences could be severe.

“This is heading toward social chaos. We are not going to remain silent. I do not yet want to make overly dramatic declarations, but we live in a country where anything connected to the chareidi public is immediately targeted.”

Asked about reports of physical and verbal attacks against chareidim in public places, Gafni acknowledged the problem but insisted that much of the broader public remains supportive.

“I am aware of it. But despite what the bureaucracy and the media are doing to us, I want to tell you that the people are with us. I say that with certainty. Many people are drawing closer to Judaism. We feel it and we hear it.”

Discussing the draft issue, Gafni reiterated his longstanding position regarding those whose full-time occupation is Torah study.

“Those who learn Torah and whose Torah study is their occupation must continue learning. As for those who are not learning Torah, we do not tell them to go to the army because we see what is happening there. I cannot say such a thing.”

Gafni revealed that he met with Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu approximately two weeks ago to discuss the draft legislation but said he did not receive a clear answer regarding whether the bill could be advanced.

When asked whether he still supports passage of a draft law, Gafni replied that while he never wanted such legislation in the first place, the current situation has changed his outlook.

“I am not going to tell Netanyahu to pass the law. Let him bring it forward. I do not tell him what to do; he knows. I have said many times that I did not want this law, but given the reality that has developed, I want there to be a law.”

The veteran lawmaker was also questioned about his recent meeting with MK Gadi Eisenkot, which attracted considerable attention.

“I meet with everyone. There is a great deal to discuss. Together with Netanyahu, I am the longest-serving member of the Knesset. I have never gone with a left-wing coalition. I have always aligned myself with the traditional public that is part of the right. But if we are expected to endure one anti-chareidi law after another, then ultimately my friends remain on the right.”

Gafni argued that the historic partnership between the chareidi parties and the right-wing camp was based on a sense of shared values and mutual respect.

“We chose to go with the right because we wanted to be with people who wanted to be with us. Parts of the Religious Zionist camp and the Likud do not understand what this is about or the deep bond between the right-wing public and the chareidi public.”

Asked whether the right-wing bloc still exists, Gafni offered a striking response.

“There is our bloc — the bloc of Torah and mitzvah observance. Whoever wants can come and join it.”

He went on to express frustration over what he sees as years of loyalty to coalition partners without receiving meaningful support in return.

“For three and a half years we gave that political bloc the settlements, the budgets, everything. We gave them everything. We voted with them all the time — and we got nothing.”

Gafni added that he had often supported measures that conflicted with his own convictions for the sake of coalition unity.

“I even voted against my own values. I received nothing for it. They acted unfairly.”

Later in the interview, host Yinon Magal read aloud Aryeh Deri’s recent warning about a possible tax revolt and a suspension of cooperation with police and other state authorities. Gafni responded with a smile.

“He was sure I was going to say those things here.”

At the conclusion of the interview, Gafni addressed Magal directly and thanked him for what he described as his willingness to defend the chareidi community.

“I greatly respect the things you say about the chareidi public in the jungle in which we live. I came here because of you.”

An emotional and uplifting encounter took place at the home of Rav Moshe Sternbuch in Yerushalayim, where the senior posek warmly received a bochur who had recently been released after serving 20 days in a military prison for failing to report to draft authorities in accordance with the guidance of the gedolei Yisroel.

The bochur, a resident of the Har Nof neighborhood, came to visit Rav Sternbuch following his release. Those present described the meeting as deeply moving, noting the exceptional warmth and affection with which the posek welcomed him.

As the bochur entered the room, Rav Sternbuch greeted him with a radiant countenance, warmly shook his hand, and offered heartfelt words of chizuk.

“Ashrecha! You are a partner with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and that zechus will remain with you for all eternity.”

Attendees related that Rav Sternbuch repeated those words several times, praising the bochur for standing firm in the face of a difficult nisayon and for enduring imprisonment with strength and mesirus nefesh.

Accompanying the bochur was Rabbi Shimon Shisha, a well-known askan who has been actively involved in assisting bochurim confronting draft-related challenges and military detention.

During the visit, Rav Sternbuch bestowed warm brachos upon the bochur, expressing his hope that he be spared from all harsh gezeiros and merit continued siyata d’Shmaya.

Rabbi Shisha also took advantage of the moment to request a special bracha on behalf of bnei Torah throughout Eretz Yisroel who are facing the ongoing challenges surrounding the draft issue.

Rav Sternbuch responded by offering a heartfelt bracha for all of Klal Yisroel and for the entire Torah world, expressing a tefillah that the current gezeirah be completely annulled.

Amid growing tensions surrounding the military draft issue and increasing scrutiny of the yeshiva world, Chief Sephardic Rabbi Rav Dovid Yosef called on the public to strengthen its commitment to Torah study and show greater respect for those who dedicate their lives to learning. He expressed particular pain over recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim, saying the treatment they have received has diminished the honor of Torah.

Speaking during his weekly Motzaei Shabbos shiur, Rav Yosef said the Torah community must remain steadfast despite the challenges it faces.

“Unfortunately, we are in a situation where we must be extremely careful not to weaken, chalilah. Recently, yeshiva students have been arrested and humiliated as well. The honor of Torah has been degraded in recent times, and it is very painful. The world exists because of Torah, the world exists because of those who study Torah, and the world cannot endure without Torah.”

Rav Yosef stressed that even in times of military conflict and difficult national decisions, success ultimately depends on Heavenly assistance.

“Above all, we need siyata d’Shmaya, that the verse ‘the hearts of kings are in the hands of Hashem’ be fulfilled for us.”

He urged the public to respond to criticism and pressure directed at the yeshiva world not through confrontation, but through increased Torah learning and a renewed commitment to honoring Torah scholars. He emphasized that respect for talmidei chachamim is a fundamental obligation, particularly among Torah scholars themselves.

“All the more so, Torah scholars are obligated to honor Torah scholars.”

The rabbi also shared a personal story about his father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, describing the extraordinary respect he showed toward those engaged in limud haTorah.

“When he would see a young kollel fellow sitting and learning, he would stand up in his honor… He would say, ‘I need to demonstrate that I honor Torah scholars.’”

Concluding his remarks, Rav Yosef encouraged the Torah community to remain committed to its mission and traditions despite the current challenges.

“We will continue on our path, the path of constant Torah study. We will not change, with Hashem’s help, from what we have become accustomed to.”

{Matzav.com}

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri issued one of his most forceful public statements to date on Sunday, accusing Israel’s legal establishment of persecuting Torah learners and warning that continued sanctions against yeshiva students could lead to tax resistance, a breakdown in cooperation with police, and a widening rift between the chareidi public and state authorities.

The unusually sharp remarks reflected growing tensions within the right-wing coalition as disputes over military conscription and penalties against yeshiva students continue to escalate.

At the start of his statement, Deri took direct aim at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of spearheading an aggressive campaign against the Torah world.

“The dismissed and anarchist attorney general is racing ahead with arrests and harsh sanctions against Torah learners. She is pushing the chareidi public to the edge.”

Deri warned that the current course of action would not be accepted quietly and could trigger unprecedented acts of civil disobedience.

“This will lead to a tax revolt, a disconnect from the police, and a deep rupture with state authorities. Anyone who cares about the future of the country must rise up against this madness.”

A significant portion of Deri’s criticism was directed at his coalition allies. He argued that leaders of Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit have failed to defend the chareidi community as pressure on yeshivos and Torah students intensifies.

“I cry out and warn the prime minister and the leaders of the right-wing parties: If you truly want the right-wing bloc to survive, you must stand firmly against this persecution. Your voices are not being heard!”

Deri concluded by invoking the well-known phrase “Silence is filth,” insisting that Shas expects concrete action rather than sympathetic statements.

“It is unacceptable that we should become the punching bag of this government, that everything sacred and precious to the Jewish people should be harmed, while you stand by and remain silent.”

Political observers viewed the statement as one of Deri’s strongest warnings yet, aimed at increasing pressure on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to resolve the military draft dispute and address the financial challenges facing yeshivos. Some analysts suggested the comments were also intended to underscore the potential consequences for coalition stability if the issue remains unresolved.

Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs joined the criticism, arguing that the current enforcement policy is damaging efforts to integrate more chareidim into military service.

“The IDF needs chareidi soldiers, not chareidi detainees in prison facilities. As I have warned all along, the attorney general’s campaign against the chareidi public, which grows more severe every week—from demands for arrest quotas, to efforts to block even donations to yeshivos (which currently receive no state funding for draft-age students), and even demands for indictment quotas—will ultimately reduce chareidi enlistment in the IDF, turn the entire chareidi public into the Jerusalem Faction, and, Heaven forbid, even lead to a civil war.”

Fuchs also argued that the legal measures are being enforced selectively. He noted that after the expiration of the legal framework that had exempted many yeshiva students from military service, Torah learners suddenly found themselves facing criminal liability for not enlisting.

“Let us remember that until the expiration of Chapter G1 of the Security Service Law, which led for the first time in the state’s history to Torah scholars in chareidi yeshivos—including the most dedicated learners—awakening to the reality that failing to enlist in the IDF constitutes a criminal offense, we did not see any comparable criminal enforcement by the attorney general against draft evaders who were not from the chareidi community. There were no arrest operations, no sanctions, and nothing of the sort. This is not equal enforcement. On the contrary, it is selective, agenda-driven, and improper enforcement.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin also voiced support for Deri’s position and called for an immediate response from coalition leaders.

“I join MK Rabbi Aryeh Deri’s call not to remain silent any longer. For a long time, I have been urging the government and coalition to unite, rise above internal disagreements, and put an end to the discriminatory judicial anarchy under which many sectors of society are being trampled.”

Levin further called for an emergency gathering of right-wing party leaders to formulate a coordinated response.

“I call for an urgent meeting of the leaders of the right-wing bloc. The time has come for us to adopt a series of practical decisions that will return control of the state to the government and put an end to judicial anarchy.”

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper criticized Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Sunday, while simultaneously urging the Iranian-backed terror group to lay down its weapons and halt its attacks on Israel.

Speaking about the fighting, Cooper accused Israel of causing widespread harm through its military actions in Lebanon.

“Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon has killed and displaced civilians, destroyed infrastructure, and eroded space for diplomacy. It must end,” charged Cooper.

At the same time, she emphasized that responsibility also lies with Hezbollah, calling on the terrorist organization to stop its aggression.

“Hezobllah must end attacks on Israel and disarm.”

Cooper concluded by urging all parties to honor existing agreements and pursue diplomatic solutions.

“All sides must respect the ceasefire and engage with negotiations in good faith,” concluded Cooper.

Her remarks followed the IDF’s announcement that Israeli forces had launched a targeted military operation in the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki regions of southern Lebanon. The mission is aimed at destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating Hezbollah operatives entrenched in the area.

According to the IDF, the operation got underway several days ago, with substantial ground forces moving into the area as part of an effort to broaden Israel’s Forward Defense Line.

Military officials said the offensive was authorized by the Chief of the General Staff after extensive planning, operational preparations, and preliminary fire missions carried out under the direction of the Northern Command. The objective is to secure operational control over the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki corridor while weakening Hezbollah’s capabilities and dismantling infrastructure established there with Iranian support.

The IDF stated that the Beaufort Ridge has long served as a strategic Hezbollah stronghold from which terrorists directed military operations and launched numerous attacks against Israel.

Israeli forces are also targeting launch sites in the region that have been used to fire hundreds of rockets and other projectiles at Israeli communities and IDF personnel.

As the operation continued, Hezbollah further violated the ceasefire on Sunday by extending the range of its rocket attacks into northern Israel. Among the targets was the city of Akko.

In a separate attack later in the day, four Israeli soldiers sustained light injuries when a Hezbollah explosive drone detonated in the community of Beit Hillel.

Medical personnel treated the wounded soldiers at the scene before transporting them to a hospital for further care. The military said their families were informed of the incident.

Iran has moved swiftly to restore much of its underground missile infrastructure following months of joint American and Israeli strikes, rebuilding access to critical launch sites and renewing concerns about Tehran’s ability to carry out large-scale missile attacks across the region, according to a CNN report published Sunday.

During the conflict, U.S. and Israeli forces concentrated significant firepower on the entrances to Iran’s underground military complexes. Precision strikes were used to collapse tunnel openings, block access roads, and hinder Iran’s ability to deploy long-range missiles. Although those attacks initially slowed Iranian operations, the report says Iranian engineering teams repeatedly returned to damaged locations to clear debris and reopen access routes, often while military operations were still underway. Since the ceasefire took effect more than seven weeks ago, those repair efforts have intensified considerably.

Satellite imagery examined by CNN indicates that Iran has reopened 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances that had been blocked or collapsed at 18 underground facilities targeted during the campaign. The images also show that much of the damage inflicted on surrounding infrastructure has been repaired, with bomb craters filled and road surfaces restored. At two major sites, paving work has reportedly already been completed.

According to the report, Iran relied largely on conventional construction equipment rather than sophisticated technology to restore the facilities. Bulldozers, loaders, and dump trucks were used extensively to remove debris and rebuild access points. Satellite photographs from a facility near Khomeyn taken in mid-April reportedly showed at least 10 construction vehicles working to reopen a blocked tunnel entrance. Near Isfahan, where at least 18 bombs were used to seal four tunnel complexes, newer imagery reportedly revealed that two entrances had already been fully reopened, while crews continued repairs at the remaining sites.

Military analysts cited in the report argue that Iran’s rapid recovery effort highlights weaknesses in the long-term strategy of containing the country’s missile capabilities. While American and Israeli strikes also targeted weapons-production infrastructure—including facilities involved in electronics manufacturing, drone production, and missile fuel components—Iran’s existing missile stockpile remains largely protected deep underground. Experts estimate that approximately 1,000 operational missiles may still be stored within hardened facilities buried hundreds of meters beneath the surface.

Asked about the intelligence assessment, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to address the specific findings. Instead, he reiterated a standard Pentagon position, stating that “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City taxpayers are expected to fund more than $5 million in salaries for employees in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s newly created Office of Mass Engagement, a figure that critics say far exceeds initial projections and raises questions about the purpose of the rapidly expanding agency, the NY Post reports.

According to the city’s recently released 2027 executive budget, the office’s staffing level has grown from 14 positions to 40 in just over a month, with $5,123,756 allocated for employee salaries. The amount represents a dramatic increase from earlier estimates that placed the office’s payroll costs at approximately $1.6 million.

The budget for the new office exceeds the entire funding levels of several existing city agencies, including the Board of Corrections, the Community Affairs Unit, and the Office for People with Disabilities.

The New York Post reported in March that the office had begun recruiting for 14 positions with combined compensation totaling roughly $1.6 million. Among those jobs was a campaign director position carrying a salary of $150,000, with responsibilities that critics said closely resembled those of political campaign staff.

Under current plans, City Hall intends to add another 26 employees by next year. Based on budget documents, those hires would receive average salaries of approximately $125,000.

The budget also includes an additional $30,000 designated for operating expenses unrelated to personnel.

Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf sharply criticized the expansion.

“This is purely politics at a time when real services are needed,” Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told The Post. “We have real deficits and this mayor is spending five million dollars to put 40 political operatives on the payroll. It’s morally incomprehensible . . . It’s outrageous.”

“This isn’t for anybody’s benefit but the mayor’s.”

City Hall has said the office was established to encourage broader participation in government decision-making. Opponents, however, argue that it resembles a political organizing operation funded by taxpayers and designed to build support for the mayor’s agenda.

Budget documents did not include a full list of all 40 positions. Among those already hired are Commissioner Tascha Van Auken, who previously served as Mamdani’s campaign field director, and Mohamed Alharbi, who is serving as deputy borough director for Queens.

The new office is separate from the mayor’s communications staff, which sources told The Post is expected to become larger than that of any previous New York City mayor.

Mamdani has proposed a $51.8 million budget for the mayor’s office in fiscal year 2027, an increase of approximately $7 million compared to the final budget approved during former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.

When announcing the creation of the Office of Mass Engagement, Mamdani said its purpose was to ensure that communities traditionally excluded from government had a stronger voice in city affairs. Critics contend that the office’s early activities have focused primarily on the Democratic Socialists of America activists who formed a key part of his political base.

Earlier this week, The Post observed three employees canvassing residents on the Lower East Side and encouraging attendance at Rent Guidelines Board hearings ahead of a June vote on a proposed rent freeze, a centerpiece of Mamdani’s campaign platform. The decision could affect approximately two million residents living in rent-stabilized apartments.

The effort is part of the office’s first major initiative, known as Organize NYC, which focuses on volunteer recruitment and door-to-door outreach using methods that critics say resemble those employed by the Democratic Socialists of America during Mamdani’s campaign.

Since early May, staff members have reportedly conducted canvassing operations in sections of the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Staten Island had not initially been included, although a city spokesperson told The Post that a representative has now been hired for the borough and that outreach efforts there will also move forward.

Additional positions within the office have also attracted attention. One such role, a deputy director of co-governance earning $150,000 annually, included language in its job description that critics said closely mirrored proposals advanced by New York City DSA co-chair Grace Mausser in her essay, “Building Municipal Socialism in New York with DSA.”

The new agency has also prompted comparisons to the administration of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose office produced more than 250 promotional videos during his first two years in office.

A City Hall spokesperson told The Post that outreach efforts have not been limited to supporters of the mayor’s agenda and said landlord advocacy groups have also been invited to testify at the rent hearings. Officials further insisted that the Office of Mass Engagement is not advocating for any predetermined outcome.

“Every New Yorker should have a say in the future of their city,” said Penelope Birnbaum.

{Matzav.com}

The Kassau family welcomed a new baby girl this week, but even amid the joy of a growing family, they say the celebration has been overshadowed by the painful absence of 11-year-old Haimanot Kassau, who has been missing for more than two years.

The family announced Sunday that a baby girl had been born, becoming the youngest sibling in the household. Yet relatives said the happy occasion also served as a painful reminder that one chair at the family table remains empty.

Family members said what should have been one of the most joyous moments of their lives was also emotionally overwhelming because of Haimanot’s continued disappearance.

“This is a moment of kindness and blessing, but it comes on an unbearably difficult day,” the family said in a statement. “We are moving between opposite emotions: between the happiness of the new baby and the longing and anxiety for Haimanot. This joy only sharpens the fact that nothing is complete without her.”

Haimanot, now 11 years old, disappeared on February 25, 2024, from the absorption center in Tzfas where her family had been living after immigrating from Ethiopia. Since that day, no trace of her has been found, and her family continues to hold on to hope while pressing authorities to intensify efforts to locate her.

Just last month, the family marked 800 days since her disappearance. They say her room remains untouched, her bed is still made, and her school bag continues to wait for her at home.

Relatives said they dream of the day Haimanot will return and meet her newborn sister for the first time.

“At this time, we ask the media and the public to respect our privacy,” the family said, “but we are also using this moment to cry out once again: Do not forget Haimanot!”

The family renewed its call for the establishment of a special investigative task force dedicated to finding the missing girl and urged the public to continue supporting their efforts.

“We ask people to continue walking with us in the determined struggle to bring our beloved daughter home,” the family said.

Last Wednesday, demonstrators wearing shirts bearing Haimanot’s photograph gathered outside the offices of Lahav 433 in Lod. A separate protest was held simultaneously alongside family members at the Kiryat Motzkin Junction.

The demonstrations came one week after police representatives told a Knesset Immigration Committee hearing that there had been developments in the investigation.

Tesfai Bishao, a leading activist in an organization working to secure Haimanot’s return, sharply criticized the authorities and said: “It was a show by Lahav 433, to make it look like they are working.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has reportedly been privately urging political allies not to support former Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter within the right-wing bloc, sparking a sharp public response from the retired military officer and denials from both Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu.

According to a report by Yuval Segev on Channel 13 News Sunday evening, Netanyahu has recently made unusually pointed remarks about Winter during private conversations with various individuals who spoke directly with him.

Sources who reportedly heard the comments firsthand—and who are neither members of the prime minister’s staff nor close associates—said Netanyahu expressed strong opposition to Winter becoming part of the right-wing camp.

“Winter is locked in with Lieberman for after the elections,” Netanyahu allegedly said during those conversations. According to the report, he also warned those around him: “We must not look after him within the right-wing bloc.”

The reported remarks are particularly notable because Winter has not formally announced the creation of a political party or declared that he intends to join any existing political framework.

The claims are also surprising because some figures within the opposition have continued to speculate that a political party led by Winter could ultimately benefit Likud by attracting right-wing voters during the election campaign.

Winter, who previously served as military secretary to the defense minister during Netanyahu’s tenure, responded forcefully to the report in a statement that appeared directed at individuals in the prime minister’s orbit.

“I know the prime minister’s environment very well. I served under the prime minister for an entire year in a highly sensitive position, as his right-hand man. Sometimes new people, in order to show they are important, step on someone else. I am sorry about that. There are other ways to earn the prime minister’s trust without lying and smearing people. I refuse to play that game. Enough.”

Likud strongly denied the report, issuing a brief statement that read: “The report is false from beginning to end.”

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman also rejected the claims, denying that any political arrangement or agreement exists between him and Winter.

President Donald Trump is intensifying his criticism of a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit that has delayed portions of his administration’s planned $400 million White House ballroom and rooftop drone facility, arguing that the legal challenge is jeopardizing national security.

In a post Sunday on Truth Social, Trump praised the proposed project’s security capabilities and warned against any effort to obstruct its construction.

“The DronePort at the White House Ballroom will be, perhaps, the most sophisticated anywhere in the World!” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social. “It will safeguard our Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., long into the future.

“Judge Richard Leon should stop playing games with America’s Security!”

Trump specifically targeted U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who has been handling the case, and urged him to dismiss the lawsuit brought against the project. The president described the plaintiff as a frequent litigant with no legitimate legal standing and warned that any future attack on the White House would place responsibility on those blocking the project.

“If anything happens, he will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction caused to our Country,” Trump added. “He has already created enough problems by allowing ‘Top Secret’ information to be released and exposed based on a ridiculous lawsuit started by a highly litigious woman (serial plaintiff!) whose ‘strolling,’ in her opinion, will be disturbed by the new, desperately needed structure – In any event, a woman who has absolutely no STANDING!

“With the advent of highly sophisticated, and powerful, modern day weaponry, we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone. This ridiculous lawsuit must be dismissed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump added.

The president’s comments came as the Justice Department renewed its effort to have a court order blocking parts of the project lifted. In a recent filing, government attorneys argued that a shooting incident at a White House security checkpoint earlier this month highlighted the need for enhanced protection measures at the executive complex.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed Trump’s arguments in a five-page court submission, citing multiple threats against the president and criticizing the injunction.

“In light of the recent attacks against President Trump’s life — including two attempts in less than a month — the injunction entered by this Court for the benefit of a strolling woman, who filed suit against the East Wing Project long before she knew what was going to be built (This is a woman who is a known serial plaintiff throughout Washington, D.C.), and who has absolutely no standing, must be immediately vacated, and this suit, which is a complete embarrassment to our Country, must be dismissed,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in the five-page filing.

“This is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!”

The gunman involved in the recent White House checkpoint incident was shot by law enforcement officers and later died at a hospital.

The legal dispute stems from an April ruling by Judge Leon, who found that Trump lacked authority to proceed with construction of the ballroom without congressional approval. Leon issued an injunction stopping above-ground construction work on the project. However, an appellate court subsequently paused that ruling, allowing work to continue temporarily through June.

The lawsuit was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress. The group has continued to pursue the case despite Justice Department arguments that security concerns warrant ending both the injunction and the lawsuit altogether.

Trump has previously outlined ambitious plans for the project, saying it will include not only a large ballroom but also a rooftop drone base and a six-story underground military facility equipped with a hospital and research operations.

During a recent tour of the site with reporters, Trump emphasized the military applications of the structure and its defensive capabilities.

“The entire roof is built for military,” Trump said. “They have a massive drone capacity. Not only is it drone-proof, if a drone hits it, it bounces off, it won’t have any impact. But it’s also meant as a drone port that would protect all of Washington.”

The proposed ballroom would encompass approximately 90,000 square feet, making it substantially larger than existing White House event spaces. The project has become a focal point in a broader debate over presidential authority, federal security spending, and the preservation of historic government properties.

Trump has maintained that the facility is needed to accommodate major events in a secure environment, arguing that existing White House venues are inadequate for gatherings of up to 1,000 attendees.

According to the White House, the project’s security infrastructure will include titanium barriers, reinforced roofing systems, specialized impact-resistant glass, and underground facilities. Trump has also described the roof as being made of “impenetrable steel” and said the fencing is so strong that “a bulldozer cannot knock it over.”

{Matzav.com}

New criticism is being directed at Jill Biden after a former senior aide accused her of attempting to reshape public perceptions of her reaction to President Biden’s widely criticized debate performance in 2024.

Michael LaRosa, who previously served as a spokesman for Jill Biden, said the former first lady appears to be revising her account of what she thought during the debate, after recently revealing that she feared her husband might be suffering a medical emergency while on stage.

According to LaRosa, the effort is aimed at altering how the public remembers both the debate and her response to it.

“They’re trying to change the tape in people’s minds about who she is… that’s why she’s sort of changing her tune a little bit about her reaction in real time,” LaRosa said. “She wants to say, ‘Oh no, my reaction was just as concerning and was just as severe as everyone at home. I was shocked.'”

LaRosa argued that Jill Biden effectively became the public face of the administration’s immediate response following the debate and suggested that a more candid reaction at the time would have resonated with voters.

He said she was “the face and the voice of the initial reaction for the country,” and that if she had reacted at the time with the sentiments she later shared with CBS, “it would have been a more human response.”

In the moments following the June 2024 debate, Jill Biden publicly praised her husband before a crowd of supporters.

“You did such a great job, you answered every question, you knew all the facts,” she said to then-President Biden in front of a crowd of cheering supporters following the debate in June 2024.

However, in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning that aired last week, she offered a dramatically different description of what she was thinking while watching the event unfold.

“I don’t know what happened. I mean, as I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death,” she told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview that aired last week.

Republicans seized on Biden’s debate performance at the time as evidence that he was no longer fit to continue serving as commander in chief. Democrats, by contrast, largely insisted that the performance was an isolated incident rather than a reflection of a broader decline.

While Jill Biden’s recent remarks appeared to reinforce the argument that something unusual occurred that night, Axios reporter Alex Thompson challenged the notion that the debate performance was an isolated event.

Drawing on reporting conducted for the book Original Sin, which examines President Biden’s years in office, Thompson said aides had witnessed similar episodes on other occasions.

“Biden aides told Jake Tapper and me that they had seen him act that way before and after. Those moments became more difficult to predict and conceal,” Thompson said, referring to comments gathered during the writing of “Original Sin,” a book covering President Biden’s time in office.

{Matzav.com}

Signs of growing turmoil are emerging at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership, with a report claiming that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has raised the possibility of stepping down as the country grapples with mounting political, military, and economic pressures.

According to a report by Iran International, Pezeshkian sent a letter to Mojtaba Khamenei warning that the regime’s ability to survive is nearing a breaking point. The report states that the Iranian president made clear he would not remain in office if current conditions continue.

If accurate, the message would represent one of the sharpest public indications yet of tensions between Iran’s civilian leadership and the powerful military and religious figures who wield significant influence behind the scenes in Tehran.

The reported development follows earlier claims by Iran International that serious disagreements have emerged between Pezeshkian and leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the management of the war and its economic consequences.

According to sources cited by the outlet, Pezeshkian warned that without a ceasefire, Iran’s economy could face collapse within a matter of weeks.

The report further alleges that Pezeshkian sought to regain executive powers that had effectively been stripped from the government, but that request was rejected by IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi.

At the same time, the outlet reported that the president repeatedly attempted to arrange an urgent meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei but was unable to secure one.

The latest report paints a picture of an increasingly strained leadership structure in Tehran, with the president signaling that he may no longer be willing to bear responsibility for the country’s deteriorating situation while key security institutions continue to dictate policy and strategy.

{Matzav.com}

Gadi Eizenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party and former IDF chief of staff, has reportedly proposed a new framework aimed at resolving the growing leadership rivalry within Israel’s anti-Netanyahu bloc. Under the plan, the leader of whichever party wins the most seats in the next election would automatically receive the bloc’s backing to form a government.

According to a report by Amit Segal on Channel 12 News Sunday evening, Eizenkot presented the proposal several weeks ago to a number of opposition party leaders. The move is intended to avoid a prolonged struggle over who would lead the bloc and, at least for the foreseeable future, appears to sideline the idea of a “grand merger” involving Eizenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid.

The proposal is also directed at Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman, who has repeatedly stated in recent months that he aspires to become prime minister. Current polling places his party at approximately eight to nine seats.

Responding to the report, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid published a message on X in which he appealed directly to Eizenkot.

“We love and appreciate Gadi Eizenkot and believe that if he joins the union it will bring the country hope for change and lay the foundations for the government of repair and healing that the country so desperately needs. Gadi, come!”

Earlier Sunday, Bennett renewed his criticism of Eizenkot over the latter’s recent meeting with Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni.

Speaking at an event over the weekend, Bennett said: “It’s naive, it’s naive… because you will enter negotiations and then they will say what the parameters are for an exemption. What Gafni and Deri forgot, Eizenkot and Yair Golan have not yet learned. Therefore there is no room for dialogue, simply.”

Bennett’s latest attack on Eizenkot and Yair Golan is part of a broader series of clashes within the opposition and comes as recent surveys have shown growing support for Eizenkot’s Yashar! party.

A Channel 12 poll released last week found that Eizenkot is now viewed as the opposition’s most suitable candidate for prime minister.

The same survey also examined the possibility of a joint slate comprising Bennett, Lapid, and Eizenkot. According to the results, such a unified party would emerge as the largest faction in the Knesset with 38 seats.

However, the poll found that if the parties run separately, they would collectively earn 39 seats—22 for Bennett and Lapid’s joint list and 17 for Eizenkot’s Yashar! party.

The survey further indicated that under a Bennett-Lapid-Eizenkot merger scenario, Likud would maintain its strength with 23 seats. The Democrats would receive 11 seats, while Yisrael Beiteinu would win 10.

Shas would secure eight seats, while both United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit would also receive eight seats each, according to the poll.

The Torah communities of Manchester and London are mourning the petirah of Rav Yosef Chaim Greenhaus zt”l, a respected mechanech who devoted more than four decades to educating generations of talmidim. He was 76 years old.

Rav Greenhaus passed away on Shabbos at a hospital in Manchester, England, following a prolonged period of suffering and illness.

Affectionately known throughout the community as “Reb Yossi,” he was born 76 years ago to Rav Moshe Mordechai Greenhaus z”l and Mrs. Sarah Yehudis Fried Greenhaus a”h.

For more than forty years, he served as a beloved melamed at Talmud Torah Yesodei HaTorah in London’s Stamford Hill neighborhood. Thousands of talmidim passed through his classroom over the years, benefiting from his warmth, dedication, and unique educational approach. He was known for instilling Torah values and yiras Shamayim in generations of children, many of whom maintained a deep affection and appreciation for him long after leaving his class.

Approximately a decade ago, Rav Greenhaus relocated to Manchester to be closer to his children. Despite advancing age, he continued learning with remarkable diligence, spending long hours immersed in Torah study at a kollel for rabbonim under the leadership of Rav Eliezer Kaufman.

About six months ago, his health began to deteriorate, leading to a lengthy hospitalization. During that difficult period, the family endured an additional tragedy with the passing of his brother, Reb Shamai Zerach Greenhaus z”l of Haifa.

He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and a large extended family living in Manchester, Gateshead, and Eretz Yisroel.

Among his brothers are Rav Dovid Greenhaus, a dayan on the Kedasia Beis Din in London, and Rav Tzvi Greenhaus of Bnei Brak.

His brothers-in-law include Rav Yisroel Gukovitzky, rov of the Bruchim Haba’im Shul in London who now resides in Beit Shemesh and is the author of Targum HaLa’az and Maaseh Oreg, as well as Rav Daniel Ortzel, rosh kollel of Kollel Pinto in Manchester.

The levayah is scheduled to take place on Monday in Manchester. Levayah arrangements were delayed due to bureaucratic procedures involving the release of the body by the local coroner’s office, which is closed on Sundays. He will be laid to rest in the Machzikei Hadas cemetery in Manchester.

Tehei Nishmaso Tzerurah B’Tzror HaChaim.

{Matzav.com}

A wave of concern swept through a yeshiva in Beitar Illit after talmidim reported repeatedly seeing what they described as a mysterious dark figure moving through one of the building’s classrooms late at night. The unusual reports eventually prompted an investigation by staff and, according to local accounts, led to the replacement of all the mezuzos in the yeshiva on the instruction of a city rabbi.

Rav Binyamin Chuta, rov of the Ohel Rachel Shul in Beitar Illit, recounted the incident during one of his shiurim, describing the unusual events that reportedly unfolded at the yeshiva in recent days.

According to the account, the episode began when several bochurim approached members of the yeshiva staff to report a disturbing phenomenon. They claimed that during the late evening and nighttime hours, strange activity that appeared to be supernatural was taking place in one of the yeshiva’s classrooms.

The talmidim said they repeatedly observed what appeared to be a dark shadowy silhouette moving around the room and appearing on the walls, despite there being no visible light source or apparent explanation for the phenomenon.

At first, staff members reportedly assumed the claims were the result of a prank or misunderstanding. However, after multiple talmidim continued reporting similar experiences, the yeshiva’s mashgiach decided to investigate the matter personally.

The mashgiach arrived at the yeshiva late at night and entered the classroom in question to see whether there was a rational explanation for what the bochurim had described.

According to the story related by Rabbi Chuta, the mashgiach himself suddenly observed a dark shadow-like figure moving across the walls of the room. The sight reportedly left him so frightened that he nearly collapsed.

The mashgiach then rushed out of the room and fled the area while calling for help.

Following the incident, and acting on the guidance of one of Beitar Illit’s rabbonim, all of the mezuzos in the yeshiva were reportedly replaced that same day.

{Matzav.com}