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An unusual and troubling incident unfolded Tuesday on an El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, when several passengers landed at Ben Gurion Airport only to discover that their luggage had been left behind in the United States. The reason, according to airport officials, was the discovery of “Free Palestine” stickers affixed to the suitcases, prompting a security hold.

The flight, which departed from Los Angeles en route to Israel, was already delayed on the runway before takeoff. One passenger, Keren, a resident of Kfar Saba who was on board, described a chain of events that began with an unexplained delay and ended in frustration at the baggage carousel in Israel.

“There was about an hour-and-a-half delay at departure from Los Angeles,” Keren recalled in a conversation with mako. “Everyone was already on the plane, but we didn’t take off, and no one told us the reason.”

The explanation only became clear after landing at Ben Gurion Airport. When Keren and several others were unable to locate their suitcases, they approached the airport’s baggage tracing department.

“When we landed in Israel and went to collect our suitcase – we didn’t find it, and together with eight other passengers we went to the baggage tracing department at Ben Gurion Airport,” she said. “There we were told that all of our suitcases remained in Los Angeles after ‘Free Palestine’ stickers were found on them, apparently placed there by one of the airport workers. There is no other explanation.”

Beyond the inconvenience of being separated from their belongings, Keren voiced serious concern about the broader security implications.

“It’s really frightening and alarming – what if they had put something inside one of the suitcases? Whoever did this could have done other things,” she said.

The passengers’ luggage is now reportedly en route to Israel and is expected to be returned to its owners within the next 24 hours.

Airport officials emphasized that after check-in, all luggage bound for Israel undergoes a rigorous inspection process. Bags are subject to multiple layers of security screening — both by the airline and airport personnel — before being loaded into the aircraft’s cargo hold, effectively creating a double security procedure prior to departure.

{Matzav.com}

Donald Trump made the decision to seek the presidency again just hours after departing the White House in January 2021, according to Lara Trump, who described the pivotal moment during a recent podcast interview.

Speaking on New York Post columnist Miranda Devine’s “Pod Force One” podcast in an episode released Wednesday, Lara Trump recounted that the realization came the same evening the family arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, following their final trip from Washington after the contentious 2020 election.

She described the mood aboard their last Air Force One flight as heavy and subdued. The family, she said, was “in a place of despair,” and there was little conversation as they traveled south.

Later that night, before a family dinner began, Donald Trump addressed those gathered and made his intentions clear. “Well, kids, I’ve got to do it again.”

According to Lara Trump, that declaration reflected a core quality that defines her father-in-law — determination in the face of adversity. She emphasized that even during moments of intense political and media pressure, he has consistently refused to withdraw.

During the interview, she presented that evening as evidence that Trump’s return to the presidency was driven by personal resolve rather than carefully engineered campaign strategy. In her telling, it was resilience — not messaging — that fueled the path back to the Oval Office.

The podcast also revisited an earlier chapter, when Trump first floated the idea of running for president in 2015 during a family discussion, before his widely publicized descent down the escalator at Trump Tower. At the time, she said, he cautioned that if he pursued the campaign and did it “right,” critics would “come after” not just him but the entire family.

In the years that followed, those warnings materialized as Donald Trump faced multiple investigations, criminal charges, and civil lawsuits, while continuing to exert significant influence within the Republican Party.

Lara Trump also reflected on her first meeting with Donald Trump, which took place at the U.S. Open in New York early in her relationship with Eric Trump. She said that the persona Americans see publicly closely matches the individual she came to know in private — someone forthright, high-energy, and at ease commanding attention.

She shared a lighter memory from that introduction, recalling how he eased the pressure of the moment by offering to buy her ice cream, something she said made her feel she could “get through this.”

Comparing the family’s political journey to “Olympic training,” Lara Trump suggested that mounting criticism and scrutiny only strengthened their resolve.

The conversation also explored the evolving public roles within the Trump family, including Lara Trump’s own movement between party leadership and media work. She noted that today’s political battles extend well beyond campaign events, increasingly playing out in cultural spaces where Republicans argue that the broader direction of the country is at stake.

{Matzav.com}

An eight-year-old girl in Beitar Illit was injured Wednesday when her hand became impaled on a nail protruding from a wooden surface after she fell while riding a scooter. Firefighters who arrived at the scene carried out a careful rescue operation to free her hand as she suffered intense pain.

Fire and Rescue teams from the Judea Regional Station were dispatched to a residential home in the city following reports of a child whose hand had become lodged in wood by a nail during the fall.

Upon arrival, emergency crews found the girl in visible distress and frightened from the ordeal. Firefighters worked methodically and sensitively, speaking to her throughout the operation in an effort to calm her while preparing the necessary equipment.

Using specialized tools, the team succeeded in extracting her hand from the wooden surface without causing additional injury. She was then transferred to medical personnel who were on scene for continued treatment.

Staff Sgt. Yosef Elazar, the team commander at the incident, described the rescue: “We treated a young girl who was suffering severe pain as a result of a nail that had penetrated her hand into a wooden panel. The operation was carried out with the utmost caution to prevent further damage, and at the same time the firefighters spoke with the girl and reassured her until the successful completion of the rescue and her transfer for medical care.”

{Matzav.com}

The Torah community in Bnei Brak is mourning the petirah of Rav Shmuel Dovid HaLevi Volpe zt”l, one of the city’s prominent marbitzei Torah and respected talmidei chachamim, who was niftar at the age of 66. His levayah took place this evening in Bnei Brak.

Rav Volpe was widely known for disseminating Torah both in writing and through his public shiurim, and for his unwavering dedication to transmitting the teachings of his revered rebbi, HaGaon Rav Shmuel Rozovsky zt”l, with exceptional clarity and precision.

He was born on 7 Kislev 5720 (1959) to his father, Rav Baruch Mordechai Volpe, who was recognized as a gaon and mekubal and who learned b’chavrusa with Rav Sroya Deblitzky.

At the age of eleven, he entered Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim, where he learned under the Rosh HaYeshivah HaGaon Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l.

From his youth, Rav Volpe was an oveid Hashem who accepted upon himself the yoke of Torah with remarkable diligence. Torah study was his lifelong joy and constant occupation.

Even during his years in yeshivah ketanah at Ponovezh, and before reaching bar mitzvah age, he made siyumim on sefarim such as Ketzos HaChoshen and Shaar HaMishpat.

Throughout his life, he taught Torah to many, both orally and through his written works. He devoted himself to preserving and transmitting the Torah of his primary rebbi, Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, ensuring that the shiurim were presented with meticulous accuracy and clarity. He edited dozens of sefarim authored by leading roshei yeshivah who were transmitters of the mesorah, most notably the published shiurim of Rav Rozovsky. He also carefully reviewed and offered critical insight on the shiurim of Maran Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l.

When he reached marriageable age, he married his wife, the daughter of Rav Yehuda Aryeh Weiser zt”l, who served as the rav of the municipal slaughterhouse in Bnei Brak.

He spent his life immersed in Torah and avodah despite financial hardship, accepting all that befell him with love and joy.

He was known as an ish emes in both his learning and personal conduct, illuminating the eyes of many with clear and authentic daas Torah. He served as a living example of total dedication to Torah study, plumbing the depths of iyun and profound understanding.

The levayah was held at his home at 18 Rechov HaRav Meltzer in Bnei Brak. The procession passed the beis haknesses of the talmidim of Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim and proceeded to the Vizhnitzer cemetery for kevurah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

The Histadrut on Wednesday morning announced a sweeping sectoral labor dispute that includes all Israeli airlines as well as the Israel Airports Authority, in protest of the government’s decision to permit the foreign low-cost airline Wizz Air to open a permanent operating base at Ben Gurion Airport.

According to the Histadrut, the government advanced the move on its own, without comprehensive groundwork and without consulting workers’ representatives. Union officials argue that such a significant step in the aviation sector requires coordination and prior dialogue.

The declared dispute applies to El Al, Arkia, Israir, and Air Haifa, in addition to the Israel Airports Authority, which manages Ben Gurion Airport, Ramon Airport, Haifa Airport, and the heliports in Herzliya and Rosh Pina. Altogether, more than 11,000 employees across the industry are expected to be impacted.

Worker representatives have voiced deep concern over what they describe as the economic and security consequences of granting a foreign carrier terms they believe create an uneven playing field. They are demanding collective negotiations regarding how the establishment of a Wizz Air base in Israel will affect employment conditions, wages, labor rights, and job stability.

In addition, the unions are calling for formal agreements addressing how the new base could influence the financial resilience of Israeli airlines and the Airports Authority, as well as the operational burden on ground services at the country’s airports.

Roi Yaakov, acting chairman of the Histadrut, said: “In the world of labor relations, there is no such thing as unilateral decisions, especially in the aviation sector, where broad national coordination is required. Establishing a base for a foreign operator in Israel without an in-depth systemic examination and without considering the potential consequences will harm not only the job security of the workers but also the stability of the sector and the national interests of the State of Israel. The Histadrut will use all the tools at its disposal to stop the harm to workers and the public interest.”

Attorney Eyal Yadin, who heads the Transport Workers Union, echoed those concerns, stating: “We are in favor of competition, but what is being attempted here is not fair competition. It is a one-sided move that gives an unfair advantage to a foreign operator at the expense of workers, Israeli companies, and national interests. In such a sensitive sector like aviation, decisions that undermine the operational and security stability of the country cannot be made. We insist that any changes be made in cooperation, with professional planning, and protection for the workers who are the backbone of the sector.”

The El Al Workers Council also issued a sharp statement directed at Transportation Minister Miri Regev, declaring: “Transportation Minister Miri Regev is the most failed transportation minister in the history of the state. Under her watch, there was a major failure in the fight against traffic accidents, leading to a drastic increase in casualties. During her tenure, there has been no real response to the worsening traffic congestion crisis, and failures have been recorded in all sectors under her responsibility.”

The council further stated: “Instead of addressing these failures, the minister has chosen to divert the discussion and run a publicized campaign against the Israeli airlines – a cynical move aimed at diverting the public discourse. Even within her own ministry, professional voices are being heard claiming that the move regarding Wizz Air is populist and impractical.”

Continuing its criticism, the workers’ council said: “Minister Regev ignores the strategic importance of Israeli airlines, especially El Al, in times of emergency and wartime, just ahead of a potential conflict with Iran. For two years, while missiles were fired at Israel and foreign companies fled, it was the Israeli airlines that maintained the country’s air connections with the world.”

“The El Al Workers Council will continue to fight for the job security of its workers and for the security of the State of Israel and the strength of Israeli aviation, for the benefit of the entire public,” the statement concluded.

{Matzav.com}

For those not in the sports world, sports has transitioned and evolved within Israel. Leagues have hosted players and athletes from all over the world, of all religions, cultures, and backgrounds. Hockey is no different. And this Sunday, the NY Islanders hockey team is proud to welcome Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for their USA Challenge […]

Hassan Kashahala, a 26-year-old former IDF combat soldier who died in January while being held under administrative detention at Gilboa Prison, has yet to be laid to rest, with his family saying they still have not received official details explaining the circumstances of his death.

Relatives were informed of his passing last month. However, according to a report in Haaretz, authorities have not provided the family with formal clarification regarding how he died, and his body continues to be withheld.

Kashahala joined the IDF in 2020, serving in the Bedouin Tracking Battalion as a combat soldier for three years. His family says he took part in military operations during the war in Gaza.

In May 2025, the Shin Bet detained Kashahala along with two additional suspects, alleging that he was affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist organization and had committed other offenses, including planning a terror attack.

One month later, prosecutors announced that charges would not be filed against him. Despite that decision, on the day he was scheduled for release, Defense Minister Yisroel Katz, acting at the Shin Bet’s request, signed a six-month administrative detention order against him. The detention was subsequently renewed.

Kashahala was held in the security wing of Gilboa Prison alongside inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses. During a hearing at the Be’er Sheva District Court in August, he said: “I am in danger in prison. I’m afraid they will identify me as a soldier who completed a full military service. I’m afraid of dying here.”

This week, his family submitted a petition to the Supreme Court demanding that his remains be returned for burial. The filing states, “From a combat soldier in the IDF to an administrative detainee who died under mysterious circumstances.” The family added: “There is still to this day no reliable evidence that he committed a crime, and there is even no conclusion that the deceased was a ‘terrorist.'”

{Matzav.com}

Police in Netanya have arrested a 13-year-old boy after he was filmed setting a woman’s hair on fire aboard a public bus. According to police, officers located and detained the suspect shortly after video footage of the attack began circulating online. The clip shows the boy standing in the bus aisle as he quietly brings […]

Iran has been selected to serve as vice-chair of the United Nations Charter Committee, a body tasked with addressing the core tenets of the UN Charter and examining proposals to “strengthen the Charter,” prompting criticism from Israel’s envoy to the UN.

The decision was finalized during the committee’s opening session, where members approved the leadership lineup as part of a broader agreement on the panel’s executive structure. The slate was adopted by consensus, without the need for a formal vote.

The Charter Committee operates under the umbrella of the UN’s Legal Committee and meets annually. Although it is intended to focus on issues tied to the foundational framework of the United Nations, its requirement for unanimous agreement has often limited its ability to advance concrete initiatives. In recent years, the forum has increasingly served as a stage for political disputes, including pointed attacks on Israel.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, condemned Iran’s elevation to the vice-chair position. “This is a moral absurdity. A country that systematically violates the basic principles of the UN cannot sit in a leadership position that deals with strengthening them. The UN cannot continue to grant legitimacy to regimes that violate the very principles of its own charter.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing reductions to the NYPD as a key cost-saving measure as his administration looks to rein in spending amid what he describes as a historic budget crisis. Mamdani has moved to cancel a series of executive orders signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams. Among the canceled initiatives was […]

POWERFUL BRACHA: HaRav Asher Weiss shlit”a, a world-renowned Rosh Kollel, Posek and Av Beis Din gives a powerful bracha from the depth of his heart for all those who donate to the Purim campaign for poor families in Israel: “Hashem should fulfill what your heart desires for the good” CLICK HERE TO DONATE: https://thechesedfund.com/kupahsheltzedaka/fulfill-the-mitzvah-matanos-l-evyonim-in-eretz-yisroel-on-purim-day?aff=4007

Crews found the bodies of eight backcountry skiers near California’s Lake Tahoe and were searching for one more after they were caught in an avalanche, the nation’s deadliest in nearly half a century, authorities said Wednesday. Authorities said the skiers had little time to react. “Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘Avalanche!’ and it overtook them […]

For those not in the sports world, sports has transitioned and evolved within Israel. Leagues have hosted players and athletes from all over the world, of all religions, cultures, and backgrounds. Hockey is no different. And this Sunday, the NY Islanders hockey team is proud to welcome Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for their USA Challenge […]

A Palestinian activist accused of making antisemitic statements and leading anti-Israel protests at Columbia University will not be deported from the United States after an immigration judge ruled that the federal government failed to meet its burden of proof. Immigration Judge Nina Froes determined that the Department of Homeland Security did not provide sufficient admissible […]

President Trump has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford — the largest and most advanced warship ever built — to deploy to the Middle East, accompanied by a substantial contingent of aerial refueling aircraft and top-tier fighter jets, according to published reports. The sweeping reinforcement of American military assets marks the clearest signal yet that Trump may be positioning the United States for significant military action against Iran if ongoing negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and its harsh suppression of protesters collapse.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departed the Atlantic on Tuesday and is en route to the Strait of Gibraltar, the key gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, USNI reported. Once in the region, it is expected to link up with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, creating a formidable dual-carrier presence as Washington presses Iran in high-stakes nuclear talks.

As the most technologically sophisticated carrier in the US fleet and the largest ever constructed, the Ford is capable of deploying more than 75 aircraft. Its air wing includes F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, F/A-18F Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets designed to jam enemy radar systems. The carrier strike group is escorted by three guided-missile destroyers — the USS Bainbridge, the USS Mahan, and the USS Winston Churchill.

Prior to this deployment, the Ford had been stationed in the Caribbean Sea since mid-November, supporting US naval operations tied to Trump’s broader regional initiatives in South America.

The carrier’s reassignment is part of a broader surge of American forces into the Middle East, as Trump continues to signal that military strikes remain a viable option if diplomacy with Tehran falters. In addition to the Lincoln strike group, the US currently has four destroyers operating in the Arabian Sea and three more positioned in the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Delbert Black is deployed in the Red Sea, while two additional combat ships are stationed in the Persian Gulf.

The air component of the buildup is equally substantial. According to Axios, more than 50 US fighter jets were transferred to the region on Tuesday alone. Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft include F-16 Falcons, F-22 Raptors, and F-35 fighters. The F-35s, in particular, are equipped with stealth technology that could enable them to penetrate Iranian airspace undetected by local air defense systems.

These aircraft will reinforce other US warplanes that have been dispatched in recent weeks, including strike fighters based in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Defense analysts previously told The Post that the scale of the deployment would give the United States the capability to carry out deep-penetration airstrikes inside Iran while simultaneously shielding American forces and regional allies from retaliation.

Tehran has issued repeated warnings that any US attack would be met with counterstrikes against American troops and allied targets. Earlier this week, Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz to conduct live missile exercises, underscoring the rising tensions in the region.

Anti-Israel media figure Tucker Carlson is facing fresh criticism after claiming he and his staff were “detained” by Israeli authorities during a brief visit to the country, a trip that ended almost as soon as it began and raised further questions about his intentions and credibility. Carlson flew into Tel Aviv on Wednesday for a […]

Bereaved parents from the Din V’Tzedek Forum arrived this morning at a left-wing protest encampment near the Knesset and fiercely objected to activists using photos of their murdered children as part of a political campaign against the government, Arutz Sheva reported. The parents expressed outrage over the use of their loved ones’ images on protest […]

Residents of the French town of Les Ponts-de-Cé worked to build makeshift barriers in an effort to keep floodwaters from the nearby Loire River out of their homes after days of heavy rain caused the river to overflow.

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended after two hours in Geneva, with President Zelenskiy calling them ‘difficult’ and accusing Russia of delaying progress toward ending the four-year war.