Feed aggregator

An unusual notice posted this week inside the Ponevezh Yeshiva dormitory in Bnei Brak has stirred conversation among the bochurim, as the yeshiva temporarily suspended its longstanding early-morning wake-up system amid internal tensions over daily schedules.

The dramatic message, which appeared on the dormitory door at the start of the week, informed students that the yeshiva’s designated vekker—the individual responsible for waking bochurim before Shacharis—would not be coming as of Monday “until further notice.”

In major yeshivos, the role of vekker is traditionally filled by a devoted bochur or yungerman appointed by the administration. His duty is to walk through the dorm rooms, and ensure the bochurim are up in time to begin the day properly.

Talmidim at Ponevezh were taken by surprise to discover that the yeshiva’s management has halted this system entirely. The notice instructed them to assume full personal responsibility for their mornings: “Everyone should make sure to wake himself—and his friends.” It concluded with the pointed message now echoed throughout the yeshiva: “Know that it depends on you alone.”

For now, Ponevezh has no officially appointed vekker. Typically, this is a respected and sought-after role entrusted to a standout bochur, but the position is currently open. Anyone interested in taking on the responsibility is expected to speak directly with the hanhalah.

{Matzav.com}

A coalition of ninety one-time House members is pushing congressional leadership to advance a comprehensive ban on individual stock ownership and trading by sitting lawmakers and their families. Their appeal, unveiled Tuesday, calls on Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to fast-track the Restore Trust in Congress Act and bring it to the floor this year.

Their message urges the House’s top Republican and Democrat to anchor the measure to any essential legislative package, insisting they “strongly recommend attaching this legislation to a ‘must pass’ package before the conclusion of the year.” The signatories span Democrats, Republicans, and independents, reflecting broad bipartisan agreement among those no longer in office.

The group described the bill as the culmination of years of efforts to rein in congressional stock trading, arguing that its adoption “would eliminate the persistent appearance of insider trading among members of Congress.” They pointed to the erosion of public confidence in Washington and referenced surveys showing that Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly back restrictions on stock trades by lawmakers.

Their letter also highlighted a Wall Street Journal review that documented a burst of trading activity by lawmakers and relatives in early April, shortly before markets dived following President Trump’s sweeping tariff move. They raised this as evidence of why tougher guardrails are overdue.

“As former members of Congress from both parties, we’re deeply committed to the ongoing health of our democracy and the institution of Congress,” the letter stated. It continued, “The American people understand that our elected lawmakers cannot be both the referee and the player – that presents a clear conflict of interest. Even the appearance of self-dealing does damage.”

The Restore Trust in Congress Act sets strict limits, barring legislators, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing, holding, or selling individual stocks, securities, or futures—with a few narrow exceptions. Investments such as mutual funds, ETFs, municipal bonds, and treasuries would remain permitted.

Under the proposal, current lawmakers would be required to unwind any prohibited investments within 180 days of the bill becoming law. Newly elected members would have 90 days to divest. The legislation additionally empowers the legislative ethics office to impose tougher penalties and enforce compliance more aggressively.

{Matzav.com}

A fierce political and legal storm erupted again this week after Leon Panetta weighed in on allegations of a second U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean. Speaking on CNN, Panetta did not mince words, insisting, “I don’t think there’s any question that that’s a war crime, if it happened in that way.” He emphasized that the matter now rests with congressional oversight, noting that “the Armed Services Committee in both the Senate and the House have indicated that they’re going to do a full investigation of this issue.”

Panetta continued by highlighting that Washington is bracing for differing interpretations of what occurred, especially after recent public comments by the president. “And I think that’s what’s needed, because, there’s obviously going to be a lot of different viewpoints, you heard what the president said. But, I think, ultimately it’s up to those committees to find out exactly what happened. And if it was a war crime, to make sure we hold people accountable,” he said.

The renewed pressure on the administration follows reports from CNN and The Washington Post that surfaced late last week, asserting that two survivors of an initial strike in September were killed in a subsequent U.S. attack. Lawmakers from both parties have since demanded clarity about what unfolded and who authorized the operation.

Against that backdrop, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly rejected the allegations, firing back at the reporting and accusing the media of distorting the facts. He blasted the coverage as “fake news,” setting off a wave of commentary across political circles.

Hegseth doubled down in a follow-up message posted on X, writing, “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.” He insisted the mission parameters have been clear from the outset, stating, “As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes.’ The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.”

The controversy now moves to Capitol Hill, where committees will determine whether the operation was within legal boundaries—or whether, as Panetta suggested, the incident demands accountability at the highest levels.

{Matzav.com}

Guinness World Records has notified an Israeli nonprofit that it is refusing to review any new submissions from both Israel and the Palestinian territories, according to a Channel 12 report.

The revelation came after Matnat Chaim, an organization renowned for facilitating altruistic kidney donations, reached out to Guinness about a massive event it is preparing in Jerusalem. The group is working on assembling 2,000 kidney donors in a single location — a spectacle it hoped would earn recognition in the next edition of the record book.

What the organization expected to be a routine inquiry instead turned into a disappointment. As Channel 12 reported, officials at Guinness explained that they are currently declining entries from Israel as well as from Gaza and the West Bank, meaning the charity’s planned photo of the historic gathering would not even be considered.

Rachel Heber, who heads Matnat Chaim, expressed deep frustration over the decision. She told Channel 12, “Israel is leading the whole world in this wonderful revolution of mutual responsibility in altruistic kidney donations. The fact that Guinness refuses to include the Israeli achievement that astonished the entire medical world is unacceptable.”

{Matzav.com}

Syrian media reports that Syrian security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1,250 landmines to Hezbollah. According to the reports, four local individuals involved in the smuggling attempt across the Syria–Lebanon border were arrested, and one additional suspect was neutralized during clashes with Syrian security forces.

A prominent Israeli charity says it has been abruptly shut out of Guinness World Records after the organization informed it that it is no longer accepting submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories. According to Channel 12, the nonprofit Matnat Chaim, which has helped transform Israel into a global leader in altruistic kidney donations, contacted […]

Hillary Clinton used her appearance at the Yisroel Hayom Conference in New York to deliver a stark warning about Israel’s deteriorating image among young Americans. In her conversation with journalist Yoav Limor, she lamented, “Israel has the worst PR of any group I have ever known. The story that needed to be told is not being told effectively, and I think it is only getting worse now.”

Clinton explained that while teaching at Columbia University after October 7, she saw firsthand how students were absorbing wildly skewed narratives about the attacks. She said, “We saw an almost organized effort to turn what happened into something unrecognizable. We began to understand that our students smart, educated, young where are they getting their information? From social media, especially TikTok.” She cautioned that such unfiltered consumption of manipulated content is a threat to democratic discourse, “whether in Israel or in the United States.”

She argued that the problem transcends party alignment and stems instead from a generational shift in how people — particularly the young — consume information. Clinton pointed to extremist voices on the right as proof that this isn’t a partisan phenomenon, saying, “When you hear Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes speak, they are part of the right. This isn’t Democrats versus Republicans; it is a generational issue.” And she underscored the scale of the challenge: “More than 50% of young people in America get their news from social media. They see short videos, some of them completely fabricated, and that is where they get their information.”

To demonstrate how this online ecosystem shapes political outcomes, she referenced the rise of New York legislator Zohran Mamdani. “He was a social media candidate that is exactly my point. Young people were the engine, from every background and every ethnic origin, who connected to him. The social media campaign was extremely effective,” she said.

Still, Clinton indicated that Israel is not without opportunities. She pointed to the durability of the Abraham Accords as proof that regional cooperation remains viable. “When the Abraham Accords were signed, I publicly supported them immediately. Even after October 7, you did not see the signatories abandoning them and that is proof that there are more optimistic scenarios for Israel in the region,” she said, adding that “it is critical to keep Iran on the back foot and stop chasing a nuclear deal.”

Clinton concluded with a direct appeal to Israeli leadership to revamp its global messaging strategy. “You must engage in the narrative. You must do a better job telling Israel’s story not only looking inward, but outward, and especially toward the younger generation,” she insisted. She also urged more dialogue-focused gatherings, reflecting, “I hope there will be more events like this one bringing people together and engaging in dialogue. It is important not to dismiss anyone before we have a chance for a conversation.”

{Matzav.com}

A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of throwing Molotov cocktails at the Los Angeles Federal Building, authorities said Tuesday. Nobody was hurt. Security guards heard a man yelling derogatory comments about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the downtown building on Monday, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. […]

In an unusual move, the mayor of Bat Yam issued a stark warning to residents about Iranian recruitment attempts. Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot released a rare video message at the request of the Shin Bet alerting residents that Iranian intelligence has been contacting Israelis directly through messages sent to their personal phones. According to […]

The Trump administration will not allow Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, to neglect Jews in the city, according to Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.

“If this mayor turns his back on the Jewish American community, President Trump will take decisive action and the weight of the Department of Justice will be in New York City,” Terrell told JNS. “I can guarantee you of that.”

U.S. President Trump held a civil press conference with Mamdani, who has said he would have Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu arrested if the premier comes to the city, after the two met in the Oval Office. The president called the meeting “very productive” and joked about the mayor-elect considering him a fascist.

Terrell told JNS that there is an “ongoing investigation” about a chaotic, antisemitic protest outside a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan last month.

“We don’t trust the city of New York to do the right thing,” he said.

Terrell told JNS that he doesn’t think Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, will pursue charges against protesters who blocked the synagogue’s front entrance, barring congregants from safely accessing the building.

The Trump administration “will not allow Jewish Americans to be denied their right to practice their religion,” Terrell said.

The Justice Department official said that time will tell whether Mamdani, whose press secretary responded to the protest by stating that synagogues shouldn’t host events that violate international law, will change his behavior once he becomes mayor.

“I don’t think there is any prior indication that Mamdani is going to protect Jewish Americans,” he told JNS.

Terrell told JNS that Northwestern University’s $75 million settlement with the Trump administration over a probe that included alleged Jew-hatred was the result of a “full frontal attack” to eradicate antisemitism on campus.

“We’re expanding our efforts to K-12,” he said.

Some schools have been turning to courts to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze grant money and to push punishing settlements. Terrell said Trump has a high rate of success in the U.S. Supreme Court, even as some lower-level court decisions have gone against the administration.

“I can guarantee you that President Trump is going to pursue every avenue legally, and if it takes going to the Supreme Court, he will do it,” Terrell said. “That’s why these universities, before they get to the Supreme Court, many of them will try to resolve these cases.”

If anything, the Trump administration isn’t sufficiently aggressive, according to Terrell.

“These universities have been used to indoctrinate hate, and now they’re targeting K-12, and what I feel is that if there’s going to be a settlement, let’s make sure there’s safeguards in place where kids, students, faculty members and anyone of the Jewish religion are not to be intimidated or harassed,” he said.

The Trump administration began pursuing cases against Ivy League schools and large university systems, such as the University of California, to “provide a deterrent effect,” but it is well aware of problems at smaller and lesser-known schools.

“This phone never stops ringing, because there are problems all over,” Terrell said.

He added that his task force is working on a “50-state rapid response, to make sure we go where the problem is and not ignore any state, any city,”

“I will submit to you that a lot of local mayors, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, they don’t even know how to address antisemitic behavior,” he said. “They don’t record it properly in their criminal reports.”

The task force, which Terrell said aims to set up “policies and doctrine” for the Justice Department but isn’t involved in litigation, is trying to codify policies on Jew-hatred so they will have a longer shelf-life than the executive orders the president signs. The panel is also meeting with members of Congress to discuss its projects.

“We want to make sure legislation is in place, to make sure not just Jewish Americans, but all Americans are protected in their protected class status and religious freedom,” he said. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Two former premiers — Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and former prime minister Naftali Bennett — issued searing video statements on Tuesday accusing the government of advancing a “deceptive” and “dangerous” draft law that would all but guarantee ongoing exemption of Chareidi men from military service. Netanyahu had been scheduled to deliver a primetime address defending […]

President Donald Trump used an early morning post on Tuesday to urge Republican governors nationwide to shift their states toward paper-only voting, praising Texas counties that have already moved in that direction. “Great news! Dallas County, Texas, just went to all PAPER BALLOTS,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Many others are following suit! More accurate, totally secure with watermark paper, FASTER, and only 9% of the cost. All Republican Governors should mandatorily do this. Save Money and Freedom. Lead the Democrats out of their corrupt ways! President DJT.”

His comments come as Texas Republicans mount a broader effort to overhaul how primary elections are conducted. Because state law gives political parties control over their own primaries, GOP officials in several counties are attempting to move away from machine tabulation and instead count ballots by hand during next March’s elections.

The push has already taken hold in multiple parts of Texas. GOP leaders in Dallas, Hays, Eastland, and Gillespie counties have already adopted paper-only, hand-counting plans for the upcoming primary. Orange County Republicans approved a similar shift this past summer, signaling that the movement has been gaining momentum among local party activists.

While primary elections are generally managed by county election departments on behalf of both parties, some Republican officials are now opting to run their own precinct-level voting operations and discard scanning equipment on Election Day.

The Texas Tribune reports that election officials in Collin, Williamson, and Bastrop counties have begun modifying their systems and procedures as part of their compliance with a Trump executive order issued in March. That order sought to sharply curtail the use of voting machines that rely on barcodes or QR codes to expedite tabulation of paper ballots.

Across the country, many states already use paper ballots as the foundation of their election systems, whether hand-marked or produced through ballot-marking devices. But those ballots are typically fed into optical scanners, a method the National Conference of State Legislatures notes is still considered paper-based—though not strictly “paper-only”—because the actual counting is automated rather than manual.

{Matzav.com}

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cited the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in early September. During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said he did not see any survivors in the water when the second strike was ordered and launched, […]

During a Cabinet session on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered a blistering assessment of what she said was rampant visa and benefits fraud tied to Minnesota, asserting that the administration is preparing aggressive steps to recover federal funds and expel individuals she claims are in the country unlawfully. “You told me to look into Minnesota and their fraud on visas and their programs. Fifty percent of them are fraudulent,” Noem told President Donald Trump in remarks broadcast live on Newsmax.

Noem went even further in her criticism of Gov. Tim Walz, directing sharp words toward the state’s top executive. “That wacko Governor Walz either is an idiot or he did it on purpose. And I think he’s both, sir,” she said, arguing that policies under his watch had paved the way for what she characterized as systemic abuse.

According to Noem, federal investigators uncovered cases involving immigrants in Minnesota “were married to somebody who was their brother or somebody else,” which she cited as part of what she described as “fraudulent visa applications” used to secure various government benefits. She alleged that Walz’s approach to immigration oversight “brought people in there illegally that never should have been in this country,” leading to a landscape where fraudulent claims “took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers.”

She declared that the administration intends to “remove them” and “get our money back,” adding that the coming year would see the appointment of officials who “love this country and have its back.”

Her statements align with recent enforcement priorities laid out by federal immigration authorities, who have singled out Minnesota as a focal point of ongoing investigations into alleged immigration and benefits fraud.

On Nov. 24, the Department of Justice announced that 78 individuals had been charged in connection with misuse of the federal Child Nutrition Program under the now-defunct Feeding Our Future initiative. Prosecutors have described the case as the nation’s largest instance of COVID-19-era fraud.

Separately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported this fall that a Minnesota-based initiative known as “Operation Twin Shield” identified 275 suspected fraud cases in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region. Local accounts have described allegations of both visa-related misconduct and sham marriages as part of the broader investigation.

{Matzav.com}

Someone dies by suicide every eleven minutes in the United States and it is reported to be the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 10 to 34. Men are four times as likely to die by suicide as women, and the most vulnerable age group is those 75+. This is in contrast to […]

UN Passes Two Resolutions Targeting Israel * Golan Heights Resolution – The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights. The measure passed with 123 in favor, 7 against, and 41 abstentions. * Palestinian Resolution – A separate resolution supporting a “peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” […]

BREAKING: President Trump has formally voided all Biden autopen documents, pardons, and commutations.

USDA secretary threatens to cut funding to blue states over alleged SNAP data noncompliance • U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to cut off federal funding to Democratic-leaning states over what she alleged is their refusal to share SNAP program data with the Trump administration. • The administration “will begin to stop moving federal funds […]

ChatGPT outage: OpenAI’s chatbot is down for some users • OpenAI’s AI chatbot ChatGPT was down for some users Tuesday. • The company said it was “currently experiencing issues” but has applied a mitigation, according to its status page. • Roughly 3,000 people reported issues with the chatbot on Tuesday, according to Downdetector.

TRUMP: We had a very productive call with President Lula of Brazil. Among the things discussed were trade, how our countries could work together to stop organized crime, sanctions imposed on various Brazilian, dignitaries, tariffs, and various other items.