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Singer Meidad Tasa—once one of the most iconic child performers in the golden era of Jewish music—celebrated his 32nd birthday on the program “Ba Ba’Arba,” where he sat down for a candid conversation with host Kobi Brummer. The two spoke openly about Tasa’s personal growth, his musical aspirations, his struggle with stage fright, and the emotional legacy left behind by his late brother.

Brummer opened the interview by admitting he struggled to believe Tasa had reached age 32. Tasa laughed and replied, “People always said I look young, but I’ve learned a lot about life. I’m at the age of ‘lev’—thirty-two… I feel like my heart has become stronger.” He said that although he has matured personally and professionally, “I still feel like the same kid—just with more experience and stability.”

During the discussion, Tasa revealed the classic song he dreams of reviving. “‘Adon Olam,’ the greatest of them all… a song people loved that somehow disappeared,” he said. He hinted that he will soon release a special rendition of another piece but declined to reveal which one.

The singer also offered advice to anyone facing stage fright. According to him, fear comes from uncertainty. “We’re afraid of the unknown. The first step is to acknowledge the fear. When you ignore it, you stay stuck,” he explained.

In one of the most emotional moments of the interview, Tasa spoke about his brother Aviel, who tragically passed away in a mikvah in Bnei Brak. “He was a true tzaddik. He immersed in the mikvah every day, he learned in the Beis Shmaya yeshiva, he ran a charity fund, and he used to strengthen students without anyone knowing,” Tasa said. He shared that he often bought his brother new tzitzis, and that Aviel left him with a lasting message: treat every person with dignity. “At big concerts, I would stop and listen to a child asking for something. That came from him. That’s my only real possession—the way you treat another human being.”

As the interview wrapped up, Tasa was asked about the musical figures who shaped his style. “I took something from everyone,” he said. “From Avraham Fried, I learned vocal control and stage presence. From Chaim Yisrael, the old-style Mizrachi trills.”

What would he have done if he hadn’t become a singer? Tasa answered without hesitation: “I would want to be a pianist. To play, play, play—and forget about the world.” Torah study in kollel, he said, is his life’s anchor, but music—especially the piano—gives him a space for creativity, expression, and emotional breath.

{Matzav.com}

A direct and unusually sharp confrontation erupted Thursday evening between Supreme Court Justice Yitzchak Amit and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, after Amit delivered a forceful speech accusing Levin of orchestrating “a campaign to harm the judicial branch.” Levin answered swiftly with his own pointed rebuke: “What did you think would happen when you put yourself above the law?”

The dispute surfaced at a conference on public law, where Amit criticized Levin for refusing to recognize his appointment as president of the Supreme Court — an appointment made in defiance of statutory procedures. According to Amit, the minister’s refusal to cooperate reflects an intentional effort to undermine the judiciary, citing Levin’s own earlier remark: “What was built here over decades takes time to dismantle, it doesn’t end in one day.” Amit added, “The words speak for themselves.”

Amit opened his remarks by warning that “the attack on the judicial system continues in full force.” Reflecting on the recent ruling striking down the Reasonableness Law, he compared the country’s constitutional instability to a democracy caught in a dangerous spiral, saying that Israel’s democratic system “has entered a turbulent vortex from which we have not yet emerged.”

While emphasizing that public criticism of the courts is legitimate and essential, he noted that dissent must not morph into direct obstruction. He condemned what he described as coordinated efforts to disrupt hearings, saying: “Unfortunately, in these days, we are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon of attempts — organized and timed — to interfere with and disrupt hearings in the courtrooms.” Such actions, he said, ultimately harm the public seeking fair and thorough judicial review.

Amit revealed that earlier this week, the court authorized restrictions on public attendance in hearings likely to be disrupted, explaining that when a hearing is broadcast and there is risk of interference, “it will be possible to restrict admission to the courtroom.”

He argued that personal attacks on judges have replaced substantive legal discourse, warning that the rise of online speech has flattened public understanding into simplistic slogans. He described some of the rhetoric directed at judges as “verbal violence” and said it is being used deliberately to weaken judicial independence. These attacks, he argued, are part of “a broader campaign to erode and harm judicial independence.”

Amit then accused Levin of directly contributing to this erosion by boycotting Israel’s top court for more than a year: “For about a year and a half, the justice minister has been boycotting the judicial system, and by doing so, he is boycotting the Israeli public that turns to the courts.” Amit said he repeatedly urged Levin to return to professional cooperation, but these attempts received “no response — not a sisterly hand, but a turned back.”

Levin’s response was immediate and scathing. Addressing Amit directly, he opened: “Respect democracy, and I will be the first to respect you.”

He accused Amit and other senior judges of illegally seizing control of the Judicial Selection Committee. “Justice Yitzchak Amit, what did you think would happen when you and your colleagues, in an unlawful order, took over the committee for selecting judges?” Levin asked. He said Amit prevented examination of serious complaints against him and “imposed on the citizens of Israel a ‘president’ of a court who tramples again and again the majority of the public.”

“You place yourself and your colleagues above the law. Everything is permitted for you,” Levin charged, adding that Amit blocked investigative committees in key scandals and fostered a culture of mutually protective behavior: “Close for me and I’ll close for you.”

Levin turned Amit’s earlier criticism on its head, saying: “There was one thing you said tonight that was correct: I really am dismantling. I am dismantling brick by brick the fortress of lies in which you and your colleagues sit. But I am also building — rebuilding the judicial system as it was in its days of greatness.”

He ended with a final challenge: “Every compromise offered to you, you dismissed with contempt. So I will nevertheless offer another compromise proposal: Respect democracy, and I will be the first to respect you.”

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic escape attempt by members of the radical Lev Tahor cult was thwarted at a U.S. airport late Wednesday night, when two families — four adults and five young children — were taken into custody by undercover FBI agents just moments before boarding a flight to Guatemala.

According to officials, the group had landed back in the United States only two days earlier after being expelled from Colombia. In an effort to avoid detection while arranging their next move, the adults reportedly swapped the radical cult’s distinctive clothing for traditional chassidic attire. They successfully passed passport control and routine airport security checks before agents intervened at the gate.

Footage from the scene showed the group being escorted out of the terminal by law enforcement.

Their arrest comes on the heels of a major international operation. On November 23, Colombian authorities announced the detention of nine adult members of Lev Tahor along with 17 minors. Immigration officials explained that five of the rescued children — all of whom hold Canadian, American, or Guatemalan citizenship — had been flagged by Interpol under a yellow notice due to fears of kidnapping, human trafficking, or exploitation.

Five days later, Colombia confirmed that the adults and all 17 minors had been deported to the United States. A spokesperson for Colombia’s immigration agency said that several children from the group were also transported back to the U.S. on the same flight and handed over to American child-protection services. Colombian police accompanied them onboard.

Local security officials revealed additional concerns uncovered during the probe. Members of Lev Tahor had reportedly planned to settle on a remote private property in Yaromal, a move that could have severely hindered rescue efforts. “Their intention was to disappear onto private land,” a security source said, adding that the plan raised “serious concerns.”

After the deportation, two of the families made a quick attempt to flee again — this time to Guatemala — but were intercepted at the last possible moment. Authorities say further investigations are underway.

{Matzav.com}

Revelations of more than a billion dollars in welfare fraud across Minnesota have ignited sharp questions about what Rep. Ilhan Omar knew regarding the massive schemes carried out within the Somali community she represents. The scope of the theft — sprawling across programs meant to help vulnerable families — has intensified scrutiny of Omar’s long-standing associations with individuals and groups now implicated in the investigations.

Multiple reports note that Omar has maintained close relationships with entities and figures tied directly to several of the fraud cases. The widening scandal, which implicates Minnesota’s expansive welfare network, has now surpassed the billion-dollar mark in misappropriated taxpayer funds.

One of the most glaring examples centers on Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, a gathering place Omar has used for campaign events and celebrations. That same establishment has been repeatedly referenced in investigative findings. Owners Salim Said and Aimee Bock, who were deeply involved in Omar’s orbit, were convicted for their central role in the Feeding Our Future scheme — a $250 million swindle siphoning off funds intended for children’s meals. Chadwick Moore of the New York Post reported that Omar not only celebrated her 2018 victory at the restaurant but also introduced the very legislation that enabled the scam. Despite those ties, she has insisted she had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.

In August, Said was convicted of stealing $12 million from food-aid allocations under the 2020 MEALS Act — legislation Omar authored and championed as it sailed through Congress with bipartisan backing. Footage even surfaced of Omar promoting the program inside Safari Restaurant, praising the initiative that fraudsters later exploited.

Another troubling link comes from within her own political team. Guhaad Hashi Said, a Democrat activist who served on Omar’s campaign from 2018 to 2020, admitted to masterminding a sham nonprofit called Advance Youth Athletic Development. Claiming to feed 5,000 children, he secured $3.2 million in fraudulent funding. Throughout his tenure, Said was heavily involved in turnout operations for the Somali community and frequently appeared alongside Omar.

Financial ties also emerged as part of the scandal. Omar accepted donations from several individuals later charged in the schemes, though in 2022 she returned $7,400 in contributions traced back to those convicted. Nonetheless, she has continued to insist she had no awareness of any criminal activity.

As the fallout grows, Omar has attempted to reframe public criticism as an attack on the Somali community. She recently published an op-ed in the New York Times, brushing aside Trump’s condemnation of the billion-dollar theft and labeling his concerns as “bigotry.” Outraged over his comment describing her and large numbers of unassimilated Somali migrants as “garbage,” she accused him of attempting to “silence” Black and Muslim “newcomers.”

In the op-ed, she asserted: “He fails to realize how deeply Somali Americans love this country. We are doctors, teachers, police officers and elected leaders working to make our country better. Over 90 percent of Somalis living in my home state, Minnesota, are American citizens by birth or naturalization. Some even supported Mr. Trump at the ballot box.”

Omar continued denouncing Trump’s “dehumanizing” remarks, insisting that Somali migrants care profoundly about the United States. Yet she did not confront the vast fraud schemes carried out within her community nor the allegations of millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars being funneled by Somali networks to the terror group Al-Shabaab.

The unanswered questions — and the scale of the fraud — ensure the pressure on Omar will only intensify.

{Matzav.com}

CNN found itself in an awkward spotlight after an on-air description by host Jake Tapper was immediately contradicted by his own broadcast. While introducing new developments in the Washington, D.C., pipe-bomb investigation, Tapper referred to the suspect as a white man—only for his program moments later to display images showing otherwise.

Tapper had told viewers, “Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old white man from the D.C. suburbs, is charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and with malicious destruction by means of explosion.” But the footage that followed clearly showed a black man identified as the same suspect, prompting swift attention to the discrepancy.

Authorities have stated that the man in question, Brian Cole Jr., was taken into custody and faces a series of federal charges. As Breitbart News noted, Cole was “arrested and charged with placing the pipe bombs at the RNC and the DNC on January 5, 2021.” The outlet further reported, “He was also charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and the attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, with more charges likely to result from the ongoing investigation.”

Investigators reportedly connected Cole to the bomb locations nearly five years after the incident. Officials used license-plate readers along with cell-tower data to place him near both party headquarters on the day the devices were planted.

In a statement marking the arrest, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the significance of finally breaking the case. “Today’s arrest was the result of good, diligent police work and collaboration on a case that languished for four years under the prior administration,” she said. “The American people are safer thanks to this morning’s successful operation.”

{Matzav.com}

The Supreme Court stepped in on Thursday and allowed Texas to move ahead with its newly drawn congressional map, a ruling that hands Republicans a significant political edge heading into the 2026 midterms and potentially delivers them up to five additional House seats.

Texas had asked the justices to freeze a three-judge district court ruling that struck down the map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The high court granted that request in an unsigned order, prompting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to declare victory. “Texas is paving the way as we take our country back, district by district, state by state,” he said. “This map reflects the political climate of our state and is a massive win for Texas and every conservative who is tired of watching the left try to upend the political system with bogus lawsuits.”

The Supreme Court suggested Texas is likely to prevail when the case returns for full review. According to the order, the state met the “traditional criteria for interim relief,” and the lower court committed “at least two serious errors” in tossing the map. The majority faulted the judges for refusing to apply the standard presumption that lawmakers act in “good faith,” insisting that ambiguous evidence was improperly construed “against the legislature.”

The justices also said that challengers should have faced a “dispositive or near-dispositive” adverse inference because they did not submit their own alternative map—one that would accomplish Texas’ stated partisan objectives without the racial characteristics they objected to.

Timing also carried enormous weight. With the candidate-filing deadline arriving on Sunday, the majority quoted earlier decisions warning that lower courts “should ordinarily not alter the election rules on the eve of an election.” They concluded that the district court had “improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign,” disrupting election processes and disturbing the “delicate federal-state balance in elections.” The ruling keeps the Texas map intact for 2026 as long as the state promptly files its appeal.

Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, issued a separate opinion asserting that partisan strategy—not race—was the true motivation behind the Texas plan. He wrote that it is “indisputable” that the “impetus for the adoption of the Texas map (like the map subsequently adopted in California) was partisan advantage pure and simple.” He added that the usual “clear-error” deference did not apply because the district court “based its findings upon a mistaken impression of applicable legal principles.”

Alito argued that because political affiliation and racial demographics often correlate, racial-gerrymander claims can “easily” be weaponized “for partisan ends.” As a result, he said challengers must “disentangle race and politics” by offering an alternative map that produces the same partisan balance. Since the plaintiffs’ experts never did that, he concluded the record supported a “strong inference that the State’s map was indeed based on partisanship, not race.”

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a blistering dissent. She maintained that the three-judge panel had done “everything one could ask” to resolve the dispute and accused the majority of discarding the rigorous “clear-error” standard in favor of a rushed review “based on its perusal, over a holiday weekend, of a cold paper record.” She warned that the ruling “guarantees that Texas’s new map, with all its enhanced partisan advantage, will govern next year’s elections” and “disserves the millions of Texans whom the District Court found were assigned to their new districts based on their race.”

Texas House Democrats blasted the decision on X, writing that “the Supreme Court failed Texas voters today, and they failed American democracy. Every Texan who testified against these maps should be angry. Every community that fought for generations to build political power and watched Republicans gerrymander it away should be angry. Democrats will continue to fight.”

Across the country, the ruling is intensifying an already heated redistricting fight. President Donald Trump has urged GOP-led states to redraw maps mid-decade to secure the party’s House majority heading into 2026. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Utah have responded with newly approved maps, collectively positioning Republicans to gain as many as nine seats.

Meanwhile, Republican leaders in Florida and Indiana have launched redistricting discussions or special sessions, though internal disagreements and legal uncertainties have stalled final action.

Democrat-led states are maneuvering in response. California voters approved a constitutional amendment championed by Democrat leadership that temporarily sidelines the state’s independent redistricting commission and replaces its map with one expected to generate roughly five additional Democratic seats. In Virginia and Maryland, officials are exploring ways to circumvent or influence their own independent bodies as they consider maps that could add to their party’s tally, though those efforts remain early-stage and likely headed toward legal challenges.

The Texas ruling signals that the coming national battle over congressional districts is far from over—and that the Supreme Court is poised to play a decisive role in shaping the next electoral map of the United States.

{Matzav.com}

The BBC is rolling out compulsory education programs on both antisemitism and Islamophobia, marking the first stage of a new internal push to address bias within the corporation.

Outgoing Director-General Tim Davie wrote to employees, saying, “The BBC is for everyone, and we are clear that everyone working here should feel they belong. As an organization we stand united against any form of discrimination, prejudice, or intolerance.” He emphasized that the antisemitism module is already active and that the Islamophobia component will go live in February, with a six-month deadline for completion. “I know that everyone will be committed to the training, ensuring the BBC is a role model as an inclusive and tolerant workplace,” he added.

The initiative comes only after months of internal pressure. Over 200 Jewish employees and contributors submitted a letter titled “Being Jewish and working at the BBC,” in which they warned that the broadcaster had become “a safe space to be Jewish” no longer. They later followed up, accusing executives of offering “words not action” after the Board allegedly failed to investigate claims of antisemitism.

Jewish communal leaders had also raised the alarm. The Board of Deputies of British Jews met with BBC Chair Samir Shah, Davie, and senior staff to discuss everything from antisemitism to persistent concerns about BBC Arabic and the network’s Middle East reporting. Board President Phil Rosenberg explained, “Over the last 18 months, the Board of Deputies’ engagement with the BBC has focused on the urgent need for change in both culture and content at the Corporation. We have always said that a key component of the cultural change required is a proper understanding of contemporary antisemitism, provided by credible organisations.”

Advocacy groups welcomed the new training, though many noted that it was long overdue. Danny Stone MBE of the Antisemitism Policy Trust stated, “Against a backdrop of rising antisemitism in the UK and across the globe, staff at our national broadcaster must understand how to spot and tackle anti-Jewish racism and support colleagues who face it. This training will assist in that effort.”

Dr. Dave Rich MBE from the Community Security Trust echoed that sentiment, remarking: “The BBC has faced serious challenges in its handling of antisemitism, but we have been encouraged by the open and collaborative way in which they have worked with CST, APT and their own Jewish staff to develop this important training.”

The network’s credibility has taken hit after hit over the past several years, especially regarding its coverage of Israel. The backlash intensified after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre, with critics pointing to a pattern of deeply flawed reporting. One notorious example came in November 2023, when the corporation apologized for wrongly alleging that IDF troops had deliberately targeted medical personnel at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital. Months earlier, the BBC had asserted—again incorrectly—that Israel caused a deadly hospital explosion later proven by the IDF to have been triggered by an Islamic Jihad rocket. The BBC ultimately acknowledged that “it was false to speculate” about the blast.

The problems didn’t stop there. Earlier this year, the broadcaster found itself under renewed scrutiny after discovering that a narrator in the BBC documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was the son of a senior Hamas figure. Following widespread condemnation, the BBC conceded that the film contained “serious flaws.”

Amid the mounting controversies, Davie recently announced that he would step down, a decision that followed public outrage over an edited broadcast of President Donald Trump’s January 6, 2021 remarks. He will stay at the helm until his replacement is chosen.

{Matzav.com}

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Bibi Netanyahu released an English-language video Thursday night, using the platform to sharply criticize the legal case against him and accuse prosecutors of running a political campaign under the guise of justice.

In discussing Case 1000, Netanyahu ridiculed the very premise of the allegations, declaring it the “Bugs Bunny trial.” He argued that the central claim — that he improperly benefited from media treatment — never held water. “I am accused of receiving favorable press coverage from a second-rate internet site,” Netanyahu said. He added, “that’s the so-called ‘bribe.’ Except, as the trial progressed, it turned out that I didn’t get favorable press coverage, I got unfavorable press coverage.”

Netanyahu went on to say that the judges themselves questioned the bribery claim years ago. According to him, “Yes, it’s a political trial,” and he insisted, “They’re not interested in justice, they’re interested in getting me out of office.” He described the prosecution’s refusal to drop that portion of the indictment as further proof of political motivation.

He then shifted to the specific items referenced in the case, dismissing them as absurd. The standout example, he said, was a toy gift given decades ago. He remarked that one of the accusations centers on a Bugs Bunny figurine he received from Arnon Milchan nearly three decades earlier. “From now on, this trial will be known as the Bugs Bunny trial,” he announced.

Netanyahu acknowledged other gifts — cigars included — but blasted the charges as baseless, contending the entire matter is built on “idiodic charges.” He noted that the proceedings have already stretched across four years and may continue for several more, all while requiring his presence in court three times weekly.

In closing, Netanyahu argued that the drawn-out process is draining national energy and resources. “This farce is costing the country a lot,” he said, lamenting the time being taken from diplomatic and technological progress. “There’s big things to do – there are peace treaties to get, there’s AI and other technologies that are amazing, could change Israel, could change the Middle East, could change the world.”

Frustrated by what he sees as misplaced priorities in the justice system, he summed up his message bluntly: “That’s what this trial is about – Bugs Bunny and cigars. Ridiculous.”

{Matzav.com}

An Arabic-language report out of London is stirring anxiety within Hamas ranks, as Asharq Al-Awsat revealed that the organization is bracing for what it believes could be Israeli action targeting its senior operatives beyond the Middle East.

Following the attempted hit in Doha, the group’s figures living outside Gaza have dramatically escalated their own defense measures. One insider admitted there is “an assumption that Israel will continue to track them using sophisticated technology,” a concern now shaping every aspect of their movements.

The newspaper released what it said was an internal document outlining upgraded security protocols handed to Hamas leaders stationed overseas, reflecting the seriousness with which the organization is treating the threat.

The instructions emphasize that gatherings must no longer occur at recurring sites. Instead, leadership meetings should shift unpredictably, with both timing and location constantly altered to avoid patterns that could be traced.

Hamas officials were further told that all phones and electronic devices must stay no closer than 70 meters from any meeting zone. The document bars any electronic or medical item inside the room, explicitly naming air conditioners, smartwatches, routers, screens, and even intercom systems.

Before any discussion begins, operatives are now required to conduct comprehensive sweeps for concealed surveillance cameras, a final layer in a growing maze of precautions meant to shield the group from what it fears is an expanding Israeli reach.

{Matzav.com}

Vice President JD Vance is publicly disputing warnings from fellow Republicans who argue that antisemitism is taking root within parts of the political right, creating a sharp contrast between himself and figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz. While Cruz and others have been sounding increasingly urgent alarms, Vance insists the charge is unfounded and unfair.

In a broad interview with NBC News, Vance rejected the notion that conservatives are experiencing a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment. He portrayed the allegations as attacks on the party itself, insisting they amount to “slanderous” mischaracterizations. “When I talk to young conservatives, I don’t see some simmering antisemitism that’s exploding,” Vance said. He added, “In any bunch of apples, you have bad people … But it’s slanderous to say the Republican Party … is extremely antisemitic.”

Vance argued that the issue should be viewed through the lens of individual behavior rather than a pervasive cultural trend, noting that judging others based on “immutable characteristics” contradicts both religious and American values. His framing puts him at odds with Republicans who believe the shift is not only real but dangerous.

Cruz, who is positioning himself for a possible 2028 showdown with Vance, has been increasingly vocal about what he sees as a rising tide of hostility toward Jews among some conservative activists. He has pointed to several developments as evidence of a deeper problem, including young conservatives pressing Vance with antagonistic questions about Israel, the growing influence of Tucker Carlson, and rhetoric from segments of the populist right that echoes narratives typically associated with fringe ideologies.

Carlson — a close ally of Vance — plays a central role in Cruz’s critique. Carlson’s recent decision to feature a Holocaust denier on his podcast led to widespread condemnation, including from Cruz. Carlson has also advanced claims that members of the Jewish community view as deeply offensive, asserting that Jews control the banking system, Congress, and even President Donald Trump. He further accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza as it sought the release of hostages held by Hamas.

These perspectives have been amplified by influencers aligned with “New Right” and national conservative factions, many of whom cast Israel as a costly foreign entanglement or accuse Jewish American leaders of steering U.S. policy in unwanted directions. While they deny any discriminatory intent, many of the narratives they elevate overlap with long-standing antisemitic tropes.

Vance’s political alliances make it difficult to separate his posture from the broader movement reshaping parts of the right. His trip to Israel underscored that tension. Instead of offering the full-throated backing that had long characterized Republican support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vance adopted a more critical tone, highlighting what he described as policy missteps and raising questions about Israel’s approach to the conflict.

His stance reflects a growing shift among segments of the conservative base — one that diverges sharply from traditional Republican figures such as Cruz, Nikki Haley, Newt Gingrich, and Mike Pence, all of whom have maintained strong, unequivocal support for Israel.

Against that backdrop, Vance’s assurances that antisemitism is not gaining traction on the right place him squarely in the middle of a widening Republican debate. Even as he aligns with the populist wing, the lingering tensions within the broader movement — including within the orbit of President Donald Trump — make clear that the party is grappling with profound internal divisions over Israel, foreign policy, and the boundaries of public discourse.

{Matzav.com}

In a forceful and emotional shmuess delivered last night at Yeshivas Be’er Yitzchak in Telzstone, Rav Aviezer Piltz — rosh yeshiva of Tifrach and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah — lamented what he described as unprecedented persecution of lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisrael.

Rav Piltz opened his remarks with unusually strong chizuk, noting the spiritual greatness of learning Torah specifically under pressure. “There is a maalah to learning Torah in Eretz Yisrael when it is done amid fear, stress, and government persecution,” he told the packed beis midrash.

He then issued a striking comparison, contrasting Israel with countries historically hostile to Jewish practice. “For fifty or sixty years,” he said, “there has not been a place in the world where Torah learning was forbidden. Under Communism in Russia it was forbidden to learn Torah, but today in Russia people sit and learn Torah, and the government encourages them.” Rav Piltz then added pointedly, “Even in Iran it is permitted to learn Torah!”

Shifting to the spiritual roots of the crisis, Rav Piltz suggested that the animosity toward yeshiva students stems from jealousy. “I think the root is that they envy us,” he explained. “They ask themselves, ‘I am a Jew as well — why was I not privileged that my children should learn Torah too?’ They feel like a different nation.”

Rav Piltz concluded with words of praise and encouragement for the bochurim of Be’er Yitzchak. “This yeshiva is so important,” he said, adding warm admiration for its rosh yeshiva, Rav Menashe Avi’ezeri. He urged the talmidim to recognize the immense value of their learning during a time of national spiritual challenge.

{Matzav.com}

Talmidim, followers, and bnei Torah connected to the late rosh yeshiva, Rav Asher Deutsch zt”l, are expected to gather overnight and tomorrow at his kever on the eve of his first yahrtzeit.

Since his passing a year ago, the absence of Rav Asher has been deeply felt among his talmidim. Many are preparing to make the pilgrimage to his tziyun.

Late Wednesday night, a large crowd of close students and family members gathered for the ceremonial placement of Rav Asher’s matzeivah. This was done in strict adherence to his personal custom: Just as he waited the full twelve months before erecting the headstones of his own parents, so too was his matzeivah established only after the completion of the twelve months since his passing.

Alongside the pilgrimage to the cemetery, the Bnei Torah community announced a series of memorial gatherings to be held in yeshivos and shuls., These events will feature divrei hisorerus from the Peleg’s current leaders, Rav Azriel Auerbach and Rav Yonah Zelishinsky.

A newly published memorial booklet in honor of the rosh yeshiva includes essays on his lifelong dedication to teaching Torah and shaping students in the spirit of earlier gedolei Yisroel. Among the items reprinted is a letter (below) from Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, written as a heartfelt brocha on the occasion of Rav Asher’s wedding many decades ago.

{Matzav.com}

A BBC news team visited Yeshiva Kisei Rachamim as part of a broader report examining the proposed legislation that would formally regulate the status of lomdei Torah in Israel. After touring the batei midrash and observing the intensity of the learning, the journalists sat for an extended conversation with the rosh yeshiva, Rav Tzemach Mazuz, who addressed a wide range of issues dominating the public debate — from the arrests of yeshiva students, to extremist disruptions, to budget cuts for Torah institutions, to chareidi support for the prime minister.

Torah funding cuts: “For two thousand years of exile, did we ever get government money? No — and Torah endured.”

Asked about reductions in funding for yeshivos in the absence of a legal framework, Rav Mazuz responded with confidence rooted in faith. He noted that Chazal assure us that Torah will never be forgotten, and insisted that lomdei Torah would persist regardless of decrees. “Anu mivtachim mipi Hakadosh Boruch Hu shelo sishkach Torah mipi zaro,” he emphasized, explaining that parnassah ultimately does not come from budgets or ministries but from the Ribbono Shel Olam alone.

In a later recording, the rosh yeshiva recounted his exchange with the BBC reporters. They had asked: What will happen if the government cuts off all funding? Rav Mazuz said he answered simply: for two millennia in exile, Torah survived without government assistance. Pointing to ancient manuscripts in his office, he said, “The Torah endured! Even if the state provided nothing, Hakadosh Baruch Hu would provide. One who truly believes that the Almighty controls all forces can remain calm.”

Arrests of yeshiva students: “Even the Ben Ish Chai and the Vilna Gaon sat in prison — and they came through it.”

The BBC journalists also questioned what would happen if the High Court were to mandate jail time for anyone refusing army service. Rav Mazuz told them he laughed. “Baruch Hashem, an Israeli prison is not like a Soviet prison, no. During those twenty days, you receive glatt kosher food under badatz supervision — not Bagatz supervision,” he quipped. He noted that inmates are allowed to daven with a minyan and maintain a Torah lifestyle.

He reminded them that great Torah sages endured imprisonment and emerged unbroken. “The Ben Ish Chai was in prison. The Gaon of Vilna was in prison. They went through it — and so will we. But should that make us despair of Torah learning? Absolutely not. And I hope we never reach that point.”

The value of Torah learning: “This is our army — Torah and tefillah protect the soldiers.”

Rav Mazuz stressed that Torah learning is not merely spiritual practice but national protection. “Come here at one in the morning — half the yeshiva is still learning,” he told the BBC. “Through Torah, we protect the soldiers wherever they are. This is our army.”

He added that this belief has long been accepted by Israeli leaders: Torah and constant prayer are essential to the country’s success, no less than tanks or fighter jets. But, he said, “today, many in government and the Knesset have distanced themselves from religion. They say yeshiva boys are slackers — but in Tel Aviv there are tens of thousands who evade the draft. Why don’t they take them? Why target yeshiva students?”

On rising hostility toward religious Jews: “Hashem directs everything for the best.”

Asked how he views the intensifying hostility toward lomdei Torah, Rav Mazuz shared a broader perspective of emunah. He pointed to the unexpected political trajectory of President Donald Trump as an example of Divine planning. Though many were disappointed when Trump did not win a second consecutive term, Rav Mazuz said, “Hashem knew Hamas’s plans. Hashem wanted Trump in office now. He preserved him for the period in which we would need him most.”

“The world is directed by the Creator, and He runs everything in the best way.”

On extremist violence: “This is not our way — these are fringe elements who will disappear.”

The BBC also raised the recent violent behavior of fringe youths targeting shluchai derabbanan. Rav Mazuz responded firmly: “Violence is not our path. You will not find one student from a yeshiva like ours in those protests.” He described the perpetrators as marginal extremists whose influence will fade. He emphasized that the chareidi public is committed to derech eretz, honoring Torah, and avoiding all forms of aggression.

On support for the prime minister: “He acted with wisdom on seven fronts of war.”

When asked whether it was better to support the current draft-law proposal even if it meant preserving Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, Rav Mazuz refrained from giving a specific political instruction. But he did praise Netanyahu’s conduct during the war, saying the prime minister managed simultaneous crises with intelligence and clarity.

He added that his family’s relationship with Netanyahu goes back decades: long before his first premiership, Netanyahu visited the office of Rav Mazuz’s late brother, the revered rosh yeshiva Rav Meir Mazuz zt”l, in the very room where the interview took place, to seek his blessing before an election. Rav Meir received him warmly and presented him with a Tehillim.

{Matzav.com}

A new Channel 14 survey released Thursday night paints a shifting political landscape, showing Naftali Bennett’s new party climbing sharply while United Torah Judaism loses strength and Yesh Atid remains stuck at the bottom.

According to the poll, conducted as part of the network’s main newscast, the right-wing bloc anchored by Likud continues to hold firm at 66 seats—unchanged from last week—while Bennett’s rising faction is drawing voters away from the Democrats led by Yair Golan.

Likud maintains its dominant position with 35 seats. The major movement is in second place, where Bennett’s new party, Bennett 2026, jumps by two seats to 12, overtaking several rivals. That gain appears to come largely at the expense of Golan’s Democrats, which fall back to 10 seats and slip into fourth place. Between them sit Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu, each holding steady at 11 seats.

UTJ loses one seat, dropping to 8. The centrist Yashar party remains unchanged with 7 seats, while Otzma Yehudit also rises slightly to 7. Religious Zionism stays stable at 5 seats. Ra’am and Hadash–Ta’al likewise receive 5 seats each. Yesh Atid continues to scrape the bottom with just 4 seats. Both Blue and White and Balad fail to cross the electoral threshold.

When divided into blocs, the overall picture mirrors last week: the right stands at 66 seats, the left at 44, and the Arab parties collectively reach 10.

In the question of who is most suitable to serve as prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu maintains a clear and commanding advantage with 54% support. Bennett follows with 23%, while Gadi Eisenkot polls at 11%. Yair Lapid receives 6%, Avigdor Lieberman 5%, and Benny Gantz trails the field at just 1%.

{Matzav.com}

During a visit to Yerushalayim for the wedding of a grandson of the Gerrer Rebbe, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, rov of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, paid a memorable call to the home of his brother-in-law, Rav Binyomin Dovid Elyashiv, rosh of the Tiferes Bachurim kollelim network, at his residence on Chana Street. The meeting quickly turned into a spirited exchange of Torah, memories, and captivating stories about Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l.

As Rav Zilberstein entered the study, he jokingly pointed to the well-worn shelves. “Who tore all the Gemaras?” he asked with a smile. Rav Binyomin Dovid responded that no one had done so—“they were worn through ameilus baTorah, from years of intense learning.”

He then recounted a visit of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the Yeshuos Moshe zt”l, to the home of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. As they debated a point from the Minchas Chinuch, a new edition of the sefer was brought to the table. Rav Elyashiv refused to look at it, insisting, “I want to see it in the old Minchas Chinuch, because in the old one it’s written the way it should be.”

The rabbanim exchanged warm greetings, speaking of the longing for the Geulah and the open miracles seen “every minute.” They soon immersed themselves in deep Torah discussion on Parshas Vayeitzei, with Rav Zilberstein remarking, “I am privileged to hear such beautiful insights.”

The conversation turned to the Tiferes Bachurim kollelim. Rav Elyashiv described the network’s growth: “Today Tiferes Bachurim has many branches across Eretz HaKodesh—there’s even one in Tzfas.” Rav Zilberstein asked about the main beis medrash in Meah Shearim, and Rav Elyashiv explained that the central location hosts multiple kollelim throughout the day, from early morning until close to midnight, including programs in halacha, iyun, Zeraim, and Taharos.

Rav Zilberstein then recalled an incident from the beis medrash. He had gone down to the Yeshua’s Yaakov shtiebelach for Mincha, where the chazzan davened with such speed that he accidentally skipped Kedusha. Confusion broke out. The question was brought to Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who ruled, “Close your siddurim and go home.” When asked whether the tzibbur needed to repeat the tefillah or hear chazaras hashatz, Rav Elyashiv answered that they did not, adding the startling statement: “One who davens such a tefillah is exempt from tefillah.” Rav Zilberstein emphasized the clarity and force of Rav Elyashiv’s psak: “Everything he said was a jewel.”

During the visit, Rav Zilberstein greeted Rebbetzin Elyashiv, who had recently returned home after surgery. She thanked Hashem for His kindness and noted that a granddaughter’s wedding was approaching. She also offered mazal tov to Rav Zilberstein on his own recent simchos. Rav Zilberstein responded warmly, “We are all children of one father,” and blessed the kallah when she was brought in for a brachah.

He shared a remarkable episode illustrating Rav Elyashiv’s fierce protection of the Rebbetzin’s honor. A doctor who had treated one of the children made an insensitive remark to her as he left the house. Rav Elyashiv overheard it, turned to the doctor, and said firmly, “You will not enter my home again. You have offended the Rebbetzin.” Realizing the gravity of his mistake, the doctor removed his shoes, sat on the floor, and accepted a form of self-imposed niddui. Seeing his sincere remorse, Rav Elyashiv immediately forgave him. After the doctor left, Rav Elyashiv instructed his son-in-law: “Go buy the most beautiful esrog in Bnei Brak and bring it to the doctor as a gift of reconciliation.” When the seller heard why it was being purchased, he insisted on giving the esrog for free. Rav Zilberstein explained that Rav Elyashiv would not accept gifts for himself without payment, “but this was for the doctor.” In the end, the doctor received both a magnificent esrog and permission to continue entering the Elyashiv home—along with a lifelong lesson in respectful speech.

Later in the visit, a participant asked Rav Zilberstein for a blessing that his daughter find a shidduch. Upon hearing that she was 23, the Rav smiled and replied, “In Ramat Elchanan, at that age they’re still jumping rope. No need for panic.” He then gave a heartfelt brachah.

Rav Zilberstein went on to recount the well-known story of Rebbetzin Chaya Musha a”h, mother of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who remained childless for many years. After a renowned physician in Vienna told her she would not have more children, she wept bitterly in the cellar so as not to distress her father, the Leshem. He nevertheless heard her crying and understood why. In response, he declared that in the merit of her sensitivity, “Next year you will hold a son who will illuminate the world”—a prophecy fulfilled with the birth of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

The conversation turned to the name Yosef Shalom itself. Rav Zilberstein asked whether the name hinted to the Ben Ish Chai and the Rashash. Rav Elyashiv noted that many people ask this question, and that Rav Elyashiv’s great-grandson had once asked him directly, to which he replied, “It’s very nice to say so, but if that is truly the reason, I do not know.” Rav Zilberstein observed that “the world says it,” and Rav Elyashiv added that the Ben Ish Chai himself tells a story of a chassid who named his son Yosef Shalom so that he should always bring peace. Rav Zilberstein suggested that in this sense, the name makes peace between Ashkenazim and Sephardim as well.

Before departing, Rav Zilberstein offered warm brachos that the household continue to bring honor to Torah and that the Rebbetzin merit much nachas. As he rose to leave, he began singing the niggun “Yehi hachodesh hazeh,” playfully changing the words to bless the home itself. Pausing by a picture of Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l, he remarked with a smile, “I see Reb Michel Yehuda telling me to stop singing and run home to learn Torah.”

As the visit concluded, Rav Elyashiv noted, “They say about my father-in-law that on Shabbos he looked like a different person—his face shone with the light of Shabbos.” Rav Zilberstein responded, “Certainly—everyone knew it.” The two then left together to daven Maariv at Tiferes Bachurim.

{Matzav.com}

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, widow of conservative leader and free-speech advocate Charlie Kirk, pushed back forcefully on claims that “gun violence” was the central cause of her husband’s assassination. She insisted that the tragedy points to something far deeper at work in American society. It’s “not a gun problem,” she emphasized, describing the underlying issue as “a deeply human” and “soul” problem.

During the closing segment of the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, journalist Andrew Sorkin broached the topic gently, asking, “I’m curious how you think, today, about gun violence in America, given what happened” to her husband. Erika Kirk responded with quiet resolve. “It’s a thoughtful question, and I wouldn’t wish upon anyone what I have been through, and I support the Second Amendment, as well. I do,” she said. “But there’s a bigger and much deeper conversation to all of that.”

She pointed to what counselors on college campuses repeatedly identify as the top struggles among students today. “If you go on a campus and you ask a counselor, ‘What is the number one or number two thing that these students are facing?’ They will always say, ‘Mental health, anxiety, depression.’ Those are usually the top three,” she explained.

According to Kirk, her husband spent years trying to help young people understand the central role of brain health in overall well-being. “What Charlie knew — and he was trying to explain to students on campus — was that you have to understand that brain health is so important,” she said, underscoring how he encouraged students to pay attention to daily habits. “How you eat, how you take care of yourself, how you nourish yourself, how you rest. And, to him, it was much more deeper and intricate.”

Reflecting on the broader implications of his death, she observed, “What I’ve realized through all of this is that you can have individuals that will always resort to violence.” She warned that the cultural climate has shifted in a dangerous direction. “And what I’m afraid of, is that we are living in a day and age where they think violence is the solution to them not wanting to hear a different point of view,” she said.

That tendency, she argued, has nothing to do with firearms themselves. “That’s not a gun problem. That’s that’s a deeply human problem. That is a soul problem. That is a mental, that is a very deeper issue,” she stated.

Her remarks come as many on the political left struggle with the implications of Kirk’s assassination. Despite years spent labeling him a “fascist” or “Nazi,” they have been reluctant to acknowledge that someone aligned with their worldview carried out the killing. In the wake of the murder, critics who normally reduce every tragedy to “gun violence” — often as a pretext to erode constitutional rights — openly celebrated the use of a firearm simply because the victim held conservative beliefs.

That reaction, observers noted, laid bare a moment of cultural and moral unraveling. It served as a sobering demonstration of what happens when political dehumanization mutates into justification for brutality.

Even more ironic were the examples of educators celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death — an alarming confirmation of the very problem he spent his career warning about: the rise of ideological radicalism throughout the American education system and the corrosive impact it has on students at every level.

{Matzav.com}

FDNY Fire Marshals have arrested 21-year-old Dominick Sacchetti in connection with a fire at a Staten Island ShopRite on November 26th. According to the criminal complaint, he now faces multiple charges, including arson, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief.