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Dear Matzav Inbox,

There is something deeply disturbing about the news that Lakewood, NJ families are now being asked to pay $945 per child for non-mandated busing, up from $385, and it has less to do with the LSTA itself than with the silence that has followed.

Over the last few years, when the Torah world in Eretz Yisroel faced a financial crisis, Klal Yisroel responded in a way that was truly extraordinary. Keren Olam HaTorah was established, gedolim traveled, askanim threw themselves into the effort, and gevirim stepped forward with enormous sums of money. Communities across America were mobilized because there was an understanding that families of bnei Torah could not possibly shoulder the burden themselves.

It was beautiful, and nobody should minimize what was accomplished. But watching what is happening now in Lakewood raises an uncomfortable question: Where is that same sense of urgency when the families being crushed are our own neighbors – or us?

The increase announced for non-mandated busing is not some minor adjustment that families can simply absorb. The cost is jumping from $385 to $945 per child. A family with three children using the service is suddenly looking at $2,835. With four children, it is $3,780. There are even larger mishpachos. For families already paying staggering tuition bills while dealing with the cost of housing, groceries, insurance, camps, clothing and everything else involved in raising a large family, where exactly is this money supposed to come from?

There are families in Lakewood who simply do not have it. WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY.

They are not poor enough to be the faces of a tzedakah campaign, and they are not wealthy enough to shrug off another few thousand dollars a year. They are the enormous middle of our community, the people who work hard, pay tuition, give whatever tzedakah they can, try not to complain, and somehow make the numbers work every month. Except eventually, the numbers stop working.

And that is why I would genuinely like to know: Where are all the askanim now? Where are the gevirim? Where are the people who can get ten major donors on a conference call and have a multimillion-dollar fund established by tomorrow morning when they decide that something is important enough?

Why isn’t there a fund being created right now to help Lakewood families cover this increase?

We have seen what this community is capable of. We know that when a crisis is declared a crisis, the resources suddenly appear. Meetings are called, donors are approached, matching campaigns are established, and people work the phones until the problem is addressed. Yet thousands of local families are suddenly being handed bills that have more than doubled, and somehow the response seems to be that this is simply another expense parents will have to figure out.

That is not good enough.

And yes, everyone understands that the increase is connected to state funding cuts and that the LSTA cannot manufacture money that it does not have. But explaining why the bill went up does absolutely nothing for the family that cannot pay it. The question is not merely why transportation suddenly costs $945. The question is what a community with enormous charitable resources intends to do when thousands of its families are told to come up with money they do not have.

We are constantly told that Klal Yisroel is one family. We prove it magnificently when Jews in Eretz Yisroel need us, when a mosad is struggling, when a community suffers a tragedy, or when an emergency campaign is launched. Baruch Hashem, Lakewood has gevirim who give staggering amounts of tzedakah and askanim who devote their lives to helping others.

So where is everyone now?

Does a crisis only become a crisis when it has a name, a logo and a fundraising dinner? Does financial pain only count when it happens somewhere else? Is a Lakewood father supposed to quietly put another $2,000 or $3,000 on a credit card because his problem isn’t dramatic enough to inspire a campaign?

Perhaps instead of simply asking families how they intend to pay $945 per child, the people with the ability to do something should be asking a different question: How can we make sure that no Lakewood family is forced to choose between paying for transportation and paying another essential household bill?

Keren Olam HaTorah showed what can happen when gedolim, askanim and baalei tzedakah decide that ordinary families cannot be left alone to carry an impossible burden. It is time to bring some of that same determination home.

Lakewood families need help. The bill has arrived. The numbers are impossible for many of them, and the clock is ticking.

Where is their keren?

Where is OUR keren?

G. F.

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Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef warned Thursday that the Chareidi community faces a difficult battle following the upcoming elections over the status of yeshiva bochurim, saying Shas will need significant political strength to address the draft issue and protect the Torah world.

Rav Yosef delivered the remarks at Shas’s first election gathering, attended by hundreds of party representatives from communities across Israel. His comments placed the draft controversy at the center of the party’s emerging election campaign.

“After the elections, we will have battles,” Rav Yosef said. “It will be very difficult. The entire issue of the drafting of yeshiva bochurim is something that touches everyone’s soul. Maran, my father, gave his life for the yeshiva bochurim. Reb Aryeh heard Maran crying over the yeshiva bochurim.”

Rav Yosef said the election results will determine how much political leverage Shas has when the time comes to address the status of yeshiva bochurim.

“After the elections, we will have to come and fix this issue. How will we fix it if we do not have power? We must have power.”

The Rishon LeTzion also pointed to religious issues being raised by other political parties, including proposals for civil marriage and public transportation on Shabbos, arguing that Shas needs sufficient political strength to fight those initiatives.

“There are all kinds of parties today making all kinds of declarations — civil marriage and traveling on Shabbos, nonsense that they are talking about — but we need to have power.”

At the same time, Rav Yosef emphasized that the Chareidi community’s focus on yeshiva bochurim and the Torah world should not be interpreted as a lack of concern for other Jews, including IDF soldiers.

“I want to say one more thing. We speak a great deal about yeshiva bochurim, about the Torah world, and that is how it should be; it comes first and foremost. But we must know that we love all of Am Yisroel, including the soldiers.”

Rav Yosef recalled that following the outbreak of the most recent war, he asked that arrangements be made for him to visit military installations and meet soldiers serving in different branches of the IDF.

“When the last war broke out,” Rav Yosef said, “I asked them to arrange for me to visit all the bases — in the air, at sea and on land. I blessed the soldiers. There was tremendous emotion.”

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, meanwhile, used his address at the gathering to level serious accusations against left-wing organizations, claiming that enormous sums of money are being invested in efforts to suppress Chareidi voter turnout and weaken parties representing religious and traditional voters.

“They invested billions in campaigns through nonprofit organizations, with the goal of stopping and harming all the parties that have a tradition.

“They activated people from within the Chareidi community with very large amounts of money from the left, money whose entire purpose is to bring down the right-wing bloc. Once again, there is a campaign and large sums of money aimed at suppressing the vote, with the goal of harming the Chareidi parties. It is all under a Chareidi guise.

“Chareidi slogans, but the money is the same money,” Deri charged. “It is all from the left, through nonprofit organizations. They destroyed the Chareidi community. They harmed education. They harmed daycare centers. We must not fall into the trap they are setting for us.”

{Matzav.com}

Nancy Kissinger, a longtime foreign policy specialist who spent decades alongside her husband, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, at the center of American diplomatic and political life, has died. She was 92.

The New York Times reported her death this evening. As of this writing, her death has not been reported anywhere else in the media.

Kissinger, born Nancy Sharon Maginnes on April 13, 1934, had built a career of her own in politics and international affairs before marrying one of the most influential and controversial American diplomats of the 20th century.

Although she became widely known as Henry Kissinger’s wife, Nancy Kissinger was already deeply involved in the world of public policy by the time the two married. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she studied history, she later studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and worked closely with New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and organizations connected to the Rockefeller family.

Her connection to Henry Kissinger predated their marriage by years. Kissinger, then a Harvard professor and foreign policy scholar, recommended Maginnes for work connected with a Rockefeller task force in the 1960s. She subsequently worked at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and eventually became director of international studies for Rockefeller’s Commission on Critical Choices for Americans.

Nancy and Henry Kissinger married on March 30, 1974, in Arlington, Virginia, when Henry Kissinger was serving as secretary of state in the Nixon administration. Their marriage placed Nancy Kissinger alongside her husband during a period in which he was among the most recognizable figures in international diplomacy.

Over the ensuing decades, she frequently accompanied her husband at diplomatic meetings, state functions and international gatherings. Her unusually tall stature — she stood about six feet — and reserved demeanor made her a recognizable figure in Washington diplomatic circles, even as she generally avoided cultivating the kind of independent celebrity that surrounded her husband.

The couple remained married for nearly half a century, until Henry Kissinger’s death at their home in Kent, Connecticut, on November 29, 2023, at the age of 100. He had served as national security adviser and secretary of state under President Richard Nixon and continued as secretary of state under President Gerald Ford, becoming one of the defining American foreign policy figures of the Cold War era.

Henry Kissinger’s career included the opening of relations between the United States and Communist China, détente with the Soviet Union and negotiations surrounding the Vietnam War. He received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords, while his policies in Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile and elsewhere generated fierce controversy that followed him for the remainder of his life.

Nancy Kissinger remained beside him throughout much of that extraordinary post-government career, as presidents, foreign leaders, diplomats and corporate executives continued seeking his advice long after he left public office. The couple maintained homes in New York and Connecticut, and Henry Kissinger continued writing, traveling and participating in international affairs well into his 90s.

When Henry Kissinger died in 2023, tributes from world leaders frequently included condolences to Nancy. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent her a message describing her husband as a “wise and farsighted statesman,” while China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, offered condolences to Nancy and the Kissinger family and described Henry Kissinger’s death as a major loss for both countries.

Nancy Kissinger’s death closes another chapter in the story of a couple who spent nearly five decades moving through the highest levels of American political and diplomatic life. While Henry Kissinger was invariably the public figure at the center of attention, Nancy Kissinger’s own background in foreign affairs and her years working in the Rockefeller political orbit gave her an unusual familiarity with the world in which her husband operated.

She was the stepmother of Henry Kissinger’s two children from his first marriage, David and Elizabeth, and was also part of a family that included five grandchildren at the time of her husband’s death.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri formally asked Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef to assume a central leadership role in preserving and directing the legacy of his father, Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, during a dramatic meeting Thursday that was presented as a major display of unity within the Sephardic Torah community ahead of the elections.

Deri arrived at Rav Yosef’s home carrying a personal letter from Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, who had appointed Deri as his personal emissary to deliver the message.

In the letter, Rav Maya stressed that Shas has remained committed to the legacy of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef and asked Rav Yitzchak Yosef, as the continuation of his father’s path and the son whom Rav Ovadia designated before his passing, to oversee the implementation of that legacy throughout Shas and its institutions.

Rav Maya appealed to Rav Yosef to guide the party’s representatives regarding the path they should follow and the actions they should take.

During the meeting, Deri personally reinforced that request, telling Rav Yosef that the party’s leadership and representatives across the country wanted him to stand at their head and continue the legacy established by his father.

Aryeh Deri’s Remarks

“With Maran’s permission, I have come as an emissary of the senior member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, Maran Rav Moshe Maya shlita, who appointed me as his emissary to bring this letter to his honor — after we spoke together for many hours about the entire path and legacy of Maran zt”l.

“We sat for hours, and then he wrote a letter after a great, great deal of thought. He weighed every single word and appointed me as his emissary to personally deliver the letter to his honor. And now that I have come on this mission, I have also come to tell his honor — as chairman of the movement and as an emissary of my colleagues and all the movement’s representatives throughout the country — that they very, very, very much want his honor at their head, to continue Maran’s legacy.

“And of course, everyone remembers the coronation at Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai, how Maran, at the end of his life, with tremendous self-sacrifice… I once told his honor how I brought him that morning when the doctors would not allow him and forbade him from going. With tremendous self-sacrifice, he came there, and he was so happy! On the way back, I had never seen him like that in my life — he was in a wheelchair, he turned around and said: ‘Reb Aryeh, nu…’ with a smile and joy on his face: ‘Baruch Hashem, I thank you for taking me there,’ in those exact words.

“Who did not shed a tear when they saw Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef, without any strength, place the crown and the turban, and witnessed the tremendous emotion as he transmitted the tradition? As all of Am Yisroel knows: Moshe received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua. We saw how the tradition, the leadership, was transferred, Baruch Hashem.

“I came to tell his honor: We are now in a very great battle. ‘It is a time of trouble for Yaakov,’ literally. When we unfortunately hear how the representatives of the left are speaking… the dismissed attorney general, who according to reports has already held dozens of meetings just on this issue, pressuring the police: ‘Why aren’t you arresting enough yeshiva bochurim? Why aren’t you arresting enough Torah learners?’ Hashem yerachem, where have we come to?

“This is an enormous battle. The senior member of the Moetzes, Rav Moshe Maya, told me yesterday — and to my understanding he is also going to put this in writing: All those who until now instructed people not to vote in elections must vote this time as a protest against the degradation of Torah! There is no greater protest and no greater degradation of Torah than this, and therefore this must be done.

“We came to tell his honor: B’ezras Hashem, we need Maran to join the effort, just as his honor remembers how, 40 and 50 years ago, Maran zt”l traveled throughout the entire country. He had his seforim and the movement, and he gave his life for this. Baruch Hashem, no one succeeded as he did. The entire Sephardic Torah world, the entire ‘eastern wall’ of the Sephardim — it is thanks to this holy movement.

“We ask Maran to continue and lead Maran’s legacy and guide the path for all the representatives, b’ezras Hashem. That is why I came, and I apologize for speaking at such length.”

Rav Yitzchak Yosef’s Remarks

“Chazak u’baruch to our dear friend, upon whom Maran, my father, placed his hands at the end of his life. We merited to have him brought to us in this holy movement. Baruch Hashem, he has been active and accomplishing for 13–14 years that he has been with us, and we have known Reb Aryeh not from today, but for more than 52 years — ben poras Yosef.

“Maran, my father, would always listen to him with calm consideration, and he truly recognized and appreciated his judgment. First of all, I want to bless him that he should continue bringing merit to the public and continue working and accomplishing more and more.

“As Reb Aryeh said, the situation now is very difficult. Chas v’shalom, if people sit at home and do not vote — woe to us for what will happen. The left will rise to power and impose extremely harsh decrees. What has happened until now will be nothing compared to what, chas v’shalom, could happen in the future.

“Under no circumstances may anyone sit at home! I do not think there has ever been an election so consequential for the Torah world and for yeshiva bochurim as this one. There have been many elections and many battles, but something like what is happening now regarding yeshiva bochurim? They are our foundation!

“Maran, my father, gave his life for the yeshiva bochurim. He loved them so much and wanted the Torah world to flourish. Baruch Hashem, my father merited that because of the Shas movement, there are Talmudei Torah, yeshivos ketanos and yeshivos gedolos, and the Sephardic Torah world has flourished — no one imagined it would become what it has. Maran placed this at the top of his priorities. Chas v’shalom that we should allow this to fall? No one should sit at home! Everyone must come and vote for the Shas movement, the movement that Maran, my father, established.

“Sometimes there is some criticism here, some criticism there… You do not leave your home! Fine, ‘maybe this isn’t good and maybe that isn’t good.’ There is no shortage of criticism to find, but we must look at the ultimate goal: You do not leave your home. This is our home. Maran, my father, built this home with his own ten fingers, and Maran, my father, was the one who appointed Reb Aryeh because he understood that he listens to the chachamim.

“We have now decided, Reb Aryeh and I, that every Friday we will sit here — we will both learn and discuss matters of leadership. This is very important: We will listen; I will hear him, he will hear me, ‘and salvation comes through much counsel.’ This is very important.

“Therefore, I strengthen his hands, and I strengthen the hands of all the Torah representatives throughout the country. Everyone must be soldiers of this holy Torah in order to establish the yoke of Torah and to stand in the breach against all the decrees they are thinking of imposing.

“We will have siyata d’Shmaya, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu will help us so that after these elections we will be able to solve these problems — very difficult problems, particularly the problems concerning yeshiva bochurim, which are at the forefront of Reb Aryeh’s concerns and ours as well. People think Reb Aryeh doesn’t care? I know how much sleep he has lost from anguish over everything that is happening, from the attorney general and all those who are restricting the Torah world!

“We need to give strength, rabosai. Give everyone the strength to act l’shem Shamayim. May it be His will that we merit to see blessing in our efforts, and that the yeshiva world flourish despite all those who pursue us — ‘No weapon formed against you shall succeed.’ The Torah world will continue to flourish and prosper, and our representatives, led by Reb Aryeh, will do everything after the elections to find a way to solve these problems. Rabosai, it is not simple, but Hashem will help with siyata d’Shmaya.

“I bless Reb Aryeh that he should have bracha and hatzlacha, that he should merit to see nachas d’kedusha from all his descendants and from the entire precious community, and that all the representatives should follow his authority. That is very important.

“I want to make another very important point: The Shas movement safeguards Maran’s legacy in every respect — both in matters of leadership and matters of practical halacha. What interests us greatly is practical halacha. I constantly sit immersed in Torah and avodah, writing seforim, and Baruch Hashem, people study our seforim. What interests me is Maran’s legacy.

“And our movement, the Shas movement, continues Maran’s legacy of increasing Torah and glorifying it. Today, ordinary baalei batim throughout the country — and throughout the world as well, but our focus is on the country — are all learning from Maran’s Torah, and Maran’s halachos are widespread everywhere. For this, I give my life.

“When the last war, ‘Swords of Iron,’ broke out, I went to all the bases throughout the country. There was not a single base in the country that we skipped — I asked my aides not to skip any base: the Air Force, the Navy, the infantry. We blessed the soldiers, strengthened them, encouraged them, and together with them accepted upon ourselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.

“We love the soldiers; we love all of Am Yisroel! But people need to understand that Torah goes together with the soldiers — we cannot exist without Torah. Sometimes people do not understand this: We care for the soldiers by ensuring that there is Torah, because Torah protects the soldiers and protects all of Am Yisroel. Therefore, the two must go together, ‘the book and the sword’ — both of these things, both Torah and the soldiers.

“I take this opportunity to bless all the soldiers: May HaKadosh Baruch Hu protect their going out and their coming in, may no harm befall them, and may they all return home healthy and whole and continue protecting Am Yisroel. They are emissaries of HaKadosh Baruch Hu to protect Am Yisroel.

“Maran used to say: ‘If a person sees a soldier, he should kiss him, because he has this merit of protecting Am Yisroel; he is an emissary of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Everything comes from Him, everything comes from Above, and everything is in the merit of the holy Torah, but they are the emissaries.’ Therefore, we bless all the soldiers that they should return home to a good life, healthy and whole, and that we should merit already to have peace and that there should be no more of these wars. May HaKadosh Baruch Hu give the soldiers the strength to triumph, ‘May terror and dread fall upon them.’

“I once again bless all of our representatives that they should work on behalf of the Torah and on behalf of the yeshivos, and may we merit the complete redemption speedily, amen.”

{Matzav.com}

Two Mexican fishermen have been rescued alive from the Pacific Ocean after an extraordinary five-day ordeal in which they survived inside a cooler after their fishing boat sank, leaving them stranded roughly 150 miles off Mexico’s coast.

Daniel Guerrero Martinez and Jose Luis Portales Villegas were found alive on Wednesday, five days after contact with their vessel was lost. The men reportedly had no supply of food or drinking water during their ordeal and were suffering from severe dehydration by the time rescuers reached them.

The dramatic episode began last Thursday, when Martinez and Villegas departed from the fishing town of Paredón aboard their vessel, the Camaronera. Communication with the fishermen was lost the following day, and authorities later determined that their boat had gone down.

Investigators initially believe severe weather conditions and powerful winds may have caused the vessel to sink, although authorities are continuing to investigate exactly what happened.

A large-scale search-and-rescue operation was launched after the fishermen were reported missing. Boats and aircraft combed the Pacific in hopes of finding them, with the Mexican Navy later joining the effort and deploying both naval and aerial resources across the search area.

After days without any sign of the missing men, rescuers finally located Martinez and Villegas approximately 240 kilometers — about 150 miles — off the coast of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Despite spending five days exposed at sea inside the cooler, both men were still alive.

The fishermen were suffering from serious dehydration after their prolonged time in the ocean, and immediately after their rescue, they were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital for emergency medical treatment.

The Mexican Navy praised the personnel involved in the operation, saying their efforts made it possible to return the two fishermen alive to their families after an ordeal that could easily have ended in tragedy.

Authorities have meanwhile opened an investigation into the sinking of the Camaronera as they seek to determine precisely what caused the fishing vessel to go down and leave Martinez and Villegas fighting for survival for five days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic week in Chareidi politics has brought major developments on several fronts, from a significant move by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to strengthen the party’s rabbinic leadership under Rav Yitzchak Yosef, to escalating threats of a split within United Torah Judaism and growing frustration with Chareidi political leadership.

The developments were analyzed on Kikar HaShabbat’s “Thursday Night Studio,” hosted by Yishai Cohen. The panel included Kikar HaShabbat editor Chanani Breitkopf, Channel 16 political correspondent Shlomi Gil, former Elad Mayor Tzuriel Krispel and commentator Avi Greenzeig, who examined the political maneuvering that dominated the week and its potential implications for the Chareidi parties.

The discussion also focused on the growing controversy surrounding Chareidi participation in the Likud primaries and the political battle involving Motty Babchik and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Dramatic Letter and Shas Leadership

The panel began with Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri’s highly significant visit to the home of the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef.

During the meeting, Deri presented Rav Yosef with a personal letter from Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, who appointed Deri as his special emissary for the mission.

In his letter, Rav Maya stressed that Shas has remained committed to preserving the legacy and path established by Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l and would continue doing so in the future.

Against that backdrop, Rav Maya asked Rav Yitzchak Yosef to assume responsibility for guiding and leading the implementation of his father’s legacy within Shas and throughout the movement’s institutions. The request was based on Rav Yosef’s position as the continuation of his father’s path, after Rav Ovadia himself designated him for that role before his passing.

Panelists examined the considerable political and internal Shas ramifications of the move and what the development could mean for the future rabbinic leadership of the party.

UTJ Split Threat Grows as Chareidi Frustration Mounts

The discussion then shifted to the increasingly serious possibility that Degel HaTorah could break away from Agudas Yisroel ahead of the upcoming elections and run independently rather than as part of the longstanding United Torah Judaism alliance.

The panel considered whether the Gedolei Yisroel would ultimately authorize such a dramatic step, particularly given the electoral risks involved.

A separate Degel HaTorah campaign could potentially leave Agudas Yisroel struggling to cross the electoral threshold, a development that could have far-reaching consequences for Chareidi representation and significantly reshape Israel’s political map.

The commentators also addressed another issue increasingly evident within the Chareidi community: widespread disappointment with its political representatives and their performance during the outgoing Knesset term.

That frustration has fueled discussion surrounding potential alternative parties, including “HaTzibur HaChareidi,” headed by Motty Leitner. The panel debated whether such new political movements genuinely represent dissatisfied Chareidi voters or whether their apparent support is being overstated.

Chareidi Likud Primary Controversy and Babchik’s Battle

The final portion of the program focused on the wave of Chareidi Likud members who participated in the party’s primaries, an issue that generated widespread headlines and claims that “the Chareidim are taking over the Likud.”

Panelists sought to separate the headlines from the actual numbers, examining how many Chareidim had genuinely registered as Likud members and how many ultimately turned out to cast ballots in the primary.

The discussion then turned to the political figure at the center of much of the controversy: Motty Babchik.

The commentators analyzed whether Babchik had actually accomplished his political objective through the primary effort and, more significantly, whether the results amounted to a victory for him in his increasingly tense power struggle with Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu.

{Matzav.com}

The operator of a speedboat that capsized during a tour of New York Harbor, killing a 5-month-old baby and her mother, has been taken into custody by federal immigration authorities, who say he was living in the United States illegally.

Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, who is already facing federal criminal charges stemming from the Aug. 8 disaster, allegedly lied to a border official when he entered the United States through Texas in 2007, falsely telling the officer that he was an American citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Hernandez-Umana, 46, is a citizen of El Salvador and is now being detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, federal records show. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Hernandez-Umana is expected to ultimately be deported from the United States.

Federal immigration agents took Hernandez-Umana into custody after he was released on bail in the separate criminal prosecution over the capsizing. He has been charged with causing the deaths of 5-month-old Antonella Garcia and her 27-year-old mother, Sara Sanchez, through misconduct or neglect.

Prosecutors allege that Hernandez-Umana did not have the required U.S. Coast Guard license to operate the excursion and lacked knowledge of fundamental boating safety requirements. He also allegedly told investigators that the vessel used for the trip was a friend’s personal boat that he had borrowed. Authorities say the excursion was an illegal charter and that the vessel was carrying too many passengers.

“Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,” Mullin said in a statement.

Hernandez-Umana’s attorney, Amy Gallicchio, declined to comment on the latest developments.

Hernandez-Umana had been residing in Manville, New Jersey, before the deadly incident. He was not asked to enter a plea when he made his first appearance in the criminal case on Aug. 10. He appeared emotional as he entered the courtroom, wiping his eyes while still dressed in the T-shirt, swim trunks and water shoes he had been wearing during the ill-fated boat trip. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 9.

Coast Guard investigators say Hernandez-Umana was operating a 21-foot Yamaha AR210 carrying 14 people when the vessel took on water and sank while attempting a U-turn amid rough conditions. The boat was rated to carry no more than 10 people. The excursion began at approximately 7 p.m., and the boat capsized more than three hours later.

Authorities said the 5-month-old infant was not wearing a life jacket because the vessel did not have a properly sized flotation device for a small child. Prosecutors allege that Hernandez-Umana instead instructed Sanchez to put on a life vest herself and hold her baby for the duration of the lengthy excursion, which they said violated federal safety regulations.

The excursion had been arranged through Zeus Luxury Rental Inc., a company that promotes its rental services through social media, including Instagram and TikTok. The company had previously been connected to another boating emergency when one of its chartered vessels caught fire during a birthday cruise on Long Island Sound last year.

According to the criminal complaint, Hernandez-Umana told investigators that he had been doing freelance or contract work for Zeus Luxury since last year. He said he initially worked for the business as a limousine driver before becoming involved in boating excursions.

Hernandez-Umana also told authorities that on two recent occasions he had operated his own vessel, a somewhat larger Yamaha AR250. On Aug. 8, however, he allegedly used a friend’s boat because his own vessel required repairs.

Requests for comment were sent to the telephone number and email address listed on Zeus Luxury’s website. An automated message indicated that the voicemail associated with the phone number was full.

{Matzav.com}

Some of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s neighbors in Montecito are welcoming reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to spend an extended period in the UK, with residents saying the high-profile couple brought unwanted media attention to their otherwise quiet California enclave.

“When we first heard Harry and Meghan were moving to Montecito, there were definitely some concerns,” one local resident told Page Six.

“There had already been so much negative press and attention surrounding them and the royal family, and I think people worried about what kind of spotlight that could bring to such a quiet community.”

Now, with Harry and Meghan reportedly preparing to return to Britain with their two children, the resident said they “couldn’t be more thrilled.”

“Montecito is a very private, peaceful place, and I think a lot of people here will be happy to see things go back to being a little quieter,” the source continued.

The resident cautioned that the sentiment did not necessarily represent everyone in Montecito, saying they could speak only for themselves and other neighbors with whom they had discussed the matter.

Montecito is hardly unfamiliar with celebrities. Still, the source said Harry and Meghan attracted a level of media scrutiny that was unusual even for the affluent Santa Barbara County community.

Another neighbor was considerably more succinct when asked about the Sussexes’ impending departure, stating, “Good riddance!”

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are reportedly planning to travel to the UK at the end of August with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for an “extended period.”

Despite the planned move, sources said Thursday that the Sussexes currently intend to retain their $14.5 million Montecito mansion while dramatically increasing the amount of time they spend in Britain.

There are conflicting indications, however, about the long-term fate of the California property. A source in Santa Barbara’s luxury real estate industry said there “have been rumblings” that Harry and Meghan could ultimately put the estate on the market, adding that “every broker wants that listing.”

The couple has lived in Montecito since 2020, settling in the exclusive community after stepping away from their roles as “senior” members of the royal family and moving to the United States.

Harry and Meghan purchased their sprawling property that same year and have since raised Archie and Lilibet there.

The massive estate includes nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, along with extensive grounds featuring a tennis court, rose garden, tea house and a playhouse for the children.

The Sussexes’ planned return to Britain comes six years after their dramatic exit from royal duties and relocation to America, a highly publicized split that became known as “Megxit.”

King Charles III is reportedly one of the major factors behind Harry and Meghan’s decision to spend substantially more time in the UK.

“I know that Charles is a big reason for their return,” a royal insider told Page Six.

Harry, Meghan and their children reunited with the 77-year-old King at Highgrove House in July, the first time Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in four years.

Charles, who is battling cancer, is reportedly delighted by the prospect of having his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren living closer to him.

Harry and Meghan are also said to want Archie and Lilibet to establish stronger bonds with relatives and friends in Britain. According to a source, the children are expected to attend school in the UK while the family is there.

“They have so many friends and family in the UK whom they remain so close to,” another source told Page Six.

Despite returning to Britain for an extended stay, Harry and Meghan are expected to remain “non-working members” of the royal family rather than resume official royal duties.

The couple also reportedly intends to continue pursuing its various private business projects and commercial ventures while living in the UK.

Philadelphia authorities have identified a 22-year-old man they say terrorized pedestrians while wearing a disturbing Chucky-style mask, chasing women through city streets and allegedly threatening one by asking whether she was “ready to die.” Police said Thursday that the suspect is now wanted on an active arrest warrant and may have fled Pennsylvania.

Zymire Hughes has been named as the man investigators believe was behind the frightening series of encounters in Philadelphia last week. Authorities say Hughes is actively attempting to evade law enforcement and are asking the public to help locate him.

Police confirmed Thursday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Hughes, 22, as investigators continue searching for him.

The allegations stem from the early morning hours of Aug. 12, when police say Hughes wore a creepy Chucky-style Halloween mask while confronting pedestrians. During one encounter, authorities allege, he assaulted a woman after pursuing and chasing her.

Investigators say Hughes recorded his encounters on a cellphone as he approached numerous people while masked and deliberately antagonized them.

“If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run. Who’s scared now? Who’s running now?” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Krasner delivered an even sharper message directly to the wanted suspect.

“You think it’s funny to scare people? Well, get ready to get scared by us because we got the handcuffs,” Krasner added. “We got the jail cell. We got the Philly jury that’s going to tell you it’s not funny at all. You think it’s funny to make people run, get your sneaks? Because that’s what Zymire Hughes is doing right now.”

Police said Hughes allegedly shouted at one woman, asking whether she was “ready to die,” while also chasing other people during the bizarre episode.

According to Krasner, Hughes is already serving probation in connection with an unspecified offense committed in Montgomery County. Prosecutors expect him to face both felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the Aug. 12 incident.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows Hughes suddenly running toward people on Philadelphia streets. Authorities said he also attempted to enter a Dunkin’ Donuts but was refused service because he would not remove the mask.

In another disturbing moment captured by surveillance cameras, one victim can apparently be seen crouching down, raising his hands and seemingly begging for his life as the masked individual approaches.

“It’s readily apparent that this individual is certainly in fear of their life,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.

Police said the masked man continued walking through the area and harassed more than a dozen pedestrians before pursuing a woman who was heading to an early-morning exercise class.

That woman, 25-year-old Philadelphia actress Jameka Wilson, fought back. Wilson, who has stage-combat training, described to Fox News Digital how the masked man reacted when she unexpectedly turned around and confronted him.

“He seemed surprised that I had turned around initially,” she said. “I saw his head tilt from side-to-side, like [he’s] trying to figure out what he’s supposed to be doing in the scenario.”

Wilson said the man’s positioning gave her an advantage as she prepared to defend herself.

“Essentially, what he did in defense terms was that he opened up all of the lines of attack that I could possibly make to him,” she added.

Smith said investigators suspect Hughes may have carried out the frightening encounters to generate social-media content. Because authorities say he did not actually injure anyone, police believe the motive may have been “his own sick personal amusement” or an attempt to make money from the resulting footage.

“There wasn’t an attempt by himself to lay hands on anyone,” Smith said. “He didn’t brandish any weapon, although in the case of the jogger, he did have his right arm behind his back, implying that he had a weapon. but at no point in time did he furnish a weapon.”

Authorities have identified three social-media accounts they say are associated with Hughes as they work to track his movements and determine where he may have gone.

Investigators said Hughes “has a tendency” to travel to unspecified destinations on the West Coast for work, raising the possibility that he has already left Pennsylvania.

Police said Hughes has ties to both California and Nevada.

Authorities describe Hughes as a Black male with a medium complexion, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and with a thin build. During the Philadelphia incidents, police say he wore a white Chucky-style Halloween mask with black hair and carried a black-and-blue plaid backpack.

Krasner also issued a warning to anyone considering copying the masked confrontations for attention or social-media content.

“There is nobody in the world who should be trying to imitate what this scared man who’s running is doing,” he said. “Now he’s a punk. I mean, that’s the bottom line. He’s a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we’re not going to tolerate it.”

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic medical emergency inside a shul in Kiryat Malachi ended with a remarkable recovery after a man suffered cardiac arrest in the middle of davening and was saved by a United Hatzalah volunteer who happened to be there at the critical moment.

Security camera footage released Thursday captures the frightening incident as Roni Nakash suddenly collapses and the volunteer immediately races across the shul to begin lifesaving treatment.

The incident occurred approximately six weeks ago while Nakash was davening in the shul. Without warning, he suffered cardiac arrest and his heart stopped beating.

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Elandiv Tam was davening in the same shul at the time. Surveillance footage shows that the moment Tam noticed Nakash collapse, he immediately understood that something was seriously wrong.

Tam jumped from his seat and ran toward Nakash while simultaneously pulling out his United Hatzalah radio and calling for additional emergency responders. He immediately began CPR and used a United Hatzalah defibrillator in an effort to restart Nakash’s heart.

Within minutes, additional United Hatzalah volunteers arrived at the shul and joined Tam in the intensive resuscitation efforts.

B’chasdei Hashem, their efforts succeeded. Nakash’s heart began beating again, and, in a remarkable turn of events, he regained full consciousness and was able to speak with the medics who had just fought to save his life.

Nakash was subsequently transported to the hospital in stable condition.

B’siyata d’Shmaya, Tam’s immediate response — recognizing the collapse, beginning CPR without delay and quickly using the defibrillator — proved critical in saving Nakash’s life.

But the story did not end in the shul.

Last week, Tam was celebrating the wedding of his son when a special guest arrived to surprise him.

It was Roni.

Six weeks earlier, Nakash had been lying unconscious on the floor of the shul as Tam desperately worked to save him. Now, he walked into the wedding healthy and on his own two feet, coming specifically to meet and thank the man whose rapid response had given him another chance at life.

The reunion between the two men was deeply emotional.

For Tam, seeing Nakash standing before him served as a powerful reminder that behind every emergency call and every resuscitation effort is not merely another medical case, but a human being, a family and an entire life.

For Nakash, the wedding provided an opportunity to express his gratitude to the man who happened to be there at precisely the right moment — and who recognized what was happening, reacted without hesitation and fought to keep him alive.

The newly released surveillance footage, provided by the shul, captures those crucial moments as Nakash collapses, Tam spots him from across the room, rushes to his side and immediately begins the lifesaving actions that would ultimately help save his life.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu issued a blunt warning Thursday following hours of turmoil at Ben Gurion Airport, declaring that Israel’s main international airport will remain operational and that workers who attempt to interfere with its functioning will face consequences.

“Ben Gurion Airport will remain open and continue operating as usual. Anyone who stands in the way will be sent home,” Netanyahu said.

His remarks followed widespread disruption at the airport, where check-in counters were shut down and serious delays developed in the processing of passengers and baggage.

Airport operations were halted at 2 p.m. By 3 p.m., incoming and outgoing flights began gradually resuming under a revised flight schedule as officials worked to restore normal operations.

Netanyahu’s warning came amid growing criticism on social media directed at Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Israel Airports Authority Workers’ Committee and a member of the Likud Central Committee. Critics blamed the labor action for the upheaval that affected thousands of travelers.

The crisis began when workers unexpectedly launched a work-to-rule action, with all four ground-service companies operating at Ben Gurion Airport stopping passenger-handling services. Among the most significant effects was the shutdown of check-in counters on what was already one of the airport’s busiest travel days of the year.

Ben Gurion is currently handling nearly 100,000 passengers each day aboard approximately 600 flights. The labor disruptions created extraordinary congestion throughout the terminals, with some arriving passengers waiting hours for their luggage.

Zohar Shnur, who arrived at Ben Gurion during the disruption, described an airport overwhelmed by stranded and exhausted travelers.

“There are thousands of people here, thousands of people around all the baggage carousels. Elderly people are sitting on the floor, on plastic sheets, and waiting. They’re talking here about waits of four hours for baggage on some flights.”

Shnur said multiple arriving flights were being assigned to individual baggage carousels even though passengers were still waiting for their suitcases to appear.

“Several flights are already listed on each carousel, but the bags still aren’t coming out. I fly a lot, and I have never seen anything like this,” she said, adding that both passengers and flight crews were receiving inadequate information about the unfolding situation.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who is currently on a private vacation in Morocco, directed Israel Airports Authority management to seek intervention from the Labor Court against the workers’ committee.

Regev denounced the action as a “bullying strike” and warned that those responsible would be held accountable.

“Whoever made the decision to take the citizens of Israel hostage will pay the price.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich similarly lashed out at organized labor over the airport disruptions, arguing that unions should not have the ability to bring critical national infrastructure to a standstill.

“It cannot be that forceful communist unions strand the citizens of Israel and take them hostage,” he said. “The days when a group of functionaries could paralyze an entire country are over. It is time to dismantle these organizations of anarchy.”

The Histadrut’s Transportation Workers Union pushed back against accusations that it had ordered employees to stop working, insisting that no such directive had been given.

“No instruction whatsoever was issued to stop work,” the union stated.

The union instead blamed the airport breakdown on longstanding staffing problems and inadequate preparations for the heavy summer travel period.

“The attempt to portray the chaos at Ben Gurion Airport as the result of a ‘surprise strike’ is contrary to the truth and diverts attention from the real failure: a severe and ongoing manpower shortage and inadequate preparation for the summer rush,” it added.

The Israel Airports Authority disputed that account, saying the operational disruptions had been carried out “at the instruction of the workers’ committee.”

{Matzav.com}

One of the most celebrated Jewish college basketball players in recent memory is taking his game to Eretz Yisroel.

Zevi Samet, the record-breaking Yeshiva University basketball star whose explosive scoring performances made him the face of the Maccabees, is heading to Israel to join Hapoel Jerusalem, marking a major new chapter in the 22-year-old’s remarkable basketball career.

Samet, a Monsey native and frum athlete who finished his YU career as the program’s all-time leading scorer, has already begun taking part in preseason training with Hapoel Jerusalem as he works to make the transition from American college basketball to the professional ranks.

The move places Samet with one of Israel’s most prominent basketball organizations and gives the standout shooting guard an opportunity to prove that the spectacular numbers he produced at Yeshiva University can translate to the next level.

For Samet, Israel is hardly unfamiliar territory. Before beginning his college career, he spent his gap year learning at Yeshivat Reishit in Eretz Yisroel. Now, several years later, he is returning under dramatically different circumstances — this time as a basketball player coming off one of the most accomplished careers in YU history.

Born in 2003 to David and Jenny Samet, Zevi grew up in Monsey as one of five siblings in a frum family. He attended Torah Academy of Bergen County before spending his year in Israel. He is also a nephew of Rav Zvi Sobolofsky, a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University.

Samet enrolled at Yeshiva University in 2022 and quickly developed into one of the most dangerous offensive players in Division III basketball.

By January 2026, he had accomplished something no other YU men’s basketball player had done: Samet became the Maccabees’ all-time leading scorer, cementing his place in the university’s record books.

His senior season only added to his growing list of accomplishments. Samet repeatedly earned Skyline Conference Player of the Week honors and helped propel Yeshiva through a memorable postseason run that reached the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament.

And when his YU career finally came to an end, Samet went out firing.

Facing Emory in the Sweet 16, Samet poured in a staggering 43 points in his final appearance in a Maccabees uniform, putting an exclamation point on a college career defined by prolific scoring and clutch performances.

His achievements earned recognition far beyond Yeshiva University and the Skyline Conference. In March, the National Association of Basketball Coaches selected Samet to its Division III All-America First Team, placing him among the elite players in the country.

A month later, Samet was named a finalist for the prestigious Bevo Francis Award, which recognizes the top small-college basketball player in the United States.

Now comes the next challenge.

Samet had previously visited and worked out with Hapoel Jerusalem, and he has begun participating in the club’s preseason training sessions as he seeks to establish himself in Israeli professional basketball.

The move carries particular significance for a player whose basketball career has unfolded while remaining openly connected to his frum identity. From Monsey to TABC, from a year of learning in Eretz Yisroel to Yeshiva University, Samet has emerged as a rare figure in American Jewish athletics — a player who became a nationally recognized college basketball star while representing the Orthodox Jewish community.

His next stop brings that journey full circle.

After rewriting the Yeshiva University record books and ending his college career with 43 points on one of the biggest stages of his life, Zevi Samet is headed back to Eretz Yisroel — this time with an opportunity to begin making his mark in the professional game.

{Matzav.com}

Federal authorities have arrested a 35-year-old woman accused of supporting ISIS and plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol in Albany, with investigators alleging that she had already obtained materials, conducted surveillance of the building and prepared to carry out the attack.

Jessica Bowie allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and began developing plans for an attack on the Capitol in July, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Investigators allege that Bowie purchased materials that could be used to construct a bomb from a hardware store on Aug. 5. Over the following two weeks, she allegedly continued working on the planned attack while communicating and meeting with individuals who were secretly serving as FBI informants.

Bowie, who reportedly converted to Islam five years ago, is also accused of repeatedly conducting surveillance of the Capitol complex in preparation for the attack.

According to the complaint, she spent weeks monitoring the building and photographing it from several locations, including an “observation hall nearby.”

The alleged plot reached its final stages Wednesday, when FBI informants met with Bowie and provided her with an inert explosive device and an inoperable handgun, authorities said. She was also allegedly given instructions explaining how the supposed bomb could be detonated.

Because the explosive device and firearm were inert, neither could be used to carry out the alleged attack.

Federal agents arrested Bowie shortly afterward, bringing the purported plot to an end before anyone was harmed.

During a subsequent interview with FBI agents, Bowie appeared to partially acknowledge the seriousness of what she had done and the potential consequences she faced, according to the complaint.

“There’s no helping me, you guys know enough, there’s no helping me, I’m…going to prison for the rest of my life,” she allegedly said.

Bowie also indicated that she had researched the possible federal penalties before her arrest.

“Material support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before, I know I’m going to jail.”

{Matzav.com}

The news organizations receiving the most prominent exposure on Apple News and Google News have collectively endorsed Democratic presidential candidates 31 times since 1988 without backing a Republican even once, according to a new study raising fresh allegations of political bias in the way major technology platforms distribute news.

The analysis was conducted by the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog that has repeatedly scrutinized Big Tech news platforms. MRC found that newspapers and magazines appearing most frequently in prominent positions on Apple News and Google News have consistently favored Democratic presidential nominees in their editorial endorsements over the past 10 presidential elections.

On Apple News, the five outlets appearing most often were the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Los Angeles Times and USA Today. Together, those publications endorsed Democratic presidential candidates 28 times dating back to 1988.

The New York Times editorial board accounted for 10 of those endorsements, supporting the Democratic nominee in every presidential election beginning with Michael Dukakis in 1988. The Washington Post endorsed Democrats eight times, while the Guardian did so five times, the Los Angeles Times four times and USA Today once.

A similar pattern emerged on Google News. Its five most frequently featured publications were the New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post, USA Today and the Atlantic. Combined, those organizations issued 27 Democratic presidential endorsements. The Atlantic accounted for three of them beginning in 2016.

When MRC combined the endorsement histories of the leading publications across Apple News and Google News without double-counting overlapping outlets, researchers arrived at a 31-0 record favoring Democratic presidential nominees.

“Big Tech executives insist their news platforms serve as objective public squares, but our findings lay bare the massive corporate tilt driving these algorithms,” MRC President David Bozell said in a statement. “Apple and Google systematically funnel tens of millions of users into media sources that have backed Democrats for president 31 times without a single Republican endorsement in 40 years.

“Silicon Valley has engineered these news feeds to quietly tilt public debate, insulating voters from conservative reporting while treating partisan, left-wing outlets as the nation’s default news authority.”

Microsoft’s MSN showed a somewhat less lopsided record, according to the study, although Democratic endorsements still overwhelmingly dominated among its most frequently featured publications.

MSN’s five leading outlets — the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and USA Today — collectively endorsed Democratic presidential candidates 25 times since 1988, compared with two endorsements for Republican nominees.

Both Republican endorsements came from the San Francisco Chronicle, which supported George H.W. Bush in his presidential campaigns in 1988 and 1992.

Google declined to provide a new response to the findings. The company has previously said it “refutes the methodology” used in MRC studies.

Apple and Microsoft representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the latest analysis.

MRC researchers compiled their findings by monitoring the 20 leading stories displayed on Google News at a designated time each morning between Nov. 1, 2025, and Jan. 12, 2026. Apple News was examined over a substantially longer period, with researchers recording its top 20 stories from Nov. 3, 2025, through July 31, 2026. MSN’s leading stories were tracked between Jan. 13 and July 31, 2026.

Researchers then determined which publications appeared most frequently in prominent positions on the three platforms and examined the presidential endorsement histories of outlets whose editorial boards had made such endorsements. Publications that did not endorse presidential candidates were left out of that portion of the analysis.

Using publicly available information, MRC compiled the endorsement records of the identified news organizations across all 10 presidential elections held between 1988 and 2024.

The findings come as major news aggregators face growing scrutiny in Washington over the enormous influence they wield in determining which articles millions of smartphone and computer users encounter.

That scrutiny has intensified since President Trump returned to office, with conservatives arguing that the algorithms and editorial systems used by technology companies can significantly influence which political viewpoints receive the greatest visibility.

In February, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a warning letter following an earlier MRC report alleging that Apple News disproportionately promoted left-leaning publications.

That report prompted concerns about whether political favoritism within a major news aggregation platform could potentially raise consumer-protection issues.

Additional research released in April produced similar concerns. AllSides, a nonpartisan organization that rates news organizations according to their political leanings, examined Google News, Apple News and other major aggregators and concluded that only a small share of their featured articles came from right-leaning publications such as The Post and Fox News.

{Matzav.com}

A massive 10-day search for missing Chabad bochur Kasriel Nachman Keinan ended in tragedy Thursday when his body was discovered in the Swiss Forest near Tiveriah. Keinan, a 24-year-old resident of Beit Shemesh, had disappeared while traveling in northern Israel.

Keinan had set out with plans to travel to Tzfas but never reached his destination. He was last known to have been in the Kinneret region and was carrying a black backpack and a brown tefillin bag when he disappeared.

His disappearance triggered an intensive search operation involving members of his family, Israel Police, ZAKA volunteers and numerous search teams that traveled from across the country to assist in locating him.

Keinan’s brother Daniel said investigators had made significant progress during the final day of the search after examining security camera footage that captured Keinan entering and subsequently leaving the kever of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness in Tiveriah.

Police and relatives then worked to trace Keinan’s movements after he departed the site, even as search teams continued investigating additional possibilities regarding his whereabouts.

According to Daniel, Keinan spoke with him on Sunday evening and said that he was traveling to Tzfas. When he failed to arrive there, cellphone location information subsequently showed that he had reached Tiveriah.

On Monday, Keinan sent his mother a message informing her that his cellphone battery was nearly depleted and asking her not to worry. His family was unable to make contact with him afterward.

In the days that followed, police officers, relatives and volunteers carried out extensive searches throughout Tiveriah and Beit Shemesh. Teams examined surveillance footage while combing open spaces, abandoned structures and other locations where Keinan might have gone.

The search operation grew to include drones, specially trained search dogs, missing-person units and volunteers who arrived from communities throughout Israel to assist in the effort.

ZAKA said its emergency hotline received a report at approximately 1:40 p.m. Thursday that a body had been discovered in an open section of the Swiss Forest in Tiveriah.

Volunteers from ZAKA’s Northern District were immediately dispatched to the location.

“Following identification procedures, it was determined that this was the 24-year-old missing person who was last seen in the Tiberias area and for whom searches had been conducted for more than a week,” ZAKA said.

The identification brought the intensive nationwide search to a heartbreaking conclusion after more than a week of efforts by Keinan’s family, law enforcement authorities, emergency organizations and scores of volunteers who had joined together in hopes of bringing him home safely.

Israel’s High Court of Justice on Thursday unanimously struck down the government’s decision to close Galei Tzahal, or IDF Radio, finding that the move was improperly driven by officials’ objections to the station’s broadcasts rather than legitimate considerations regarding its continued operation.

In its ruling, the court concluded that “the decision was based on an extraneous and improper consideration.”

The justices said the government’s decision had to be nullified “because the decision was made on the basis of an extraneous and improper consideration: the dissatisfaction of the decision-makers with the fact that the broadcasts, in their view, ran counter to their positions. The Court was persuaded, as a matter of fact, that this was indeed the case, and further noted that after a conditional order was issued, the government did not act to prove otherwise. The Court held that the government had the authority to make a decision on the matter and rejected the argument that closing Galei Tzahal required primary legislation.”

At the same time, the court stressed that its ruling should not be interpreted as a determination that Galei Tzahal must remain open permanently. Rather, the justices said any future effort to close the military broadcaster would have to follow a lawful process and be based on legitimate considerations.

“All of the justices, each for his or her own reasons, made clear that they do not rule out the possibility of closing Galei Tzahal on its merits, had the decision on the matter been made lawfully and on the basis of relevant considerations, nor do they take a position regarding the content of the broadcasts.”

Justice Yechiel Kasher sharply criticized the reasoning behind the government’s action, arguing that public officials cannot use their governmental authority to silence broadcasters simply because they object to what is being aired.

“It cannot be accepted that a person vested with governmental authority may decide that because he does not like the statements made by a broadcaster, the broadcaster’s ‘microphone should be shut off.’

“A government that acts in this manner is acting in a clearly undemocratic fashion, since the cornerstone upon which every democratic government rests is the recognition that the government may not use its power to silence those whose views it finds objectionable.”

Justice Alex Stein, however, rejected a separate argument advanced by the petitioners that shutting down Galei Tzahal would inherently violate freedom of expression.

Stein reasoned that freedom of expression does not require the government to maintain and operate its own radio station as a vehicle for different opinions. He suggested that government-operated news and current-affairs programming could, under some circumstances, itself interfere with or distort public discourse.

Stein also addressed the unusual spectacle of uniformed Galei Tzahal soldiers interviewing political figures, describing the arrangement as a “distortion of the system of government.”

In his view, the IDF, “the army of everyone,” should have no part in the country’s political debate, “not even the role of interviewer and broadcaster.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded angrily to the decision, accusing the Supreme Court of overriding the authority of Israel’s elected government.

“The Supreme Court is carrying out a coup against democracy and stripping a democratically elected government of its lawful powers. If the judges at Givat Ram in Jerusalem want to make decisions in place of the government, they are welcome to establish a political party and run for election to the Knesset. The judges are acting with endless arrogance and, without authority, are overturning the decisions of the elected government.

“Otzma Yehudit’s condition for joining the next government is the passage of a full judicial reform: the establishment of a constitutional court and the immediate dismissal of the criminal Attorney General,” Ben-Gvir said.

{Matzav.com}

A sudden labor strike brought operations at Ben-Gurion Airport to a standstill Thursday afternoon, grounding flights, shutting down check-in counters and throwing the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers into turmoil during one of the busiest periods of the summer.

The work stoppage ended at approximately 3 p.m., about an hour after employees closed all check-in counters and declared a “crisis” over severe operational problems, difficulties loading and unloading aircraft and a shortage of available parking stands.

The disruption was expected to have lingering consequences even after employees returned to work. According to N12 News, most flights scheduled to leave Ben-Gurion on Thursday were expected to depart without passengers’ luggage.

Flights had been grounded beginning at 2 p.m., with the Israel Airports Authority saying that union-ordered work disruptions had interfered with airport operations and services for travelers.

The timing of the shutdown was particularly disruptive, with approximately 100,000 passengers expected to travel through Ben-Gurion on Thursday. Compounding the airport’s logistical difficulties, more than 20 American refueling aircraft were occupying parking stands near Terminals 1 and 3.

The presence of the additional aircraft has increased the amount of time required to transport baggage between the terminals and planes. It has also complicated the movement of passengers who must be shuttled to and from aircraft parked away from jet bridges.

The Public Transport Authority said management had instructed workers to “immediately cease any action that harms regular work and to restore operations to full routine.

The Authority views with utmost severity any deliberate action liable to harm the traveling public and the proper functioning of Ben-Gurion Airport, especially during summer peak loads and high operational volumes.”

The labor action reportedly had been planned for a day earlier. According to N12, workers initially intended to stage the strike Wednesday in an effort to interfere with Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s scheduled flight to Morocco.

By later Thursday, the financial consequences of the disruption were already being calculated. The Finance Ministry estimated that the strike caused between NIS 25 million and NIS 30 million in damage, Ynet News reported.

That estimate included the economic value of passengers’ lost time, additional expenses incurred by airlines, revenue lost by the Israel Airports Authority, disruptions to cargo and supply chains and broader costs to the tourism industry.

Pinchas Idan, who led the labor action, blamed airport management for imposing intolerable conditions on employees.

“They give us such hard labor; management has no shame – they are torturing the employees of Ben-Gurion.”

Reports indicated that airport personnel may have employed what is commonly called an “Italian” strike — also known as a “work-to-rule” or “slowdown” action — in which employees remain technically on the job and adhere strictly to regulations while deliberately slowing operations to the point that normal activity becomes extremely difficult or impossible.

Such tactics are frequently associated with employees whose ability to conduct a conventional strike is legally restricted, including air traffic controllers, customs personnel, baggage handlers and workers in other essential transportation positions.

Senior Transportation Ministry officials warned that there would be serious consequences if an investigation determines that employees deliberately conducted an Italian-style strike at the height of the summer travel season, saying that “heads will roll and workers will go home.”

“We are investigating the incident; we are in a peak period with refuelers present, but if the investigation reveals an Italian strike, we will act with a very heavy hand against whoever is behind this,” they said.

Lakewood, NJ families are facing a staggering increase in school transportation costs just days before the start of the new school year, with the Lakewood Student Transportation Authority announcing that the cost of non-mandated busing will jump from $385 to a staggering $945 per child for the 2026-27 school year, Matzav.com has learned.

The dramatic $560-per-child increase was announced today in an urgent notice sent to families of Lakewood students who do not qualify for state-mandated transportation. The change represents an increase of approximately 145% over the $385 families had previously been asked to pay.

The LSTA says the sudden increase stems from significant cuts in state municipal aid to Lakewood Township, which led the Township to eliminate the subsidy that for the past decade helped cover transportation for thousands of children living within the state-mandated distance from their schools.

Under New Jersey rules, transportation funding continues to be provided for Lakewood students who qualify for mandated busing. An elementary school student is considered non-mandated if he or she lives two miles or less from school, while a high school student is considered non-mandated if the student lives 2.5 miles or less from school.

The new policy applies specifically to Lakewood residents and does not affect students living in Howell, Jackson or Toms River.

For approximately 10 years, Lakewood Township and the LSTA have been able to offer transportation to thousands of these non-mandated students at a heavily subsidized rate. Township funding, combined with the scale of Lakewood’s transportation network, kept the amount charged directly to families far below the actual cost of providing a bus seat.

That arrangement has now effectively collapsed.

According to the LSTA notice, New Jersey’s municipal aid allocation for Lakewood was significantly reduced for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. As a result, Lakewood Township eliminated the subsidy it had provided for the non-mandated transportation program.

Without that assistance, the LSTA says the full cost of providing a seat can reach as high as $1,177 per student.

The LSTA claims that it has nevertheless managed to bring the price families will actually pay down to $945 per child, a $232 reduction from the potential full cost. The agency emphasized that the reduction is not being funded by a continued Township subsidy, but instead results from efficiencies created by the enormous size and density of Lakewood’s transportation system and the purchasing power generated by its large number of routes.

For families with multiple children relying on non-mandated transportation, however, the financial impact could be enormous. A family with three affected children, for example, would now face a $2,835 annual transportation bill.

Adding to the frustration is the extraordinarily short notice being given to parents.

Families wishing to keep their children on buses must log into the LSTA family portal and opt in by Monday, August 24, at 11 p.m. Because bus routes are awarded based on both morning and afternoon seats, families cannot select transportation in only one direction. Opting in means accepting round-trip transportation.

Parents who already paid the original $385 charge will have that money credited toward the new $945 fee. They will therefore owe another $560 per student, which the LSTA says can be paid in three additional installments.

Families unwilling or unable to absorb the sharply higher cost can opt out of transportation and receive a refund of the $385 they previously paid.

But parents who do nothing by the Monday night deadline will automatically lose their children’s bus transportation.

“If no action is taken by 11:00 pm Monday, your child will be opted out, and the routes will be adjusted and consolidated accordingly,” the LSTA notice states.

The agency says the compressed deadline is necessary because it must rapidly redesign routes, comply with state requirements governing the awarding of transportation routes and give bus companies sufficient time to prepare for service beginning September 1.

Recognizing that some families may have difficulty navigating the last-minute process, the LSTA is making assistance available at opt-in kiosks at its office. The office will remain open Thursday, August 20, until 6 p.m.; Friday, August 21, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.; and Monday, August 24, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The LSTA acknowledged that the timing leaves families with little opportunity to prepare for a major new expense, saying it was itself only recently notified that the Township subsidy would end because of the Township’s budgeting schedule.

“Due to the Township’s budgeting schedule, the LSTA was only recently informed of the subsidy cessation. As this notice is coming very close to the start of the school year and will create an unexpected financial hardship for many families, we regret the timing and understand the difficulty this will present,” the authority said.

The agency also pointed to the decade during which the subsidized program allowed thousands of Lakewood children to receive transportation at a substantially reduced cost.

“We are grateful that together with the Township, the LSTA was able to provide this deeply subsidized benefit to thousands of Lakewood families for an entire decade. We appreciate your understanding as we work to keep transportation as accessible as possible under the current funding structure.”

The $945 figure applies to the 2026-27 school year only. The LSTA warned that there is no guarantee the amount will remain the same in subsequent years, with future rates to be determined by whatever funding and resources are available at the time.

For Lakewood parents, however, the immediate issue is far more pressing: after expecting to pay $385 for a child’s transportation, families now have only days to decide whether to come up with an additional $560 per child — or give up their children’s bus seats altogether.

{Matzav.com}

The biological mother of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed spent five years working for an international relief organization that was later designated by the U.S. government over allegations that it helped finance Hamas, supported Taliban-linked activities and had connections to Osama bin Laden’s network, according to records highlighted this week, the Jerusalem Post report.

The connection involving El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, was first reported Tuesday by the Midwesterner and was independently verified by The Jerusalem Post.

El-Sayed was raised primarily by his Egyptian father, Mohamed El-Sayed, and his father’s second wife, Jacqueline. His biological mother has rarely figured prominently in his political biography. She remarried and moved back to the Middle East while El-Sayed was still young.

The Midwesterner, however, raised questions about whether Elkomy’s absence from her son’s public political story may have been deliberate.

Records show that Elkomy was employed from 1999 until 2004 by the Islamic American/African Relief Agency, known as IARA. Based in Khartoum, Sudan, the organization operated approximately 40 offices around the globe and presented its mission as humanitarian work assisting orphans, providing health care and helping disadvantaged populations in conflict zones.

But the U.S. Treasury Department painted a dramatically different picture of some of IARA’s activities when it announced sanctions against the organization on October 13, 2004. According to Treasury, IARA participated in a joint program with an institute involved in assisting Taliban fighters and transferred money into the Palestinian territories that was intended for terrorist activity. Treasury also said IARA functioned as a financial conduit for Hamas in a Western European country.

The federal government formally designated IARA that same day, along with five individuals associated with the organization.

Additional information subsequently released by the Treasury Department alleged that IARA had connections to Maktab Al-Khidamat, or MK, an organization co-founded and financed by Osama bin Laden that served as a predecessor to al Qaeda.

Treasury also said IARA’s international branches had directly provided financial assistance to bin Laden and that one of bin Laden’s previous lieutenants had served as the head of IARA’s operations in Afghanistan.

The organization’s legal problems escalated in March 2007, when the Justice Department brought a 33-count indictment against IARA-US involving the illegal movement of money to Iraq.

Federal prosecutors assembled an extensive documentary record in USA v. IARA, including 945 exhibits consisting of telephone records, faxes, bank statements, wire transfers, tax documents, emails and other material. In an exhibit list filed in May 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Elkomy’s name appeared 14 times. Those references involved eight wire transfers, five recorded telephone conversations and an IARA request to transfer $24,607.34 to the organization’s office in Iraq.

Elkomy’s brother, Mohamed Elkomy — El-Sayed’s uncle — also appeared dozens of times in the evidence cited in the case.

Neither Fatten Elkomy nor Mohamed Elkomy was charged or named as a co-conspirator. Individuals associated with IARA were not prosecuted on terrorism charges. The organization itself, however, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate financial sanctions by sending money to Iraq. IARA ultimately dissolved in 2016.

Elkomy publicly rejected allegations connecting the relief organization to terrorism when she was interviewed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2004. She said she had “been working there serving orphans and children with at least one deceased parent, and it breaks my heart they’re not going to get any help.”

According to Elkomy’s LinkedIn profile, she has worked as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with Missouri Behavioral Health Services since July 2013.

El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, was born in Michigan in 1984 to Egyptian immigrant parents. He attended the University of Michigan before studying at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and later attending Columbia University, where he earned his medical degree. He also holds a doctorate in public health.

A victory would make El-Sayed the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.

WASHINGTON — A sprawling series of fraud schemes involving relatives working together to siphon millions of dollars from federal programs has prompted Sen. Joni Ernst to push legislation aimed at preventing the families of convicted fraudsters from continuing to collect government money.

The Iowa Republican’s effort was fueled in part by the extraordinary case of a California family that stole $18 million in COVID-19 relief funds and used the proceeds to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle that included luxury real estate, diamonds and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

At the center of that operation were Richard Ayvazyan and his wife, Marietta Terabelian. After the pair were convicted on fraud charges, they removed their electronic monitoring bracelets, left their three children behind with a farewell note and fled the United States. Their run from authorities eventually ended when they were apprehended in Montenegro.

Federal authorities identified Ayvazyan as the leader of the massive COVID relief operation, while Terabelian was among the relatives who participated in the scheme.

The stunning case later caught the attention of Ernst, who has headed the Senate DOGE Caucus and is now seeking to shut off federal assistance to what she calls “fraud families.”

Her proposed No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks Act would prevent people residing with convicted criminals or fraudsters who have been barred from receiving certain federal funds from obtaining those benefits themselves. The restrictions would apply to federal grants, loans, subawards and reimbursements.

The proposal contains exceptions intended to protect spouses who maintain separate residences from the convicted individual, as well as victims of domestic abuse.

“Committing fraud is literally all relative for these families of felons,” Ernst told The Post. “My latest investigation found schemes sprouting from family trees across the country, with kin teaming up to rip off taxpayers to the tune of $50 million.”

Ernst, who is retiring from the Senate, spotlighted 15 families accused or convicted of participating in such schemes as part of her August Squeal Award, a monthly initiative she uses to call attention to government fraud, waste and abuse. She labeled the collection of alleged family scammers a “shady bunch.”

Heading Ernst’s compilation was the California COVID relief case involving Ayvazyan and his relatives.

Following their capture in Montenegro, Ayvazyan and Terabelian were returned to face their sentences. Ayvazyan is serving 17 years in prison, while Terabelian received a six-year term.

The husband-and-wife team did not act alone. Authorities said they worked with Tamara Dadyan, Ayvazyan’s sister-in-law and a onetime Los Angeles-area real estate broker, along with her husband, Artur Ayvazyan.

Prosecutors said members of the group used identities stolen from foreign exchange students, elderly individuals and people who had died to fraudulently obtain $18 million in pandemic relief money. The operation unraveled, and convictions followed in 2021.

During sentencing, the judge overseeing the case excoriated Ayvazyan as a “cold-hearted fraudster” who “views fraud as an achievement.”

Ernst’s examples extend well beyond California. She also pointed to convictions involving members of a Minnesota family tied to the notorious $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. Gandi Yusuf Mohamed and five relatives were accused of stealing more than $10 million through the Federal Child Nutrition Program.

The federal money was supposed to provide food for 5 million children in need. The case also generated a political controversy after one member of the Mohamed family was revealed to have met with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, an encounter that subsequently drew attention from Republican members of Congress.

Another family featured in Ernst’s investigation was the Edwards family, which was living in Florida when members allegedly created a fraudulent family ministry and sought approximately $6 million through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID pandemic.

The application was allegedly approved by an elderly accountant who was said to be suffering from dementia. Instead of $6 million, the operation received roughly $8.4 million after the Edwards family claimed its organization employed more than 500 people. Most family members were never charged, including patriarch Evan Edwards, a pastor who was ultimately found incompetent to stand trial.

His son, Josh Edwards, did face punishment and was sentenced earlier this year to four years and three months in federal prison.

Ernst also drew attention to four sisters she branded “grifting grandmothers,” who obtained approximately $11.5 million from the Department of Agriculture by submitting roughly 200 fraudulent applications for agricultural assistance.

Authorities said the sisters spent their ill-gotten money on expensive vehicles, homes worth six figures and other purchases. Federal investigators later concluded that the women “in most cases, had not even attempted to farm.” Prosecutors subsequently brought approximately 115 fraud charges against them.

The senator’s investigation further included a Washington state case in which members of one family allegedly posed as caregivers and collected $1.1 million from a Department of Veterans Affairs program. At the heart of the fraud was Kelly Lee-Carroll, who represented herself as partially paralyzed and unable to walk while arranging for her sister and son to act as her caregivers.

The scheme eventually resulted in prison time. Lee-Carroll was sentenced to 17 months behind bars, while her son received a 14-month sentence.

Altogether, Ernst’s office says the 15 “fraudster families” highlighted in its investigation were responsible for approximately $50 million in stolen funds. The No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks Act is the latest measure the senator has introduced as part of her broader campaign against fraud, waste and abuse involving taxpayer money.

“Their next scam-ily reunion will be in the slammer,” Ernst further chided.