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BDE: YWN regrets to inform you of the petira of Dr. Abba Spero, z”l of Baltimore, father of famed speaker Rabbi Yechiel Spero. The Niftar was the beloved husband of Mrs. Sara Spero, and cherished father of Mr. Chaim (Rebecca) Spero, Rabbi Yechiel (Chumi) Spero, Mr. Moshe (Gila) Spero, Mrs. Chavi (Reb Chezky) Schneider, and […]

Ukraine used domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to strike two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, an official from Ukraine’s security services told The Associated Press on Saturday. The two oil tankers, Kairos and Virat — said to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that evade sanctions — were struck in quick succession […]

Joe Biden reemerges, saying he is working “as hard as he can” to secure more U.S. support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian naval drones hit two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets

German police repelled a mob targeting an AfD youth conference. Between 25,000 and 30,000 protesters turned out, including Antifa agitators.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin’s negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, and Jared Kushner worked together in Miami on a business-driven peace plan for the Ukraine war. • Dmitriev proposed U.S. access to $300B in frozen Russian assets, joint Arctic mineral and energy projects, and even a joint Mars mission with SpaceX. […]

A 90-year-old man driving ~90 mph in a Volvo crashed into a Bay Area coffee shop on Thanksgiving and survived; police say alcohol may have been a factor, and the investigation is ongoing.

Northwestern will pay $75 million to settle federal discrimination complaints and regain access to about $790 million in frozen research funding. The government will close its investigations, and the university will comply with federal antidiscrimination laws. Northwestern will also end its Deering Meadow Agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters and launch a survey on campus antisemitism. Education […]

A confident far-right Alternative for Germany set up its new youth organization on Saturday even as thousands of protesters converged on the western city of Giessen, where the party held its meeting, some of them clashing with police. A convention of the anti-immigration party, known by its German acronym AfD, started more than two hours […]

FBI Director Kash Patel warns James Comey of imminent action, saying developments are expected in the coming days.

Southwest Airlines will soon require travelers who don’t fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra one in advance, part of a string of recent changes the carrier is making. The new rule goes into effect Jan. 27, the same day Southwest starts assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can either pay for […]

The chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Boaz Bismuth, revealed Motzoei Shabbos that he has implemented a series of adjustments and stricter provisions in the updated version of the draft law, working hand-in-hand with the committee’s legal advisers. According to Bismuth, the goal was to reduce legal vulnerabilities and create a workable balance between the IDF’s manpower needs and the preservation of the Olam HaTorah.

Bismuth addressed the newly released text ahead of committee deliberations scheduled for this week, stressing that an “intensive and meticulous” drafting process was carried out with the full involvement of the legal team.

He explained that the latest version includes “a number of changes and tightened clauses” designed to fully comply with legal requirements and minimize the risks that plagued earlier iterations. “I worked in recent weeks on the wording of the law in full cooperation with the legal advisers of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” he said. “I made precise adjustments and changes to meet the legal demands and to prevent any future legal exposure.”

The committee chair emphasized that the updated draft seeks to strike a carefully calibrated compromise. With the IDF dealing with manpower shortages while the chareidi sector insists on safeguarding full-time Torah study, Bismuth described the proposal as “a responsible, balanced and stable law — a law that will return to the State of Israel the stability it has been lacking.”

Bismuth also made clear that the legislative process is already too far along to shift course. “The train has already left the station, and it will not stop until the law is approved in the Knesset plenum,” he declared.

His comments come amid reports over the weekend that the committee’s own legal adviser, Miri Frenkel-Shor, opposes portions of the draft Bismuth unveiled. The committee is expected to begin detailed discussions on the legislation in the coming days.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump issued a sweeping declaration Friday, announcing that he is voiding every document signed through the use of an autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency and threatening legal consequences if Biden insists he personally approved the signatures. Trump claimed he is prepared to have his predecessor “brought up on charges of perjury” if Biden says he was involved in authorizing aides to use the device.

For months, Trump has insisted that Biden was largely absent during his term, portraying the administration as one run by unelected staffers. In his latest Truth Social post, Trump asserted, “Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect. The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States.”

He went on to accuse Biden’s advisers of usurping authority, writing, “The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.”

Trump concluded his message with a direct warning: “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Although Trump has already undone many of Biden’s directives, he has also implied that a number of Biden’s pardons may be invalid. Biden, however, told the New York Times this year that he personally authorized the use of his name in his final clemency decisions. Historically, autopen signatures have been recognized as fully legitimate when used by staff under presidential direction, and presidents of both parties have relied on the device for decades — including in rare instances to enact legislation.

Legal precedent supports the practice. A Justice Department opinion issued in 2005 during the George W. Bush administration concluded, “the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law.”

{Matzav.com}

A Hamas terrorist surrendered to Israeli forces today after crossing Gaza’s yellow line. He told the IDF he had been recently recruited by Hamas but now regretted the decision. The IDF also reported that three Palestinians who crossed the yellow line in southern Gaza today were killed.

President Trump unveiled a sweeping new directive today, declaring that no aircraft may traverse Venezuela’s skies as part of an intensified campaign against narcotics flowing out of the region. In a sharply worded Truth Social message, he announced: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” He ended the post with: “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

This latest move follows Trump’s pledge earlier this week to target drug operations on land. Speaking with reporters, he said, “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” hinting that the airspace shutdown is only the beginning of a broader escalation.

Since September, the administration has focused heavily on maritime strikes, hitting what it describes as narcotics-carrying vessels departing from Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America. The White House says the maritime strategy has sharply curtailed drug movements, with Trump insisting that trafficking by sea has fallen by “85%” since the operations began. Critics—including human rights groups, academics, and Democratic lawmakers—have condemned the policy as a form of extrajudicial killing.

Defense officials acknowledge that at least 21 deadly strikes have taken place under the initiative. One of the most contentious incidents involved a boat near Trinidad, where survivors were reportedly killed in a second round of fire—an alleged “double tap” that prompted outrage. According to reports, the strike was carried out under direction from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to “kill everybody,” an allegation Hegseth dismissed as “fake news.”

Amid all this, Trump held a conversation last week with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. According to the New York Times, the discussion included the possibility of an unprecedented face-to-face meeting—something no U.S. president has ever pursued with the authoritarian head of state. Trump has long denounced Maduro, calling him illegitimate and accusing him of running the narcotics empire known as Cartel de los Soles.

The decision to seal off Venezuelan airspace marks the most dramatic step yet in the administration’s expanding campaign, signaling a readiness to widen the fight beyond sea and land—and into the skies.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered as “closed in its entirety,” an assertion that raised more questions about the U.S. pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. His government accused Trump of making a ”colonial threat” and seeking to undermine the South American country’s sovereignty. The […]

Despite wider economic uncertainty hovering above this year’s holiday season, shoppers turned out in big numbers for Black Friday — spending billions of dollars both in stores and online. Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online Friday, marking a 9.1% jump from last year. Traffic particularly piled up […]

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Gershon (George) Morgenstern z”l, a man whose life embodied determination, brilliance, and unwavering devotion to Torah and avodas Hashem. He was 92.

Born and raised in New York in an era and environment where authentic Torah life was far from the norm, young Gershon stood out for his quiet resolve and inner fire. While most of his peers drifted far from Yiddishkeit, he charted a different path, one of conviction, courage, and fierce loyalty to Torah.

His journey began at Rabbi Yitzchok Shmidman’s Yeshiva Toras Chaim in East New York, where the foundations of his lifelong identity were formed. From there, his love for learning and his refined intellect led him to Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, where he learned under the guidance of illustrious rabbeim. There, he forged a deep and enduring kesher with its legendary rosh yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l, whose teachings and worldview became the hashkafic backbone of his life. Until his final days, Rabbi Morgenstern was proud to call himself a Chaim Berliner, carrying its ideals with dignity and clarity.

Despite his humble beginnings, he became the living definition of a self-made man. Everything he achieved—spiritually, professionally, and personally—was earned through perseverance, grit, and a refusal to compromise on the values he cherished. He built himself into a ben Torah, and later built a family rooted in those same ideals, determined that his children and grandchildren live lives rich with Torah and mesorah.

As a young married man, after marrying his devoted wife Faigy, he assumed rabbinic positions in both Lynn and Lowell, Massachusetts, where his warmth, intellect, and genuine care for every Jew left a lasting imprint. Congregants who met him during those formative years never forgot the way he listened, guided, taught, and uplifted, leading with both head and heart, helping countless individuals draw closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

In time, Rabbi Morgenstern moved from the rabbinate into the world of business, where his extraordinary brilliance came to the fore. Long before the computer revolution reshaped the world, he stood at its front lines as a pioneer and visionary. He founded multiple companies, including Data Systems & Software Inc. (DSSI) and Tower Semiconductor Ltd., breaking ground in areas no one else had yet imagined. His forward-thinking innovations were decades ahead of their time, and his creativity and acuity were unmatched. One of his company’s major achievements was its development of advanced sonar systems purchased by the Israeli government, a testament to the caliber of his technological contributions.

Yet, even at the height of professional success, parnassah was never merely a business objective for him. It was an opportunity for chesed. As chairman of Decision Systems Israel, he recognized the extraordinary potential of yeshiva students and began hiring them en masse, believing that their training in limud haTorah made them uniquely suited to programming. At one point, he employed approximately 200 yeshiva graduates, giving them a dignified means of support.

He would often explain, with a mix of clarity and pride: “In programming you need patience, a willingness to go into detail and the concentration to make sure you dotted your I’s and crossed your T’s and to go over it again and again. It’s the same thing with Gemara [study].”

He would emphasize that it took six months to train a yeshiva student to excel in software, compared to one to two years for a typical high-school graduate. To him, this wasn’t merely a statistic. It was a celebration of Torah, of its rigor, its discipline, and its ability to shape extraordinary human beings.

Eventually, Rabbi and Mrs. Morgenstern settled in the then-young, blossoming community of Monsey, New York, where he immediately became a quiet, steady pillar of support for local mosdos. As a member of the tuition committee at Yeshiva of Spring Valley, he helped countless families ensure that their children could learn Torah without unbearable financial strain. He involved himself in supporting other institutions, always with discretion, respect, and boundless generosity.

His relationships with rabbonim—such as Rav Shmuel Faivelson, rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash L’Torah, and Rav Zorach Shapiro, with whom he learned b’chavrusah for many years—were deeply meaningful to him. They reflected his appreciation for talmidei chachomim, his love of learning, and his lifelong quest for aliyah.

From his home on Shalvah Place, the very block he personally built during Monsey’s early days, Rabbi Morgenstern poured out chesed. People from every walk of life crossed his threshold seeking advice, support, guidance, employment, resources, or simply a listening ear. And in every instance, he gave with generosity, dignity, and a sense of mission.

He was a wellspring of memories, stories, and insights, recounting his years near gedolim, his experiences in the birth of the tech revolution, his time as a rov, and his personal journey of spiritual resilience. Anyone fortunate enough to hear those stories walked away richer, because every tale carried a message, a value, a surge of inspiration.

Together with his wife Faigy, he was zocheh to raise a distinguished family of bnei and bnos Torah who today make their mark across the world, carrying forward his legacy of integrity, perseverance, and ahavas haTorah.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Faigy Morgenstern; by his children, Mrs. Shoshana Schechter, Mrs. Reyce Krause, Mrs. Alisa Rokach, Rav Dov Morgenstern, and Reb Shloime Morgenstern; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Yehi zichro boruch.

White House blasts Boston Globe, CBS News and The Independent for coverage of ‘illegal orders’ video • The White House blasted the Boston Globe, CBS News and The Independent for their coverage of a video from Democratic lawmakers telling the U.S. military that they can disobey illegal orders. • The White House has denied that […]