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With the new school year upon us, at least 50 children in the greater Lakewood, NJ area remain without a school placement, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to Matzav, leaving dozens of families facing the painful prospect of beginning the year with their children at home.

The number represents only a tiny fraction of Lakewood’s enormous school population. Tens of thousands of children are, boruch Hashem, enrolled in the community’s many mosdos, and the overwhelming majority have been successfully placed. Recent reporting has put Lakewood-area enrollment at approximately 61,000 children in K-12 yeshivos – and another 25,000 younger than primary – highlighting the extraordinary size and rapid growth of the local school system.

But when it comes to a child without a school, percentages provide little comfort.

Even one child sitting at home while classmates walk into their classrooms is one child too many.

The problem is not new. Lakewood’s extraordinary growth has created a continuing shortage of available space in schools, particularly at certain ages and grade levels. Earlier this year, sources indicated that hundreds of eighth-grade girls had not yet secured high school placements when the first round of acceptance letters was scheduled to be released.

Those involved in Lakewood chinuch emphasize that an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work takes place each year to find spots for children. Rabbonim, roshei mosdos, askanim and placement representatives devote countless hours to an increasingly complicated process, often working quietly with individual schools and families until placements are secured.

Still, with the school year beginning, the reality that dozens of children remain without classrooms is causing anguish among parents and raising renewed questions about whether the community must adopt a more forceful approach to ensuring that every child has somewhere to go.

“This is not about blaming one school or one menahel,” one rosh hamosad told Matzav. “Every school has limitations. Buildings have limitations. Classes cannot simply grow indefinitely. But as a community, we cannot accept a situation where school starts and there are children sitting at home. Once there are children without schools, it becomes everybody’s problem.”

Another longtime mechanech expressed a similar sentiment.

“We can talk about how small the percentage is, and statistically it is very small,” he said. “But try telling a mother whose daughter is watching her friends start school that she represents a small percentage. To that family, it is 100 percent. That child needs to know that Klal Yisroel has not forgotten her.”

Several parents who spoke to Matzav described the emotional toll of reaching the end of the summer without knowing where their children will be attending school.

“Every day my child asks me, ‘Where am I going?’ and I don’t have an answer,” one Lakewood mother said. “Her friends are talking about teachers and classes and supplies, and we keep telling her that everything will work out. But as a parent, it is heartbreaking to keep saying that when you don’t know what is going to happen.”

Another parent described the experience as particularly painful because the family is surrounded by a flourishing Torah community filled with schools.

“We live in a town with yeshivos everywhere,” the parent said. “You drive five minutes and pass school after school after school. And somehow your child doesn’t have one. Unless you have experienced that, I don’t think you can understand what it feels like.”

The situation also raises the question of whether Lakewood should consider the kind of communal stance that has been taken elsewhere when children remained without placements.

In London, as Matzav reported yesterday, rabbonim have taken the position in school-placement crises that the broader educational system cannot simply proceed normally while individual children remain without a place, emphasizing communal responsibility for ensuring that every child is accounted for.

Some in Lakewood believe the same principle deserves serious consideration there: No school should begin the year while children in the community who need placement are still sitting at home.

Such an approach would undoubtedly be complicated in a community as enormous and diverse as Lakewood, with scores of independently operated schools. But advocates say precisely that because the system is decentralized, a clear directive from leading rabbonim could establish the principle that placement is not merely the problem of the particular family that happens to be left without a seat.

One askan put it this way: “The question cannot only be, ‘Is my school full?’ The question has to be, ‘Does every child have a school?’ Those are two very different questions. Until the second question has been answered, the job is not finished.”

The scale of Lakewood’s educational system makes its overall success remarkable. Tens of thousands of children enter classrooms each morning and receive a Torah education through a network of mosdos built largely through private initiative, sacrifice and extraordinary communal investment. The demographic pressures are equally remarkable: One source noted to Matzav that approximately 6,500 frum babies were born in the Lakewood area in 2025 alone, while only about 6,000 primary seats were available this year.

Those numbers make the challenge understandable. They cannot make an unplaced child acceptable.

Behind the statistic of “at least 50” are individual children who know that their friends have schools and they do not. There are parents making phone calls, waiting for callbacks and trying to maintain optimism in front of children who can sense their anxiety. And there are youngsters approaching what should be an exciting beginning to a new school year wondering where, exactly, they belong.

Lakewood has repeatedly demonstrated an extraordinary ability to mobilize when members of the community are in need. The families still awaiting placements are hoping that the same determination will now be brought to bear on their children.

Because while at least 50 unplaced children may constitute a tiny percentage of Lakewood’s tens of thousands of students, for each of those children, there is nothing tiny about it.

One child without a school is already too many.

{Matzav.com}

Dozens of Yerushalayim residents took to the streets Monday afternoon demanding stronger enforcement against vehicles parked on sidewalks, arguing that pedestrians, parents with strollers and people with disabilities are routinely being forced into dangerous situations.

The problem is particularly familiar in heavily congested areas, including Geulah, Rav Shefa on Shamgar and other busy neighborhoods, where crowded sidewalks and illegally parked vehicles can leave pedestrians with little room to safely pass.

The demonstrators marched through central Yerushalayim to call attention to the obstacles pedestrians regularly encounter and to demand that the city’s sidewalks be restored to their intended use. Participants included people with disabilities, parents pushing strollers and pedestrians of various ages.

The march was organized by the Jerusalem Urban Coalition and began at Davidka Square before proceeding to Bezalel Street. Along the route, participants sought to demonstrate firsthand the difficulties pedestrians face while navigating the city.

During the march, participants encountered illegally parked vehicles blocking sidewalks and forcing pedestrians to step into the roadway. They also pointed to other physical obstructions and lengthy waits at traffic signals designated for pedestrians.

Demonstrators carried signs and called on the Yerushalayim Municipality to crack down on sidewalk parking, increase enforcement and rethink the design of public spaces with greater consideration for the needs and safety of pedestrians.

“The sidewalk is a sterile area that is supposed to serve us safely, and not become an obstacle course,” the organizers said.

“When a car blocks a sidewalk, a person in a wheelchair or a parent with a stroller is forced to risk their life in the roadway. The time has come for the municipality to return the sidewalks to pedestrians,” the organizers added.

The Yerushalayim Urban Coalition includes several advocacy organizations, among them the pedestrian group “Our Streets,” “Bicycles for Yerushalayim” and the public transportation passenger organization “The Next Stop.”

{Matzav.com}

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday sharply condemned Israel’s evacuation and takeover of a UNRWA vocational training facility in eastern Yerushalayim, claiming the Israeli action will prevent young people from receiving an education.

The criticism came after Israeli authorities moved to enforce legislation barring UNRWA from operating in Israel, following years of allegations regarding the agency’s ties to Hamas and evidence implicating UNRWA employees in the October 7 massacre.

“The Secretary-General is greatly alarmed at this development, as it will deprive young people of the vocational education they were receiving,” Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Dujarric maintained that the training center is protected by the legal status afforded to United Nations facilities and argued that Israeli authorities may not interfere with the property.

The training center “and other UNRWA premises are premises of the United Nations. They are inviolable and immune from any form of interference.”

Guterres’ statement followed an operation carried out by the IDF, Israel Police and Yerushalayim Municipality at the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, located in the northern portion of the capital.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir praised the move, saying authorities were carrying out Israeli law against an agency whose personnel have been linked to terrorism.

“This morning, Israel Police forces are working with the relevant authorities to enforce the law and remove UNRWA from the premises. An organization whose employees were involved in terrorism and that repeatedly served as a cover for Hamas has no right to exist for even one more second, and has no place in Jerusalem or the State of Israel,” he stated.

Ben Gvir said the operation reflected his position that Israeli sovereignty in Yerushalayim must be actively enforced rather than merely declared.

“My policy is clear: Sovereignty is not something you talk about – it is something you exercise. The Israel Police will continue to act resolutely to enforce the law, strengthen governance and make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel, and so it will remain. Anyone who establishes terrorist nests there will be removed,” Ben Gvir added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly defended the evacuation, noting that it was being carried out pursuant to legislation approved by the Knesset and under his instructions.

“In accordance with my directive and following the law we passed, the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, Jerusalem, began today. The State of Israel will not allow an organization whose employees were complicit in terrorism and the October 7 massacre to operate within its territory, and will act against it by all means at its disposal.”

UNRWA has faced intense scrutiny in Israel for years over alleged connections between agency employees and Hamas. Those concerns escalated dramatically in 2024, when Israel presented evidence indicating that UNRWA personnel had taken part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre.

In response to the allegations, the United Nations established an independent review headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. The resulting report found “neutrality-related issues” within UNRWA, while maintaining that Israel had not substantiated allegations that large numbers of agency employees were members of terrorist organizations.

The Knesset subsequently passed legislation in October 2024 prohibiting UNRWA from operating inside Israel and barring Israeli officials from maintaining contact with the organization. Lawmakers later expanded the restrictions to prohibit Israeli electricity and water services from being supplied to UNRWA facilities.

Guterres has repeatedly clashed with Israel since the October 7 massacre. Several weeks after the attack, the UN chief declared that it “did not happen in a vacuum,” comments that sparked outrage in Israel and elsewhere over what critics viewed as an attempt to contextualize or partially blame Israel for the Hamas atrocities. Guterres later insisted that his remarks had been misinterpreted and emphasized that he had condemned Hamas.

Relations between Israel and Guterres’ office deteriorated further in May, when the UN secretary-general placed Israeli entities on a blacklist dealing with sexual violence in conflict zones. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, responded by announcing that Israel would freeze its relations with Guterres’ office.

“We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves that Guterres has lost all credibility,” Danon stated at the time.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has formally transmitted the United States’ civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, while maintaining that the deal will move forward only if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.

A US administration official confirmed the submission to Reuters on Tuesday, marking the latest step toward implementing the nuclear agreement recently reached between Washington and the Saudi government.

According to the official, Trump has not backed away from his insistence that Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords and normalization with Israel are prerequisites for the nuclear arrangement to proceed.

Washington and Riyadh signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement in late July as Saudi Arabia seeks to expand its civilian nuclear energy program. The agreement is expected to open significant business opportunities for American companies involved in the nuclear sector.

US officials have said the pact could benefit American manufacturers, industrial employees and domestic supply chains while providing Saudi Arabia with assistance in meeting its long-term electricity demands.

The Trump administration has also argued that the agreement would bolster nuclear safety and security, strengthen nonproliferation safeguards and make the American civilian nuclear industry more competitive. Officials have additionally presented the arrangement as one that could contribute to greater stability in the Middle East.

Trump subsequently made clear that, in his view, the nuclear agreement cannot be separated from the administration’s broader effort to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office two days after the nuclear agreement was signed, Trump said, “I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it’s time now that they do it.”

Trump argued that concerns over Iran had previously made Saudi Arabia and other countries reluctant to normalize relations with Israel, but said circumstances in the region had dramatically changed.

“They and others didn’t want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran. You don’t have that problem anymore. You don’t have a great power there anymore,” continued the President.

Trump went on to say that Tehran’s regional power was continuing to diminish.

“You have a problem, but the problem is disappearing day by day. They were the bully of the Middle East. They were not going to be that much of a bully anymore, probably,” he said of Iran.

The president also predicted that Saudi Arabia would ultimately enter the Abraham Accords and, in turn, be able to move ahead with a civilian nuclear program that does not include uranium enrichment.

“At some point they’ll join [the Abraham Accords],” the President continued, referring to Saudi Arabia. “They’ll join, and they’ll do their civil nuclear, no enrichment, it’s civil nuclear.”

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States during Trump’s first term, established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain became the first countries to sign the accords in 2020, resulting in the first normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states since Jordan established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1994.

Morocco and Sudan later joined the framework, although Sudan’s full implementation was held up by internal instability. Kazakhstan became the latest country to join the Abraham Accords in January of this year.

{Matzav.com}

Montreal’s city council overwhelmingly approved a heavily revised Middle East resolution on Monday after removing some of the original proposal’s most inflammatory provisions, including accusations that Israel is committing “genocide” and maintaining an “apartheid” regime.

The amended measure passed by a 54-6 vote following significant changes to the motion originally introduced by Projet Montréal. The initial proposal had sought to have Montreal cut its institutional ties with Israel while explicitly accusing the Jewish state of “apartheid” and “genocide.”

Neither accusation appears in the version ultimately adopted by the council. The final resolution also drops the demand that Montreal sever its ties with Israel and does not single out the Jewish state in the manner envisioned by the original proposal.

Ahead of the vote, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said city government should be focused on the responsibilities for which municipal officials were elected rather than inserting itself into an overseas conflict. She said that “municipal governments are elected to run the city, keep residents safe, deliver services and bring people together, not to inflame tensions by taking a controversial position on a distant geopolitical conflict.”

Ericka Alneus, the city’s official opposition leader, voiced frustration over the revisions to the proposal, saying, “I will not hide my disappointment at the major modifications imposed by the administration, which significantly diluted our intention.”

The resolution that ultimately passed declares “solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as all civilian victims of hostilities” in the Middle East. It additionally calls for compliance with international and international humanitarian law and voices support for judicial proceedings examining allegations of violations in Gaza.

Jewish organizations welcomed the removal of the provisions targeting Israel, while continuing to question why Montreal’s municipal government was debating foreign policy in the first place.

Paola Samuel, Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada at B’nai Brith Canada, praised the council for rejecting the original language.

“We are pleased that the City Council did not adopt the deceitful and distorted language contained in the original motion. We applaud Mayor Soraya Martinez and her governing Ensemble Montreal party for standing up for the citizens of Montreal, including the Jewish community.”

Samuel said the mayor had correctly emphasized that foreign policy does not belong in the hands of municipal government.

“During a press conference at City Hall Monday afternoon, Mayor Martinez correctly pointed out that the role of city council is not to dictate foreign policy. Divisions concerning the conflict in the Middle East, as evidenced in B’nai Brith Canada’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, are contributing to a significant increase in hostility and violence targeting the Jewish community,” added Samuel.

She said the tensions were evident outside City Hall itself following the proceedings.

“This manifested itself at City Hall last night, where an angry mob of extremists accosted people leaving the building, shouting hateful invectives.”

Samuel said B’nai Brith had spent weeks warning against bringing the original proposal before the council, arguing that it would further aggravate an already tense environment in Montreal.

“As B’nai Brith warned during the weeks leading to this vote, Projet Montreal was wrong to bring this deceitful motion to City Hall. Tensions have already been building in the city for more than two years, and this motion only served to inflame them and contribute to hate, disharmony, and chaos.”

She urged council members to turn their attention back to the local concerns confronting Montreal residents.

“We urge Montreal’s city council to continue to focus its attention on what matters most to its constituents – housing, crime and affordability – rather than inserting itself into complex geo-political issues that foster division and contribute to the normalization of hate on our streets.”

Samuel said a more direct intervention by the city into the Israel conflict would have further strained relations among Montreal’s communities.

“If the City of Montreal had weighed into this conflict, it would have only served to exacerbate tensions between communities. It is clearly not in the city’s purview to dictate foreign policy for its residents.”

She also credited Montreal’s Jewish community for mobilizing against the initial version of the resolution.

“We applaud our Montreal Jewish community for coming out, in force, to oppose the distorted and inflammatory original text. We are resilient and strong and will remain united as we stand up against those that try to target or threaten our community,” concluded Samuel.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) similarly welcomed the elimination of the most objectionable portions of the motion, while maintaining that the council should never have waded into the Middle East conflict.

“CIJA acknowledges the adoption of a modified motion by the Montreal City Council, following the efforts of Mayor Martinez Ferrada.”

CIJA said its fundamental objection to municipal involvement in an international dispute remains unchanged.

The organization added that “We nevertheless continue to firmly oppose the very principle of importing international conflicts through such motions – a principle, moreover, rightly reaffirmed this morning by the Mayor herself during a press conference.”

The organization credited city officials with removing many of the original proposal’s most incendiary elements, while warning that it would continue watching for future efforts that could heighten divisions within Montreal.

CIJA said that “We note that elected officials have come to their senses by removing many of the most incendiary and unacceptable aspects of Projet Montréal’s initial proposal,” while cautioning that “However, CIJA will remain extremely vigilant against any possible attempt that could once again weaken Montreal’s social fabric.”

CIJA said the revisions represented a defeat for activists who had sought to use the resolution to push a more radical agenda, while noting the strong opposition to cutting Montreal’s ties with Israel.

The organization further stated that “The changes made ensure that the radicals have not achieved their goal of imposing their extremist agenda on our elected officials,” and highlighted “the many community and political leaders who said no to severing ties between our city of Montreal and Israel, as well as the more than 6,200 Montrealers of all backgrounds who wrote to their elected officials via our platform to express that they are tired of seeing the city council fail to focus on municipal issues.”

CIJA also sharply criticized remarks made by some opposition council members during the debate, arguing that they demonstrated a basic misunderstanding of the October 7 Hamas massacre.

“The importation of this conflict by Projet Montréal is all the more irresponsible given that some of its own elected officials do not even grasp the most tragic and basic facts.”

The organization singled out comments by an opposition councilor who would not identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and referred to an October 7 attack against Palestinian civilians.

The group added, “Hearing an official opposition councilor refuse to designate Hamas as a terrorist group and speak of an ‘October 7, 2023, attack against Palestinian civilians’ – when the entire world knows it was a barbaric assault that killed more than 1,200 people, including Montrealer Alex Look – amounts to indecent revisionism that disgraces the city council.”

CIJA ended its response by calling on Montreal officials to abandon divisive international political battles and return their attention to municipal concerns.

CIJA concluded, “In light of such an egregious lapse, we invite all elected officials to finally return to reality, to focus on the true priorities of Montrealers, and to permanently leave these divisive tactics behind,” and stressed that “It is imperative that our representatives stop yielding to radical groups that weaponize our democratic institutions to destroy the peaceful coexistence between our communities.”

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents affecting Montreal’s Jewish community and other Jewish communities across Canada.

Earlier this month, Nöam, a kosher restaurant in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, sustained extensive damage in what authorities were investigating as a suspected overnight arson attack.

In July, the hate crimes unit of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) launched an investigation following a series of incidents targeting Chassidic Jewish residents in Outremont and Mile-End. According to the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec, several people returning home from Shabbos davening were aggressively harassed by individuals traveling through the neighborhood in a vehicle.

Congregation Beth Tikvah has also been targeted in two firebomb attacks within the span of a year. In November 2024, an Arab man allegedly entered a Jewish-owned business and threatened the owners while shouting profanities directed at Jews and Israel.

Several months earlier, in July 2024, a Jewish cemetery in Montreal was vandalized, with stones placed over graves in the shape of a swastika.

{Matzav.com}

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A major dispute over school admissions has erupted in London’s Chareidi community, with leading rabbonim ordering all of the city’s schools to remain closed until placements are secured for every girl who has not yet been accepted into a school.

The unusual psak, issued Monday, 11 Elul 5786, by the Bais Din Tzedek of the Hisachdus Kehillos Hachareidim, was signed by Rav Chaim Menachem Galitzky, Rav Yosef Yehuda Padwa and Rav Yoel Stein, among London’s prominent rabbonim.

The psak states unequivocally: “Since not all the girls in the city have yet been placed in the schools, we hereby announce that, having no alternative, all the seminaries must remain closed until the matter is resolved and everyone is accepted.”

The directive is intended to place collective pressure on the city’s schools, preventing the new school year from beginning normally while some girls remain without an educational institution.

The latest decision comes amid a broader battle over admissions to Chareidi educational institutions in northwest London.

Approximately three weeks ago, some 50 rabbonim from the community reportedly instructed six yeshivos ketanos not to open for the new school year until arrangements were made for more than 20 bochurim who, at the time, remained without placements. The rabbonim made clear that the institutions shared a collective responsibility to ensure that every bochur had an appropriate place to learn.

That directive concerning the boys led to an extraordinary development at one institution. The leadership of Bais Hamedrash Elyon in Hendon — owner Akiva Adler, chairman of the board of trustees Yoel Jacobs, and board member Betzalel Landau — announced that they were resigning and transferring responsibility for running the institution to the rabbanus.

Explaining their decision, they wrote: “To our great regret, we have reached a situation in which we are no longer capable of carrying the heavy burden that has been placed upon us.”

The effort to guarantee a place for every child has now expanded to the girls’ seminaries as well.

Under the new psak, the rule is sweeping: Until every girl in London who requires a school placement has been accommodated, all of the seminaries are to keep their doors closed.

The directive places significant pressure on the schools and communal leadership to resolve the outstanding admissions cases before the schools are permitted to begin the new school year.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Aron Gertz zt”l, a longtime and devoted rebbi at Yeshiva Karlin-Stolin of Boro Park, who spent many years dedicated to the chinuch and growth of generations of talmidim.

Rabbi Gertz was known as a devoted mechanech whose life centered around his talmidim and their development. Over the course of his many years in the classroom, he invested himself in transmitting Torah while forming lasting relationships with the talmidim entrusted to his care.

For Rabbi Gertz, chinuch extended well beyond teaching the material of a limud. He took a genuine interest in his talmidim as individuals, seeking to help each one grow according to his abilities and encouraging them as they developed in Torah and avodas Hashem.

The levayah will take place Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. at the Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, NJ.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, the senior rov of the Old City of Yerushalayim, has withdrawn an earlier protest letter concerning a planned Christian event near the Kosel after receiving additional information about the nature and location of the gathering.

The initial letter was signed after Rav Nebenzahl was reportedly told that a “mass Christian prayer” was scheduled to take place at the Kosel plaza. Subsequently, Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and the mekomos hakedoshim, presented Rav Nebenzahl with details of the event as understood by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

Following that discussion, Rav Nebenzahl issued a new letter explicitly asking that his earlier letter no longer be used.

“I hereby request that no use be made of the letter that I was asked to sign, after the details regarding the event in question were presented to me,” Rav Nebenzahl wrote.

Rav Nebenzahl went on to express his confidence in Rav Rabinowitz and his stewardship of the Kosel.

“I rely on Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and the mekomos hakedoshim, to preserve the remnant of our Bais Hamikdash in holiness and purity and to uphold religion properly, as he has wisely done for many years to prevent the desecration of God’s Name and the desecration of the holy,” he wrote.

Rav Nebenzahl also requested that the clarification be forwarded to the other rabbonim who had signed the original protest letter. He concluded his letter with the words, “Love truth and peace.”

The controversy emerged this week following reports about an event planned for October 7 involving Christian participants in the vicinity of the Kosel.

Yehonatan Yifrach, a reporter for News 0404, said during Kol Chai’s main news broadcast that promotional material circulated overseas had portrayed the gathering as a Christian prayer event connected to the Kosel.

According to Yifrach, officials with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation clarified that no mass Christian prayer service is scheduled to take place in the Kosel plaza itself. Instead, approximately 1,000 Christian participants are expected to attend an event at the Davidson Center in the southern Kosel area, with a live broadcast from the Kosel taking place in conjunction with the program.

Yifrach nevertheless said at the time that questions remained regarding what representation or activity connected to the event would take place in the Kosel plaza itself.

A historic Skverer bais medrash that served for decades as a central hub of the chassidus will be completely demolished after engineers and other experts determined that the building is structurally unsafe, three weeks after a large section of its ceiling suddenly collapsed.

The final decision was reached Monday following an extensive examination of the old bais medrash in New Square by architects, engineers and structural experts. Their assessment found serious concerns regarding the stability of the building, leaving no viable alternative to demolishing the structure in its entirety.

Several weeks ago, a large portion of the ceiling on the southern side of the old ezras nashim suddenly crashed down onto the benches below. B’chasdei Hashem, no one was in the immediate area when the ceiling collapsed, and there were no injuries. Hatzolah volunteers rushed to the scene, conducted extensive searches and confirmed that no one had been hurt.

The building carries considerable historical significance for Skverer chassidim, having served as the center of the chassidus for decades. It stands adjacent to the massive new bais medrash that has recently been completed. In recent years, most major events had already shifted to the new building, while the older structure continued to accommodate smaller minyanim, shtieblach and brissim.

The old building has remained completely closed since the collapse. Community askanim now say its full demolition is expected to take place over the coming months.

Before the structural problems emerged, plans called for the old bais medrash to be converted into a dedicated heichal hatishen following completion of the new building. Those plans have now been abandoned entirely in light of the engineers’ findings.

One exceptionally significant part of the historic structure, however, will be carefully preserved. Skverer askanim stressed that the demolition will not affect the historic private tefillah room of the previous Skverer Rebbe, which has stood at the site for more than 60 years.

The room has a remarkable history of its own. During a devastating fire that destroyed the original bais medrash in the 1960s, the entire structure was consumed by flames — with the striking exception of the Rebbe’s tefillah room. The outside of the room’s door was completely blackened by the fire, while the interior remained untouched.

At the time, the Skverer Rebbe famously explained what had occurred with a simple observation: “Is this a wonder? Here in this room, no one talks during davening.”

Because of the room’s historic and spiritual importance, extraordinary precautions will be taken to ensure that it remains intact and unharmed throughout the demolition process.

Skverer askanim are now preparing for the next stage, which will involve clearing the remainder of the site and determining its future use in accordance with the recommendations and safety requirements established by the engineering professionals.

{Matzav.com}

Serious tensions are erupting inside Agudas Yisroel as senior figures in Shlomei Emunim and Belz are openly rejecting efforts by Gerer representatives to negotiate a renewed electoral agreement with Degel HaTorah, insisting that Gur does not represent them and revealing that they are exploring the possibility of running in a technical bloc with another party.

Despite the escalating disputes, United Torah Judaism is still expected to ultimately contest the coming Knesset election as a unified list, as previously reported by Kikar HaShabbat. Over the past day, however, significant disagreements have emerged within Degel HaTorah, among the batei Gedolei Yisroel and inside Agudas Yisroel itself.

A Degel HaTorah MK quoted Monday dismissed speculation about a possible breakup of United Torah Judaism as “hot air.” That assessment may ultimately prove correct, but the internal political temperature has risen considerably since then.

Senior Degel HaTorah officials gathered in Bnei Brak last Thursday for a meeting that included, unusually, a representative considered extremely close to Rav Dov Landau. The purpose was reportedly to hear the election-related conclusions reached by senior party officials and convey them to Rav Landau.

The meeting prompted an angry reaction from members of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch’s household, who reportedly learned about it incidentally and believed they were being excluded from the process.

“If they think they are going to manage the elections without us, they will very quickly understand our strength. What kind of chutzpah is it to ignore us and close things without our involvement?!” they were quoted as saying.

According to the report, the frustration surrounding Rav Hirsch’s household extends well beyond that particular meeting. The underlying concern is a broader feeling that they have been excluded from important decisions, including discussions over whether Degel HaTorah should replace members of its Knesset slate ahead of the election — an option now understood to be largely impractical.

While Degel HaTorah has sought to project an outward appearance of unity despite tensions between the different leadership circles and rivalries among some MKs and public representatives, the situation inside Agudas Yisroel is reportedly considerably more volatile. The tensions reportedly include the elevation of a Degel deputy mayor into the circle making election decisions at the expense of another deputy mayor.

According to Kikar HaShabbat, figures in Shlomei Emunim, Belz and Sanz learned from its report Monday that talks had begun toward another joint Degel HaTorah-Agudas Yisroel run. Those negotiations were reportedly being conducted by Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert together with Degel HaTorah financial official Moshe Schiffman.

Senior officials in Shlomei Emunim and Belz responded furiously, challenging the authority of Gerer representatives to negotiate on their behalf.

“Where does Gur get the chutzpah and audacity to conduct negotiations in our name? Not only do they not represent us, but we are currently involved in a personal dispute with them over financial issues that this is not the place to elaborate upon.”

The officials told Kikar HaShabbat unequivocally that, as far as they are concerned, no negotiations with Degel HaTorah are presently taking place.

“From our perspective, there are currently no negotiations whatsoever with Degel HaTorah. Zeibert, and certainly his chassidus, Gur, absolutely do not represent us. We hope he represents himself, and therefore, as far as we are concerned, there are currently no contacts with Degel HaTorah.”

One senior figure from one of the chassidusen went further, revealing that alternatives to United Torah Judaism are already being explored rather than waiting until immediately before the candidate-list deadline.

“Because we understand which way the wind is blowing, and we understand that Gur is once again going to manipulate us and also manipulate Degel HaTorah, we are not going to wait until the last minute, when various forms of pressure will be brought to bear on us. So I’ll tell you something new: We are beginning to conduct talks with other parties with whom we could peacefully coexist as a technical bloc.”

According to the official, preliminary contacts have recently begun with the Noam Party, which is itself expected to join with the party associated with Rav Abergil. He argued that such an arrangement could potentially be compatible with the chassidic factions, pointing to Noam chairman Avi Maoz’s relationship with Chareidi parties during the previous Knesset.

“In recent days, preliminary contacts have begun with the Noam Party, which will apparently join Rabbi Abergil’s party. In principle, we have no problem with them, and we also saw in the last Knesset how much Avi Maoz stood alongside the chareidim, so a connection with him could be more than natural. In any case, even for negotiating purposes these contacts are good for us, so that no one thinks we are in anyone’s hands. This time we will go with whoever it is most worthwhile for us to go with. If that is within United Torah Judaism, all the better, but if not, we have other options.”

Another dispute is reportedly developing over the fifth position traditionally allocated to Gur. Under the agreement reached during the previous election, that slot — which had historically belonged to Gur and had previously helped the chassidus send two representatives to the Knesset on two occasions — was transferred to Sanz.

Kikar HaShabbat reports that Motti Babchik, a powerful figure within Agudas Yisroel, has recently been working to return the fifth position to Gur. According to the report, Babchik is seeking support within the chassidus to become its second representative, potentially positioning himself to enter the Knesset.

With approximately two weeks remaining before the deadline for submitting Knesset candidate lists, substantial disagreements still need to be resolved if the factions are to run together. As the deadline approaches, the growing disputes inside both Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel leave the ultimate composition of the Chareidi electoral slate unsettled.

The Trump administration is not currently planning another round of military strikes against Iran and is instead focusing on tightening economic pressure on Tehran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told foreign allies, according to a report Tuesday by Axios.

Rubio informed several allied foreign ministers that “for the time being,” Washington intends to emphasize other means of pressuring Iran, including the sweeping new sanctions campaign unveiled this week, two sources familiar with the conversations told Axios.

The shift comes as U.S. officials increasingly believe that the American naval blockade is inflicting significant pressure on Tehran, while U.S.-led efforts have allowed greater volumes of oil to move through the Strait of Hormuz.

One U.S. official told Axios that Rubio stressed that the administration has no present intention of returning to large-scale combat operations. However, the secretary of state did not exclude the possibility of renewed military action if Iran attacks first.

A second U.S. official pointed to the U.S. Navy’s clearing of mines from the Strait of Hormuz as a pivotal development in the conflict, arguing that the operation has deprived Tehran of one of its most important sources of strategic leverage.

During his conversations with foreign ministers, Rubio reportedly laid out several components of the Trump administration’s strategy: refrain from additional military action against Iran for now, increase financial pressure through the naval blockade and the Treasury Department’s new sanctions campaign, and facilitate the movement of as much Iranian oil as possible through the Strait of Hormuz and onto world markets.

Another U.S. official told Axios that the strategy is likely to remain in effect at least until the midterm elections. After that point, officials could potentially revisit the possibility of another military campaign.

American officials believe Iran’s ability to exert influence over global energy markets has been dramatically diminished by the removal of mines from most of the Strait of Hormuz and the growing number of oil tankers traveling through the waterway’s southern lane.

“The Iranians have lost control over the strait. Now the U.S. controls it,” one U.S. official told Axios.

Washington’s blockade is also reportedly taking a growing toll on Iran’s oil income. U.S. officials say virtually no tankers have been observed at Kharg Island, Iran’s principal oil-export terminal, over the past two weeks.

“The Iranian economy is in free fall and the regime’s military has been decimated,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told Axios, “and we are cutting off every financial lifeline the regime has remaining.”

He added, “The President has been clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and that he will use the tools necessary to ensure that objective is accomplished.”

Despite the administration’s current preference for economic pressure, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth emphasized Monday that military force remains an option even after Washington’s announcement of additional sanctions against Tehran.

“By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran,” Hegseth told reporters.

Hegseth also said that the Iranian regime is incapable of withstanding the level of economic pressure now being imposed by the United States.

{Matzav.com}

Iran declared Tuesday that it remains in a state of war and will refuse to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until a series of sweeping demands are satisfied, while a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran could launch preemptive military action rather than wait for another American attack.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that any reopening of the critical international shipping route would be contingent on an end to hostilities across the region, the removal of the blockade and a resolution of the conflict in Yemen.

“We are still in a state of war, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Gharibabadi said, according to Iranian media.

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will only happen in exchange for ending the war on all fronts, lifting the blockade, and resolving the situation in Yemen.”

Gharibabadi also said Iran is demanding that Washington honor commitments Tehran says were included in a memorandum of understanding reached between the sides in June.

“We told Pakistan’s Army Chief that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on America fulfilling its commitments under the memorandum of understanding.”

The Iranian official then issued a more explicit military warning, suggesting Tehran does not necessarily intend to wait for the United States to initiate another attack before responding.

“Why should we always wait for America to attack? We can take preemptive action.”

Gharibabadi’s remarks came hours after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy had successfully removed all mines from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Iran against attempting to mine the crucial waterway again.

“I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added, “Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites. There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect.”

As tensions remained high, Pakistan said its diplomatic efforts to mediate between Iran, the United States and Israel had produced movement toward a possible resolution.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Tuesday that “significant progress” had been made during talks with Iranian officials regarding the ongoing conflict and potential steps toward an agreement.

Naqvi traveled to Tehran together with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, with both officials holding discussions with the Iranian president.

“Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and I had a very positive and productive meeting with the President of Iran,” Naqvi said afterward.

According to Naqvi, the meeting covered the Iran-U.S. conflict, broader instability throughout the region and possible avenues for ending the confrontation, including measures needed to restore the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

“The Iranian President candidly shared his Government’s perspective and concerns, and we had a very constructive exchange on the issues involved,” Naqvi stated.

“Significant progress was made, and the meeting concluded on a highly positive note. We remain hopeful that this momentum will help pave the way for further progress and lasting peace in the region,” he added.

Pakistan’s military said the discussions additionally focused on preventing further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the war to an end more quickly and exploring the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

At the same time, the Trump administration is sharply increasing financial pressure on Tehran. Washington has launched “Operation Economic Outcast,” an expansive campaign intended to further isolate Iran economically and deprive the regime of sources of revenue.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the initiative Monday, saying Washington would pursue Iranian economic connections across the globe. The campaign encompasses a broad range of sectors, including oil, transportation, banking, shipping, aviation, digital assets, technology and gold.

Bessent also put foreign governments, banks and other entities on notice that those continuing to facilitate Iranian economic activity could face American penalties, including secondary sanctions and being shut out of the U.S. dollar system.

Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh responded by saying Tehran had expected the economic offensive and had already developed a two-year strategy to withstand the pressure. Gharibabadi, for his part, claimed the Trump administration’s move toward intensified economic measures demonstrated that Washington had been unable to achieve its goals militarily.

{Matzav.com}

Toronto police have opened a hate-crime investigation into an alleged antisemitic incident in the heavily Jewish North York neighborhood around Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West, an area that has repeatedly been the scene of anti-Israel demonstrations and other troubling incidents targeting Jews.

The Toronto Police Service’s hate crimes unit is examining the episode after Jewish organizations denounced the conduct as “blatant antisemitism.”

Police on Monday shared a social media post from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which reported what it described as “antisemitic hate speech” in the vicinity of Bathurst and Sheppard. Authorities did not specify when the alleged incident took place.

CIJA said it is working together with B’nai Brith Canada and the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in seeking accountability over the incident.

“Week after week, for nearly three years, the Jewish community has been harassed and targeted at Bathurst and Sheppard, the heart of a Toronto Jewish neighbourhood,” CIJA said.

“And now, an individual … accusing Jews of using ‘black magic,’ raping, murdering, and eating children,” it said. CIJA released video that appeared to show a man directing those accusations against “Zionists.”

“This cannot be allowed to continue without consequences,” CIJA said.

Toronto police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that could assist the investigation to come forward.

The Bathurst and Sheppard area, home to a sizable Jewish community, has become a recurring location for anti-Israel demonstrations since Hamas carried out its October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel. Some of those demonstrations have included violent anti-Israel rhetoric and chants.

In November 2024, demonstrators were captured on video reenacting the final moments of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the October 7 attack.

Police launched a separate investigation this past March following reports that antisemitic imagery had been displayed during a protest near Bathurst and Sheppard. Days afterward, authorities announced that demonstrators would no longer be allowed to protest on residential streets in the neighborhood because of “increased volatility and heightened fear” among local residents.

The new investigation comes against the backdrop of a significant rise in reported antisemitic incidents throughout the Toronto region since the October 7 massacre.

In March, shots were fired at Temple Emanu-El in North York while congregants were inside celebrating Purim. No one was injured, but the shul sustained damage.

Just days later, two additional Jewish houses of worship — Beth Avraham Yoseph in Vaughan and Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto — were targeted in separate gun-related incidents that occurred only hours apart. Three suspects have since been charged in connection with the shootings.

In April, a man allegedly tried to force his way into a shul in Thornhill, north of Toronto, and assaulted an individual before fleeing the scene.

One day later, someone hurled a rock through the window of a Toronto Judaica store, marking the third reported attack against the business.

Last month, two branches of a Jewish-owned bakery in Toronto were targeted in attacks that occurred approximately an hour apart.

The latest episode also comes shortly after police arrested a 35-year-old Toronto man accused of breaking into a North York shul and stealing religious items.

Police said the suspect entered the shul, located near Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue, during the early morning hours of August 18 and allegedly removed several religious articles. The following day, officers carried out a search warrant at a nearby residence and recovered the stolen property.

The man was charged with break and enter as well as failure to comply with a release order. He was scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on August 20.

{matzav.com}

An Israeli court has ordered the Palestinian Authority to pay NIS 3.34 million to a Palestinian man who was imprisoned for nearly five years and subjected to severe abuse after being accused of attempting to sell family-owned land to a Jew, according to a Channel 14 report.

The ruling was handed down by Yerushalayim District Court Judge Chaya Zandberg following a lawsuit filed by a resident of the village of Samu through attorney Barak Kedem. According to the report, the plaintiff had sought to sell property belonging to his family to a resident of the Jewish community of Shima.

In February 2014, the man was arrested by the Palestinian Authority’s Preventive Security Service. Approximately three months later, he was indicted for attempting to “transfer part of the Palestinian territories for the benefit of the enemy.” A Chevron court convicted him in 2016 and sentenced him to five years in prison with hard labor, along with a fine. His appeal to an appeals court in Ramallah was rejected, and he remained incarcerated until February 2019.

The Yerushalayim District Court, however, determined that his arrest and imprisonment had been unlawful. The judge ruled that an Israeli court cannot recognize the sale of land to Israelis as “treason” merely because the prospective purchasers are Israeli.

The proceedings also brought to light the plaintiff’s allegations of severe physical abuse while being held in Palestinian Authority facilities. He testified that during interrogations, his hands and feet were shackled to an iron chair for hours at a time, that he was placed in solitary confinement, and that he was beaten with sticks and other objects while his head was covered.

The plaintiff further alleged that during the winter he was left outdoors and doused with cold water, while being deprived of food, sleep and basic necessities. According to his account, the abuse continued after he was transferred to the Dahariya prison, where he was placed in a cell known as the “Sharon Cell,” which was reportedly used to hold prisoners suspected of collaborating with Israel or selling land to Jews.

Additional testimony presented during the case supported his allegations. One prisoner who had been incarcerated with the plaintiff testified that he witnessed him being beaten with hands and clubs and then placed in solitary confinement. Another witness said he saw guards step on the plaintiff’s head and strike him in the stomach and back with clubs while his hands were restrained behind him.

The court was also presented with a medical document from December 2014 documenting scratches on the plaintiff’s back, an injury to one of his fingers and complaints of pain. Based on the evidence, the court ultimately found that the Palestinian Authority had subjected him to “actual violence” and committed the civil tort of assault against him.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, the Palestinian Authority was ordered to pay the plaintiff NIS 3.34 million, including attorneys’ fees. According to Channel 14, the compensation will be transferred through a tax-collection mechanism similar to the system used to provide compensation to victims of terrorist attacks.

{Matzav.com}

South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham has secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, winning Tuesday’s special election runoff after receiving a high-profile endorsement from President Donald Trump, according to a race call by the Associated Press.

Graham, a political newcomer who was appointed to the Senate seat previously held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, defeated Rep. Ralph Norman for the GOP nomination. She will now face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November’s general election in the heavily Republican state.

The runoff became necessary after none of the candidates captured enough support to win the Republican special election primary outright earlier this month.

Graham entered the race with Trump firmly behind her. Following Lindsey Graham’s death from a heart condition on July 11, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to fill the remainder of her brother’s term. Trump supported her appointment as the interim senator and subsequently endorsed her campaign for a full term.

Trump’s decision to throw his political weight behind Graham made the contest one of the more closely watched tests of his influence during this year’s midterm primary season, as he backed an inexperienced candidate against more established Republican figures.

Appearing at a Myrtle Beach rally on Aug. 21, Trump made clear that his support for Graham was also tied to his relationship with her brother.

“I’m doing this to honor Lindsey. That’s why I’m here,” Trump said. “So, Darline, we got to win that race.”

Graham, meanwhile, embraced both Trump’s endorsement and her own status as a newcomer to electoral politics.

“The critics say I shouldn’t run for the Senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” she said during the rally. “By the way, President Trump has never served in elected office before and I think he’s done a damn good job.”

Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., also provided substantial financial assistance, spending more than $827,000 in support of Graham. The group had largely stayed on the sidelines financially during several other competitive Republican primaries this election cycle.

Trump’s endorsements have produced mixed results in some of this year’s most closely watched contests, including defeats in races in Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Minnesota. Overall, however, Trump-backed candidates have recorded more primary victories than losses as the president continues to wield considerable influence among Republican voters.

Ray Saldi, 60, said he voted for Graham, although endorsements from political figures were not what ultimately persuaded him. Instead, he said, Graham’s family name and lack of a lengthy political record appealed to him.

“I really liked her brother, Lindsey Graham. I just wanted to make sure that she’s truly genuine to the people of South Carolina,” he said.

Saldi said he believed Graham would be more inclined to prioritize South Carolina’s interests in Washington.

Although Graham began the campaign without previous political experience, she stepped into an established political operation built during her brother’s decades in public office. Lindsey Graham had held elected office since 1995, beginning with his service in the U.S. House before moving to the Senate.

Speaking to supporters Monday in Aiken, South Carolina, Graham said she hoped to carry forward her brother’s work on behalf of the state.

“I want to continue to fight to finish what he was doing. He helped this state. He brought resources to this state. And you know what? If we don’t bring them here, they’re going to go somewhere else, right?”

Her limited experience nevertheless became an issue during the abbreviated runoff campaign. At the only candidate debate before Tuesday’s election, hosted by Newsmax, Graham faced criticism over her response to a question about the strategic importance of Taiwan and the South China Sea.

“I’m just going to be honest here,” she said. “I’m not that informed on national security.”

The remark drew boos from members of the audience and stood in sharp contrast to the political reputation of Lindsey Graham, who devoted much of his Senate career to foreign policy and national security matters and was known for advocating an assertive U.S. posture overseas.

Norman entered the race with significantly more political experience. A five-term congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus, he had also sought the Republican nomination for South Carolina governor earlier this year, finishing third. During his brief Senate campaign, Norman repeatedly pointed to his record in elected office as an argument for sending him to the Senate.

Casting his ballot Tuesday, Norman acknowledged his uphill battle and portrayed himself as the underdog.

“I love being an underdog,” he said. “I think our people are going to get out and vote. I think they’re excited. The electricity that we’ve had has been great.”

Norman also had some appeal among Republicans who were less closely aligned with Trump. Although he has generally supported Trump’s political agenda, Norman backed his longtime friend, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, when she challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Haley reciprocated during the Senate contest, with political action committees aligned with her pouring more than $700,000 in outside spending into efforts supporting Norman.

In the end, however, Graham’s lack of a traditional political résumé became an asset rather than a liability. At a time when voters in both parties have repeatedly shown an appetite for candidates who present themselves as outsiders, Graham leaned heavily into the argument that she was not a career politician — and Republican voters ultimately handed her the nomination.

A former cleaning employee at the Prime Minister’s Residence has filed a NIS 450,000 lawsuit against the Prime Minister’s Office, alleging that he endured prolonged mistreatment and insults from Sara Netanyahu during nearly three years working at the residence. Netanyahu’s representatives categorically rejected the allegations, calling the report “fake news” and part of an ongoing political “witch hunt,” according to a Channel 13 report Tuesday evening.

Rami Ben Hamo, who worked at the Prime Minister’s Residence for approximately two years and eight months, filed the lawsuit seeking NIS 450,000 in damages from the Prime Minister’s Office. The allegations have not been proven and, at this stage, represent Ben Hamo’s claims as presented in his lawsuit.

Ben Hamo alleges that during his employment he was subjected to shouting and insults and ordered to perform tasks that he described as unreasonable, extreme and exhausting. According to the lawsuit, he repeatedly complained to his supervisors and asked to stop working at the residence, but was allegedly told that nobody else was willing to work there and that he therefore had to remain.

Among the more serious allegations in the lawsuit, Ben Hamo claims that he was instructed to clean Sara Netanyahu’s shoes using wipes. He further alleges that the prime minister’s wife called him an “undeveloped Moroccan” and told him: “You should be paying me a salary because I’m teaching you how to work.”

The former employee further alleges that working conditions at the residence were exceptionally difficult because of both the hours he was required to work and the nature of the assignments he was given, which he says went considerably beyond his official job description. Ben Hamo claims that relevant officials were aware of his complaints but failed to intervene or change the situation.

According to the lawsuit, Ben Hamo’s condition eventually deteriorated to the point that he suffered a heart-related medical episode and was transported by ambulance to a hospital. He claims that in December 2025, after his “physical and mental strength had been exhausted,” an agreement was reached to transfer him to a position at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu’s representatives, meanwhile, forcefully rejected both the lawsuit’s allegations and the media coverage surrounding them.

“Fake news and a continuation of the witch hunt against the prime minister, his wife and his family, which always intensifies during election campaigns,” Netanyahu’s representatives said. They further characterized the report as a “continuation of a shameless election campaign aimed at securing an election victory for the left-wing bloc and the Arab parties, led by Eisenkot, Yair Golan and Mansour Abbas.”

Netanyahu’s representatives concluded by accusing opponents and the media of repeatedly reviving allegations that they say have no basis.

“Every week they recycle false gossip,” the statement said.

{Matzav.com}

An ancient burial cave containing graves believed to date to the Second Bais Hamikdash period was discovered beneath a building in the Silwan neighborhood of Yerushalayim during a police operation, potentially setting the stage for a new battle over the treatment of the historic burial site.

The discovery was made Monday as Yerushalayim Border Police officers were conducting an operation in Silwan connected to a violent, years-long dispute between local families that claimed additional lives over the weekend.

Police operations in the neighborhood continued as authorities sought to reach the homes of individuals involved in the conflict. Border Police officers conducted searches and accompanied representatives of government authorities through a compound where people connected to the recent violence reside.

During those searches, officers discovered a burial cave beneath one of the buildings, along with additional archaeological findings.

Following the discovery, professional personnel from the Israel Antiquities Authority were summoned to examine the site.

An initial inspection by Antiquities Authority officials indicated that the graves found inside the cave date to the Second Bais Hamikdash period.

Police and Border Police forces are now securing the site together with representatives of the Israel Antiquities Authority as officials determine how to proceed with the newly uncovered archaeological remains.

The discovery could potentially trigger opposition from groups concerned with the preservation of ancient Jewish graves. Attention is now expected to turn to Atra Kadisha and whether the organization will intervene following the discovery of the burial cave and launch a campaign to prevent any disturbance of the graves.

{Matzav.com}

The final results of the Likud primaries could undergo another shakeup after the party’s Supreme Court unanimously ordered disputed double-envelope ballots from Yerushalayim and Ashdod to be opened and counted, potentially altering candidates’ positions on the Knesset slate.

The ruling came after the court accepted an appeal filed by Shlomo Elboim and lifted the freeze that had prevented the ballots from being counted. The envelopes were cast by registered party members whose names did not appear in the official voter registry.

The decision could reopen several battles for placement on the Likud list, particularly in positions where only a handful of votes separate competing candidates. The vote count had previously been frozen amid the dispute over whether the contested ballots could be included.

At the center of Elboim’s appeal was his contention that the membership forms belonging to the affected voters had been properly submitted to the Likud apparatus. However, because of an internal administrative failure, their names were omitted from the voter registry. They were nevertheless permitted to cast ballots using double envelopes, although those votes were subsequently excluded from the running totals.

The Likud Supreme Court sided with Elboim, effectively determining that the party administration could not benefit from a mistake made by its own internal apparatus. Under the ruling, the envelopes will now be opened, the ballots counted and the additional votes incorporated into the overall tally before the final primary results are announced.

The political consequences could be significant, since relatively few votes may be enough to reshuffle several candidates on the slate. The margins are especially narrow toward the lower portion of the list, where even a small number of additional ballots could change the rankings.

One of the contests that could be affected is the exceptionally tight race between MK David Bitan and MK Boaz Bismuth. Just 16 votes currently separate the two, meaning the disputed ballots could potentially reverse their order on the final list.

The court’s ruling resolves, at least for now, the question of whether the double-envelope ballots should be included. Likud officials will now have to open and count them before determining exactly how the additional votes affect the final rankings.

As a result, despite primary day having already concluded, the battle over Likud’s Knesset slate remains far from settled. Until the outstanding ballots are counted and the final results formally released, candidates cannot be certain of their ultimate positions.

The dispute over the ballots was first reported by Behadrei Charedim.

Meanwhile, Likud announced Tuesday evening that a separate recount will also be conducted involving polling stations in Be’er Yaakov.

“Following the decision of the movement’s Election Committee, headed by retired Judge Menachem Ne’eman, it was decided to conduct another recount of the polling stations in Be’er Yaakov. The results will be incorporated into the final results following the appeals this coming Thursday. Likud is committed to maintaining the integrity of the election process and to following the instructions of the Likud court and Election Committee.”

The latest developments have already produced potentially dramatic changes in the rankings. Gila Gamliel has reportedly fallen to 35th place, while Eti Atia has risen to 25th. The ballots will now be counted again to verify whether those results are accurate.

{Matzav.com}