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Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is expected to spend only seven hours on American soil during his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, following recommendations from senior security officials that he keep the visit as brief as possible due to specific security warnings.

According to a Channel 13 report, senior security officials met with Netanyahu ahead of the trip and strongly advised him to sharply curtail the amount of time he spends in the United States because of concrete warnings connected to the visit.

Under the current itinerary, Netanyahu’s plane is expected to land in New Jersey. He will then travel directly to United Nations headquarters in Manhattan to deliver his address before returning to the airport and departing for Israel shortly afterward.

The unusually brief trip comes amid heightened security surrounding this year’s UN General Assembly, with thousands of NYPD officers deployed across New York City as world leaders gather for the annual session.

Netanyahu’s arrival also comes amid a public dispute with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister. Mamdani had previously spoken about having Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York, but acknowledged in July that New York City does not have the independent legal authority to enforce the warrant.

During an interview with CNN this week, Mamdani was asked whether he regretted his earlier comments about arresting Netanyahu. He responded: “When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, I have described him as I believe him to be a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people.” Mamdani also reiterated that New York City lacks the legal authority to carry out the ICC warrant.

Netanyahu responded publicly to Mamdani’s criticism.

“Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.”

Netanyahu also said he intended to use his appearance before the UN General Assembly to respond to criticism of Israel and its military.

“I’m coming to the UN. I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell the truth about you.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter was on his way to a media interview in New York on Wednesday when he received the devastating news that his son, Neria, had been critically wounded in a terrorist attack, according to Israeli Embassy spokesperson Tal Naim, who was with him at the time.

Naim, the spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, described the episode as one of the most difficult moments she has experienced during her three years serving in the position.

The two were in New York for a series of media appearances connected to the United Nations General Assembly when word reached Leiter about his son.

“Being the spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington over the past three years has been one of the most challenging and demanding experiences of my life,” Naim wrote. “It has meant navigating crisis after crisis, and facing moments I never could have imagined.”

“One of the hardest came this morning.”

According to Naim, she and the ambassador were traveling to another interview about the UN General Assembly when Leiter learned what had happened.

“I was with Ambassador Yechiel Leiter in New York, on our way to an interview about the UNGA, when he received the devastating news that his son, Neria, had been injured in a terror attack,” she wrote.

“Just moments earlier, we had been preparing for a full day of interviews.”

Naim pointed to the painful timing of remarks Leiter had made during his final interview before learning of his son’s condition. During that appearance, he had discussed the losses endured by Israeli families during the war.

Speaking with Newsmax, Leiter explained that Israel had chosen to deploy soldiers on the ground rather than depend solely on widespread aerial bombardment, a decision that he said had resulted in Israeli families losing their children.

“We sent in our troops on the ground to prevent mass bombings, we lost our children because of this, and still get accused of committing a genocide,” Leiter said.

Naim said those words were spoken at approximately the same time that the terrorist attack in which Neria was wounded was occurring.

The attack marked another devastating ordeal for a family that has already suffered the loss of a son during the war. Leiter’s eldest son, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip nearly three years ago.

“The Ambassador has already endured the unimaginable loss of his eldest son, Moshe, who was killed in Gaza almost three years ago,” she wrote.

Neria, an IDF reservist who returned to military service even after his brother was killed, was critically wounded in Wednesday’s ramming attack in Binyamin. He was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim, where medical teams are working to save his life.

After receiving the news, Ambassador Leiter canceled the remainder of his planned appearances in New York and began traveling back to Israel to be with his son and family.

Naim ended her account by asking the public to join in prayer for Neria and the Leiter family.

“Please keep Neria, and the entire Leiter family, in your thoughts and prayers.”

The Board of Peace on Wednesday presented an ambitious six-month recovery initiative for Gaza that calls for 66 separate projects totaling an estimated $2.45 billion, covering everything from housing, hospitals and utilities to security, employment and digital infrastructure.

The proposal was unveiled on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and is designed to move forward once sufficient funding is secured and access conditions permit. The projects are divided among six areas: infrastructure development, human development, economic acceleration, digital transformation, legal recovery, and peace and security.

Nickolay E. Mladenov said the new proposal represents a significant transition from developing a framework for Gaza to putting concrete projects into operation.

“A year ago we had no framework, no roadmap, and no Palestinian-led National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) ready to assume responsibility in Gaza. Today we have all three,” he said.

According to Mladenov, the projects are no longer merely conceptual and have already been priced and prepared for implementation.

“66 costed programmes, around US$2.45bn, ready to begin the moment funding and access allow,” he said, pointing to plans involving housing, water supplies, medical facilities, schools, electricity, roads and employment, with Gazan engineers and contractors expected to carry out much of the work.

“Not a wish list, a plan,” he added.

Infrastructure Development represents the largest portion of the proposal, with 24 programs carrying an estimated combined price tag of $1.205 billion. Approximately $400 million would go toward humanitarian shelters, including assistance provided in kind, while roughly $275 million is designated for debris removal and the handling of unexploded ordnance.

Another approximately $100 million would support public transportation, while an estimated $78 million is earmarked for repairing partially damaged homes. The rehabilitation of five additional hospitals is expected to cost approximately $67 million.

Other projects in the infrastructure category include additional hospital repairs, diesel generators and fuel supplies, reconstruction of road networks, establishment of a warehouse and logistics area, restoration of water and sanitation services, solar energy installations, desalination facilities, garbage removal, municipal services, border-crossing infrastructure, repairs to electricity transmission systems, and rehabilitation of Gaza’s fishing and port fleets.

The Human Development portion of the plan consists of 17 programs valued at approximately $303 million. Among the largest expenditures are approximately $80 million for winterization efforts, including in-kind assistance, and about $50 million for an immediate healthcare response.

The plan also allocates approximately $45 million toward the release of higher-education certificates, while a household purchasing-assistance pilot program and a back-to-school initiative are each budgeted at approximately $40 million.

Other initiatives in this category would provide for medical evacuations and treatment outside Gaza, assistance for schools serving children with special needs, mobile and prefabricated healthcare facilities, educational opportunities abroad, compensation for lost years of education, restoration of basic religious services, recovery of Waqf property, work involving the Omari Mosque and Porphyrius Church, scholarships, packages of essential goods and prepared meals.

Seven projects comprise the Economic Acceleration section, with an estimated overall cost of approximately $35 million. They include efforts to restore supply chains, a food-security pilot program, grants for small and medium-sized businesses, a lease-to-own initiative for heavy construction machinery, creation of a Gaza technology park and regional production park, and establishment of a Gaza Peace and Investment Fund.

Another six projects, costing an estimated $17 million, fall under Digital Transformation. Those plans include introduction of digital identification, 4G cellular connectivity, pilot programs for online education and healthcare, data-center and cloud-storage infrastructure, and a digital-payment system.

The Legal cluster is considerably smaller financially and centers on an integrated program for restoring Gaza’s justice system, at a projected cost of less than $10 million.

Peace and Security accounts for another major portion of the proposed spending, with 11 programs expected to cost at least approximately $885 million. An Interior Commission facility and a mission-support site in Rafah are each projected to cost approximately $275 million.

The proposal additionally allocates roughly $140 million for mobilizing an International Stabilization Force and approximately $120 million for police mobilization. Other components include logistical assistance, a weapons decommissioning program, transferring management of crossings, police facilities, local trust and reconciliation committees, a community radio outlet, and transitional payments for civil servants. Some of those initiatives have not yet received final cost estimates.

The document cautions that the financial figures are preliminary. The amounts are described as rough estimates for a phased six-month activation period and are intended for discussion rather than representing a finalized budget.

Addressing what would be required for implementation, Mladenov said the next steps “must be careful and verifiable,” while calling for commitments reached at Sharm el-Sheikh to be honored and for improved humanitarian access, particularly as winter approaches.

Mladenov also said an International Stabilization Force and vetted police officers would have to deploy, weapons would need to be decommissioned, and reconstruction efforts would have to proceed on a large scale.

He characterized the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as “a bridge, not a permanent administration,” while urging international partners to support the committee’s plans and use their influence with the various parties involved.

“None of this is easy,” Mladenov said. “Nobody has ever attempted what we are doing in Gaza. Not in this conflict and not anywhere else. There will be setbacks and weeks when progress is slow. But a year ago this was an idea on paper. Today it is a plan, with people ready to carry it out.”

Shareholders of The New York Times Company have gone to court seeking access to internal corporate documents concerning the newspaper’s reporting on Israel and the war against Hamas, as well as records showing how the Times applied and enforced its own editorial standards.

The case was filed in New York State Supreme Court in New York County by the State Board of Administration of Florida, which oversees assets that include Florida’s public pension funds, together with the National Center for Public Policy Research. Both plaintiffs own shares in The New York Times Company.

The Free Press reported that the shareholders are asking a judge to require the Times’ board of directors to produce a collection of internal documents, a significant portion of which concern the newspaper’s coverage of Israel and the ongoing war with Hamas.

According to the plaintiffs, the requested material is intended to help them determine whether the Times followed its established journalistic policies, particularly its rules governing factual accuracy and the correction of mistakes.

The lawsuit states that the shareholders have been trying to obtain the documents for roughly four months, but The New York Times Company has thus far declined to turn them over.

Among the matters referenced in the court filing are allegations made by a former Jewish Times employee who spent nearly a decade working on the newspaper’s video desk.

According to the lawsuit, the former employee complained on at least 15 occasions between 2019 and her departure from the Times in March 2026 about what she believed was antisemitism and anti-Israel bias within the organization.

The filing says those concerns were brought to several levels within the company, including managers, officials responsible for editorial standards and the Times’ human resources department.

The allegations contained in the shareholders’ lawsuit have not been adjudicated by the court.

At this point, the plaintiffs are not seeking monetary damages based on the Times’ reporting about Israel or its coverage of the war against Hamas. Their lawsuit instead seeks access to company records that they contend are necessary to investigate the newspaper’s conduct, its editorial oversight and whether it complied with its stated standards.

The shareholders are asking the court to order The New York Times Company to provide the requested internal records.

“Mommy, if I beat cancer once, why did it come back?”

Chaim Rubin is only 7 years old.

A year ago, after more than a year of difficult treatments, his parents finally heard the words they had been praying for: Chaim had beaten cancer.

He went back to school, back to his friends, and back to simply being a child.

But at the beginning of Av, everything changed again.  

The seizures returned, and then came the devastating news:

The medulloblastoma was back.

Chaim has already started treatment to help control the disease, but to give him the chance he desperately needs, his family must now get him to the United States for advanced treatment.

The hospital requires a significant deposit upfront, and after already using their savings and everything they had available, the family simply cannot do this alone.

They need our help now.

Every donation can bring Chaim one step closer to the treatment he needs and another chance to fight.

Please open your heart for Chaim ben Yael.

Donate now

Neria Leiter, an IDF reservist and the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, was critically wounded Wednesday in a terrorist ramming attack near Route 443, prompting his family to ask Jews around the world to daven for his recovery.

The family is asking the public to daven for Neria Dov ben Chana.

Ambassador Leiter, who was in New York when the attack occurred, began making his way back to Israel following news of his son’s condition.

While traveling back to Israel, Leiter expressed gratitude to those treating his son and appealed for continued tefillos.

“I am grateful to the IDF, to the medical team at Shaare Zedek who are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana, and for the prayers of the people of Israel. I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that when the people of Israel unite, miracles happen. Neria needs a miracle,” the Ambassador stated.

The ambassador noted that his son had continued serving in the IDF reserves despite the devastating loss of his older brother during the war in Gaza.

“Neria continued to serve in the reserves after losing his older brother, Moshe Yedidya Leiter, of blessed memory. Since October 7th, he has served hundreds of days in the reserves on multiple fronts.”

“Palestinian terrorism seeks to uproot the people of Israel from their land. They choose death – we choose life.”

Neria’s brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, 39, of Ein Tzurim, served as a company commander in the IDF’s Shaldag Unit. He was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip nearly three years ago.

Defense Minister Israel Katz joined those calling for Neria’s recovery, issuing a message of support to Ambassador Leiter and his family.

“I pray for the speedy recovery of Neria Leiter, an IDF reservist who was seriously wounded in the terrorist attack at the Maccabim checkpoint, and the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. Yechiel, I strengthen you and your family and pray together with the entire people of Israel for your son’s recovery.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir likewise called on the public to daven for Neria.

“I wish from the bottom of my heart a complete recovery and pray for the recovery of the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, who was wounded in the terrorist attack this afternoon. Great strength to his family and friends at this time. Please, everyone, pray now for the recovery of Neria Dov ben Chana.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described Neria as a hero and sent his support to the Leiter family, which has already suffered the loss of one son in the war.

“Together with the entire people of Israel, I pray for the recovery of a hero of Israel, Neria Dov ben Chana, the heroic soldier who was wounded today in the terrorist attack at the checkpoint. I send a huge embrace to Neria’s father, Israel’s Ambassador to the US, dear Yechiel, to his mother Chana, and to the entire Leiter family, who have paid a terrible price in blood in this war.

“Dear Leiter family, the people of Israel are with you and behind you. We are all praying for good news, with God’s help.”

Several months before Wednesday’s attack, Neria himself wrote publicly about the difficult decision to return to reserve duty after the death of his brother. In a Facebook post, he described wrestling with what his own responsibility should be while fellow reservists continued returning to combat.

“Amid all the noise, I came to understand again that the real question isn’t what everyone needs to do – but what I need to do. What is within my control. Whether I am part of it or not. Whether I get on the train or watch it go by.”

Neria acknowledged that returning to the IDF after losing Moshe was an emotionally painful decision, but said he could not remain home while his friends repeatedly reported for additional rounds of reserve service.

“As a bereaved brother, after my brother Moshe, may God avenge his blood, was killed in the war, the decision to go back to reserve duty was not simple at all. Something in the heart truly tears. But I couldn’t stand on the sidelines while my friends did another round and then another round. Internally, I didn’t really have the option of staying home.

“And the truth? Despite all the difficulty, I feel an enormous privilege. The privilege of being part of these historic moments. The privilege of being with people who give of themselves without calculating too much. The privilege of being part of a group of people who are so different from one another in ordinary life – but when they’re needed, everyone simply shows up.”

Reflecting on the transformation of ordinary civilians into soldiers when they are called to duty, Neria wrote:

“It amazes me every time how a group of civilians can, in a single moment, turn into soldiers. Without complaints, without keeping score, in the best atmosphere possible, with jokes that only we understand.

“In the end, despite all the difficulty, exhaustion and the price – it is an enormous privilege to be part of the generation that is living through this period and not merely reading about it afterward. A privilege to be part of a legendary group of good people. A privilege to be in this company and on this team. A privilege to defend our home.”

In a significant development, Salbdoak rosh yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has issued a rare and strongly worded letter of support for Rav Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, condemning what he described as “violent persecution” carried out under the guise of “false zealotry.”

The letter came after Rav Feivelson wrote directly to Rav Hirsch addressing controversial excerpts that had been circulated from one of his past shiurim concerning the relationship between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

Rav Hirsch’s decision to issue the letter followed considerable thought and discussion before he ultimately decided to make his position clear.

In his response, Rav Hirsch sharply protested the campaign against Rav Feivelson, declaring that such conduct is contrary to the Torah and causes a desecration of Hashem’s name. He also offered Rav Feivelson encouragement to continue teaching Torah to his talmidim and bringing them closer to Hashem.

In the letter that preceded Rav Hirsch’s response, Rav Feivelson explained the context of the shiur from which the disputed excerpts had been taken. He maintained that the quotations had been deliberately distorted and emphasized that the shiur had originally been delivered to baalei teshuvah struggling with questions of faith in Chazal and the Oral Torah.

Rav Feivelson wrote: “To the esteemed Maran shlita: Regarding the quotations that were collected from a shiur of mine concerning the relationship between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, aside from the responses that I have already written before the esteemed Rav, which demonstrate that the quotations were taken maliciously and with the intention of distorting them, I have an additional point to add. The aforementioned shiur was delivered before baalei teshuvah in order to establish firmly in their hearts belief in Chazal and the Oral Torah. Today, when our bais medrash consists primarily of those who were raised from childhood with emunah and observance of mitzvos, I do not deal with these subjects, and I also removed those shiurim from Kol Halashon years ago.”

Rav Hirsch subsequently responded to Rav Feivelson with a letter of his own: “Greetings. I heard with pain about the violent persecution against the esteemed Rav under the guise of false zealotry. Aside from the fact that this is not the way of Torah, it also causes a chillul Hashem, rachmana litzlan. May it be Hashem’s will that you be able to immerse yourself in Torah and avodah in peace and tranquility, and continue teaching Torah and wisdom to your talmidim, bringing them closer to their Father in Heaven.”

The letter represents an unusually direct public intervention by Rav Hirsch in the controversy surrounding Rav Feivelson and the criticism directed against his teachings.

The exchange also comes shortly after Rav Feivelson suffered a devastating personal tragedy with the sudden passing of his daughter. During the shivah, Rav Hirsch sent his son, Rav Aharon Hirsch, to be menachem avel, and Rav Hirsch also personally offered nechamah to Rav Feivelson by telephone.

{Matzav.com}

[Videos below.] Argentine President Javier Milei received an enthusiastic welcome at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway on Tuesday, where the outspoken supporter of Israel and the Jewish people addressed talmidim, received the yeshiva’s Ohev Yisrael Award and joined bochurim in spirited dancing to “Am Yisrael Chai.”

The unusual presidential visit came as Milei was in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. It marked his first major engagement with the Jewish community during the trip and came one day after Yom Kippur.

Milei arrived at the Far Rockaway campus amid extensive security and was greeted by yeshiva officials and members of the school community. Yeshiva Darchei Torah had notified parents in advance that the Argentine president would be visiting and that security requirements would result in changes to dismissal procedures and schedules.

During the program, Milei was presented with the Ohev Yisrael Award in recognition of his public support for the Jewish people and Israel. The Argentine president’s office formally confirmed the presentation, saying that Milei delivered an address at Yeshiva Darchei Torah as part of his official New York visit.

Milei began his remarks by apologizing for arriving late and expressing appreciation for the honor.

“I don’t know if I deserve it,” Milei said, according to an English translation of his Spanish remarks. “First of all, I want to apologize for arriving late, but as you know, I am dealing with the obligations of my current job, and I apologize for being late.”

He then thanked the leadership of Darchei Torah, saying that receiving an award from “such a prestigious institution” filled him with pride.

Milei focused specifically on the meaning of the Ohev Yisrael Award, saying he viewed the honor as carrying an obligation rather than merely recognizing his past record.

“It is a great honor for me to receive this recognition because of what it means,” Milei said. He noted that the award recognized his support for the Jewish people during what he described as an especially difficult period, and said he regarded being an “Ohev Yisrael” as connected to pursuing truth and demonstrating love for the Jewish people.

“I am going to take this recognition not as praise, but as a commitment that I will not abandon until the last day of my life,” he said.

Much of Milei’s lengthy address went beyond Israel and antisemitism, as the libertarian president presented his own interpretation of the Torah’s teachings on freedom, work, private property and economic life.

Milei discussed Bereishis and the creation of Adam Harishon, arguing that work was part of mankind’s purpose even before Adam’s sin. He went on to connect the Aseres Hadibros with the principles underlying his free-market philosophy, particularly the prohibitions against murder, theft, false testimony and coveting another person’s possessions.

He cited the opening of the Aseres Hadibros — Hashem’s declaration that He had taken the Jewish people out of Mitzrayim — as what Milei described as a declaration of human freedom.

“The Ten Commandments begin with the declaration of freedom,” Milei said in the translated remarks. “God does not choose to begin with a prohibition, but rather begins with an act of liberation.”

Milei then linked “You shall not murder” to the protection of human life and “You shall not steal” to the protection of private property, using the Torah passages to elaborate on the economic and political philosophy that has become a hallmark of his presidency.

The president also repeatedly spoke about the Torah and Jewish religious teachings, at one point referring to the idea of bringing holiness into the physical world and citing pesukim from the Torah concerning the material blessings that follow observance of Hashem’s commandments. His address also drew connections between religious morality, economic freedom and prosperity.

The atmosphere took a decidedly more festive turn as Milei prepared to leave.

Video from the visit showed the Argentine president surrounded by singing and dancing bochurim, with Milei joining the celebration as “Am Yisrael Chai” rang through the room. Footage of the scene quickly circulated on social media and Jewish news outlets.

Milei has made his relationship with Israel and the Jewish community an unusually visible part of his presidency. Since taking office, he has repeatedly expressed support for Israel and has cultivated relationships with rabbonim and Jewish communal figures both in Argentina and abroad. His government has also emphasized strengthening Argentina’s relationship with Israel.

The Darchei Torah appearance was part of a packed New York itinerary for Milei surrounding the United Nations gathering. His schedule included a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meetings with business and academic figures and an address to the U.N. General Assembly.

For Yeshiva Darchei Torah, the visit brought a sitting foreign head of state directly into the Far Rockaway yeshiva community — and ended with an image that quickly spread well beyond the school’s walls: the president of Argentina dancing alongside yeshiva bochurim to “Am Yisrael Chai.”

{Matzav.com}

Republican Bruce Blakeman has moved to within nine percentage points of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the race for New York governor, according to a new Siena University poll of likely voters released Wednesday, with six weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 election.

The survey puts Hochul at 50% and Blakeman at 41%, compared with a 49%-39% margin in Siena’s August poll. The results show a considerably smaller gap than Siena measured at roughly the same stage of the 2022 governor’s race.

“At this time four years ago, Hochul led Lee Zeldin by 17 points, 54%-37%, before going on to win by six points,” said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg.

Blakeman has gained one percentage point since last month’s Siena survey, while Hochul has also gained one point. The latest results leave the Republican with ground to make up as the campaign enters its final stretch.

Hochul’s personal and job-performance numbers remain closely divided. The Siena poll found that 48% of likely voters view her favorably, while 46% view her unfavorably. Her job approval rating stands at 48%, with 47% disapproving.

Blakeman continues to be less familiar to many voters. His favorability rating is 35%, while 34% view him unfavorably, leaving nearly one-third of likely voters without a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Nassau County executive.

The survey also found substantial dissatisfaction with the direction of both New York and the country. Just 38% said New York is on the right track, compared with 49% who believe the state is headed in the wrong direction. Nationally, 28% said the United States is moving in the right direction, while 66% said it is headed the wrong way.

“With six weeks until election day, voters offer good news to both Hochul and Blakeman. She now has the support of 50% of voters and saw her favorability and job approval ratings edge into positive territory. He now trails by single digits — well, nine points — in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two-to-one,” Greenberg said.

The poll found Hochul with modest advantages when voters were asked which candidate would better handle several major issues.

On affordability, 49% chose Hochul as better equipped to make prices more affordable, compared with 40% who selected Blakeman. On public safety, Hochul held a 49%-43% advantage, while voters preferred her by 47%-43% when asked about addressing undocumented immigrants living in New York.

The poll also examined how endorsements from President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are being received by likely voters.

“About half of likely voters think Trump endorsing Blakeman is a negative for Blakeman’s campaign, including 69% of Democrats, 49% of independents and 24% of Republicans,” Greenberg said. “On the other side, half of voters think Mamdani’s endorsement of Hochul will be a positive for her campaign, including 72% of Democrats, 40% of independents, a plurality, and 22% of Republicans.”

Overall, 51% said President Trump’s endorsement would have a negative effect on Blakeman’s campaign, while 30% viewed it positively. Mamdani’s endorsement of Hochul was viewed as positive by 50% and negative by 30%. Those figures reflect voters’ perceptions of the endorsements rather than a measurement of their actual effect on voting behavior.

The two campaigns have sought to capitalize on those political associations. Hochul has spent heavily on advertising linking Blakeman to President Trump, while Blakeman and Republicans have sought to connect Hochul with Mamdani.

The Siena survey also asked likely voters who they expect to prevail in November. While 50% currently support Hochul, 66% said they expect her to win, including 37% of Republicans. That finding measures voter expectations and is not a forecast of the election result.

Geographically, Hochul’s largest advantage comes from New York City, where she leads Blakeman 61%-27%. The race is much closer elsewhere in the state. Hochul has a 48%-46% edge in the downstate suburbs, while Blakeman leads 47%-44% among upstate voters.

Those numbers underscore the different regional coalitions behind the two candidates. Blakeman, who serves as Nassau County executive, is competitive in the suburban and upstate portions of the electorate, while Hochul’s New York City support accounts for a substantial portion of her statewide advantage.

Other polls released by Republican-aligned groups have reported smaller margins. A Blakeman campaign poll released earlier this month put Hochul ahead 50%-46%, while a survey conducted for the pro-Blakeman Strong and Safe Super PAC had Hochul leading 47%-43%. Another survey from co/efficient for the pro-Blakeman Coalition to Protect Nassau Taxpayers showed Hochul ahead 47%-41%. Those surveys were commissioned by organizations supporting Blakeman and therefore differ from the independently conducted Siena poll.

Siena conducted its latest survey from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17 among 1,144 likely New York voters, using live landline and cellphone interviews as well as text-to-web responses. The portion of the survey involving the core questions has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

An unusual scene unfolded at Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo on Motzoei Yom Kippur, as Rosh Yeshiva Rav Sholom Ber Sorotzkin led the yeshiva’s bochurim in spirited dancing to well-known Breslover songs, just days after returning from his first-ever Rosh Hashanah visit to Uman.

The sight of a prominent Litvishe Rosh Yeshiva enthusiastically singing melodies closely associated with Breslov and Uman drew considerable attention, particularly because traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah has traditionally been uncommon — and often strongly discouraged — within the mainstream Litvishe yeshiva world.

Rav Sorotzkin’s trip to Uman itself turned out differently from what had initially been expected. Before his departure, people close to the Rosh Yeshiva indicated that he intended to daven privately in his apartment with a small minyan. Once in Uman, however, Rav Sorotzkin became deeply involved in the atmosphere surrounding the Rosh Hashanah tefillos.

On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, Rav Sorotzkin davened with the large minyan in the main Breslover kloiz. During the day, he participated in the well-known minyan organized by philanthropist Louis Scheiner, which begins at 6 a.m.

Two major minyanim are held each year in Scheiner’s enormous tent in Uman. The first traditionally runs from approximately 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., while the second begins at around 10 a.m. and continues until approximately 4 p.m.

For years, the later minyan was considered the larger and more prominent of the two. In recent years, however, that dynamic has changed. Tzvika Berg, the longtime gabbai of the second minyan who helped lead it together with singers Beri Weber and Yoely Lebowitz, has moved to the earlier minyan. This year, the early minyan became the larger and more central gathering, while attendance at the later minyan was reportedly considerably smaller.

Rav Sorotzkin chose to participate in the first minyan, where the tefillos ultimately continued until 11:15 a.m., more than an hour beyond their usual conclusion.

A special VIP area had been established at the minyan to serve as a mizrach for prominent guests, complete with designated seating. Rav Sorotzkin, however, left the confines of that section and began energizing the crowd during “Atah Vechartanu” and “Uvechein Tzaddikim.” Hundreds of mispallelim joined in extended singing that continued for several minutes.

The enthusiasm Rav Sorotzkin displayed in Uman apparently followed him back to the yeshiva.

During the dancing at Ateres Shlomo on Motzoei Yom Kippur, the bochurim began singing the familiar Breslover song based on Rav Nachman of Breslov’s teaching, “Rabbeinu shouted in a loud voice: There is no despair in the world at all.”

The musicians then moved into “Mi Yitein Li Eiver Kayonah, Aufah Tzion Hakadosh Umanah,” a song that for years has been closely identified with those traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

Rav Sorotzkin did more than join the dancing. The Rosh Yeshiva took the microphone himself and sang the words, encouraging the bochurim as the dancing continued.

The scenes have attracted particular attention because of the longstanding attitude toward Uman within much of the Litvishe yeshiva world. In many yeshivos, a bochur choosing to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah has traditionally faced serious consequences and, in some cases, expulsion from the yeshiva.

Rav Sorotzkin’s decision to make the trip himself — followed days later by his public participation in Breslover songs together with his talmidim — is therefore being viewed as an unusual development.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

By Rabbi Shraga Freedman

Noam Gil grew up in Kfar Saba in a secular home with virtually no exposure to Torah. Shabbos, tefillin, shul, and even Krias Shema were simply not part of his world.

But Noam had always wanted to make a difference.

A competitive tennis player who represented Israel at international championships, he was also known for organizing community initiatives.

One of his projects brought Jews and Arabs together, based on a simple belief: stereotypes disappear when people sit down, talk, and get to know one another.

Then a friend asked him a question that would change everything.

“You have no problem bringing Jews and Arabs together,” Tzvika said. “Why not bring religious and secular Jews together too?”

Noam laughed.

“I don’t know any chareidim. I’ve never really met one. I wouldn’t even know where to find them.”

The irony was striking. Noam had spent time bringing Jews and Arabs together, yet the chareidi community was more foreign to him than the Arab community.

Tzvika, who was involved with the Lev L’Achim Midrasha in Kfar Saba, knew exactly where to start.

He contacted Rabbi Kellerman and explained that Noam simply wanted to meet religious Jews and understand their world.

“Of course,” Rabbi Kellerman replied. “Bring him this Wednesday.”

No one could have imagined what would happen next.

Instead of leaving with plans for organizing dialogue between religious and secular Jews, he left with something entirely unexpected: a chavrusa.

One week became two. Two weeks became months.

Noam found himself drawn into Gemara, discovering a world he had never known existed.

His original project was put to the side. His encounter with Torah had become far more significant.

Eventually, Noam approached the rabbi learning with him.

“I want to learn halachah too,” he said. “If I’m studying Torah, I also want to know how to live it.”

And his journey accelerated.

Shabbos, once completely foreign to him, became a central part of his life.

Then came another milestone. Noam spent a substantial amount of his own money on a beautiful pair of mehudar tefillin.

Since then, he has put them on every day.

Even when he travels overseas to represent Israel at international tennis championships, his tefillin travel with him.

Noam thought he needed to build a bridge between religious and secular Jews.

But the real bridge was much simpler: a genuine exposure to Torah and its way of life.

No pressure. No arguments. No debates.

Just exposure.

(Shared by Lev L’achim)

As we prepare for Sukkos and purchase our daled minim, we are reminded of a powerful message about the honor of Hashem in the world: Kavod Shamayim is deeply connected to the unity of Klal Yisroel.

The Gemara in Menachos 27a teaches that of the four species of the lulav, two produce fruit and two do not produce fruit. Those that produce fruit need those that do not produce fruit, and those that do not produce fruit need those that produce fruit. A person does not fulfill his obligation with them until they are all bound together in one bundle.

So too, with Klal Yisroel: we are worthy of acceptance before Hashem only when we are all bound together as one. Rashi explains that this refers to the entire Jewish people coming together, the צדיקים ורשעים.

At a time when we are witnessing so much painful division within our own people, we have a special responsibility to strengthen the bonds between us through interactions of kiddush Hashem.

This is the message at the heart of the Living Kiddush Hashem Foundation’s latest film.

Through 3 powerful true stories the film challenges us to see Kiddush Hashem not as an abstract idea, but as a mission that plays out in every interaction and every setting.

May we be zocheh, through our efforts to increase Kavod Shamayim and strengthen the bonds of achdus among Klal Yisroel, to see the fulfillment of:

“וְהָיָה ה’ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ.”

Watch the film now: https://livingkiddushhashem.org/

A priceless experience, at no cost.

The sicko is getting clicks.

Anti-Semitic YouTuber Tyler Oliveira has once again ignited controversy over his coverage of Orthodox Jews, releasing a nearly hour-long video targeting chareidi educational institutions in New York and alleging misuse of government funding, even as Oliveira himself acknowledges that the institutions and individuals featured in his video have not been charged with wrongdoing.

The sick video comes nearly four months after Oliveira was denied entry to Israel and sent back to the United States from Ben Gurion Airport, with Israeli authorities accusing him at the time of producing content that crossed the line from legitimate criticism into antisemitic incitement.

Oliveira, 26, released the 55-minute video on Sunday, just hours before Yom Kippur. He gave it the provocative title, “I Exposed a Jewish Fraud Network Stealing From Poor Kids.” Within less than two days, the video had accumulated approximately 6.3 million views on X and another 2.3 million on YouTube. Combined with its circulation on other platforms, its total audience is approaching 10 million views.

The video begins in New Square, the Skverer Chassidic village in Rockland County, New York, where a large crowd gathers around Oliveira as he films.

Oliveira tells viewers that approximately 200 people are behind him and suggests that they might attack him. As he walks through the crowd, he compares the scene to the splitting of the Red Sea, saying that “instead of a sea, there are Jews.”

No physical assault is shown in the footage. The video nevertheless presents the encounter as highly confrontational, showing local residents recording Oliveira, representatives of local institutions demanding that he leave and police eventually being called to the scene.

According to a report by Ynet, Oliveira’s central allegations concern the federal E-Rate program, which subsidizes internet and telecommunications services for eligible schools and libraries. His report draws upon previous criminal cases involving individuals associated with Orthodox institutions and examines 10 companies that provide services to Jewish schools.

Oliveira raises questions about the prices charged by those companies and instances in which contracts allegedly attracted only a single bidder, presenting those circumstances as evidence warranting further scrutiny.

However, Oliveira includes an important qualification in the description accompanying the video. Aside from several previous cases that resulted in criminal convictions, he acknowledges that none of the organizations or individuals featured in his current report have been prosecuted and that no government authority has determined that their activities are illegal.

Critics said the gap between those acknowledged facts and the video’s sweeping “fraud network” title helped fuel an outpouring of antisemitic responses online. Comments circulating alongside the video included references to a supposed Jewish “mafia” and conspiracy theories regarding Jewish institutions and government funding.

The timing of the release also drew criticism. Because Oliveira posted the video shortly before Yom Kippur, large numbers of Orthodox Jews were offline for the fast and unable to respond during many of the hours in which the video was spreading rapidly across social media.

Oliveira originally built his online following through challenge and entertainment videos before increasingly moving into provocative on-the-ground reports involving minority communities and other contentious subjects. His style has repeatedly generated controversy, and his Patreon account was previously suspended over content posted on the platform.

At the same time, Oliveira has received support from prominent right-wing figures, including Tucker Carlson, as well as far-right activist Nick Fuentes.

The controversy follows Oliveira’s attempt to enter Israel in May, when Israeli authorities prevented him from entering the country at Ben Gurion Airport and sent him back to the United States. Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, headed by Minister Amichai Chikli, said at the time that Oliveira’s activity went beyond legitimate criticism and amounted to serious antisemitic incitement.

Israeli officials have reiterated that assessment in connection with his more recent activity.

Oliveira, meanwhile, is now calling on American authorities to halt remaining government payments to the institutions he discusses. His video has already reached millions of viewers, while the allegations — despite the certainty expressed by many commenters online — have not resulted in findings by authorities that the institutions and individuals featured in the report committed the wrongdoing alleged in the video.

{Matzav.com}

Degel HaTorah’s new political lineup gathered Tuesday for its first election strategy meeting without veteran MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev, with MK Yaakov Asher conspicuously seated at the head of the table as the party moves ahead with its new leadership ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections.

The gathering offered a striking visual of the dramatic changing of the guard within Degel HaTorah. Gafni and Maklev, who for decades were among the most prominent faces of the Litvishe political party, have been removed from the party’s Knesset slate. Asher is expected to replace Gafni as Degel HaTorah’s senior political representative and head the joint United Torah Judaism slate.

The meeting came one week after a broader gathering in which the incoming candidates sat together with Gafni and Maklev as the party sought to demonstrate unity following the upheaval surrounding the veteran lawmakers’ departure.

In an official statement released by Degel HaTorah, the party said: “Ahead of the opening of the election campaign, Degel HaTorah’s Knesset candidates convened this afternoon.”

The statement added: “The candidates gathered for a working and preparation meeting ahead of the launch of the election campaign, during which the central messages, working arrangements and planned activities for the coming weeks were discussed.”

Tuesday’s meeting included Asher and fellow incumbent MK Yitzchok Pindrus, along with incoming candidates Moshe Rosenthal, Yehuda Weissfish, Dudi Zaltz and Dovid Ochana. Former MK Eliyahu Baruchi was also present despite being placed in a position on the slate that is considered unlikely to result in a Knesset seat.

The gathering underscored just how quickly Degel HaTorah’s internal hierarchy has changed. Earlier this month, the party’s rabbinic leadership informed Gafni and Maklev that they would not be candidates in the October 27 election, bringing their lengthy Knesset careers to an end. Gafni has served in the Knesset for nearly four decades, while Maklev has been an MK since 2008.

Last week, only days after the shakeup, Degel HaTorah held an initial election preparation meeting in Bnei Brak bringing together the outgoing veteran representatives and the candidates who will replace them. The gathering was viewed as an effort to move beyond the turmoil surrounding the changes and begin preparing the party machinery for the election.

In the party’s announcement following that meeting, the incoming candidates were listed first: Asher, Pindrus, Rosenthal, Weissfish, Zaltz, Ochana and Baruchi.

The announcement then named Gafni and Maklev among the veteran party figures who participated, together with Yitzchok Reich, Degel HaTorah municipal department director Menachem Shapira and party director Moshe Schiffman.

Participants at last week’s meeting discussed preparations for the 26th Knesset election and strategies for mobilizing the chareidi electorate behind the joint United Torah Judaism slate, which brings together Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael and the new faction associated with MK Meir Porush. The factions have also agreed to operate their principal election campaign through a unified headquarters rather than running largely separate campaigns.

A source who attended last week’s gathering said that the meeting lasted more than an hour and that Gafni and Maklev cooperated fully with the incoming representatives despite having been removed from the Knesset slate.

Tuesday’s gathering, however, presented the next stage of the transition: Gafni and Maklev were no longer at the table, and Asher was seated unmistakably at its head. For a party whose parliamentary leadership remained largely unchanged for decades, the photograph released from the meeting offered the clearest indication yet that Degel HaTorah has entered a new political era.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing back against a growing strain of economic populism within the Republican Party, arguing that the GOP should focus on creating jobs and helping working Americans rather than competing with Democrats by promising government-funded giveaways.

“I consider myself very much a populist,” Cruz said Tuesday on Fox News’s “The Will Cain Show,” claiming “the base that has elected me every time has been blue-collar workers.”

Cruz said Republicans can embrace populist politics without adopting the type of government spending programs long associated with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“Here’s the difference: the way to be a populist is not get in the [Sen.] Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) game of giving away free stuff,” the Texas senator told host Will Cain. “The way to be a populist is fight for the jobs of working men and women, fight for small businesses.”

His comments come after President Trump proposed earlier this month that every American adult receive a $5,000 dividend if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. Several Republican lawmakers have criticized the proposal, pointing to its potential cost at a time when the national debt has climbed above $40 trillion.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), however, has embraced Trump’s proposal and said he intends to prepare legislation authorizing the payments if Republicans maintain control of both the House and Senate. Providing $5,000 to roughly 270 million American adults would carry a total price tag exceeding $1 trillion.

Cruz’s remarks came as he also criticized the success of democratic socialist candidates in a number of Democratic primaries around the country, arguing that Republicans should not respond by moving toward similar economic policies.

“There are two answers to ‘right-wing socialism’: no, and … no,” Cruz wrote on social platform X, arguing that socialism “has been a train wreck” everywhere it has been implemented.

Cruz said he believes some voices within President Trump’s political movement are encouraging Republicans to adopt a less expansive version of policies traditionally associated with the political left.

“There are misguided voices in MAGA saying, ‘Let’s embrace socialism lite,’” the former presidential candidate told Cain. “You know what? If we campaign and say, ‘We’ll be just like the Democrats except not as a generous Santa Claus,’ that’s a path to losing.”

The Trump administration plans to cap refugee admissions at 17,500 for fiscal year 2027, maintaining a dramatically lower ceiling than the 125,000-person target established during the Biden administration and reserving most of the available slots for Afrikaners from South Africa. The new fiscal year begins in October.

The State Department disclosed the plan in a notice provided to Congress on Tuesday. According to the notice, admissions will “primarily be Afrikaners from South Africa,” referring to the predominantly white, Afrikaans-speaking population descended largely from Dutch and other European settlers.

The 125,000 ceiling had been established under President Joe Biden for fiscal 2025. By comparison, the lowest annual ceiling during President Trump’s first term was 15,000, set for fiscal 2021. The refugee ceiling is a maximum number authorized for admission rather than a guarantee that the full number will ultimately enter the country.

For fiscal 2026, the Trump administration initially established a ceiling of 7,500 before expanding the number of available admissions to 17,500 amid its effort to resettle Afrikaners. The newly disclosed plan would keep that overall level in place for fiscal 2027.

In its congressional notice, the administration laid out its justification for prioritizing Afrikaner applicants, alleging that they have faced discriminatory government policies, threats to property rights and racially charged rhetoric in South Africa.

“Afrikaners face the seizure of agricultural property without compensation; government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business; and hateful rhetoric fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored minorities,” the State Department said in its notice to Congress.

The administration also said it expects Afrikaner refugees admitted through the program to integrate into American society without placing significant demands on taxpayer-funded services.

“The United States anticipates that Afrikaners from South Africa will fully assimilate into the United States in a manner that preserves taxpayer resources for U.S. citizens and does not anticipate other countries resettling Afrikaners,” the notice stated.

The federal government projects that the Afrikaner resettlement initiative will cost approximately $500 million.

Refugees admitted through the US Refugee Admissions Program undergo overseas processing before being resettled in American communities. Once admitted, refugees are legally authorized to live and work in the United States and can qualify for specified federal resettlement assistance and other benefits, depending on eligibility.

The Trump administration has sharply restricted refugee admissions from many other parts of the world while making Afrikaners a priority. CBS News reported that the administration has effectively suspended much of the broader refugee resettlement program while admitting thousands of Afrikaners during the past year and a half.

Refugee-resettlement organizations have criticized the policy. Naomi Steinberg of HIAS accused the administration of “diminishing and distorting” the refugee program’s four-decade history in pursuit of political priorities.

The administration, meanwhile, has expanded its pressure campaign against South Africa over what Washington says are discriminatory policies. The State Department recently imposed visa restrictions targeting South African officials, while South Africa’s government has rejected US allegations that Afrikaners are systematically persecuted.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has argued that Washington’s approach reflects a distorted account promoted by fringe groups, while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government maintains that its policies are intended to address the lasting effects of centuries of racial inequality.

US officials have indicated that additional measures could follow. Ambassador Brent Bozell has described the visa restrictions as an initial step rather than the conclusion of the administration’s response.

[COMMUNICATED]

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5787

As we stand on the cusp of a new year, we look back with profound gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu—and to His emissaries, our partners and supporters— for another year of extraordinary growth, accomplishment, and kavod haTorah in the Kollelim Shas Yidden. 

134 Gaonim. One Shas.

This past year once again brought the remarkable sight that has become synonymous with Shas Yidden: 134 avreichim geonim gathering together for a public farher on Kol HaShas Kulo—the entire Shas.

The farher, held at Yeshiva Ohr Hachaim in Yerushalayim, took place alongside a siyum on Shas by each of the participating avreichim. Gedolei Torah “strolled” through Shas with question after question, and the answers came with astonishing speed, clarity, and precision.

Questions ranged across the entire Shas, touching on the Chachmei Yisrael and the Tzedokim, darkei shalom, dreams mentioned throughout Shas, forgotten Torah that Abaye reminded Rav Yosef of, and countless other topics. The rapid-fire responses demonstrated not merely knowledge, but a remarkable bekius, depth, and command of the vast expanses of Torah.

“I Have Never Seen Talmidei Chachomim Such as These”

Hagaon Rav Reuven Elbaz, Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim, was visibly moved by the scene. Seeing 132 true gaonim together, he remarked that he was nearly convinced that the berachah of “Baruch Shecholak Meichachmaso Lirei’av” should be recited.

Hagaon Rav Menachem Cohen, Rosh Yeshivas Nesiv Hada’as, testified that despite having spent years among the greatest batei midrash and alongside outstanding talmidei chachomim, he had “never seen Talmidei Chachomim such as these.”

A Torah Revolution Across the World

Today, seven Kollelim Shas Yidden—in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Beitar, Kiryat Sefer, London, and Flatbush—are cultivating a generation of lomdei Shas whose accomplishments are inspiring the entire Torah world.

In Flatbush alone, the Kollel continues its demanding daily regimen of nine blatt of Gemara, studied five times each together with Rashi and Tosfos, in addition to Yerushalmi, monthly written examinations, and rigorous farheren.

The impact reaches far beyond the Kollelim. Those who witness these farheren are inspired to take on new shiurim, deepen their own limud haTorah, and raise their aspirations for what can be accomplished through unwavering dedication to Torah.

As we enter the new year, we extend our deepest hakaras hatov to each and every supporter who makes this Torah empire possible.

May the zechus of supporting such unparalleled yegias haTorah and Torah mastery stand by you and your families for a year of brachah, hatzlachah, yeshuos, and kol tuv—a year in which all your tefillos are accepted b’rachamim u’v’ratzon, and you are blessed with birkas Hashem b’ruchniyus u’v’gashmiyus.

                                                 Kesivah v’chasimah tovah,

A Gut Gebentsht Yor,
and with heartfelt gratitude,
Kollel Shas Yidden

ShasYiden.com

As Americans debate futuristic threats from artificial intelligence, including autonomous weapons and AI-powered warfare, national security experts are warning that China’s more immediate challenge to the United States is already unfolding. They point to efforts by Chinese companies to extract capabilities from leading American AI systems, distribute inexpensive open-source alternatives around the world and potentially harness the technology for influence operations and other strategic purposes. US intelligence and cybersecurity agencies recently issued their own warning about what they described as industrial-scale efforts by China-based AI companies to extract capabilities from American models.

The warnings come as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for a state visit to Washington this week, where artificial intelligence is expected to be among the subjects discussed with President Donald Trump.

Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital described what they see as a three-pronged Chinese strategy: learning from advanced American AI models, competing aggressively by offering open-source technology at little or no cost, and eventually using increasingly powerful systems in areas ranging from industry to information warfare.

They argue that this approach could allow Chinese developers to capitalize on enormous investments already made by American companies, while simultaneously encouraging businesses and developers around the world to adopt Chinese-built models.

“I think a ‘race’ is the wrong metaphor for this,” Leah Siskind, an AI research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s kind of like a multi-front war. And in some places, we’re winning, and some places we’re losing.”

American technology companies have invested enormous sums developing proprietary AI systems, while several major Chinese developers have aggressively pursued open-source models. Siskind said the cost difference could become an important competitive advantage for Chinese technology, particularly as corporations look for less expensive ways to integrate AI into their operations.

She also raised concerns that businesses relying on Chinese models could expose themselves to censorship requirements imposed by Beijing or to vulnerabilities that users might not immediately detect. Those concerns remain allegations and risk assessments rather than proof that every Chinese open-source model contains such mechanisms.

“How can you compete with something that’s free when American tech is very, very expensive?” Siskind said. “How can we ensure that a Chinese open-source model would be truly clean, that it’d be truly free of CCP censorship? We can’t be — we just wouldn’t know. And that’s by design. We wouldn’t know what sort of trick backdoors might be implanted and how that could rear its head later on.”

China analyst Gordon Chang compared the strategy to Beijing’s earlier approach to the global solar-panel industry, arguing that low prices could eventually squeeze American competitors and give Chinese companies greater control over the international AI market.

“This is a tactic that China used with solar panels,” Chang told Fox News Digital. “Beijing sees that one day it will drive out the American models on cost and availability, and they will then dominate global AI.”

One major obstacle facing Chinese developers is computing infrastructure. The United States maintains significant advantages in advanced semiconductors and data-center capacity, while Washington has imposed restrictions aimed at limiting China’s access to cutting-edge chips.

Chinese developers, however, have sought ways to build highly capable systems while using fewer resources. One technique receiving particular attention is knowledge distillation, in which a smaller AI system learns from the outputs of a more capable model.

“They are able to leapfrog the process by kind of stealing this information,” Siskind said, pointing to the Chinese model DeepSeek as a prime example. “This is how they were able to release models like DeepSeek in 2025, which was seismic news because they were able to show that they were really competing with cutting-edge American models and had invested a fraction of the resources.”

The issue has now drawn the attention of the US government. On Sept. 8, CISA, the NSA and FBI issued a joint cybersecurity advisory alleging that China-based AI companies have engaged in “industrial-scale knowledge distillation campaigns” targeting proprietary capabilities of American frontier AI models. The agencies stressed that knowledge distillation itself is a legitimate machine-learning technique but alleged that some Chinese companies have used it systematically to obtain restricted capabilities from US developers. China’s Commerce Ministry rejected the allegations as groundless and accused Washington of politicizing a standard AI-development technique.

The concerns extend beyond competition between software companies. Experts are also watching China’s efforts to integrate AI into manufacturing, supply chains, autonomous systems and influence operations.

Siskind said the more immediate physical application may not resemble the science-fiction image of armies of “killer robots.” Instead, she pointed to “embodied AI,” in which artificial intelligence is incorporated into machinery and real-world systems such as industrial automation, drones and autonomous supply networks.

Chang focused on a different potential threat: AI’s ability to make propaganda and influence campaigns more sophisticated, targeted and difficult to identify.

“They’re very good at cognitive warfare, and they can enhance their capabilities with artificial intelligence,” Chang said. “We do not want our elections determined in China. We do not want our critical national security decisions being made in Beijing. And that’s not impossible.”

With Xi arriving in Washington this week, the experts argued that American officials should view competition over AI as a national-security issue extending well beyond conventional military capabilities. The upcoming Trump-Xi talks are expected to include AI risk management alongside trade and other economic issues.

Siskind called for Washington to close loopholes in restrictions on advanced chip exports, impose penalties on foreign laboratories found to be deceptively extracting American AI capabilities and encourage more American investment in open-source models. She said “it is very important that the most advanced systems are developed under democracy and represent democratic values, as opposed to authoritarian values.”

Chang argued that the broader struggle over AI could eventually affect international political power, invoking the traditional Chinese concept of Tianxia in describing what he views as Beijing’s ambitions.

“Xi Jinping throughout this century has been pushing the Chinese imperial-era notion of Tianxia, or ‘all under heaven’ that China’s rulers have a right to rule the world,” Chang warned. “That sounds ludicrous to us, but a Chinese regime powered by AI might actually be able to accomplish that. We certainly do not want our decisions being made in the Chinese capital.”

The issue also featured prominently in Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The president announced that his administration would begin referring to artificial intelligence as “superintelligence” in government documents and framed technological competition with China as a critical priority for the United States.

“The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of,” Trump told world leaders. “Whoever wins superintelligence wins. And we’re leading now over China by a lot and everyone else. And we’re going to keep it that way.”

Health officials in Philadelphia are warning travelers of a possible measles exposure at Philadelphia International Airport, the second reported exposure in the city within a week, and are urging anyone who may have been affected to verify their vaccination status and monitor closely for symptoms.

The latest exposure occurred at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday, Sept. 13, beginning at 7:45 p.m. and continuing until 12:05 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Officials identified terminals B and F, along with connecting areas used by passengers traveling through terminals C, D and E, as potential exposure locations.

Authorities said the infected traveler was passing through the airport and did not venture outside the facility. People who were present in the affected areas during the specified hours are being advised to determine whether they are protected against measles and to watch for signs of infection.

The airport alert came only days after Philadelphia officials disclosed another potential measles exposure, this one involving the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP.

That exposure occurred Sept. 11 and involved several areas of the hospital. Potential exposure at CHOP NICU West and the NICU West Family Lounge occurred between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The CHOP Atrium was also identified for the same time period, while the hospital’s Main Cafeteria was listed as a possible exposure location from 12:05 p.m. until 2:45 p.m.

Pennsylvania and Philadelphia health authorities, working together with CHOP, said they are “working closely to ensure potentially exposed infants receive a preventative antibody product to prevent or lessen severe disease and to take steps to prevent the further spread of measles.”

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said the two incidents underscore the importance of maintaining protection against the highly contagious virus, describing the exposures as “a reminder of how important it is for all of us to be up to date on our vaccinations.”

Raval-Nelson said people who have received the recommended vaccinations face significantly less risk while also helping shield those who are particularly vulnerable to serious illness.

“Every Philadelphian who is fully vaccinated has little to fear from the situation at CHOP and the airport,” she said. “Even more importantly, every one of those people is doing their part to help protect our most vulnerable from measles. With outbreaks continuing in Pennsylvania and other places, this is even more important.”

Health officials said anyone who may have been exposed and does not have immunity to measles should contact a medical provider. The same recommendation applies to people who are uncertain about their vaccination history, as well as infants, pregnant women who are not immune, and individuals with compromised immune systems.

Officials noted that medical intervention may still be possible for certain people after an exposure, potentially preventing infection or reducing the seriousness of the illness.

“Some people may still be eligible for treatment after exposure that can prevent measles or reduce the severity of illness,” the department wrote. “Anyone who develops symptoms should call ahead before visiting a healthcare facility and tell the provider about the possible measles exposure.”

The Philadelphia warnings come amid broader concern over measles in Pennsylvania. In August, state authorities confirmed two measles-related deaths, the first fatalities attributed to the virus in Pennsylvania in 35 years.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said both people who died were Lancaster County residents who had not been vaccinated against measles.

Health authorities recommend vaccination as the primary means of protection. The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, is administered in two doses and is approximately 97% effective against measles after both doses, according to the CDC.

Measles is among the most contagious infectious diseases. While most patients recover, the illness can result in serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Available public-health data indicate that approximately one to three of every 1,000 children infected with measles die from respiratory or neurological complications.

The virus spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes or breathes. Measles virus can remain infectious in an enclosed airspace for as long as two hours after an infected person has departed, which is why public-health agencies issue exposure alerts even when travelers never had direct contact with the infected individual.

Symptoms generally appear seven to 21 days following exposure. Early signs commonly include fever, coughing, a runny nose and red or watery eyes. Several days later, patients typically develop a rash that begins around the head and then spreads downward across the body.

Officials are advising anyone who believes they were exposed and subsequently develops symptoms to contact a healthcare provider before arriving at a medical facility, allowing precautions to be taken to prevent additional exposures.

I feel helpless, because no mother should ever have to stand by and feel unable to save her child.

My name is Chaya. And my son is Chaim Rafael — my whole world.

Chaim Rafael was born with HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome), one of the most complex congenital heart conditions.

It means the left side of his heart didn’t develop properly, and from his very first days, his life has been a fight.

He has already been through a long series of treatments and surgeries in Israel.

So many procedures. So many hospital rooms. So many nights I didn’t sleep.

People tell me, “Be strong.”

But I’m a mother… and I’m scared.

Because now the doctors told us clearly: Chaim Rafael needs another critical stage of treatment — and it must be done abroad.

We were offered treatment in three different places: Vienna, Germany, and Boston.

And in all three places, the costs are extremely high.

And the truth is crushing: I don’t even have the ability to pay the deposit required to secure his treatment.

That is why we are raising $300,000 — to cover the deposit, medical costs, specialist evaluations, travel, lodging near the hospital for an extended stay, medications, and the follow-up care he will need to recover.

Every day I look at my son and I try to smile for him…

But inside, I’m terrified that time will run out.

I’m begging you — please don’t let us face this alone.

If you can donate, please donate.

If you can’t donate right now, please share.

Because for my son… every day matters.

And every donation brings Chaim Rafael closer to the treatment that can keep him alive.

Donate today

Is Your Sukkah Up To Code?

You may be comfortable eating at a restaurant under a reliable hashgachah, but what about eating in its sukkah? In this special Sukkos episode, Rabbi Yosef Fund of the KCL in Lakewood joins R’ Yitzchok Hisiger to explore the kashrus of public sukkos. From s’chach and sukkah walls to lavud straps, sukkah construction, and the effects of wind and weather, Rabbi Fund walks us through the practical shailos that can arise in the sukkos we encounter throughout Yom Tov.

WATCH:

View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/mind-the-gap-please 

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

https://open.spotify.com/show/6Rj5rIndHc886Fblqh8U49 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-kashrus/id1631553497 

https://24six.app/app/podcast/collection/985

https://mytat.me/o112

https://www.kosher.com/shows/lets-talk-kashrus-73

CLICK HERE to watch more episodes of Let’s Talk Kashrus

______

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Transcription

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Let’s Talk Kashrus, presented by the Kashrus Awareness Project in conjunction with the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Today I am privileged to be joined by Rabbi Yosef Fund, one of the rabbanim of the KCL in Lakewood. Rabbi Fund, welcome to the Let’s Talk Kashrus studio. 

R’ Yosef Fund: Thank you. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: So, with the Yom Tov of Sukkos coming, I mean, we don’t know when people will watch this episode, but this is being put out special for Sukkos, a topic that has rarely been addressed in a forum of this sort is the topic of sukkos in establishments, public sukkos. You go to stores, you go to maybe amusement venues, wherever you go, and you’re going to be eating in someone else’s sukkah that was built by someone else, you don’t know the details of the sukkah. So the question is, can you rely on the kashrus of the sukkah without knowing these details? And I guess to encapsulate the the crux of the question: if I’m going to a store, let’s keep it simple, I go to a store, store is under a reliable hashgachah and it has a sukkah, can I assume that the kashrus organization that is supervising the establishment also supervised the construction of the sukkah and the maintenance of the sukkah? Walk us through this topic.

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, it’s a great question. 

I’m not familiar with what’s happening in other va’adeikashrus. In KCL of Lakewood, as long as I’ve been involved, which is a number of years, the policy is that whoever, whichever establishment puts up a sukkah for the patrons, pizza stores mostly, there have been even halls that do it, other fast food places, maybe some restaurants, they should inform the Va’ad HaKashrus, and then sometime shortly before Yom Tov, one of the rabbanim from the va’ad visits the sukkah and assesses the kashrus of the sukkah. Sometimes we have a vendor who puts up a sukkah on Sukkos unexpectedly. Sometimes there are some who have maybe zoning issues or building issues, and they could only put up on Chol HaMo’ed, but usually it’s done before, and one of the rabbanim visits and examines the sukkah. 

I want to share an interesting thing. You know, we grew up, many of us, there was a sefer, a squat green sefer from Rav Elya Weisfish, two squat green sefarim, most sefarim weren’t green, still aren’t green, one on Sukkah and one on DaledMinim. And in Tav-Shin-Ayin-Zayin, Rav Elya Weisfish put out a new edition of the one on Sukkah, which I have right over here. It turned into two volumes with pictures on the cover and glossy pictures inside. 

And I met him shortly afterwards in Ayin-Ches or so, maybe Ayin-Tes, walking right near Zichron Moshe with his son, and I told him that the sefer came to America. And he told me that his first sefer was on Daled Minim, and after the sefer on Daled Minim was published, Rav Elyashiv encouraged him to write a sefer on Sukkah. And he asked Rav Elyashiv, he said, “I understand that people need a sefer on Daled Minim, but why do people need a sefer on Sukkah? They tend to do it right.” And he said, “Yeah, when people make a sukkah in their own home, then they tend to do it right. When they make a sukkah when they tend to travel, then it’s often more makeshift, and that’s when people need to know the halachos.” So I would add, in my experience, that restaurant sukkos, for whatever reason the dynamic is, some of them are great, some of them need shipur, need fixing when I come, some need more than fixing, some need refu’ah sheleimah, but they’re all put up by well-meaning people, but sometimes they have problems and sometimes it’s great from the get-go. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: So you’re talking about the importance of a sefer on sukkah. What are specific issues that you’ve encountered? You come to a store, store owner presumably maybe hired someone or he put it up himself. What are the issues that you find, you know, could be problematic? 

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, one thing I find, I don’t know why this is, but often there is a gap between the wall and the schach. This doesn’t tend to happen in people’s houses. 

I’ve been in many sukkos. In restaurant sukkos, pizza store sukkos that are quite large, sometimes the size of the sukkahand the amount of schach they have is also off, and sometimes I show up before Yom Tov, and I say, “Have someone go and buy some more schach.” We also have, I should add, we have some some nursing homes that are under the hashgachah of the KCL, and then the sukkah is inspected. Some of these nursing homes have very large sukkos, so they need a nice amount of schach, and for whatever reason, this is something I often find. The halachah is that between the wall and the schach, there can’t be more than three fists’ space, and often it is, and then I insist they get more schach or to adjust the schach to bring it out closer to the wall. 

Sometimes, again these are large sukkos, and sometimes there’s a middle space. When you have a space in the middle, sometimes that space will just mean you can’t sit under that space, a gap, sometimes it will be a space that will ruin the continuity of the sukkah. Regardless, I have them fix that space because someone may sit under there, and that’s something I have them fix. That’s one very common thing in store sukkos, restaurant sukkos. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Now when you show up to a store sukkah after it’s already built, you don’t know who necessarily put the schach on, right? You don’t know if it was any yehudim who work in the store, and the owner maybe didn’t realize and he asked them to take care of the whole sukkahwithout realizing that someone who’s a bar mitzvah would have to put on the schach. How do you navigate that type of an issue? 

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, so that’s a great question. Me’ikarhadin, sukkas ganva”ch (Goyim, Nashim, Beheima, Kutim) is kasher, so therefore even if the person who put it up was not a yehudi, it would be kasher. The proper thing is to be mechadesh bo davar to actually put, add some, one corner tefach al tefach, or lift up a part of the schach and put it back on. 

Some do it just leshem tzel, some are makpid to do leshemmitzvah. Regardless, I haven’t found it yet that I showed up by a restaurant or hall and they told me that it wasn’t a yehudiwho put it on. I’m not saying it can’t happen. It wouldn’t be the biggest problem because it would be me’ikar hadin kasher, and then I would be mechadesh bo davar, but lechatchilah, it would still be kasher livrachah without it, but it hasn’t happened yet, maybe it will happen. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: How about an issue, and this is something that people ask a lot about, the dina demalchusacomponent of you can’t build a sukkah, the old joke about the guy who builds a sukkah on the sidewalk outside his store, and he gets a notice from the local municipality, “You have seven days to take it down,” and you know this joke is said over every Yom Tov, and so on and so forth. Talk about that, the convergence of municipal laws and regulations and the building of a sukkah on public property.

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, so that’s an important question, but a lot of it will also have to do with whether the local tzibbur, the local public minds or doesn’t mind, meaning every vendor needs to be responsible for the legality of it. But if it’s in a place where the local populace doesn’t really mind, then from a kashrus perspective, I wouldn’t be concerned with eating in that sukkah. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: What other concerns have come up as far as…

R’ Yosef Fund: One of the most common issues are with the integrity of the walls. We know that one controversial topic is the…

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: is the canvas sukkos? 

R’ Yosef Fund: Canvas sukkah flapping walls. Right. Okay, now, Shulchan Aruch discourages the use of walls that are from yeri’os, that are from curtains that could flap. 

Shulchan Aruch mentions a a fix for this problem, which is to have poles spread out around the sukkah. I’ll try to explain in a minute what that means. Now, there’s more than one legitimate interpretation of what is a problem with these walls that flap. There are some who understand that a wall that moves is not a kosher sukkah, even if it just moves a little bit. 

This is maybe a position that the Mishnah Berurah seems to go with, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was choshesh for. The Chazon Ish was okay as long as it doesn’t move three tefachim, three fists. Some are concerned if in the middle there’s a belly when the wind blows, that that’s not a teishvuke’ein taduru. Rav Moshe is concerned for that, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Chaim Kanievsky was not concerned for that. 

Almost all are concerned with the problem that sometimes it tends to get detached on the bottom, on the top, it tends to come loose. Rav Chaim Kanievsky signs off on the eitzah for that of these plastic zip ties, those usually don’t go anywhere, that is a solution. Now this is something that I see both before Sukkos and on Sukkos, that yes, if you just tie down your canvas, so then it will often come a point that it will get detached by the wind, it will shift from the wind and no longer be a legitimate wall, and there’s also a problem that Rav Moshe mentions that sometimes people, children will knock it into it and cause it to become detached. Now, the solution the Shulchan Aruch says is to put poles. 

I want to explain what that is. You could make a sukkah, which we had one vendor who had a nice wrought iron fence around his property, so he had poles, vertical poles every couple, I don’t know, every six, eight inches, whatever it is. What I told him to do is put cross the other way, horizontal. Okay, if you have poles that are both vertical and horizontal, then you definitely, clearly have lavud, and that will be a kasher mechitzah, walls of a sukkah. 

If you don’t have in both directions, you only have in one direction, it’s more controversial. Is it kasher or not? Many hold that even if it’s not kasher, it’s kasher min haTorah. So, there is a mahalach that many poskim go with, which is that if you have a canvas sukkah, what there are concerns it will get detached, or according to some it’s too floppy, according to others maybe it’s not too floppy, the way you make it okay is by having lavud, and you’ll often see these lavud straps, and either it will be kasher with that alone, or at least it will be kasher min haTorah, and therefore we’ll be relying on the two things together. So, if someone wants to make their entire sukkah without canvas walls or tent walls, I will definitely insist that if they’re using lavud, it should go both directions. 

So we definitely have one pizza store that has a wrought iron fence. He does have, you know, other walls added to it. Maybe he has for privacy curtains, but the sukkah is kasherwith that alone. But I have him introduce in the other direction so there should be Horizontal. crisscross horizontal, the verticals and horizontals, that’s something that’s that we would allow, and that’s perfectly kasher. 

What if they have walls and you do your best, these curtain walls, whether they are canvas or sometimes plastic material? So yes, I will insist that they tie them well top and bottom. On top of that, that they should use these lavud straps. Now, often people don’t understand what these lavud straps are all about. 

So, I come, and the sukkah is assembled, and it has these lavud straps, and they’re all over the place. And I don’t blame them, no one ever told them what these lavud straps are for. Often they think it’s just some kind of backup to provide some additional support. And they have these lavud straps and they’re crooked and this and that. 

They have to be lined up. If they’re horizontal, they have to be lined up nicely, that they’re within three fists from each other. What I insist on doing is, you know, we know that fists come in different sizes, different poskim have different values, some four inches, some three inches, some three and a half, I insist in going in both directions. I insist not on three lavud straps, but on four lavud straps, and each one should be about eight inches apart, going up to a height of about forty inches. 

And that way I’m covering from from both directions. I’m going with a, call it minimal shiur of three tefachim and a maximal shiur of three tefachim. But importantly, whatever shiur you’re doing, if you show up and see a sukkah, a restaurant sukkah, whatever, and they have these lavud straps and they’re kind of all over the place, That’s a problem. or this wasn’t assembled properly, it wasn’t to me that’s a a red flag that this is not a sukkah that is being properly supervised. 

Sometimes, I said just have them come out and add some string around it, whatever it is. And again, it’s a very simple fix if you understand, if you have the application what it is we’re trying to do. And the vendors are always very happy to to comply, and they’re very happy to make a kasher sukkah. After everything is said and done, sometimes there’s a storm. 

You know, if I remember correctly, last year, there was very stormy weather the night of Hoshana Rabbah. There were some sukkos I knew about that came down from some of the vendors, but it was raining throughout Hoshana Rabbah. I’m not going to insist that they put the sukkah back up when the forecast says it’s going to be raining for the whole rest of Hoshana Rabbah. So if you see a sukkah that is under our responsibility and it’s down or three-quarters down, that may be the reason why. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: So again, to review the this important point, as far as kashrus organization organizations taking responsibility. You said you can’t speak for other organizations, people should find out, but as far as the KCL is concerned, any store that has KCL supervision, the KCL is also taking achrayus for the kashrus of the sukkah? 

R’ Yosef Fund: Correct. The kashrus of the sukkah, the sukkahis inspected, and the sukkah has to be on the standards that the rabbanim require of the KCL stores. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Now, if people can’t reach the mashgiachor the kashrus organization, if you show up to a sukkah in an establishment and you trust the establishment, is there any quick inspection of some sort that a person should do when they come to the sukkah, look around, make sure everything looks right, and then feel comfortable to eat? 

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, so I would say if the sukkah looks like they’re not cutting corners. 

When I say not cutting corners is there are poskim, is a Maharil who say that there’s a hidur to, call it, make a sukkahto the max, four walls, etc., etc., even though lahalachah we know that less than that is kasher. The accepted psak that we allow for our vendors is, if it’s kasher lechatchilah, it’s kasherlechatchilah. They don’t have to have a sukkah with four full walls, etc., etc. But then you have to know what you’re doing, and that’s when a sefer like this comes in. If a sukkah looks well-made, then you definitely don’t have a question. 

Now, I once, you know, we got a call, one of our vendors, someone had a large sukkah, a restaurant, and there was like a nice entrance on one side, a nice entrance on the other side, and you could walk straight through into the front door, etc., etc., and for whatever reason, to this person, it seemed like a problematic sukkah, and it was perfectly kasher, it was kasherlechatchilah, and there will be other such situations that we get calls during Yom Tov. So I’m happy that people are calling, I’m happy that they’re paying attention, and yesh sacharlif’ulasech, that someone cares. Right. But if the sukkah looks like it’s flopping, and the easiest is if the schach isn’t really covering properly, then it it may be kasher, may not, but it there isn’t someone being on top of it. 

Now again, it may be that it was great before Yom Tov and the wind did its thing. We try to make sure it doesn’t, but just like in our homes, it happens. In our homes it happens, and then people take personal responsibility. In the pizza store, sometimes the owner may be with his family on a Chol Hamoed trip, and and he doesn’t know what’s happening in the sukkah, yeah? Right. 

So I don’t have a problem with that. We try to make sure the sukkah is a sukkah that will last for Yom Tov, but just like in our houses, that doesn’t always happen, rabos machashavos, and so too in the establishments. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Rabbi Fund, thank you so much for joining us. This is a very instructive conversation. 

I would say it’s long overdue that this topic be brought to the fore. So thank you very much, and thank you for all your efforts in general and at the KCL in particular, and I guess I could use this opportunity to wish you a good Yom Tov. 

R’ Yosef Fund: Okay, and I appreciate being here and this opportunity. Thank you so much.