Following a year marked by numerous reports of chareidi and Israeli travelers being detained or questioned at Budapest Airport, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued a special advisory urging passengers to comply with Hungary’s strict customs regulations to avoid delays and fines.
According to the ministry, hundreds — and possibly thousands — of Israeli travelers, the majority from the chareidi community, have been stopped at the customs checkpoint upon entering Hungary. Many of them were unaware of the country’s strict limits on the import of cigarettes and alcohol, which allow no more than two cartons of cigarettes or a single bottle of liquor per person.
Customs officials reportedly began routinely inspecting ultra-Orthodox travelers, suspecting that many were carrying tobacco or alcohol in excess of the permitted amount. “Almost every chareidi traveler entering Hungary has been delayed,” one local source said, describing the pattern as both frustrating and avoidable with proper awareness.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement, released Monday evening, warned: “Travelers found in possession of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or cash exceeding the amounts permitted under Hungarian law may be detained at the airport, fined, and have the goods confiscated by the authorities.”
The ministry also drew attention to regulations concerning the importation of medications: “Prescription drugs may only be brought into Hungary together with a doctor’s prescription and proper documentation. Medicines containing controlled substances may require additional permits,” the statement said.
Officials advised Israeli citizens traveling to Hungary “to refrain from carrying prohibited products or quantities that exceed the legal limit and to ensure that each traveler carries only the permitted amount per person according to local law.”
The statement further noted that the Israeli Embassy in Budapest “has no authority to intervene or expedite procedures handled by local authorities.” Travelers were urged to verify updated information before departure “through the Hungarian Embassy in Israel or the Hungarian customs authorities.”
The advisory follows a growing number of complaints from travelers who reported lengthy interrogations, confiscations of goods, and in some cases, financial penalties. The Foreign Ministry’s notice aims to help prevent further incidents and ensure smoother entry for Israeli and chareidi travelers visiting Hungary.
{Matzav.com}In a powerful handwritten note released this week, Rav Hershel Schachter, rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon, issued a clear call for civic responsibility ahead of today’s election, stressing that participation at the ballot box is a halachic and communal obligation.
“According to the media, the election this week is very close and every vote counts,” Rav Schachter wrote. “Everyone who is legally entitled to vote is obligated to do so. Even if need be, one must cut Seder to vote. Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh — all Jews are responsible for one another.”
The message, written in Rav Schachter’s own hand and circulated widely on Monday, highlights the significance of Jewish voter turnout in what is expected to be a tightly contested race in New York.
{Matzav.com}Nancy Pelosi unleashed a torrent of criticism toward President Donald Trump during a CNN interview released Monday, calling him “a vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the earth.”
“He’s just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the earth,” she said.
When pressed by interviewer Elex Michaelson — “You think he’s the worst thing on the face of the earth?” — Pelosi did not hesitate. “I do, yeah. I do,” she replied.
The remarks came as California voters cast ballots on Proposition 50, a special-election measure that could reshape the state’s congressional map and potentially tip the balance of power in the House. The proposal has been slammed by Republicans as a partisan “power grab,” but Pelosi insisted that the real danger to American democracy lies with Trump himself.
Michaelson noted that Pelosi has repeatedly linked the redistricting initiative to her broader campaign to counter Trump’s influence. Asked why she chose such severe language, she pointed to what she sees as his violations of core American principles.
“Because he’s the president of the United States, and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States,” Pelosi said. “In fact, he’s turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court. He’s abolished the House of Representatives. He’s chilled the press. He’s scared people who are in our country legally.”
Pelosi sidestepped questions about whether she plans to run for re-election but made clear that she has no concerns about her political standing at home. “I have no doubt that if I decided to run, I would win. That isn’t even a question. It isn’t arrogant, it’s confident,” she said.
She emphasized that her current focus is not on her own seat but on helping Democrats reclaim control of the House — something she argued is vital to protect the nation from what she described as Trump’s “poison.”
“My only reason I’m in Congress this term is to win the House for the Democrats, to protect us from the poison of the Trump administration,” she said.
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump issued a blistering statement this morning, targeting Jewish voters who back New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling the socialist politician “a proven and self-professed JEW HATER.”
In a post shared on Truth Social at 9:46 a.m., Trump wrote, “Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”
The Muslim Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has long drawn outrage from the Jewish community for his harsh anti-Israel rhetoric, vocal support for the BDS movement, and refusal to condemn chants such as “globalize the intifada,” a call for violence against Jews.
Mamdani has fostered hostility toward Israel and endangered Jewish New Yorkers through his extreme positions.
{Matzav.com}
The military arm of Hamas announced that it intends to transfer the body of an Israeli hostage this evening at 8 p.m.
According to the statement released by the terror group, the remains were located earlier today during excavation work in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. Hamas claimed the discovery occurred “inside the Yellow Line,” referring to a zone currently under Israeli control.
No immediate confirmation has been issued from Israeli authorities regarding the alleged recovery or the planned handover.
{Matzav.com}
The ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ host joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani’s possible win, his new book, ‘Woke is Dead’ and more.
WATCH:
A bitter rift within conservative circles deepened Monday as Ben Shapiro launched a blistering attack on Tucker Carlson, denouncing him as “the most virulent super-spreader of vile ideas in America.” The remarks came during an episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, where Shapiro condemned Carlson for platforming Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes without challenging his extremist views.
“The issue here isn’t that Tucker Carlson had Nick Fuentes on his show last week. He has every right to do that, of course,” Shapiro said. “The issue here is that Tucker Carlson decided to normalize and fluff Nick Fuentes and that the Heritage Foundation then decided to robustly defend that performance.”
Carlson’s interview with Fuentes — who lauded Stalin and described “organized Jewry” as America’s “big challenge” — has fractured the right, setting off a fierce debate over the limits of free speech within the conservative movement. Carlson, whose audience remains large even after his exit from Fox News, accused pro-Israel Republicans of having a “brain virus.”
Reaction across the conservative landscape has been starkly divided. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board condemned the episode as an alarming flirtation with antisemitism, while Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defended Carlson, railing against a “venomous coalition” trying to “cancel” him. “I disagree with and even abhor things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer, either,” Roberts said, later adding that he explicitly opposed antisemitism and Fuentes’ ideology.
Shapiro rejected that framing, insisting that moral clarity is not “cancellation.” “It is not cancellation to draw moral lines between viewpoints,” he said. “In fact, we used to call that one of the key aspects of conservatism.”
The fallout quickly reached Heritage itself. Ryan Neuhaus, the longtime chief of staff to Roberts, resigned from the organization on Monday after reposting comments defending the think tank’s stance. “NeuhausNeuhausNeuhaus is a good man, we appreciate his service, and we have no doubt he will serve the movement in another capacity,” a Heritage spokesperson confirmed, as first reported by The Hill.
Carlson’s sit-down with Fuentes adds to a string of controversies involving antisemitism on the political right. In recent weeks, a nominee for a top federal watchdog post withdrew after boasting of his “Nazi streak,” a leaked Young Republicans chat revealed members praising Hitler, and a Nazi symbol was discovered in a GOP congressional office.
Shapiro, who has previously hosted fundraisers for Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, accused Carlson of legitimizing extremists who are poisoning the party from within. “The main agent in that normalization is Tucker Carlson, who is an intellectual coward, a dishonest interlocutor, and a terrible friend,” he charged.
At last weekend’s Republican Jewish Coalition summit, GOP leaders tried to separate Carlson’s views from the broader party identity. “Antisemitism is a very small, limited problem in our party,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks told reporters, while attendees waved signs reading, “TUCKER IS NOT MAGA.”
A proud Orthodox Jew himself, Shapiro closed with a grim warning about the GOP’s trajectory. “The left followed its radicals to electoral hell,” he said. “Apparently, many on the right wish to do the same.”
{Matzav.com}
Eight years after the tenure of Rav Yisrael Meir Lau as Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv came to an end, the city is finally moving forward with elections to fill the long-vacant post. The election date has been officially set for Tuesday, 17 Teves 5786 (January 6, 2026).
The decision marks a major step in concluding one of the longest rabbinic vacancies in any major Israeli city. The election committee for the Tel Aviv rabbinate convened this week at the Ministry of Religious Services to advance the process for appointing a new city rabbi.
The committee is chaired by Dayan Emeritus Rav Yaakov Zamir, a former member of the Great Rabbinical Court. During the session, committee members approved the composition of the electoral body that will choose the next Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv.
With both the election date and the voting body now confirmed, officials say it will be nearly impossible to halt the process, even in the event that the Knesset dissolves and Israel heads to general elections.
Two prominent rabbonim are expected to vie for the position. Leading the race is Rav Zevadya Cohen, Av Beis Din of Tel Aviv, who enjoys the backing of the Rishonim L’Tzion, the Shas party, and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.
Also likely to contend is Rav Tzvi Yehuda Lau, son of Rav Yisrael Meir Lau and the current rav of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood in Tel Aviv.
{Matzav.com}
