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A new push from President Donald Trump aims to curb the growing role of large corporate investors in the U.S. housing market, with the stated goal of preserving homeownership opportunities for American families.

In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said he is taking steps to stop corporations and large institutional investors from purchasing additional single-family homes, a practice that has expanded rapidly in recent years and has been blamed by many analysts for worsening affordability and straining neighborhoods.

Trump also urged lawmakers to turn the policy into permanent law, arguing that congressional action is needed to ensure future administrations cannot reverse the restriction and reopen the market to large-scale investors.

“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing,” Trump wrote in the post, “but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans.”

He expanded on that position in the same post, writing:
“It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations. I will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks.”

Recent data highlight the scale of investor activity in the housing market. In one quarter last year alone, investors bought more than 345,000 homes nationwide, accounting for roughly one-third of all residential purchases during that period.

In certain regions, the concentration is even higher. Following last year’s wildfires in parts of Los Angeles County, California, real estate figures show that investors are purchasing close to 40 percent of available properties, as many homeowners struggle to afford rebuilding costs.

Academic research has also pointed to long-term community effects. A study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business examined property and neighborhood records in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and found that institutional investors acquired nearly seven percent of all single-family homes sold there between 2011 and 2021.

According to the researchers, the trend carries broad negative consequences for neighborhoods, from stability to overall quality of life.

“When institutional investors start purchasing at this scale, the effects really start to compound, leading to broader declines in these neighborhoods. As these areas grow and become more concentrated with investor-owned properties, the overall decline becomes even more noticeable,” said Stephen Billings, the study’s lead author.

He added that frequent turnover and absentee ownership alter the fabric of communities. “It’s not surprising that the character of the community changes,” Billings said. “When people are constantly moving in and out, it’s hard to expect anyone to truly invest in the long-term well-being of the neighborhood.”

{Matzav.com}

A healthy two-month-old infant has died of influenza, the Israel Ministry of Health reported Wednesday, marking the sixth pediatric death linked to the flu this year. The infant, a resident of northern Israel, was too young to receive a flu vaccination. “Even though at this age a child cannot be vaccinated, vaccination of the people […]

An anti-Zionist activist group that has previously drawn condemnation for protests outside shuls abruptly canceled a planned demonstration Wednesday evening targeting an Israel-related immigration event in New York City. The group, Pal-Awda, announced earlier this week that it intended to protest a Nefesh B’Nefesh event scheduled for Wednesday night, but did not disclose the location. […]

Following the deadly incident at yesterday’s anti-conscription protest, Israeli authorities reported that the bus driver involved continued traveling roughly 500 meters after the impact, with 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal trapped beneath the vehicle.

During a heated Knesset plenary session on Wednesday, Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar of the Likud turned his fire on opposition lawmakers, arguing that persistent hostility toward the chareidi public had real-world consequences and culminated in the killing of the teenager at the rally.

“Your incitement against the chareidi public is what led to this tragedy. You have permitted the blood of the haredi public. Shame on you,” Zohar charged from the podium of the Knesset.

He continued by accusing critics of portraying the chareidi community as a national threat. “Daily, you present them as the enemy of the nation. Calm down. They are valuable, important, and beneficial to Israeli society. Stop attacking them from morning to night until you turn them into an enemy.”

Zohar pressed the point further, warning that language carries weight and can incite violence. “You authorized their deaths so that a driver allows himself to drive at a crazy speed into a protester and to kill a boy. So think what you’re saying. Every word has meaning. Be responsible for what you say.”

{Matzav.com}

Heightened political tension followed the conclusion Wednesday night of a meeting of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel (Admorim) in Yerushalayim, as no official decision was released regarding support for the proposed military draft law. The gathering, held at the Belz Chassidus’ Beis Malka halls on Brandeis Street, lasted approximately an hour and a […]

A prominent researcher long embraced by Jewish organizations and bipartisan policymakers for exposing online antisemitism now finds himself in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, in a case critics say exposes deep contradictions in Washington’s stated commitment to fighting hate. Imran Ahmed, the British-born founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), said he […]

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The BBC has acknowledged errors in a recent broadcast after criticism erupted over the way it portrayed the Kindertransport, following a December 26 episode of its program The Repair Shop that failed to mention the Jewish identity of the children rescued in the operation or of the episode’s central figure.

The controversy stems from a segment focused on a damaged 19th-century cello once owned by theater producer Martin Landau, who escaped Nazi Germany for Britain at the age of 14 aboard a Kindertransport train. Nazi guards had smashed the instrument shortly before his departure, leaving it broken for decades until it was brought to the show for restoration.

Although the program devoted a substantial portion of the episode to the cello’s backstory and the wider historical setting of the Kindertransport, it never stated that Landau was Jewish or that the rescue effort was primarily designed to save Jewish children from Nazi persecution. The Kindertransport historically facilitated the evacuation of roughly 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia between 1938 and 1939, with assistance from Jewish and humanitarian groups.

During the episode, British actress Helen Mirren introduced the cello to the restoration team. Luthier Becky Houghton carried out the repair, and the restored instrument was later played on screen by Jewish cellist Raphael Wallfisch. Despite these elements, viewers noted the absence of any explicit reference to the Jewish nature of the rescue operation.

According to The Jewish Chronicle, the word “Jew” was allegedly cut during editing from a line spoken by Mirren, which aired as, “…children were sent by the Kindertransport,” without further clarification.

After public criticism, the BBC added a correction to the episode’s iPlayer page, stating that “the Kindertransport was the organized evacuation of approximately 10,000 children, the majority of whom were Jewish.” Even so, as of early this week, the episode’s description on the broadcaster’s official website still did not mention Landau’s Jewish background or the Jewish focus of the Kindertransport.

This episode is the latest in a series of controversies involving the BBC. The broadcaster has drawn repeated criticism in recent years over what critics describe as anti-Israel bias, a charge that intensified following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In November 2023, the BBC issued an apology after incorrectly reporting that Israeli forces were deliberately targeting medical teams near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Earlier, the network wrongly suggested Israel was responsible for a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, later conceding that “it was false to speculate” after evidence showed the blast was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket.

The corporation also faced scrutiny last year for featuring the son of a senior Hamas official as the narrator of its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. In response to the backlash, the BBC admitted there were “serious flaws” in the program.

Most recently, the broadcaster announced that all staff will be required to undergo mandatory anti-discrimination training, starting with modules addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia.

{Matzav.com}

A woman was shot this evening in the West Gate apartment complex, Lakewood, NJ’s largest housing development, prompting a major emergency response from police and local volunteer organizations.

The woman was declared dead.

The shooting occurred at an apartment located on Hillside Boulevard in the West Gate neighborhood.

Details regarding the circumstances of the incident are being withheld as police conduct their investigation. Matzav was asked to withhold details out of respect for the family.

Askanim are working to ensure kavod hameis.

Lakewood police responded in force, with at least a dozen patrol cars converging on the scene within minutes.

Members of Hatzolah provided assistance as well, while Shomrim volunteers were also present.

Authorities cordoned off the immediate area as officers began an investigation, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Hundreds of concerned residents gathered in and around Hillside Blvd.

{Matzav.com}

The New York Times reports that the U.S. military mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro reached a critical moment when a lead U.S. Army helicopter was damaged after coming under fire and its pilot was shot multiple times while flying over Caracas. Despite the damage, the helicopter was able to land and deploy elite […]

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski z”l, the renowned baal chessed, founder and longtime chairman of Yad Sarah, and former mayor of Yerushalayim, passed away late Wednesday night at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center after a serious illness. He was 74.

The levayah will take place Thursday at 11:00 a.m., departing from his home in the Sanhedria HaMurchevet neighborhood of Yerushalayim, and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.

Rabbi Lupolianski was born in Haifa to his father, Rav Yaakov who immigrated from Poland on the eve of World War II, and to his mother, Mrs. Malka, of the Rosenblum family. In his youth, he learned at Yeshivas Torah Ore in Yerushalayim under Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg zt”l, and later at Yeshivas HaNegev in Netivot.

The idea that would ultimately grow into Yad Sarah was born out of personal necessity. When Rabbi Lupolianski once needed to borrow medical equipment for his young son, he encountered the significant logistical difficulties involved. What began as a single small humidifier loaned to neighbors eventually developed into one of Israel’s largest volunteer-based chessed organizations, providing medical equipment and vital services to countless families across the country.

He was a close confidant of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l and, in the later years of Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, played a central role for an extended period in coordinating and hosting meetings between Rav Shach and Rav Elyashiv at the offices of Yad Sarah.

Rabbi Lupolianski was among the leaders of Degel HaTorah and holds the distinction of being the only chareidi to have served as mayor of Yerushalayim. His tenure was marked by quiet dedication, humility, and an unwavering commitment to the city’s residents.

He is survived by his wife and their 12 children.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump has filed a motion in Fulton County asking for more than $6.2 million to cover attorney fees and litigation costs after the Georgia election interference case against him was dismissed. A new Georgia law allows defendants to request reimbursement if a prosecutor is disqualified and the case is dropped, with 45 days to […]

President Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. State Department officials said the forum has been promoting unconstitutional and racist policies, including a global reparations agenda. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “America will no longer lend its credibility to racist organizations.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has released footage showing the boarding and seizure of the tanker Bella I (Marinera) earlier today in the North Atlantic.

TRUMP: It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had. I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future. Arrangements are being made between Secretary of State Marco […]

In a surprising development, Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed the Israeli High Court of Justice on Wednesday that it should cancel the interim order freezing nearly NIS 1 billion earmarked for chareidi educational institutions.

In a letter submitted to the court, the attorney general wrote that “the interim order freezing the transfer of additional funds to chareidi education should be canceled,” explaining that the issue can be examined within the framework of earlier petitions that are still pending before the court.

The move comes a week after the High Court temporarily accepted a petition opposing the transfer of the funds. At that time, Justice Yael Wilner issued an interim injunction halting the disbursement, effectively freezing state funding for chareidi education.

In her decision, Wilner wrote: “After reviewing the request for an interim order, the responses, and the petitioners’ reply, an interim order is hereby issued according to which no financial transfers shall be carried out pursuant to the decisions of the Finance Committee that are the subject of the petition, until a further decision is made.”

Despite the freeze, the opposition party Yesh Atid said it intends to seek additional relief, including a demand that chareidi teachers return funds that were already transferred before the interim order took effect.

The court’s original decision sparked sharp reactions across the chareidi political spectrum. Knesset Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, accused the judiciary of waging “war on the chareidi public and Torah institutions,” claiming the court acted with unprecedented speed to disqualify funds that had been approved according to law.

The Shas party issued a blistering statement, calling the ruling “antisemitic harassment” and accusing the court of “cruelly running over the chareidi public,” from harming young children to undermining Torah education for tens of thousands of students.

Knesset member Moshe Arbel said the ruling exemplifies a system in which “a party that lost a parliamentary vote manages, within a single day, to overturn a Knesset decision through a judicial ruling that harms teachers’ salaries,” adding that such disputes should be settled at the ballot box.

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf warned that the decision fuels societal division and deepens public mistrust in the legal system, describing the funding freeze as a direct blow to chareidi children and an extension of what he called longstanding budgetary discrimination.

MK Meir Porush also condemned the court, saying the judiciary is “at war against anything sacred” and vowed that no legal process would prevent the transmission of Torah education from one generation to the next.

The High Court has not yet ruled on the attorney general’s request to lift the interim injunction.

{Matzav.com}

Overpowering Speaker Mike Johnson, a bipartisan coalition in the House voted Wednesday to push forward a measure that would revive an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but that had expired last month. The tally of 221-205 was a key test before passage of the bill, which is expected Thursday. And it […]

An 11-month-old baby girl from a community near Jerusalem is in critical condition after contracting measles, amid concern about declining vaccination rates and the return of a disease once considered largely under control. The infant is being treated in the pediatric intensive care unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, where hospital officials said she […]

A chilling emergency call made in the immediate aftermath of the deadly bus-ramming incident in Yerushalayim has come to light, capturing the chaos and fear at the scene just moments after the tragedy unfolded.

The recording, obtained by Matzav.com, documents the first contact between a civilian eyewitness and the emergency dispatch center of Magen David Adom, in the minutes following the incident in which 14-year-old Yosef Eisensthal z”l was killed during the protest against the draft law in Yerushalayim.

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/dbe16150-ebee-11f0-94e1-97bff286a07d__d38.mpeg.wav

In the call, the shaken caller can be heard telling the dispatcher, “There are several injured here, the bus ran over several children… I don’t know what this is — I fled.” His voice reflects panic and confusion as he struggles to provide clear details.

The MDA dispatcher attempts to assess the situation and dispatch ambulances to the scene, repeatedly asking about the condition of the injured. However, the caller explains that he is unable to get closer. “I can’t see. I’m not approaching,” he says, underscoring the fear and disorder in the immediate aftermath of the ramming.

Additional voices heard on the recording confirm that multiple teenagers were struck by the bus, though at that stage the precise number of victims and the severity of their injuries remained unclear.

{Matzav.com}