YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of R’ Mendel Schechter Z”L of Flatbush, at the age of approximately 87. He was a beloved brother of the late Chaim Berlin Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon HaRav Aharon Schechter ZT”L. R’ Mendel dedicated his entire life to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, which he so deeply loved and cherished. For more than 60 years – over 30 of them as a devoted employee – he tirelessly served the Yeshiva with loyalty and humility. A true ben Torah, R’ Mendel davened in the Yeshiva throughout his life. In his later years, when walking became difficult, he davened in the shuls of Rav Lipa Geldwirth and Rav Binyomin Cohen — but he would always say that his heart remained in the Yeshiva’s Beis Medrash. He is survived by his wife Rivka, his children, grandchildren, and the entire extended Chaim Berlin family, who all mourn the loss of a lifelong servant of Torah and the Yeshiva world. The Levaya will be held at Yeshiva Chaim Berlin on Thursday. Exact details will be updated when confirmed. Boruch Dayan Ha’Emes…
Four IDF soldiers were lightly wounded Wednesday when a combat device exploded during operational activity in southern Syria, the military said. The troops were evacuated to a hospital and their families notified. The IDF opened an investigation into the circumstances of the blast. The incident comes amid a tightened Israeli posture along the Syrian frontier, where the IDF’s 210th Division has been running a series of raids aimed at disrupting weapons smuggling and keeping hostile actors away from the Golan Heights. On Aug. 10, Israeli forces arrested an alleged weapons trafficker in the Tarangah area of Quneitra after intelligence gathering and surveillance. Paratroopers from the 226th Brigade, operating under the 210th Division and in coordination with Military Intelligence Unit 504, carried out the overnight operation, interrogated the suspect, and confiscated weapons found on site. Earlier this month, the army said it wrapped up an operation targeting weapons-trafficking networks in the Hader area. Acting on intelligence and an on-the-ground investigation, soldiers raided four locations simultaneously and uncovered a cache of arms. In addition to ground activity, the Israeli Air Force recently struck a vehicle mounting a heavy machine gun in southern Syria. The IDF said the strike followed Israel’s elimination in Lebanon of two senior terrorists tied to attacks originating in Syria, underscoring a broader effort to blunt cross-border threats. Tensions along the line have been compounded by unusual civilian activity: A group of about 10 Israeli Jewish activists from northern Shomron briefly crossed into Syrian territory on Monday and attempted to set up a new settlement before being escorted back by Israeli soldiers. The IDF says troops from the 210th Division remain deployed across the sector to prevent the entrenchment of terrorist elements in Syria and to protect Israeli civilians, particularly residents of the Golan Heights. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
