A moving moment unfolded on the night of Purim at the central Marina Roshcha shul in Moscow, as a rare and centuries-old Megillas Esther was presented to the Chief Rabbi of Russia in an emotional ceremony.
The gift was presented by Alexander Grodetsky, a 95-year-old Jewish man, who arrived at the shul and handed the miniature megillah to Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Berel Lazar. The ancient megillah had been preserved within his family for generations.
Standing firmly and speaking with deep emotion, Grodetsky shared the remarkable story behind the treasured heirloom. He explained that the megillah had been given to him 75 years earlier by his great-grandfather. That great-grandfather, born in the year תר”ל, had inherited it from his own father, indicating that the scroll was written more than two centuries ago. “When my grandfather gave me the megillah, he asked me to guard it for the rest of my life,” Grodetsky told the Chief Rabbi, adding resolutely, “I decided that the best way to protect it now is to entrust it to our rabbi.”
After the central public reading of the megillah before a large crowd, hundreds of young Jewish attendees gathered to hear remarks from the Chief Rabbi, who displayed the rare megillah to those present. Rav Lazar connected Grodetsky’s vitality and longevity with his dedication to Jewish tradition. “If you all want to be happy and at peace with long life like Alexander Grodetsky, you should keep Megillos Esther in your homes and follow the path of preserving the heritage of Israel. Our ancestors drew optimism from this megillah, and from it we understand that the Jewish people cannot be defeated.”
The rabbi went on to emphasize the contemporary message of Purim, stressing that every detail of life is guided by hashgachah pratis. “The belief that HaKadosh Baruch Hu watches over us gives us strength in every situation. Even when reality appears difficult, we must remain certain that there is a Creator who directs the world. There is no place for worry when we know that there is a Leader of the palace, and every doubt—which has the gematria of Amalek—has no place in the Jewish spirit.”
In his concluding remarks, Rav Lazar called upon the community to strengthen Jewish identity, particularly in light of the events unfolding in Eretz HaKodesh. He urged Jews to express pride in their heritage through traditional Jewish dress, the use of Jewish names, and the performance of practical mitzvos, foremost among them placing a mezuzah on the entrance to the home. Such acts, he said, will help ensure the security and ultimate victory of the Jewish people in Eretz HaKodesh and throughout the world.
{Matzav.com}
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called on President Donald Trump Tuesday to support Israel by launching joint military strikes against the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.
His remarks came as the Israel Defense Forces targeted Hezbollah positions and deployed troops across the border into southern Lebanon. The operations followed Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, including launching rockets toward Israel and aligning with Iran’s attacks during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war.
Speaking to reporters and quoted by CBS, Graham said, “I’m calling on President Trump today: Join Israel to attack Hezbollah. Avenge the Marines,” referring to a 1993 suicide bombing of a US barracks in Lebanon that killed hundreds of American service members, an attack the United States has blamed on Hezbollah.
Lindsey Graham: "I'm calling on President Trump today — join Israel to attack Hezbollah … fly with Israel" pic.twitter.com/ymiUtdOGB9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2026
Graham, who is a close political ally of Trump and has consistently advocated a hardline approach toward Iran, also defended the administration’s military operations targeting the Iranian regime. He said Iran’s leadership appears to be nearing collapse.
He argued the Iranian government is in its “death throes” and said that “the demise of this regime is at hand.”
Addressing Democratic critics who say Iran did not pose an immediate threat to the United States, Graham rejected that view.
“The idea that you’re going to let a homicidal maniac get to the imminent stage, to me, is misplaced.”
Graham has repeatedly pushed for a more aggressive stance toward Iran and previously opposed diplomatic agreements between Washington and Tehran. He has argued that lasting peace in the Middle East will only come with the fall of the current Iranian regime.
{Matzav.com}
Federal prosecutors unsealed a complaint on March 2 charging Dan Sohail, 36, with intentionally damaging religious property at Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sohail, of Carteret, N.J., was taken into custody earlier in the day and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clay Kaminsky in Brooklyn federal court.
Prosecutors allege that on Jan. 28, Sohail drove to a side entrance of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters complex, exited his vehicle and removed barriers set up to protect the site. After motioning for passersby to move away, he allegedly returned to his car and rammed the entrance. He then reversed and drove into the doorway four more times, knocking the door off its hinges. No injuries were reported.
“Americans should be free to practice their faith without fearing defacement of their sacred places,” Harmeet Dhillon, U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, stated. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate attacks on houses of worship, and will vigorously prosecute those who carry them out.”
James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Field Office, stated that “Sohail allegedly jeopardized dozens of lives and damaged one of our city’s sacred synagogues.”
“The FBI and the NYPD will continue to protect our community’s religious institutions to ensure a safe place for all worshippers,” he added.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called Chabad Headquarters in Brooklyn “a sacred place for many Jews in New York City and around the world.”
“Every New Yorker deserves to live in a safe city where they can practice their faith freely and without fear,” she said. JNS
{Matzav.com}
A previously undisclosed phone conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump played a decisive role in the decision to launch the strike on Iran that triggered the current conflict, according to a report published Tuesday by Axios.
The report states that Netanyahu contacted Trump on February 23 to share intelligence indicating that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several of his closest advisers, would be gathering at a single location in Tehran on the morning of Saturday, February 28.
Three individuals familiar with the conversation told Axios that Netanyahu informed Trump that the meeting created a rare opportunity in which the entire group could potentially be eliminated in a single airstrike.
The call took place from the White House Situation Room and had not been previously disclosed. According to the report, it marked a turning point in the sequence of events that ultimately led to the outbreak of the current war with Iran.
The intelligence suggesting that Khamenei and his senior leadership team would be together in one place was viewed as a unique opportunity that both Trump and Netanyahu were reluctant to pass up.
Trump had already been weighing the possibility of a military strike against Iran before receiving this intelligence, but had not yet determined when such an operation might take place. The information Netanyahu shared during the call helped shape the timing of the decision.
Officials from both the United States and Israel told Axios that the February 23 conversation was the result of months of close coordination between the two leaders. In the two months leading up to the attack, Trump and Netanyahu met in person twice and held 15 phone conversations.
At one point the two countries considered launching the operation a week earlier, but the strike was postponed due to intelligence considerations and operational issues, including unfavorable weather conditions.
At Trump’s request, the CIA carried out an initial assessment that verified the intelligence gathered by Israeli military intelligence regarding Khamenei’s planned meeting.
Once that review began confirming the information, planning for the operation moved forward quickly. Trump informed Netanyahu that he was inclined to proceed but said he first intended to deliver his State of the Union address the following evening.
U.S. officials said Trump made a “deliberate decision” to avoid focusing heavily on Iran during the speech so as not to tip off Khamenei or cause him to alter his plans before the strike could be carried out.
By Thursday, intelligence officials had confirmed that the Iranian leadership would indeed be assembling at the location.
“Confirmed that these people were all going to be together, and we needed to take advantage of it,” a source told Axios.
That same day, Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff contacted the administration from Geneva after hours of negotiations with Iranian representatives, delivering what they described as a bleak assessment of the diplomatic talks.
Following those developments, Trump determined that the intelligence was credible and that diplomacy had failed. On Friday at 3:38 p.m. EST, he authorized the operation.
Roughly eleven hours later, bombs struck Tehran, Khamenei was killed, and the military confrontation began.
An Israeli official told Axios that Trump had originally wanted to carry out the strike earlier, in early January, but that Netanyahu requested a delay.
The official said the final schedule was “fully coordinated,” with both sides agreeing the operation would be conducted together.
According to the report, the initial strategy envisioned a strike in late March or early April in order to give the administration more time to build public support.
However, a U.S. official told Axios that Netanyahu urged a faster timetable, warning that Iranian opposition figures hiding in safe houses could be vulnerable to the regime. Moving up the timeline left the administration with limited time to present a public case for military action.
Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter declined to address details of the February 23 call but rejected suggestions that Netanyahu had strongly pushed to speed up the operation.
“Over the past year, we have worked more closely than ever with our partners in the United States regarding Iran, and we see eye to eye on the danger Iran poses to Israel, to the United States, and to the free world,” Leiter told Axios.
“Anyone who knows President Trump understands that he is a strong leader who cannot be steered,” the ambassador added.
{Matzav.com}
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has not been harmed despite earlier reports suggesting he was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike targeting Iran’s leadership and military facilities, according to a close associate.
“I am in touch with him. All is good,” the adviser told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Initial reports had indicated that Ahmadinejad may have been killed during an Israeli-American airstrike.
According to the aide, the strike hit a structure connected to Ahmadinejad’s security team the day before.
The source said three of Ahmadinejad’s bodyguards—members of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)—were killed in the attack.
The adviser added that Ahmadinejad’s home, located roughly 100 meters from the building that was struck, was not hit and suffered no damage.
Ahmadinejad held the presidency of Iran from 2005 until 2013.
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump said the United States has more than enough munitions to prevail in a confrontation with Iran, pushing back against concerns about depleted stockpiles and accusing the previous administration of sending large quantities of advanced weapons overseas.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said American weapons reserves—especially in the midrange and upper-midrange categories—are currently at their strongest levels, dismissing suggestions that the Pentagon is facing shortages.
“As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons,” Trump wrote, adding that “wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!).”
Trump also took aim at President Joe Biden, claiming that large quantities of top-tier military equipment were transferred abroad, particularly to Ukraine.
Trump accused Biden of “GIVING everything to P.T. Barnum (Zelenskyy!) of Ukraine — Hundreds of Billions of Dollars worth.”
He further argued that the previous administration failed to replenish those high-end weapons systems after sending them overseas, leaving the United States less prepared before his administration began rebuilding its military capacity.
“While he gave so much of the super high end away (FREE!), he didn’t bother to replace it,” Trump asserted before declaring that he “rebuilt the military in my first term” and that “The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!!”
Trump’s remarks come as U.S. and Israeli forces continue conducting military operations against Iran following the launch of their joint campaign over the weekend.
The situation in the region has grown increasingly tense in the wake of Iranian retaliatory attacks that followed the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the broader escalation of hostilities.
Some defense analysts and Pentagon officials have warned that certain types of U.S. weapons—particularly air-defense interceptors and long-range precision munitions—have been strained by prolonged international deployments.
Shipments of military equipment to allied nations, including Ukraine and Israel, have reduced some stockpiles over time, leading to pauses and reassessments of weapons transfers in recent years, according to a January report by Newsweek.
Supporters of the president in Congress have defended Trump’s position, arguing that the United States has the industrial capacity and logistical infrastructure necessary to sustain operations and replenish weapons supplies as needed.
They say Trump’s emphasis on maintaining strong domestic readiness instead of prioritizing foreign aid enhances national security and signals strength to Iran.
While the White House has not released specific data on current weapons inventories, citing security concerns, Trump’s comments reflect confidence that U.S. forces have the resources required to confront Iranian threats and sustain a lengthy military campaign if necessary.
{Matzav.com}
Iranian sleeper cells in the United States are a concern that should be taken seriously in the aftermath of U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Ali Khamenei and other Iranian regime leaders over the weekend, experts told JNS.
“They pose a very grave threat,” Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum, told JNS. “The Iranians are going to strike us where we are least defended.”
Past incidents show that sleeper cells exist, including a thwarted 2011 Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, according to Rubin. In that plot, the Iranians were working with cartels “to whom they were outsourcing some of the operation,” he said.
“That’s what we need to be most worried about. An Iranian sleeper cell might not be comprised of Iranians. It might be an Iranian-hired cell tapping into other existing criminal networks,” Rubin told JNS.
That shouldn’t be a surprise, since the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has interacted with Venezuelan and Bolivian drug dealers, according to Rubin. And when it came to the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, “the Iranians were relying on Lebanese emigres,” Rubin told JNS.
The bombing killed 85 people and injured more than 300. In April 2024, an Argentine court found that Iran and Hezbollah were responsible for the attack.Rubin told JNS that when Iranian Americans visit Iran for benign reasons, “they are interrogated at the border, and any phone or computer that they have is basically going to be sucked dry.”
If the Iranian regime found anything on their phones or computers that it can use as blackmail, it will do so now, according to Rubin.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS that the Iranian regime “has for many years attempted to establish capabilities and networks in the United States that are able to carry out such operations on demand at the decision of the Iranian leadership.”
“I think U.S. law enforcement, thankfully, has been quite effective in thwarting these plots in conjunction with our allies and partners around the world, but this is a threat,” he said.
“There is a capability that the Iranian regime has. It maintains relationships with transnational criminal syndicates, and those transnational criminal syndicates have the ability to carry out operations in the United States,” Brodsky told JNS. “It should be taken seriously.”
Law-enforcement officials have addressed the matter. Kash Patel, director of the FBI, stated on Saturday that he “instructed our counterterrorism and intelligence teams to be on high alert and mobilize all assisting security assets needed” and that the FBI “remains at the forefront of deterring attacks here at home.”
Kristi Noem, U.S. homeland security secretary, also stated that she is “in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland.”
Rubin told JNS that law enforcement may be on top of the issue, but “if the Iranians try hard enough and have enough strategic patience, we do eventually let down our guard.”
He cited the attempt to assassinate Salman Rushdie in 2022, which left the writer partially blind.
“Terrorists think outside the box, and unfortunately, the American security establishment is not very good at thinking outside the box,” Rubin said.
Based on past plots that the United States has thwarted, the Iranian regime targets current and former U.S. government officials, Iranian dissidents, Jewish community members and critics of the regime, according to Brodsky.
The Iranian regime has sanctioned Brodsky, his boss, and United Against Nuclear Iran, he told JNS.
“It’s not just that they’re freezing the nonexistent assets that we have in Iran, or denying us our ability to travel to Iran when we would never do so,” he said. “Along with the designation comes cyberhacking attempts and all kinds of threats to the people involved.”
Brodsky sees the designation as a “badge of honor.”
“This is a regime that is one of the worst in the world,” he said. “It’s abused the Iranian people and has engaged in a massacre last month which killed, just in the span of a couple of days, around 32,000 people, with totals not seen since Nazi Germany.”
Brodsky and Rubin told JNS that it’s unknown how many sleeper cells there are in the United States. Rubin said that the “nature” of sleeper cells is that there’s no way to know how many there are.
Rubin suspects that “there will be assassinations of prominent Jewish community leaders, of rabbis and so forth, because the Islamic Republic and its agents don’t differentiate between Judaism and Israel.”
“In this case, their goal is simply to show strength by reach,” he told JNS. “Everyone needs to be vigilant and recognize that we’ve never faced a danger like we face today as the Jewish community in the United States.” JNS
Anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City in February were down slightly compared to the prior month and to February 2025 but still represented more than 55% of all hate crimes in the city, according to new New York City Police Department data.
Jews were the targets of 21 of the 38 hate crimes reported in the city in February, the NYPD said. Much fewer hate crimes targeted Asians (1), blacks (4) and Muslims (1) or were based on religion (4) or sexual orientation (6), per the department.
The NYPD said that it is now reporting hate crime data in a different way.
“Previously, the department reported alleged hate crimes that were still under review,” it said. “The NYPD will now report hate crimes that have been investigated and officially confirmed as such by the Hate Crimes Task Force.”
“This updated methodology will provide a more accurate representation of confirmed hate crimes in the city,” it said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many alleged hate crimes are still being investigated from February. (JNS sought comment from the NYPD.)
The 21 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes and the total number of 38 confirmed hate crimes in February was smaller than the 41 confirmed and alleged hate crimes in New York City in February 2025. Of those, 28 targeted Jews, or more than 68%. In February 2024, 14 of 24 hate crimes in the city targeted Jews, or 58%.
In January, anti-Jewish hate crimes (31) in New York City, during the first month of Zohran Mamdani’s mayorship, was up 182% compared to January 2025 (11). JNS
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump sharply criticized several NATO allies on Tuesday after some European governments refused to allow the United States to use their military bases in operations against Iran, singling out Spain and the United Kingdom in a heated exchange.
During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump expressed frustration with America’s European partners, arguing that they rely too heavily on the United States for defense while failing to contribute enough themselves.
Trump also threatened economic consequences for Spain and took direct aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of lacking the leadership shown by Britain’s wartime prime minister.
“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said of the Labour prime minister.
Tensions between the two leaders have escalated since Starmer declined to allow U.S. forces to launch the initial round of strikes against Iran from British military bases on Saturday.
Starmer publicly condemned the airstrikes in an address to the House of Commons on Monday, delivering a speech that some observers compared to a memorable scene from the film Love Actually, in which the fictional British prime minister confronts an overbearing American president.
“This government does not believe in regime change from the skies,” Starmer declared. “It is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done. And I stand by it.”
The prime minister’s comments surprised some observers who had viewed his relationship with Trump as relatively friendly, particularly after he arranged a high-profile state visit featuring a formal dinner hosted by the King at Windsor Castle.
Others, however, applauded Starmer’s stance. The Labour government is facing mounting political pressure ahead of the next election amid economic concerns tied to rising living costs as well as renewed attention surrounding scandals involving the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I am no fan of Keir Starmer,” British commentator James Melville wrote on social media. “But if he stands up to Trump & prevents the UK from entering into another potentially disastrous military conflict in the Middle East, he will gain respect for that.”
Despite the public tension, Trump and Starmer remain in regular contact. A source familiar with the matter told The Post that the two leaders have spoken by phone several times in the past week.
Still, Trump’s criticism has strained the traditionally close relationship between Washington and London.
“I think the relationship is at its lowest point in recent history — probably have to go back to when Reagan invaded Grenada without giving Thatcher a heads up,” Lew Lukens, senior partner with Signum Global Advisors and former acting-Ambassador at the US embassy in London, told The Post.
Lukens added that he doubts the dispute will ultimately lead to retaliation by Washington.
“At the end of the day, the US needs UK defense cooperation and intelligence support as it carries out its strikes against Iran,” he pointed out.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States may deploy naval escorts for commercial oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran continue to rise.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump signaled that the Navy could move quickly to safeguard maritime traffic in the strategic waterway. “If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible.” He added: “No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD. The United States’ ECONOMIC and MILITARY MIGHT is the GREATEST ON EARTH.”
Trump also announced that he had instructed the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to offer “political risk insurance and guarantees” intended to protect shipping and trade moving through the Persian Gulf region.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the most critical shipping routes for global energy supplies. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about one-fifth of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption passes through the narrow channel.
Financial markets reacted quickly to the rising tensions, with oil prices climbing while U.S. stock futures moved lower as traders assessed the possibility of disruptions to energy shipments through the strait.
Iran has frequently threatened to block or interfere with traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during previous confrontations with the United States and Israel, warning that such action could come in response to military strikes or economic sanctions.
The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which operates from its headquarters in Bahrain, routinely patrols the Persian Gulf. During the late stages of the Iran-Iraq War, American naval forces escorted Kuwaiti oil tankers under the U.S. flag during Operation Earnest Will in 1987 and 1988 after Iranian attacks targeted commercial shipping.
Trump’s comments suggest that his administration is prepared to rely on American naval strength to ensure that global oil shipments continue moving through the Strait of Hormuz without interruption.
{Matzav.com}
The Pentagon has released the names of four of the six American service members who were killed Sunday in an Iranian drone strike, according to reporting by CNN.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20. All four were members of the 103rd Sustainment Command, a U.S. Army Reserve logistics unit headquartered in Iowa.
The identities of the two remaining soldiers killed in the attack have not yet been publicly disclosed.
Earlier reports indicated that the suspected drone strike hit a temporary tactical operations center at the port of Shuaiba in Kuwait on Sunday. At the time, the troops stationed there were attached to the 1st Theater Sustainment Command.
A source familiar with the incident said the operations center consisted of a triple-wide trailer used as office space for military personnel. The structure was surrounded by concrete blast barriers commonly used to shield bases from threats such as vehicle bombs and improvised explosive devices. However, the building had no overhead protection capable of stopping drones or incoming missiles.
According to the source, no siren or warning alert was issued before the strike, leaving the soldiers without time to reach a bunker or other protective shelter.
U.S. Central Command said the ongoing conflict with Iran has also left 18 American service members seriously wounded.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that further casualties may occur as the military campaign continues.
“They’re great people,” Trump said about the six troops who were killed in a phone interview with the Daily Mail. “And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous – it could happen again.”
{Matzav.com}