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UPDATE: ZAKA Confirms Identity of Missing Israeli in Crans-Montana

Yeshiva World News -

UPDATE: ZAKA reports that the body of the missing Israeli citizen at the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, has now also been identified. ZAKA teams continue to operate at the scene, in coordination with Swiss police and rescue authorities, the Israeli Ambassador to Switzerland, Tibor Shalev Schlosser, the local Chabad shliach Rabbi Yitzchak Levi […]

Israeli Teenager Killed in Swiss Ski Resort Fire

Matzav -

The Jewish community in Lausanne issued a statement mourning the loss of two young girls after the deadly blaze, saying, “it is with great sorrow that we announce the deaths of Alicia and Diana, who were tragically killed in a fire. The community partakes in the family’s mourning and will stand beside it as needed.” Alicia and Diana Gunst were sisters, ages 14 and 15, whose bodies were confirmed earlier in the day.

ZAKA’s International Unit later reported that another missing victim from the same incident has now been identified. The organization said that the remains of Charlotte Needham, a 15-year-old Israeli citizen, were located and formally identified following the inferno at the ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where she had been unaccounted for.

In the aftermath of the disaster, ZAKA personnel remain active on the ground, working in coordination with Swiss authorities. Their teams are continuing to assist local police, emergency responders, and security forces as recovery and investigative efforts proceed at the site.

The fire at the popular Alpine resort has sent shockwaves through Jewish communities in Switzerland and abroad, as confirmations of the victims’ identities bring a painful close to days of uncertainty surrounding those who had been missing.

{Matzav.com}

Watch: Chabad Music Truck Briefly Disrupts Mamdani Press Conference

Matzav -

A press conference held by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was momentarily interrupted when a Chabad truck drove past the event blasting the song “Hinei Ma Tov,” bringing the proceedings to a brief standstill.

The incident occurred as Mamdani was in the midst of announcing members of his new cabinet and outlining a series of administrative changes. As the music echoed through the area, aides and reporters paused, and the mayor stopped speaking until the truck passed and the sound faded.

“It’s a good song,” Mamdani said.

WATCH:

While announcing new members of his administration, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stopped to listen to a passing Chabad truck that was playing “Hinei Ma Tov.”

“It’s a good song,” Mamdani said. pic.twitter.com/OVnbcKMcHp

— Anash Reporter (@AnashReporter) January 3, 2026

Chabad House in Nepal Evicted Amid Antisemitism Claims

Yeshiva World News -

After serving tens of thousands of Israeli travelers for two decades, the Chabad House in Kathmandu, Nepal, was suddenly ordered to vacate its building. Chabad shliach Chezki Lifshitz and his wife say the landlord recently demanded all Hebrew signs be removed, sharply raised the rent, and then ordered an immediate eviction, which he believe stemmed […]

Hezbollah Tried to Seize Kiryat Shmona via Property Buys

Yeshiva World News -

Minister Says Hezbollah Sought Inside Control of Kiryat Shmona Through Property Buys Israel’s Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf told a Cabinet meeting that Hezbollah allegedly encouraged Arab citizens of Israel to purchase apartments in Kiryat Shmona during the war in an effort to “take over the city from within.” Security officials say the Shin […]

Rubio: “Experts Are Clowns” on Venezuela Comparisons

Yeshiva World News -

Sec. Rubio: The “experts” are clowns. Venezuela looks nothing like Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, or the Middle East — other than the Iranian agents running through there plotting against America. These are Western countries. People need to stop ascribing apples to oranges.

Shas Threatens to Block 2026 Budget Over Charedi Conscription Law

Yeshiva World News -

Shas is threatening to oppose the 2026 state budget unless the coalition first passes its draft law regulating Charedi conscription and exemptions. The budget must be approved by March 31 or the government will fall and early elections will be triggered. Shas spokesman Asher Medina said the law is essential to protect full-time Torah study. […]

Rubio: Trump Took Action on Maduro Where Biden Did Not

Yeshiva World News -

Sec. Rubio: “In the Biden Administration, they had a $25 million reward for [Maduro’s] capture — so we have a reward for his capture but we’re not going to enforce it? That’s the difference between President Trump and everybody else… President Trump did something about it.”

Source: Mamdani Schools Chancellor Pick An ‘Idiot’ And ‘Ideologue’ To Lead Nation’s Largest Education System

Matzav -

Critics are sharply attacking the choice of schools chancellor made by Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguing that his appointee represents an aggressive ideological agenda focused on race and opposition to merit-based education, according to comments made to The New York Post.

At the center of the criticism is Kamar Samuels, a veteran educator who previously led school districts covering parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan and is known for dismantling Gifted & Talented programs. Mamdani selected Samuels to run the nation’s largest public school system after his tenure as a district superintendent.

Samuels previously oversaw District 13 in downtown Brooklyn and later District 3 on the Upper West Side. During that time, he promoted a series of policies framed around “equity” and “antiracism,” while regularly hosting town halls dedicated to those themes.

“I don’t like him, I’ve never liked him; he came in as an ideologue,” a Department of Education official told The Post, adding that he believes Samuels is an “idiot.”

Samuels, now 48, ran District 13 before being appointed in 2022 to lead District 3 by then-Mayor Eric Adams. In both districts, he organized and promoted repeated “Anti-Racist Town Hall” events that critics say pushed a woke agenda under the banner of equity. One such event in February 2022 featured far-left Brooklyn Councilwoman Crystal Hudson as a guest speaker.

“You are invited to join D3 town hall: A courageous conversation about equity,” Samuels wrote in a 2023 post.

“District 13 continues our conversation on serving all students in an Anti-Racist District tonight at 7pm when we hear from students at MS 266 and PS 133! Tuesday, June 7 @ 7:00 pm Anti-Racist Town Hall,” Samuels posted in June 2022.

Critics also point to Samuels’ social media activity as evidence of what they describe as an obsessive focus on race. Following the altercation between comedian Chris Rock and actor Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards, Samuels weighed in publicly.

“Just wondering … If Chris Rock were white, would Will Smith had slapped him?” Samuels wrote on X after what became known as “the slap heard round the world.”

In June 2023, Samuels hosted an “equity” town hall alongside Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, an outspoken opponent of standardized testing who has claimed such exams originated in the eugenics movement and has faced accusations of antisemitism.

“Israel is a terrorist state,” she wrote in an Oct. 1 post on X.

During Samuels’ leadership of District 13, he eliminated Gifted & Talented programs and replaced them with International Baccalaureate offerings, a move that drew significant backlash.

“What a pleasant surprise! Removing G&T gives us an opportunity to recreate and reimagine,” Samuels said in October 2021.

“He has a progressive vision that is evil, asking individuals to solve all of society’s problems is not something that’s generally worked,” the DOE official told The Post.

Despite the criticism, Samuels aligns closely with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s education platform. Ending the long-standing Gifted & Talented program for kindergarten students was a central pledge of Mamdani’s campaign.

The program itself has been politically contentious in recent years. Bill de Blasio began phasing it out in 2021, before his successor, Eric Adams, moved to revive it during his administration.

{Matzav.com}

OPEC+ Keeps Oil Output Steady Amid Price Drop and Saudi-UAE Tensions

Yeshiva World News -

OPEC+ has decided to keep oil output unchanged following a brief meeting, despite political crises affecting several member states. The decision comes after oil prices dropped more than 18% in 2025, the steepest yearly fall since 2020, amid growing concerns of oversupply. The move also comes as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE sharply […]

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