Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Meir Ber, has been appointed to serve as the rov of the Raananim Shul in Yerushalayim. He will be filling the position previously held by Rav Avigdor Berstein zt”l, who passed away during Chanukah.
It has emerged that in recent weeks, the Ahavas Chaim kehillah—comprised primarily of young families from the neighborhood—officially joined the Raananim Shul. The unification was orchestrated by Rav Berstein in the final period of his life.
With Rav Bar now assuming the role of shul rov, the move is seen as a continuation and strengthening of that vision.
The Ahavas Chaim kehillah was founded approximately four and a half years ago, during the aftermath of the COVID period, by young families from the Talbiya–Rechavia area and nearby neighborhoods. Their goal was to establish a vibrant, meaningful Torah community in the heart of Yerushalayim.
The community brings together families from diverse backgrounds—French- and English-speaking olim alongside native Israelis; chareidi and dati-leumi families; Ashkenazim and Sephardim—creating a warm, inclusive, and close-knit environment. Its activities focus on providing Torah and educational programming tailored specifically to young families choosing to settle once again in central Yerushalayim, with a strong emphasis on shared learning, tefillah, and communal life.
During the week, the kehillah operates an evening kollel, where members gather for regular Torah learning.
It is noteworthy that the site houses an ancient and striking aron kodesh and bimah dating back to the 18th century, brought from Italy. At the dedication of the aron kodesh in Padua, a special tefillah was composed by the Ramchal, adding a layer of historical and spiritual significance to the shul now led by the Chief Rabbi.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said that bringing an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine has proven far more difficult than he anticipated, even as he reiterated his desire to halt the bloodshed and criticized multiple actors involved in the conflict.
Speaking at a press conference, Trump stressed that the war predates his return to office and again placed the responsibility for its outbreak on his predecessor. “And look, that’s former President Joe Biden’s war. That’s not my war,” he said. “But I want to stop the lives.”
Trump described the scale of the fighting in stark terms, citing what he said were devastating monthly casualty figures. “Did you see where last month 30,000. This last it was 27, 27,000 the month before; 30,000 mostly soldiers were killed. This last month. 30,000. I want to stop that,” he said.
He emphasized that the toll of the conflict extends beyond the battlefield and into Ukrainian cities, where civilians are also being killed. “Life is a big deal,” Trump said. “But if I can stop that war and stop 30,000 young people, in addition to the fact that people are being killed in Kyiv, people are being killed in other cities throughout, you know, a much smaller number, but they’re being killed, viciously killed.”
While acknowledging the complexity of the situation, Trump said he initially believed resolving the Russia-Ukraine war would be among the easier diplomatic challenges. “I thought the easiest one would be, one of the easier ones would be Russia, Ukraine. It’s not,” he said. “And they both have done some pretty bad things.”
Trump also addressed his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the topic of Venezuela did not come up. At the same time, he voiced sharp criticism of Putin’s conduct in the war. He said he is “not thrilled” with the Russian leader, accusing him of “killing too many people,” and described the conflict overall as a “bloodbath” that he wants to see end.
Turning to NATO, Trump highlighted his efforts to push alliance members to increase defense spending and outlined ongoing American military assistance to Ukraine. “You know, I got NATO to pay 5% instead of the 2% that they weren’t paying. They weren’t paying two. Now they pay five, and we send them a lot of munitions,” he said. “We send them a lot of things, missiles and various other things a lot. And they pay.”
Trump said his administration is actively engaged in efforts to bring the war to a close, pointing to the involvement of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and suggesting that some progress is being made. “We have Mr. Witkoff here. I think that we’re making progress,” he said. “But that’s a war that should have never happened. If I were president, it would have never happened. Putin says it. Everybody says it.”
Summing up his view of the situation he inherited, Trump said the conflict was already entrenched by the time he took office. “I inherited that war,” he said. “That was Joe Biden, [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, and Putin. I came into the situation, and it’s a mess.”
{Matzav.com}Twin Italian-Jewish sisters, both in their teens, were confirmed on Sunday to be among the 40 fatalities from a fire that broke out at a hotel in Switzerland at a New Year’s party just after midnight Friday.
Another Jewish teenage girl, Charlotte Niddam, who is an Israeli citizen, is still missing.
Sisters Alicia and Diana Gunst were initially considered missing in the ski town of Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps, but their bodies were identified along with 16 others out of the known 40 dead, a spokesperson for the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) said.
Sparklers on bottles being carried too close to the ceiling are the likely cause of the fire during New Year’s celebrations at the bar, a preliminary investigation has found. In addition to the 40 slain, 119 others were injured in the fire. Many of the approximately 80 critically injured have also not yet been identified.
Many of the dead and missing are teenagers. The Le Constellation bar, where the fire broke out, was popular with teenagers and young adults in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, where the drinking age is 16.
On Saturday, eight casualties were identified and their remains were returned to their families. All were aged between 16 and 24, Swiss authorities said. On Sunday, another 16 were identified, including the Gunst sisters.
The French couple who own the bar—named by the media as Jacques and Jessica Moretti—are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, the prosecutors’ office for the Valais region said.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais canton lead prosecutor, said in a statement that investigators were looking into whether the acoustic foam on the venue’s ceiling was “the cause of the problem,” as well as “whether it complies with regulations,” the BBC reported. JNS
{Matzav.com}
At the annual dinner of Yeshiva Orchos Chaim of Lakewood, NJ, held last night at the Ateres Genendel/Fountain Ballroom Hall in Lakewood, the yeshiva’s founder, Rabbi Yaakov Mandelbaum, devoted a portion of his address to make what he called a public macha’ah on behalf of kavod haTorah.
Speaking before a massive gathering of rabbonim, rabbeim, parents, grandparents, and supporters, Rabbi Mandelbaum addressed events that took place several weeks ago during a visit to Lakewood by Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Slabodka rosh yeshiva and one of the gedolei hador.
Rabbi Mandelbaum pointed out that the visit was marred by a blatant bizayon haTorah.
The bizayon he referred to included the public and widespread distribution of pashkevilin attacking Rav Hirsch and related actions that crossed clear red lines.
Rabbi Mandelbaum expressed particular pain over what followed. The response to the incident, he told the audience, was silence. There was no public outcry and no clear stand taken to denounce what had occurred. That silence, he said, was itself deeply troubling.
Using the platform of his own yeshiva’s annual dinner, Rabbi Mandelbaum explained that he felt a responsibility to speak openly and publicly, taking a principled stand – a “macha’ah” he called it – to stand up for kavod haTorah.
Those in attendance described the moment as powerful and moving. The public protest, delivered calmly but firmly, left a strong roshem on the audience, highlighting the point that bizayon of Torah leadership cannot be met with indifference and that silence in such moments carries its own weight.
{Matzav.com}
Grief spread through the community of the Pnei Menachem Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Shaul Alter, with the sudden passing of Reb Chaim Yaakov Naftali Zilberberg z”l, Friday night. He was 75 years old and collapsed just moments before beginning Kiddush.
Reb Chaim Yaakov Naftali was born on 29 Iyar 5710 to his father, Reb Yitzchak Yissachar Menachem, the publisher of the works of the Mahari”l of Tzintz and son of the renowned gaon Rav Avraham Binyamin, Av Beis Din of Pittsburgh. His mother, Rebbetzin Rivkah Hendel, was known as the “mother” of Yeshivas Yagdil Torah of Ger in Boro Park and was the daughter of the tzaddik Rav Avraham Binyamin Beinish Auerbach, known as the “Yerushalmi Rav,” a grandson of the Imrei Binah and Zais Raanan.
At the age of 14, he traveled alone to Eretz Yisroel to learn in the Ger Yeshivah, where he came under the guidance of the Beis Yisrael of Ger. Upon reaching marriageable age, he married into the family of the mashpia Rav Chaim Mandel of Antwerp, a close emissary of the Beis Yisrael.
For many years he lived on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, where he became a trusted confidant of rebbes of the Ruzhiner dynasty. In what was once a vibrant spiritual Tel Aviv, his presence radiated warmth and light. Even as the area’s Torah life diminished, he remained steadfast, operating—devotedly and selflessly—the neighborhood’s only mehadrin kosher grocery, serving a community that had grown increasingly distant.
He later spent several years in Krakow, Poland, where he worked tirelessly to provide tens of thousands of Jews with kosher, nourishing food, coupling practical help with heartfelt warmth and kindness. He was close to the rebbes of Ger, who regarded him as a dignified and trusted figure. The Lev Simcha of Ger once referred to him simply as a “talmid chacham” in a letter to his father-in-law, Rav Mandel.
On one occasion, when Reb Chaim Yaakov went to be menachem avel the Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, the Rav stood in his honor and told those present, “This is the man of chessed of Tel Aviv,” a reference to the quiet acts of righteousness Reb Chaim Yaakov performed through his store.
In recent years he moved to Yerushalayim, where he became one of the pillars and adornments of Rav Shaul Alter’s kehillah and a dignified presence in the Pnei Menachem Beis Medrash. Healthy until his final day, he maintained his regular learning schedule and shiurim right up to the end.
Late Friday night, as he prepared to begin Kiddush, his great heart suddenly stopped, and he was niftar.
He is survived by his children, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who continue along his distinguished path.
The levayah took place at the Pnei Menachem Beis Medrash on Yosef Ziv Street in Yerushalayim, proceeding to the Shamgar funeral home and then to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
