A Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court judge on Thursday extended by one day the detention of an 18-year-old bochur arrested during a protest against the arrest of a ben yeshiva on Highway 1 in Yerushalayim. Police have announced their intention to file an indictment against him in expedited proceedings.
According to police suspicions, the young man threw a stick toward a garbage bin that had been set on fire by demonstrators, thereby fueling the blaze. Officers also said that a stone was found in his possession, which they believe he intended to hurl at police. While investigators acknowledged that there was no concern he would interfere with the investigation if released, they requested that his detention be extended due to what they described as the dangerous nature of his alleged actions. Police stated they plan to move quickly in filing charges, as reported by i24news.
His attorney, Daniel Shimshilashvili, opposed the request and sharply criticized the decision to seek continued detention. “Why are you penalizing him? In more serious incidents you request release under conditions. In a more severe case of throwing a torch at a mounted police officer, the court released the suspect. He did not ignite the dumpster, and the stick he added did not burn.”
Judge Ariel Ehrlich rejected the defense’s arguments and addressed the broader issue of protest rights in his ruling. “Counsel for the suspect argued regarding the right to protest, and that this right has received primacy in court rulings, to the point that courts have shown tolerance even for violent actions within a protest. I do not share this view. The right to protest, which is among the foremost expressions of political free speech, does not include the right to protest violently.”
The judge further wrote that “Setting objects on fire during a protest, while confronting police forces, is an action that carries significant danger.” He added that although the investigative steps presented thus far were limited, police have made clear their intention to pursue full legal action in such cases and to file an indictment promptly.
{Matzav.com}The Vizhnitzer kehilla in London is mourning the petirah of Rav Meshulam Zusha Fuchs zt”l, who was niftar at the age of 75.
Rav Meshulam Zusha was born to his father, Rav Shabsai Zev Fuchs, a descendant of the renowned chassid Rav Mordechai Chuna Fuchs.
He married the daughter of Rav Shimon Lorenz and together they built a home of Torah.
For many years, Rav Meshulam Zusha served as a melamed in the Machnovka Belz Talmud Torah in London. He was widely recognized as a talmid chacham muflag and also devoted himself to serving as a madrich chassanim, guiding young men as they established their own batei ne’emanim.
His tefillos were filled with hislahavus and stirred hearts, and his derashos left a lasting imprint on those who heard them. He was mechanech and guided countless families in the path of Torah and yiras Shamayim, and many benefited from his wise counsel and deep understanding. He was deeply mekushar to the Rebbes of Vizhnitz and stood among the central pillars of the Vizhnitzer kehilla in London.
He leaves behind a dor yasharim mevorach. Among his sons are Rav Chaim Meir, menahel of the Vizhnitzer Talmud Torah in Williamsburg; Rav Mordechai Chuna, menahel of the Vizhnitzer Talmud Torah in Kiryas Yoel; Rav Shmuel; Rav Avraham, a melamed in the Sanzer Talmud Torah in Monsey; and Rav Mendel, who serves as a meshamesh bakodesh to the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Boro Park. He is also survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, all continuing in the path of Torah and chassidus.
His brother is Rav Menachem Mendel Fuchs, av beis din of Kiryat Shomrei HaChomos in the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim.
His aron will arrive in Eretz Yisroel, and the levayah will take place Friday morning, erev Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh–Zachor, at 9:30 a.m. from the Vizhnitzer beis medrash at the corner of Givat Pinchas Street in Bnei Brak. He will be laid to rest in the new Vizhnitzer beis hachaim.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
A press conference intended to spotlight San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposal to overhaul the city’s tax structure was interrupted Wednesday by protesters who began with anti-wealth slogans and then erupted into antisemitic chants, according to officials and witnesses who attended the event.
The gathering, held outside a construction site to promote joint legislation by Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood aimed at reshaping San Francisco’s real estate transfer taxes to encourage housing development and investment, drew demonstrators affiliated with the San Francisco chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Initially, protesters shouted “Tax the rich” from outside the venue.
According to those present, the rhetoric soon turned from criticism of wealth to chants focused on Israel, with at least one person yelling “Tax the Jews.” Sources said the antisemitic shouting continued for more than a minute without interruption.
“Suggesting that Jews are wealthy is a tired trope, and targeting our community at an event focused on creating economic opportunity for San Franciscans is decidedly antisemitic,” Lurie, who is Jewish, posted on X.
“I will never accept hate directed at the Jewish community or any community in our city. Those are not San Francisco values—we’re better than that.”
One shaken attendee told The Post that the chants referencing Jews and Israel lasted for approximately two minutes before “petering out,” adding that no one among the demonstrators intervened to stop the offensive remarks.
Video obtained by The Post shows a woman periodically shouting “tax Israel” and “Tax the Jews” while labor representatives were addressing the crowd from a podium.
“It was an, ‘are you hearing what I’m hearing?’ moment,” the source said.
Rudy Gonzalez, who leads the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, criticized the disruption in a post on Instagram, specifically naming the Democratic Socialists of America.
“During today’s press conference, individuals identifying themselves with the Democratic Socialists of America disrupted the event with antisemitic chants,” he wrote.
“As a father and a husband in an interfaith home, I found what was shouted today deeply disturbing. Hate directed at any community is wrong. It undermines the solidarity that working people depend on.”
The San Francisco branch of the DSA rejected claims that the woman who shouted “tax the Jews” was acting on its behalf, saying she was not part of the group and that members told her to stop.
“DSA SF members at the protest were similarly disgusted and horrified by this woman’s rhetoric, and want to make clear her words came from her alone. While we disagree on policy, we join you in condemning antisemitism.”
The disruption overshadowed what had been intended as a policy rollout by city officials and labor leaders advocating for reduced transfer tax rates on residential developments and downtown property transactions, a move they argue would help accelerate the city’s economic rebound.
Supporters of the proposal, including Lurie, Mahmood, the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council and the Chamber of Commerce, contend that adjusting the tax structure would generate employment and lower construction expenses by $32,850 per housing unit.
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes Thursday on eight Hezbollah military sites in the Baalbek region of Lebanon, targeting facilities used by the group’s elite Radwan Force, the military announced.
According to the IDF, the compounds housed a significant cache of weapons belonging to Hezbollah, including firearms and rockets. The military said the sites served as storage and operational hubs for the terror organization.
The IDF stated that the Radwan Force had been using the facilities to conduct training in preparation for potential emergency scenarios. The compounds were also allegedly used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
سلسلة غارات اسرائيلية جديدة تستهدف محيط بلدة بوداي pic.twitter.com/XgWPJpuKZD
— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) February 26, 2026
As part of the activities conducted there, operatives reportedly participated in live-fire exercises and other drills designed to improve their proficiency with a range of weaponry.
The military emphasized that such activity, along with Hezbollah’s broader efforts to rebuild and strengthen its arsenal, breaches the ceasefire arrangements between Israel and Lebanon and represents a direct danger to Israel’s security.
“The IDF will not allow Hezbollah to expand its capabilities and rearm itself, and will continue to operate to remove any threat to the state of Israel,” the military stated.
{Matzav.com}
A Brooklyn man has been found guilty of hate crimes in connection with a string of assaults and harassment incidents, including an attack on a Jewish couple who photographed him tearing down posters of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Skiboky Stora was convicted in New York state court of assault, stalking and harassment tied to what prosecutors described as multiple anti-female, anti-white and antisemitic episodes that took place between 2023 and 2024.
According to prosecutors, one of the incidents occurred when Stora was seen removing posters of Israeli hostages. After a husband and wife photographed him, he allegedly followed them while shouting threats and slurs, including “Die, Jews, die!”
The 42-year-old defendant, who lives in Brooklyn, also admitted during the trial that he punched a woman at random as she walked along a Manhattan street nearly two years ago. He chose to represent himself during the weeks-long proceedings in Manhattan.
In his closing statement, Stora denied harboring racist motives or intending to harm anyone. “I never did anything racist to anybody, and I never did anything discriminating against anybody, and I never tried to injure anybody,” he said, according to the New York Post.
Prosecutors countered that claim by presenting video evidence. Footage introduced at trial showed Stora confronting the Jewish couple, as well as additional videos he recorded of himself yelling at and harassing white individuals, the Post reported.
Following the verdict, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the conduct. “The victims were met with both violence and harassment simply because of who they are,” he said in a statement. “Hate crimes strike at the core of our city’s values and sense of safety.”
Stora was taken into custody after the conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.
Attempts to reach him through his Instagram account, where he describes himself as the “great great grandson” of the Black nationalist Marcus Garvey and claims to be running for governor as a Republican, were not immediately successful.
One of the assaults, which occurred on March 25, 2024, drew significant public attention after the 23-year-old victim shared her experience on TikTok and others came forward reporting similar encounters.
Prosecutors said Stora’s punch knocked the woman to the ground, leaving her with pain and swelling on the left side of her head.
In a separate incident months earlier, authorities said Stora struck a 17-year-old student in the neck with his elbow and told the teen, “You people think you can do whatever you want,” adding a profanity.
He was also accused of elbowing a 37-year-old woman in the shoulder in another encounter, causing visible bruising.
{Matzav.com}
