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Knesset Speaker Amir Ochana of the Likud voted Wednesday in favor of an opposition-sponsored bill promoting civil marriage in Israel, despite clear coalition opposition to the legislation. Ochana’s vote triggered sharp condemnation from the chareidi parties, which accused him and Likud of violating long-standing agreements to preserve the religious status quo.

According to chareidi officials, Ochana’s support for the bill directly contradicted understandings reached between Likud and the chareidi factions, particularly commitments to block legislation seen as undermining marriage conducted according to das Moshe v’Yisroel. Senior figures in Degel HaTorah issued an unusually harsh response, calling Ochana’s move “an act that should never have been done.”

In an official statement, Degel HaTorah said that Ochana backed an opposition bill “in direct violation of the agreement between Likud and United Torah Judaism to safeguard the status quo.” The party added pointedly that “the mistake we made in agreeing to Likud’s request and supporting him as Knesset speaker will not be repeated.”

The Shas party also released a formal protest, stating that it “expresses strong objection to the Knesset speaker’s vote in favor of a law that harms the institution of marriage according to Jewish law, in complete contradiction to the position of the coalition.”

Chareidi leaders went further, warning that the civil marriage bill represents a serious breach in Israel’s Jewish character. In another statement, Degel HaTorah described the legislation as “a grave breach in the vineyard of Israel, liable to undermine the foundations of the Jewish identity of the State of Israel,” and said that Ochana’s decision to side with the opposition on such a sensitive issue amounted to a provocation demonstrating that he is “unfit to serve as Knesset speaker for the faith-based camp.”

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf also weighed in, accusing the government of repeatedly violating agreements with the chareidi sector. “The Government of Israel, headed by Binyomin Netanyahu of Likud, continues to breach all the understandings and commitments made to the chareidi public,” Goldknopf wrote.

Referring specifically to Wednesday’s vote, Goldknopf added that Ochana “went even further” by supporting legislation that he described as “a blatant trampling of our holy Torah,” carried out in defiance of prior agreements and of what he called the historic alliance between Likud and the chareidi parties—an alliance built, he said, on safeguarding the values of Jewish tradition within the Knesset.

{Matzav.com}

Five years after the 2020 election, challenges in Georgia continue despite multiple audits. The latest questions surround the December meeting of the Georgia State Election Board. Nearly two weeks after the meeting, some continue to claim Fulton County was fraudulent because tabulation tapes were not signed that included 315,000 votes. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger […]

Federal prosecutors say four California activists who allegedly prepared a coordinated bombing campaign also repeatedly voiced violent threats toward Israel and openly embraced Hamas, according to an indictment unsealed this week, Times of Israel reports.

Authorities say the suspects—Audrey Illeene Carroll, Zachary Aaron Page, Dante Gaffield, and Tina Lai, ages 24 to 41—were part of a clandestine offshoot known as the Order of the Black Lotus, described in court papers as a radical faction within a network calling itself the Turtle Island Liberation Front.

The indictment alleges that Carroll authored a planning document titled “Operation Midnight Sun,” which laid out a New Year’s Eve attack across Southern California. Prosecutors say the plan called for striking offices tied to technology and logistics firms and targeting federal immigration agents, with the stated aim to “pulverize” selected sites.

Investigators say Carroll recruited the other defendants into the scheme and that the group began gathering bombmaking components, including PVC pipes, potassium nitrate, sulfur powder, gasoline, electronics, and pistol primers. The materials were allegedly taken to a remote desert campsite for testing, where the FBI moved in and made arrests before any devices were fully assembled.

As the alleged preparations progressed, the indictment says the defendants exchanged messages expressing extreme hostility toward Israel and the United States. Using encrypted messaging, Page wrote to the group, “death to israel death to the usa death to colonizers death to settler-coloniasm [sic.].”

Carroll responded, “Death to them all, burn it all down,” followed by three emojis of a burning heart.

In subsequent exchanges cited by prosecutors, Carroll wrote, “I identify as a terrorist,” and, “I am a Hamas fangirl.” Gaffield later told the group, “I am here to destroy Zionism by any means necessary.”

“Real Activism = Destroying Zionism By Any Means, even if it’s risky. If you aren’t willing to die for or lose your freedom, then you’re just another toy in the machine,” he added.

Carroll replied, “Glory to the martyrs and death to Israel.”

The indictment further alleges that Carroll argued the collapse of the United States would hasten Israel’s downfall. Prosecutors say images recovered from her home show posters marked with inverted red triangles—a symbol associated with Hamas—and slogans including, “Death to America, long live Turtle Island and Palestine.”

The Turtle Island Liberation Front, described by authorities as far-left, anti-Israel, anti-government, and anti-capitalist, also surfaced publicly during the same period. Prosecutors say the group promoted and joined a heated protest outside a Los Angeles synagogue, where demonstrators reportedly entered the building to disrupt a private event.

On social media, the group advertised the demonstration with incendiary language, calling synagogue members “genocidal monsters.”

“These genocidal war criminals have no place in our city, and no place in Palestine. Never let them live in peace,” the post said.

Photos released by prosecutors from the arrest scene show bomb components laid out alongside signs reading “Free Palestine,” reinforcing, they argue, the ideological motive behind the alleged plot.

The charges include providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, possession of unregistered firearms, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Carroll and Page face potential life sentences if convicted, while Gaffield and Lai could each receive up to 25 years in prison.

{Matzav.com}

Harav Aharon Feldman shlit”a demonstrated incredible composure and dignity Monday night during a public asifah in Beit Shemesh that addressed the issue of giyus. The asifa, organized by the Ezram U’maginam organization, drew a diverse and mixed crowd and was headlined by Harav Feldman alongside Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Yad Aharon and a […]

More than a dozen staff members are abandoning the Heritage Foundation to join a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, a dramatic defection that lays bare deepening fractures inside the conservative movement over extremism, antisemitism, and its future direction. The departing employees — including senior figures from Heritage’s legal, economic, and data […]

Speaking publicly months after his release from Gaza, Segev Kalfon accused Israel’s leadership of prosecuting the war against Hamas while leaving him to pay the personal price.

In an interview aired Wednesday on Kan public radio, Kalfon — who spent 738 days in Hamas captivity before being freed in October — said he was seized from inside Israel and questioned why he was left behind as the fighting continued. Hamas, he said, “took me from within the country’s borders. Why did I have to sit and pay the price? Why did I have to bear the cost of this war?”

Kalfon claimed the decision-making at the top treated the war effort as more important than the lives of captives. “If they’d gotten me out, they’d have had to stop the war — they didn’t want to get me out, because they made [the war] their first priority, above human lives,” he said.

Appealing to religious and ideological values, he challenged lawmakers on the right. “Where is [the religious obligation of] redeeming captives?” he asked. “You’re a right-wing government. Where are all the religious people who sit in the Knesset?”

Describing the dangers he faced while being held, Kalfon said Israeli airstrikes repeatedly put his life at risk. The army, he said, “bombed me so many times,” leaving him convinced that death could come from either side. “I got to a place where I said, ‘Great, if I don’t die at [Hamas’s] hands, maybe I’ll die by accident, at the hands of my own army.’”

He recounted being pulled alive from debris more than once. “Twice, I emerged from ruins. They bombed me eight, nine times. Think of it. It came to where I wanted to go down into a tunnel,” he said, adding that he was eventually taken underground.

Beyond the battlefield, Kalfon criticized the state for what he described as inadequate financial support for former hostages. He argued that even the most limited period of captivity should entitle survivors to full, lifelong care. “Even someone who spent just one day in captivity, is entitled to sit on a beach in Mexico with a coconut in their hand for the rest of their life — and for the government to pay for it all,” he said.

His remarks followed a coalition vote last month that blocked opposition-sponsored legislation to provide a one-time NIS 4 million ($1.2 million) assistance package to released hostages and their families.

Kalfon also reiterated a claim he has made before: that statements by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir during the war worsened his treatment in captivity. According to Kalfon, when Ben Gvir publicly boasted about tightening conditions for Palestinian security prisoners, his Hamas guards responded by beating him more severely.

He said that during his imprisonment in Gaza he was sometimes allowed to listen to the radio, and that about 16 months into captivity he heard his mother’s voice advocating for his release. That moment, he said, transformed his resolve to stay alive.

“For the first year and four months, I lost hope many times. I got to a place where I thought I’d commit suicide, because I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of killing me,” he said.

“But then, after a year and four months, I received the sign from my mom, and I understood that at the end of the day it wasn’t just a sign from my mom, but from God, who wanted me to keep surviving despite the hardship.”

Since returning home, Kalfon said the psychological toll remains heavy. “I wake up a lot in the middle of the night; I don’t sleep much,” he said, noting that he is in therapy. “I’m in therapy — I have a therapist — but no one’s been through what I’ve been through.”

He described giving himself space each night to confront the memories. “I give myself an hour, two hours, at night, to fall apart if I need to. My eyes saw things, my ears heard things, my body felt things that you can’t erase,” he said.

Kalfon, a resident of Dimona, was abducted on October 7 after fleeing the Nova music festival as Hamas terrorists attacked the area, killing more than 360 people and kidnapping dozens amid a broader assault that left about 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage. While trying to escape, he crossed Highway 232, where the gunmen spotted him and dragged him into Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

A car prominently displaying Chanukah decorations, including a menorah mounted on its roof, was deliberately firebombed early Thursday morning in Melbourne’s St Kilda East neighborhood. According to a statement from Community Security Group (CSG) Victoria, the incident occurred just after 3:00 a.m. Police were called to the scene after the vehicle—clearly identifiable as Jewish due […]

Artwork depicting Anne Frank wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh has ignited a fierce backlash in Germany, with Israeli officials and Jewish organizations accusing the artist and museum of desecrating Holocaust memory and drawing a moral equivalence between Israel and Nazi Germany. The painting, by Italian artist Constantino Ciervo, is on display at the Fluxus+ Museum in […]

ANTISEMITISM STRIKES MELBOURNE AGAIN: A car displaying a “Happy Chanukah” sign was firebombed at around 3:00 a.m. Wednesday night, on Balaclava Road in St Kilda East. Police are investigating the suspected arson attack. Thankfully, no injuries were reported — but the incident has left the local Jewish community shaken.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a March presidential memorandum to revoke the security clearance of prominent Washington attorney Mark Zaid, ruling that the order — which also targeted 14 other individuals — could not be applied to him. The decision marked the administration’s second legal setback on Tuesday, after the […]

At a ceremony marking the induction of new pilots, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu outlined a far-reaching plan to bolster Israel’s domestic defense production, saying the country intends to sharply cut its reliance on foreign suppliers.

Netanyahu said the government plans to allocate 350 billion shekels, about $110 billion, toward developing an independent arms capability, stressing that Israel will still procure certain necessities abroad even as it expands local manufacturing. “We will continue to acquire essential supplies while independently arming ourselves,” he said at the event.

Acknowledging the limits of full self-sufficiency, Netanyahu said Israel would nevertheless aim to maximize homegrown production. “I don’t know if a ⁠country can be completely independent but we will strive … to ensure our ⁠arms are produced ⁠as much as possible in Israel,” he said. “Our goal is to build an independent arms industry for the State of ⁠Israel and reduce the dependency on any party, including allies.”

{Matzav.com}

Justice Minister Yariv Levin has given up on appointing an official to head the investigation into the ex-Military Advocate General affair, Israeli media outlets reported on Wednesday. The decision comes after the High Court once again disqualified Levin’s appointment of Judge Asher Kula to oversee the case. Kan News reported on Wednesday that in addition […]

A Pennsylvania elementary school principal is facing termination after allegedly leaving a voicemail laced with antisemitic slurs for a Jewish parent. Philip Leddy, principal of Lower Gwynedd Elementary School in Montgomery County, confirmed to the Wissahickon School District that he made the comments Friday morning, according to an email sent to parents by Superintendent Mwenyewe […]

The Powerball jackpot has surged to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, placing one of the largest lottery prizes ever offered in the United States within reach of players nationwide.

The surge came after Monday night’s drawing failed to produce a jackpot winner, clearing the way for the prize to roll over once again and climb sharply.

The drawing is tonight at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Despite the excitement, the odds remain daunting, with a one-in-292.2-million chance of hitting the jackpot.

According to the game’s website, the eventual winner will have a choice between receiving the full $1.7 billion through annual payments spread over 29 years or opting for a one-time cash payout estimated at about $781.3 million before taxes.

The current prize ranks as the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and among the biggest ever offered by any U.S. lottery, heightening anticipation as ticket sales continue to climb.

Monday’s drawing did not produce a grand-prize winner, but it did yield nine secondary prizes worth $1 million each across the country.

The biggest Powerball jackpot on record reached $2.04 billion, claimed by a ticket sold in California in 2022, which also stands as the largest U.S. lottery prize ever won.

{Matzav.com}

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage ticked down modestly this week, remaining in the same narrow range of the past two months. The average long-term mortgage rate fell to 6.18% from 6.21% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.85%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, […]

For the next several weeks, U.S. military activity will be centered almost entirely on blocking Venezuelan oil exports, following a directive from the White House, a U.S. official said Wednesday.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the instruction orders American forces to concentrate nearly all their efforts “on the quarantine of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months.”

The administration views this approach as the preferred method of applying pressure on Caracas, prioritizing sanctions enforcement over immediate military action. “While military options ⁠still exist the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking,” the official said.

The emphasis on economic measures could cool expectations of near-term U.S. ground operations against Venezuela, something President Donald Trump has said remains possible.

U.S. officials believe the oil restrictions are already taking a heavy toll. “The efforts so far have put tremendous pressure on (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro and the belief is that by late ⁠January Venezuela will be facing an economic calamity unless it agrees to make significant concessions to the U.S.,” the official said.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has revealed that a senior financial operative in Hamas’s military wing was killed in a targeted strike in Gaza. According to the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, Abdel Hay Zaqout, a member of the finance department of Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, was killed two weeks ago in the same strike that eliminated senior […]

Israel has revealed that a senior financial operative in Hamas’s military wing was killed in a targeted strike in Gaza. According to the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, Abdel Hay Zaqout, a member of the finance department of Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, was killed two weeks ago in the same strike that eliminated senior […]

A 4-year-old girl who was critically injured after being struck by a school bus nearly three months ago has been released from the hospital and is now recovering at home, Boro Park Scoop reports. The incident occurred on the afternoon of September 29 on East 2nd Street between Avenues I and J, when the child […]

A 4-year-old girl who was critically injured after being struck by a school bus nearly three months ago has been released from the hospital and is now recovering at home, Boro Park Scoop reports. The incident occurred on the afternoon of September 29 on East 2nd Street between Avenues I and J, when the child […]