Bris milah could be treated as a potential form of child abuse under proposed new guidance for prosecutors in Britain, following mounting concern from judges and coroners about deaths and severe injuries linked to the procedure.
In a draft framework prepared by Britian’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) addressing “honour-based abuse, forced marriages, and harmful practices,” circumcision is listed among practices that could amount to criminal conduct, The Guardian reports.
The language used in the draft, which was reviewed by the Guardian, has caused alarm within religious communities, with Jewish and Muslim leaders pushing back strongly and stressing the long-standing religious and cultural significance of circumcision.
According to the draft CPS guidance, male circumcision differs from female genital mutilation in that “there is not a specific criminal offence of carrying out male circumcision.”
The document goes on to caution: “However, this can be a painful and harmful practice, if carried out incorrectly or in inappropriate circumstances. It may be a form of child abuse or an offence against the person.”
Concerns over regulation intensified last month after a coroner warned that there are inadequate controls governing who is permitted to carry out circumcisions, following the death of a six-month-old boy, Mohamed Abdisamad, who died from a streptococcus infection in 2023.
That case mirrored earlier findings by another coroner relating to the death of Oliver Asante-Yeboah, who died in 2014 after developing sepsis following a circumcision carried out by a rabbi.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that since 2001, circumcision has been identified as a contributing factor in seven deaths of boys under the age of 18. In at least three cases, infants died after suffering catastrophic blood loss: Celian Noumbiwe in 2007, Goodluck Caubergs in 2010, and Angelo Ofori-Mintah in 2012.
Jonathan Arkush, a former president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and co-chair of Milah UK, an organization that advocates for the Jewish community’s right to perform religious circumcision, said the draft CPS wording gives a distorted picture.
“To suggest that circumcision is in itself a harmful practice, is deeply pejorative and misplaced,” he said. “Any procedure that is carried out inappropriately or without proper controls, including piercing a child’s ears, could be a harmful practice and a possible case of child abuse.”
He added: “We shall certainly be talking to the CPS. I would very much expect that final draft not to include it, as it is so obviously incorrect and/or misleading.”
Arkush, who practices as a barrister, acknowledged that a circumcision performed improperly could amount to abuse, but emphasized that the Jewish community operates under what he described as rigorous safeguards designed to prevent such outcomes.
“The incidence of complications in circumcision performed in the Jewish community is vanishingly rare,” he said. “Circumcision is a core part of our identity. I have never met any Jewish man who thinks they’ve been harmed by circumcision.”
The Muslim Council of Britain echoed the call for stronger oversight while rejecting the notion that circumcision itself should be treated as abusive.
“Male circumcision is a lawful practice in the UK with recognised medical, religious and cultural foundations, and it should not be characterised in itself as child abuse,” the council said.
“However, where procedures are carried out irresponsibly, without proper safeguards, and cause harm, they may rightly fall within the scope of criminal law. The lack of consistent regulation elsewhere creates unacceptable risks, and addressing those risks to protect young boys should be an urgent priority.”
{Matzav.com}
The body responsible for administering the Nobel Peace Prize dismissed speculation that Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado could pass along or share her prize with President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute addressed the matter on Friday, responding to comments Machado made earlier in the week suggesting she might hand over the award to Trump.
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” the institute said in a statement. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
The clarification followed remarks Machado made during a Tuesday interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” where the topic of the prize was raised.
“Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize?” Sean Hannity asked. “Did that actually happen?”
Machado replied, “Well, it hasn’t happened yet.”
“I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” she added. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
Earlier this month, on Jan. 3, Trump announced that the United States had carried out an operation resulting in the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing drug trafficking charges in New York.
Trump was later asked on Thursday’s episode of “Hannity” whether he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize if Machado attempted to bestow it upon him.
“I’ve heard that she wants to do that,” Trump said. “That would be a great honor.”
Machado reportedly fled Venezuela in secret last month and traveled to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she publicly dedicated to Trump.
“Let me be very clear. As soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated it to President Trump because I believed at that point that he deserved it,” Machado said during her appearance on “Hannity.” “And a lot of people, most people, said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday, January 3rd.”
Trump has said he intends to meet with Machado in Washington next week.
In the past, however, Trump has questioned Machado’s standing inside Venezuela, saying she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to govern. He has instead backed Delcy Rodríguez, an acting president aligned with Maduro who previously served as his vice president.
{Matzav.com}
Top New York officials spoke out after footage emerged of demonstrators chanting “we support Hamas” during a protest held in a heavily Jewish area of Queens, prompting condemnation from across the political spectrum.
The video shows protesters carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans expressing support for Hamas, a group officially designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
The footage spread rapidly online, triggering immediate responses from city, state, and federal leaders who denounced both the message and the setting of the demonstration.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly rebuked the demonstrators, focusing on the antisemitic nature of the chants and the decision to march in that specific neighborhood.
“Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Pretty basic!”
Gov. Kathy Hochul also circulated the video and issued a sharp condemnation of the rhetoric heard at the protest.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews,” Hochul wrote. “No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it’s dangerous, and it has no place in New York.”
Video from the event shows demonstrators chanting together while holding Palestinian flags, with several voices audibly expressing support for Hamas.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the controversy later in the day, stressing that public safety would be protected while also emphasizing constitutional protections for protest activity.
“As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city,” Mamdani wrote. “We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest.”
Mamdani’s comments followed earlier scrutiny of his remarks in an October appearance on Fox News’ The Story, during which he declined to directly condemn Hamas and instead shifted the discussion toward cost-of-living issues facing New Yorkers.
Hamas is formally listed by the United States as a terrorist organization, and federal law bars providing material support to groups on that list.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also responded on social media with a brief but direct statement rejecting the chants.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization. We do not support terrorists. Period.”
The episode unfolded amid continued nationwide unrest connected to demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war, which intensified following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
{Matzav.com}
Sources familiar with developments inside Iran told Iran International that security forces have escalated their response to demonstrations, firing live ammunition at crowds in multiple regions as authorities enforce an almost complete shutdown of internet access. Preliminary information points to extraordinarily high casualties as the suppression effort expands nationwide.
Video material transmitted from Kahrizak depicts rows of bodies sealed in black bags. Individuals who filmed the scenes said dozens of corpses were visible there, with further remains reportedly stored inside a nearby industrial warehouse.
Separate recordings circulating earlier from Fardis, Karaj, and Alghadir Hospital showed bodies lying in open areas, suggesting that large-scale killings are occurring simultaneously in different parts of the country rather than in isolated pockets.
The communications blackout that began on January 8 has severely limited independent verification. Even so, the steady flow of consistent accounts reaching Iran International has reinforced assessments that lethal force is being used broadly to break up protests.
Based on figures cited by the outlet, even cautious calculations suggest that no fewer than 2,000 people have been killed over the last two days.
Those providing information described especially severe clashes in Fardis and sections of Tehran, while emphasizing that similar reports are coming in from numerous other locations, including the western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah.
Although the blackout is nearly total, reporters said they continue to receive video clips and messages through limited pathways such as Starlink connections. Access to those channels is largely confined to wealthier districts and major cities, leaving large swaths of the country unseen. Despite that gap, journalists say there are reliable signs that demonstrations are persisting across Iran.
One video released overnight showed demonstrators in Tehran’s Poonak neighborhood torching a branch of Bank Melli.
Another clip captured crowds flooding the streets of Ahvaz, chanting “Long Live the Shah.”
Abroad, a protester scaled the balcony of the Iranian Embassy during a demonstration outside the mission, according to BBC. Police detained two individuals at the scene and continued to search for another suspect on trespassing allegations.
In Washington, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of US President Donald Trump, issued a message of support to those protesting in Iran, pledging assistance and predicting an end to their suffering.
“TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE: your long nightmare is soon coming to a close,” Graham wrote in a social media post. “Your bravery and determination to end your oppression has been noticed by @POTUS and all who love freedom.”
“When President Trump says Make Iran Great Again, it means the protestors in Iran must prevail over the ayatollah. That is the clearest signal yet that he, President Trump understands Iran will never be great with the ayatollah and his henchmen in charge.
“To all who are sacrificing in Iran, God bless. Help is on the way.”
Trump echoed that sentiment on Truth Social, writing, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
{Matzav.com}
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A frum man was attacked late Friday night in Williamsburg, leaving him with injuries around his eye.
The assault took place at about 11:20 p.m., and the attacker reportedly hurled antisemitic slurs as the incident unfolded.
Officers from the NYPD’s 79th Precinct, along with members of the Shomrim Shabbos Patrol, arrived quickly at the scene. Police arrested a 35-year-old woman in connection with the attack, and she has been charged with assault and aggravated harassment.
Authorities said the confrontation happened on Willoughby Avenue near Nostrand Avenue. According to reports, the suspect followed the victim for several blocks, verbally abusing him with antisemitic remarks and making threats. At the time, the victim—who is a member of Shomrim—was walking together with his wife and children.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has taken over the investigation. Hatzolah responded and provided medical care to the victim at the scene.
{Matzav.com}
Facing criticism over cleanliness and quality-of-life issues, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday announced a new initiative aimed at expanding access to public restrooms across the city, targeting residents he described as being in moments of real need.
Standing alongside City Council Speaker Julie Menin in West Harlem, Mamdani revealed a $4 million pilot program that would introduce as many as 30 modular, self-cleaning public bathrooms throughout New York City.
“Too many of our fellow New Yorkers feel a desperation too often in their lives … Suddenly, you feel it. You have to go to the bathroom,” Mamdani said.
He continued by arguing that access to basic facilities should not come at a premium. “In a city that has everything, the one thing that is often impossible to find is a public bathroom. In the greatest city in the world, you should not have to spend $9 to buy a coffee just to be able to find a little relief,” he added.
According to Mamdani, the city plans to begin requesting proposals from vendors within the next three months, with the goal of installing between 20 and 30 new restrooms. One of those units would be placed at the corner of 12th Avenue and St. Clair Place, where an existing public toilet has sat unused for years, he said.
City officials did not specify where the remaining bathrooms would be located, how frequently they would be open, or what standards would be used to determine which neighborhoods receive them.
Still, the mayor suggested the program could offer a meaningful alternative to streets, sidewalks, and subway stations, which have increasingly become makeshift restrooms, particularly as the city’s homeless population grows.
The planned units would clean themselves automatically, limit use to 15 minutes per person, and be serviced by maintenance crews twice daily.
New York City currently has roughly 1,100 public restrooms for its 8.6 million residents. Last year, the City Council adopted a long-term target of adding 2,100 additional bathrooms by 2035.
Mamdani said the high cost of traditional restroom construction—often exceeding $1 million per facility—has historically “prohibited” large-scale expansion. He argued that the modular units sought through the city’s request for proposals would come in at “far less than what we’ve come to expect in the city.”
Menin echoed the mayor’s frustration, calling the shortage of public bathrooms “shameful” and recounting her own experiences as a parent in Manhattan.
“When they got to go, they got to go, and you don’t have a lot of time to find a bathroom,” she said.
{Matzav.com}
As a powerful winter storm swept across Israel, widespread power outages struck many communities on Friday afternoon and Friday night, creating significant halachic questions with the onset of Shabbos.
One such incident occurred in central Petach Tikva, where repeated electricity failures left residents uncertain whether they would be permitted to benefit from power restored during Shabbos by the Israel Electric Corporation. Numerous residents turned to the city’s mara d’asra, the prominent posek Rav Bentzion Hakohein Kook, seeking guidance.
Just minutes before candle lighting, Rav Kook published a detailed halachic ruling addressing the permissibility of using electricity that is restored on Shabbos, even when the repair work is carried out by Jewish workers.
In his written psak, Rav Kook explained that in today’s reality, repairing electrical outages involves an element of pikuach nefesh. He noted that in nearly every neighborhood there are individuals whose lives depend on electrically powered medical devices, such as oxygen machines and similar equipment. Rav Kook testified that he personally knew of multiple cases in which power outages — on both weekdays and Shabbos — posed immediate danger to life, and recalled a tragic instance in his own neighborhood in which a patient connected to an oxygen machine passed away as a result of a power failure.
Since it is impossible for the electric company to repair the system only for those in medical danger, and the restoration necessarily benefits the entire grid, Rav Kook ruled that it is permitted to benefit from the electricity once power is restored. He emphasized that this does not fall under the prohibition of benefiting from melachah done on Shabbos, and is comparable to classic cases discussed in Shulchan Aruch where an action performed for the sake of a dangerously ill person may also benefit others.
Addressing concerns related to food preparation, Rav Kook ruled that pots may remain on the stove even if they cooled during the outage, and that the food — including soup — does not become prohibited. Since the electric company’s work is focused on the central power system and not on the individual pot or flame, and the food was fully cooked before Shabbos, there is no issue of bishul or initial placement on the fire on Shabbos.
Regarding a hot plate that shut off due to the outage, Rav Kook ruled that it is permissible to transfer a pot to another hot plate via a non-Jew. If done by a Jew, he cited the position of his rebbi, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, that this is permitted only under two conditions: first, that the original hot plate is still somewhat warm, enough that it could heat food; and second, that the neighboring hot plate is covered or reduced in heat, such as with thick aluminum foil, multiple layers of thin foil, or an inverted pan — adjustments that may be made on Shabbos. He noted that some authorities are lenient even without these conditions.
Rav Kook concluded his ruling with a heartfelt tefillah that the tranquility of Shabbos not be disturbed, and expressed hope that in the future all Jews will merit the use of electricity produced without any desecration of Shabbos.
Meanwhile, a striking scene unfolded Friday night. Rav Kook himself delivered his regular Friday night derashah in the main Beis Medrash, Mishkan Shmuel, in central Petach Tikva, in complete darkness, following the outage. The shiur focused on the halachos of electricity on Shabbos. To the astonishment of those present, at the very moment Rav Kook concluded with the words, “Menuchah v’simchah or laYehudim,” the electricity was suddenly restored, flooding the beis medrash with light.
{Matzav.com}