Hundreds of mispallelim davened Shacharis at Kever Yosef in Shechem early this morning, marking the first daylight davening at the site in 25 years, since the IDF withdrew from the compound and transferred responsibility to the Palestinian Authority.
The historic tefillah followed an overnight entry by hundreds of mispallelim into the Kever Yosef complex, part of the regular, coordinated visits organized by the Shomron Regional Council with IDF escort and full military authorization.
The move to allow davening in daylight is part of a broader, structured plan being advanced by Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and MK Tzvi Sukkot, together with Rav Dudu Ben Natan, the father of IDF soldier Shoval Ben Natan hy”d, who was killed in combat in southern Lebanon and had been active in efforts to restore Jewish access to the site.
The Shomron Regional Council emphasized that the initiative’s goal is to enable a permanent Jewish return to Kever Yosef and to restore the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva to the compound. According to the council, the plan was formulated in coordination with additional partners and is based on a gradual series of steps designed to reestablish a continuous Jewish presence at the makom kadosh.
Yossi Dagan described the event as a milestone moment. “This morning is a morning of historic correction. After years of entering under cover of darkness like thieves in the night, we are returning home with our heads held high and in full daylight. Kever Yosef is an important symbol, and the move to enter in daylight is a significant step within our work plan to establish a permanent and full foothold at the site.
“We will not stop until the Israeli flag is flown here on a permanent basis and the ‘Od Yosef Chai’ yeshiva returns to its place. Am Yisrael is returning to the Shomron, Am Yisrael is returning to its land.”
MK Tzvi Sukkot also hailed the development, saying: “We merited an important step forward with the fulfillment of Shacharis davening and entry to Kever Yosef in daylight. This is the beginning of a significant and historic correction, and we will continue to act until full Jewish presence is restored at Kever Yosef.”
{Matzav.com}
A Norwegian parliamentarian has nominated Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Jerusalem memorial center is “one of the world’s most significant institutions in the fight against antisemitism, hate ideologies and historical distortion,” Joel Ystebø of Norway’s Christian Democratic Party wrote in a letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Tuesday.
“I believe that the Nobel committee should take a stand on antisemitism by issuing this award to Yad Vashem even though I understand it might be difficult because of all the politics involved,” Ystebø told JNS on Thursday.
The 24-year-old lawmaker, who was elected last year to the unicameral parliament for the conservative opposition party, noted that every Norwegian lawmaker had the right to nominate a candidate for the prize.
“There are many people in Norway who, like myself, are embarrassed by our own government after October 7 for being too soft on Hamas, and this nomination is also to show the people of Israel and the Jewish community that they have many friends in Norway,” he said in the interview.
He wrote in his letter that antisemitism has proven throughout history to be “one of the most persistent and destructive forms of hatred,” citing the rise in anti-Jewish violence around the globe following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which triggered the two-year war in Gaza.
“Today, Yad Vashem serves as a global anchor in the fight against antisemitism and other forms of hatred,” the letter states. “In a time when antisemitism is once again gaining a foothold in public discourse, Yad Vashem reminds us of what is at stake if hatred and lies are allowed to pervade.
“The Nobel Peace Prize has historically honored those who stand against hatred, oppression and injustice,” it continues. “Yad Vashem does precisely this by being at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism, one of the most serious threats to peaceful coexistence in our time. Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Yad Vashem would be a clear recognition that the struggle against antisemitism is a struggle for peace, democracy and human dignity.”
Tel Aviv University Professor Dina Porat, a Yad Vashem senior academic adviser, told JNS, “We are witness today to how hatred caused by antisemitism is again ever so relevant to our very time. By its documentation and commemoration, Yad Vashem offers a clear historical picture and warning about the past and the present.”
Founded in 1953 on Jerusalem’s Mount of Remembrance, on the western slope of Mount Herzl, to commemorate the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, Yad Vashem has emerged as a top global tourist site for visitors and educators. JNS
{Matzav.com}
Sanctuary policies protect criminals and put communities at risk, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Thursday during his first press conference since arriving in Minneapolis, arguing that public safety must come before politics.
Homan explained that he was sent to Minnesota earlier in the week to help restore order and to target dangerous criminal illegal aliens living in local communities, stressing that his mission is focused on safety rather than publicity.
“I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines,” Homan told reporters. “I came here to seek solutions.”
He pointed to what he described as the consequences of border failures under the Biden administration, saying that more than 10 million illegal aliens entered the United States during that period, including millions of “gotaways” who avoided apprehension.
According to Homan, many of those individuals present serious risks to both national security and public safety. He said President Trump pledged to voters that he would undo those policies and make protecting American communities the top priority.
Over the past several days, Homan said, he has held meetings with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, along with law enforcement officials and other stakeholders, despite their political differences.
“We didn’t agree on everything. I didn’t expect to agree on everything,” Homan said. “But you can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions.”
One point of consensus, he said, was recognition that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency charged with enforcing immigration laws.
Homan also said the administration is developing a plan to reduce ICE’s footprint in Minnesota if cooperation continues and violence declines.
“As we drill down on these great agreements [with Minnesota officials] we’ve got, this great understanding we have means less so we can draw down those resources,” he said.
“When the violence decreases, we can draw down those resources. But based on the discussions I’ve had with the governor and the AG, we can start drawing down those resources.”
He added that the reduction could happen even faster if inflammatory language targeting ICE ends.
Homan emphasized that federal officials are not asking local leaders to act as immigration agents, but rather to work with ICE when criminal illegal aliens are already in custody.
“Jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities are sanctuaries for criminals,” Homan said. “Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals and endanger the residents of the community.”
He praised the Minnesota Department of Corrections for honoring ICE detainers, saying that such cooperation has improved safety for residents and law enforcement officers alike.
Homan also said progress has been made in discussions with Ellison, who clarified that county jails may inform ICE of scheduled release dates for criminal illegal aliens so agents can take custody in a lawful and controlled manner.
“That’s common sense,” Homan said, arguing that making arrests inside jails is safer than tracking suspects after they return to the community.
He rejected claims that cooperation with ICE deters victims or witnesses from reporting crimes.
“Victims and witnesses don’t want the bad guy back in their neighborhood either,” Homan said.
Homan concluded by saying that continued cooperation will lower crime, conserve resources, and carry out President Trump’s promise to put American safety first, particularly in cities he said have suffered the consequences of years of failed border policies.
{Matzav.com}
