Dear Matzav Inbox,
Every so often, a familiar wave of anxiety ripples through the community, as it did today. A blogger is coming. An outsider is asking questions. Someone with a camera, a notebook, or a following wants to see Lakewood — and suddenly the instinct is to retreat, to warn, to clamp down, to treat the visit as a threat rather than an opportunity.
Why?
Why are we so frightened of being seen?
If someone wants to come to Lakewood, let them come. And instead of scrambling behind the scenes or whispering about damage control, why don’t we do the most obvious, intelligent, and self-respecting thing possible: show them who we actually are.
Show them Bais Medrash Govoah, not as a buzzword or a caricature, but as the largest Talmudic academy in the country. Let them see thousands of young men learning with seriousness, discipline, and purpose, from early morning until late at night. Let them understand that this is not some fringe phenomenon, but a sustained commitment to Torah that defines an entire town.
Show them the community that exists around it — families raising children with values, schools educating tens of thousands of students, shuls full on weekday mornings. Show them neighborhoods that function, systems that work, and a population that is invested in the future of its children.
Take them down Avenue of the States. Show them the businesses, the commerce, the jobs, the storefronts, the offices, and the economic activity that supports not only our own community but the broader township as well. Let them see that Lakewood is not a burden, but a contributor, socially, economically, and civically.
And then show them what almost never gets photographed.
Show them the chesed. The charities. The volunteer organizations. The endless web of quiet generosity that steps in long before government agencies do — meals delivered without fanfare, funds raised overnight for families in crisis, medical advocacy, Bikur Cholim, gemachs of every kind. Show them the infrastructure of responsibility that exists because we believe in taking care of our own.
What exactly are we afraid they’ll uncover?
If we believe in what we are building here — and we should — then fear is not a strategy. Silence is not strength. And treating every outsider as an enemy only guarantees that the story will be written without us.
There will always be people who come with preconceived notions. There will always be critics who arrive determined to find fault. But hiding doesn’t disarm them. It empowers them. When we refuse to engage, we leave the field open to ignorance, rumor, and narrative-building by those who don’t know us and don’t care to.
We don’t need to posture or perform. We don’t need talking points or defensive statements. We need confidence…calm, intelligent confidence. We need to answer questions honestly, clearly, and like mentchen who are comfortable in their own skin.
Outsiders will talk whether we invite them or not. Bloggers will write whether we cooperate or not. The only choice we have is whether the picture they paint is based on speculation — or reality.
Lakewood is not perfect. No community is. But it is real, vibrant, productive, and deeply rooted in values that have sustained our people for centuries. That is not something to hide from. It is something to stand behind.
Stop being scared. Stop acting as if visibility is a threat. It isn’t.
Open the door. Walk them through. Let them see the truth …. not the version whispered about by people who have never set foot here, but the one lived every day by tens of thousands of families.
If we have nothing to hide, then we have nothing to fear.
Sincerely,
Y. B. H.
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On the eve of the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, new figures spotlight the scale of the administration’s immigration enforcement, even as Trump publicly praised what he described as a year of major accomplishments. An analysis highlighted by The New York Times reports that roughly 540,000 immigrants have been removed during Trump’s first year back in office.
According to the breakdown, about 230,000 individuals were arrested and deported from within the United States, approximately 270,000 were expelled after being caught at the border, and around 40,000 opted to accept financial assistance to leave voluntarily under a self-deportation program.
Taken together, those categories put the total number of removals at an estimated 540,000 since Trump returned to the White House.
“The number of deportations from interior arrests since Mr. Trump took office is already higher than the total during the entire four years of the Biden administration,” the Times analysis read. “It offers the clearest measure of the impact of Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown and expansive efforts to fulfill his campaign promise to deport millions of people.
“At the same time, the number of people trying to cross the Southwest border has fallen to record lows. As a result, far fewer people were arrested and deported from the border than in the preceding few years.”
Separate data released by Department of Homeland Security in December pointed to even larger overall numbers, stating that more than 2.5 million immigrants had departed the country amid the administration’s enforcement push. That total included an estimated 1.9 million self-deportations alongside more than 622,000 formal deportations.
“In less than a year, President Trump has delivered some of the most historic and consequential achievements in presidential history — and this administration is just getting started,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making America safe again and putting the American people first. In record-time we have secured the border, taken the fight to cartels, and arrested thousands upon thousands of criminal illegal aliens. Though 2025 was historic, we won’t rest until the job is done.”
The DHS summary also laid out several headline indicators, including a steep year-over-year drop in border crossings, a sharp decline in daily apprehensions at the Southwest border, seven consecutive months in which Border Patrol released no migrants into the country, and a total number of apprehensions far below averages recorded during the prior administration.
Republican leaders echoed that message. “Just one year into his second term, President Trump has delivered more results for the American people than any president in history,” said Joe Gruters, chair of the Republican National Committee. “He’s reversing the damage of Biden’s far-left agenda by bringing prices down, unleashing American energy, securing the border, and rebuilding our military.
“Families are finally getting relief, our communities are safer, and America is respected again on the world stage. President Trump is putting America first every single day, and this is only the beginning — the best is still ahead.”
Independent analyses have pointed to a concurrent decline in the population living in the country without legal status. A report from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that number fell by roughly 360,000 over the past year, while research from the Brookings Institution suggested the overall foreign-born population may have dropped by as many as 295,000.
These developments come amid demonstrations in Minnesota, where leftist “agitators” have protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
“In Minnesota, there is too much media attention on ICE, who have removed some of the worst murderers and criminals in the World, people let into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden’s horrendous Open Border Policy, and not enough attention paid to the staggering sums of money stolen from the State by corrupt Minnesota politicians!” Trump wrote Monday in a Truth Social post.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump this afternoon that U.S. intelligence agencies believe they have identified where the body of Israeli soldier St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili is being held in the Gaza Strip, speaking during a press conference in Washington, DC.
“We got the 28 hostages; they have one left, that we think we know where it is. Amazing,” Trump said.
Gvili is believed to be the final Israeli hostage still in Gaza. He was taken on October 7 during fierce fighting at Kibbutz Alumim, where he was battling Hamas terrorists as part of the IDF’s Golani Brigade.
In a December interview with Ma’ariv, Gvili’s mother, Talik, shared information she said was based on intelligence assessments. “The intelligence is that Ran was not killed on the spot,” she said.
“We know he was wounded in the heroic battle at Kibbutz Alumim, hit by a bullet in his hand and shoulder area. Intelligence believes he didn’t receive medical treatment and therefore didn’t survive,” she added.
{Matzav.com}
Habochur Naftali Tzvi Kramer z”l, an 18-year-old talmid from the Satmar Yeshiva in Komemiyus, was killed in a horrific traffic accident while returning from a protest against post-mortem examinations.
Naftali Tzvi, a resident of Yerushalayim, was struck at the entrance to Moshav Komemiyus as he was making his way back to the yeshiva together with fellow bochurim. He passed away just weeks before his 18th birthday.
According to details released for publication, the accident occurred on Route 3533. Witnesses reported that a Metropoline bus transporting chareidi girls was traveling at high speed. Students walking along the side of the road stated that the bus struck Naftali Tzvias they were proceeding together on the shoulder. However, authorities have not established clear evidence that the driver acted intentionally.
Askani Shimon Shisha, together with ZAKA volunteers, has been working to ensure that the body is released without being transferred to the forensic institute.
Naftali Tzvihad returned from a protest opposing autopsies, which he attended in accordance with the directives of his rabbanim.
Naftali Tzvi was born in Yerushalayim on 27 Shevat 5768 to his father, Reb Yissachar Dov Kramer, a respected Satmar chassid, and his mother, Mrs. Bracha Beila Kramer, daughter of Rav Menashe Gottlieb. He was raised in a home steeped in Torah and chassidus.
He studied at the Satmar Talmud Torah in Yerushalayim, continued on to the Yeitev Lev Satmar Yeshiva L’tzeirim, and later joined the Satmar Yeshiva Gedolah, Yeitev Lev D’Rabbeinu Yoel, in Komemiyus.
Friends described him as an elevated and refined young man, devoted to avodas Hashem and meticulous in his conduct. “He would spend a full hour preparing himself before tefillah, with seriousness and focus,” one friend said. “He was noble, gentle, and always greeted others with a warm smile.”
Just a month ago, Naftali Tzviwas seen davening Shacharis alongside Rav Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum, son of the Satmar Rebbe, during a visit to the yeshiva for the inauguration of a new mikvah.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Rabbi Moshe Itach, a father of three who heads an educational framework for children with high-functioning autism, described the terrifying hours he endured after learning that his young son had been present at the Yerushalayim daycare where a fatal incident unfolded. Speaking with Kan Moreshet, he recounted how the family struggled to locate their child amid widespread confusion.
“My wife called me in the middle of the day to say there had been an incident at our son’s nursery and that six children had been taken to hospital. We didn’t know who had taken them, where they were taken, or what condition our child was in,” he said. For roughly two hours, the family went from hospital to hospital across the city, desperate for answers.
“Those were two hours of complete uncertainty. You hear rumors, people are talking about infants in serious condition, and you don’t know where your child is. In the end, we discovered he was at Shaare Zedek. Thank God, he’s fine,” Itach added, expressing visible relief.
Even as he spoke of his own son’s safety, Itach emphasized the broader national grief that followed the incident. “Yesterday, Klal Yisroel lost two children. It’s an unimaginable tragedy. It’s hard even to think about it. There are no words that can comfort parents who have lost an infant,” he said.
Responding to criticism directed at the daycare’s employees, Itach said he felt compelled to speak up on their behalf. “I know the head teacher, the caregivers, and the assistants. These are devoted women who chose this profession out of a sense of mission – not out of necessity. My son was happy to go to the nursery and happy to come home. That is not something to be taken for granted.”
He also pointed to structural problems that place families and caregivers in an untenable position. “The state makes staffing difficult, the pay is low, and parents – especially young couples studying in yeshiva – are often forced to choose between cost and safety. It’s an impossible situation,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Itach called on parents to engage in honest self-examination. “Every father and mother needs to ask themselves: Where am I sending my child in the morning? Is this a place I can truly trust? This isn’t about blame. It’s about responsibility.”
{Matzav.com}
