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Following a series of discussions and negotiations over the past 24 hours, the proposed Shas slate for the upcoming Knesset elections was submitted Sunday evening to the party’s rabbinic leadership for approval.

Under the proposed lineup, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri remains in the top position, while Yinon Azoulay makes a significant jump to the No. 2 spot on the slate.

Michael Malchieli moves up to third place, followed by Yoav Ben-Tzur in fourth and Chaim Biton in fifth.

The proposed Shas slate submitted for rabbinic approval is:

Aryeh Deri

Yinon Azoulay

Michael Malchieli

Yoav Ben-Tzur

Chaim Biton

Dror Amos

Yoni Mashriki

Yossi Taieb

Uriel Buso

Moshe Abutbul

Erez Malul

The most notable development in the emerging lineup is Azoulay’s rise to second place, representing a significant change in his position on the Shas slate. Malchieli’s move into third place similarly puts him among the party’s highest-ranking candidates.

Another change involves Yoni Mashriki, who has also moved up in the proposed lineup and would hold the seventh position when Deri is included as the slate’s No. 1 candidate.

The proposed arrangement comes after intensive discussions surrounding the composition of the Shas list and the positioning of its leading representatives ahead of the election.

The slate, however, is not yet final. It has been submitted to the rabbonim for their approval, and the final decision on the composition and ordering of the candidates is expected to be made by the party’s rabbinic leadership.

The list submitted Sunday evening reflects the latest developments in negotiations over the Shas slate, including several significant changes near the top of the party’s lineup.

A plan to establish a coffee and refreshment room inside the cemetery in Uman has been halted following a sweeping halachic ruling from leading rabbonim and poskim representing a broad range of communities.

The proposal, funded by a generous donor, was intended to provide drinks and refreshments for the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov, particularly during the massive Rosh Hashanah gathering. However, because the proposed facility was to be located within the boundaries of the cemetery, officials responsible for the tziyun decided to seek a formal halachic ruling before moving forward.

Rav Nosson Ben Nun, chairman of Ichud Breslov in Uman, sent an urgent inquiry to leading poskim from across the spectrum of the Torah community, asking them to address the halachic implications of the proposal.

The response was unanimous and unequivocal: A coffee and refreshment facility may not be operated inside the cemetery.

In a letter dated 11 Elul 5786 and addressed directly to Rav Ben Nun, the rabbonim cited the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah 368, which states that “a cemetery may not be treated with frivolity… nor may one eat or drink there.”

The poskim further cited a ruling of the Chasam Sofer, in siman 335, as establishing that a “coffee room” or similar facility may not be established anywhere within the cemetery grounds.

The ruling was signed by a lengthy roster of prominent rabbonim and poskim, including Rishon Letzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef; Rav Sariel Rosenberg, gaavad of the Bnei Brak Badatz; Rav Moshe Shaul Klein and Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern of Badatz Zichron Meir; and Rav Yehuda Fischer and Rav Shlomo Yehuda Hirsch of the Badatz of the Eidah Hachareidis.

Also joining the ruling were Rav Menachem Mendel Lubin; Rav Yaakov Shekhnaazi of the Sephardic Eidah Hachareidis Badatz; and Rav Naftali Nussbaum.

One of the poskim wrote that “it is clear that it is forbidden to establish a place for drinking inside a cemetery,” while another declared that “this is a clear halacha and there is no room for debate; it is forbidden to engage in frivolous behavior.”

The rabbonim added that even if such a facility had already been constructed inadvertently, it would have to be removed without delay so that “there should not be displeasure from the tzaddikim who are there.”

They concluded with the assurance that “one who listens will dwell securely,” along with a bracha for a favorable inscription and sealing for the coming year.

Following the ruling, Ichud Breslov in Uman decided not to abandon the donor’s initiative, but instead to relocate it outside the cemetery.

The new coffee and tea room will be established at the Kloiz complex in Uman, which is situated beyond the boundaries of the cemetery. Ichud Breslov has operated a coffee room there in recent years during the major gatherings in Uman, and officials have now decided to complete work on the facility and keep it operating throughout the year.

The move will allow the tens of thousands of people who travel to Uman to benefit from the refreshments provided by the donor while preserving the sanctity of the cemetery and adhering to the ruling of the poskim.

{Matzav.com}

George Pataki, who was governor of New York during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and led the state through the difficult period that followed, has revealed that he is suffering from a lung condition tied to his exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.

Pataki, a Republican who served as governor from 1995 through 2006, told the New York Post that he has restrictive airway disease resulting from his exposure to toxic material at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan.

Pataki said he received the diagnosis sometime within the past five years. His disclosure comes just days before the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“I just look at it as I’m one of the lucky ones,” Pataki told The Post, humbly deflecting questions about his condition.

“You know, 25 years later, I feel great. I have this minor residual impact from that time. But compared to so many others, I consider myself very lucky,” he said.

Rudy Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City at the time of the attacks, has also been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease connected to his exposure at Ground Zero, according to his representative. Giuliani was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia earlier this year.

The toxic dust and fine particulate matter that blanketed Lower Manhattan after the Twin Towers collapsed have been linked to a wide range of respiratory diseases and other serious health problems among those who were exposed. Research conducted over the ensuing decades has documented the lasting respiratory effects of World Trade Center exposure.

Pataki, who had not previously made his diagnosis public, sought to shift attention away from his own health and toward the first responders, government workers and others who repeatedly returned to Ground Zero during the rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts after terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center.

“The people who were with me at Ground Zero over and over for months after those attacks, many of them have serious illnesses, far more serious than anything I might be experiencing,” Pataki said, noting that he has not been diagnosed with cancer related to Ground Zero.

The continuing health toll from the attacks remains substantial 25 years later. A newly released FDNY report found that more than 10,000 department members are living with at least one physical health condition connected to 9/11 exposure.

Before becoming governor, Pataki served in the New York State Senate and as mayor of Peekskill in Westchester County. He remains the most recent Republican to have won a statewide election in New York.

Pataki has also drawn attention recently for his comments about Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the upcoming 25th anniversary commemoration at Ground Zero. Pataki said Mamdani should consider staying away from the memorial unless he condemns the slogan “globalize the intifada” and distances himself from commentator Hasan Piker.

Mamdani, a Muslim and a critic of Israel, has previously defended the use of “globalize the intifada,” disputing the contention that the phrase amounts to an incitement to violence against Jews. The American Jewish Committee has said the expression invokes the idea of “rising up” against Israel.

Pataki said Mamdani should also make a clear break with Piker, who has faced criticism over remarks concerning the Sept. 11 attacks.

“If he says he will have nothing to do with Hasan Piker, and if he says he will condemn the statement, ‘globalize the intifada,’ then I would have no problem with him being here,” Pataki told The Post.

Pataki, however, said he does not expect that to happen before the anniversary commemoration.

“Out of respect for those who died and out of the respect for their families and the first responders, he should make the decision not to go,” Pataki said.

Regardless of Mamdani’s attendance, Pataki said he wants the anniversary ceremony to remain free of political distractions and to “go off without any disruption.”

“I think basically just ignoring his presence might be the best,” Pataki said.

{Matzav.com}