Growing concern is spreading among residents of Yerushalayim’s Ramot neighborhood over what they describe as suspicious digging, constant drilling, and rapid illegal construction coming from the nearby Arab village of Beit Iksa—activity they fear may involve tunnels rather than ordinary building work.
According to dozens of complaints sent to the Regavim movement in recent months, the noises of heavy machinery and digging are often heard late at night, including on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim. Residents have also reported gunfire and multiple break-ins, heightening fears in the community, which still bears the trauma of a recent terror attack carried out by terrorists who entered through a gap in the security line near Ramot.
Beit Iksa sits directly on the Yerushalayim security seam, just a few hundred meters from Route 1 and the Tel Aviv–Yerushalayim railway. This geographic position, Regavim warns, enables near-unrestricted access between Palestinian areas and Israeli territory. The group notes that illegal Arab construction has expanded toward Yerushalayim’s periphery, accompanied by smuggling of weapons and vehicles, all while taking advantage of the area’s ambiguous jurisdiction—classified as Area B, under Palestinian municipal control but with Israeli military authority—where enforcement is virtually nonexistent.
Regavim says it has repeatedly appealed to enforcement agencies regarding what it calls a “serious security threat,” emphasizing that many of the structures encroaching toward Ramot pose direct dangers. “The real answer is not another security fence or separation wall,” said Yehuda Noam, Regavim’s Yerushalayim coordinator. “It is unacceptable that the State of Israel allows hostile, illegal Arab construction right on the railway tracks and alongside Route 1, near residential neighborhoods.”
Noam added that “the solution is not building another multi-million-shekel fence, but increasing enforcement, strengthening Jewish presence, and restoring governance in the area. After the events of October 7, when the most advanced fence in the Middle East was breached in minutes by mobs in sandals, we must stop pretending that another fence is the answer.”
Emails shared with Regavim by worried residents paint a troubling picture. One family from Ramot A wrote, “We often hear gunfire in the evenings, especially on Friday nights. There are constant drilling and digging noises. We feel exposed and threatened by the neighboring Arab villages, especially after so many recent attacks.”
Another resident from Ramot 06 described “nonstop tractor activity, land being cleared, and new buildings and neighborhoods going up. We feel deeply unsafe. Please intervene to stop the massive illegal construction and demolish the buildings meant to surround Ramot.” She added a chilling request: “Please check if tunnels are being dug there. A security barrier could help prevent unauthorized infiltrations and protect residents before it’s too late.”
A separate email mentioned “continuous drilling and digging from the direction of the village, day and night, including on Yom Kippur. It looks like something beyond simple housing construction, with a large pit being excavated and hidden by mounds of sand.”
Regavim says these are just a few of the many messages they have received but stressed that responsibility lies with Israel’s defense establishment and Yerushalayim’s municipal and national authorities. “They must open their eyes and ears to the sound of drilling and to the public’s cry for help before tragedy strikes,” the organization warned.
The IDF has not yet issued a response.
{Matzav.com}
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Eliezer Meirovitz zt”l, one of the distinguished dayanim on the Vizhnitz beis din. He was 71.
Rav Meirovitz attended seudah shlishis and participated in the engagement celebration of the Rebbe’s grandson just last night. Earlier today, he underwent a medical procedure at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where he was suddenly niftar. The news of his sudden petirah has left thousands of Vizhnitzer chassidim in shock and grief.
Rav Meirovitz was born on Chol Hamoed Sukkos to his father, Rav Avrohom Chaim Meirovitz z”l of Williamsburg, one of the prominent chassidim of the Ahavas Yisroel and the Imrei Chaim, and to his mother, Mrs. Golda a”h.
From a young age, he studied in Vizhnitz institutions and became deeply attached to the Rebbes of the dynasty, the Imrei Chaim, the Yeshuos Moshe zt”l, and the present rebbe.
Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Yehuda Feder, one of the elder Vizhnitz chassidim, known as the owner of “Feder Matzayim,” who passed away during Sukkos 5777.
Rav Meirovitz was a close disciple of Rav Shmuel Wosner zt”l, from whom he received extensive halachic guidance and training. He was widely recognized as a talmid chochom of great stature and served with distinction on the Vizhnitzer beis din alongside Rav Yisroel Meir Stern and Rav Menachem Shlomo Klein.
Known for his sharp mind and profound yiras Shamayim, Rav Meirovitz regularly tested bochurim and avreichim of the chassidus in areas of halacha, including Hilchos Shabbos and issur v’heter, guiding them with patience and clarity.
He leaves behind sons, daughters, and grandchildren who follow in his path of Torah and avodah. His son, Rav Shmuel Meirovitz, serves as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Meor Vashemesh.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Turkey played a key role in bringing home the remains of IDF officer Hadar Goldin, who was killed and taken by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza conflict, according to reports from Israeli media. A senior Turkish official confirmed that Ankara is now pushing for the safe removal of Hamas fighters currently trapped in tunnels in southern Gaza.
“We are pleased to confirm that Turkey has successfully facilitated the return of Hadar Goldin’s remains to Israel after 11 years. This achievement is the outcome of intensive efforts and reflects Hamas’s clear commitment to the ceasefire,” the Turkish official told Channel 12 News.
The official further noted that “at the same time, we are working to ensure the safe passage of some 200 Gazans currently trapped in the tunnels,” referencing an underground network beneath Rafah on the Israeli-controlled side of the border. The group, estimated to include up to 200 Hamas operatives, remains the subject of tense negotiations.
Contradicting the Turkish account, a separate Channel 12 report alleged that Turkey had initially urged Hamas to withhold Goldin’s body until Israel agreed to release the trapped militants. According to the report, Israel rejected that demand outright. The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to questions regarding these claims.
In parallel, a Palestinian source told the Kan public broadcaster that Turkey, with American support, has been the main force pressing Hamas to hand over the remains of the other hostages still held in Gaza. The source added that Hamas is struggling to locate or retrieve some of the four remaining bodies, a situation mediators reportedly acknowledge is beyond the group’s immediate control.
The remaining slain captives are Israelis Ran Gvili, Meny Godard, and Dror Or, along with Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.
{Matzav.com}
After more than a month of deadlock, signs of movement finally emerged in Washington on Sunday as Senate Democrats appeared poised to back a bipartisan spending proposal that could bring the historic government shutdown to an end.
According to congressional aides, at least ten Democrats are prepared to join Republicans in advancing a procedural vote on a package of appropriations bills paired with a short-term funding measure to keep the government running through January. The development follows weeks of stalled negotiations between congressional leaders and the Trump administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, who has kept the Senate in session throughout the weekend, suggested optimism was in the air as lawmakers continued to negotiate. “A deal is coming together,” Thune remarked while entering the chamber to open Sunday’s session.
Still, Thune cautioned that success wasn’t guaranteed. Senators wanted additional time to read and review the final text before moving forward. “We’ll see where the votes are,” he said, signaling that discussions remained fluid and could continue late into the night.
The emerging framework would mark the first tangible progress toward ending the shutdown, now in its 40th day. The tentative arrangement reportedly includes a December vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits—a top Democratic priority—while also offering relief to federal employees who have gone without pay.
Insiders indicated that the text of the appropriations legislation would likely be made public later in the day. The pending measure could provide much-needed funding to reopen shuttered agencies, restore federal food assistance, and address disruptions to air travel caused by the prolonged stoppage.
“The negotiations are finally moving in the right direction,” said a senior Republican staffer familiar with the talks. “Everyone understands the pressure to get this done.”
The government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, began when Democrats refused to approve a GOP-backed funding plan that excluded a one-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies. President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans rejected that proposal, instead advocating that federal dollars be redirected straight to consumers through health savings accounts.
To bridge the divide, the Senate’s new plan reportedly separates the immediate funding measures from the larger health care fight, allowing both sides to declare a partial victory while reopening government operations.
“We’re at the point where something has to give,” one Democratic senator said. “We’re not there yet, but this could be the start of a real breakthrough.”
If the momentum continues, lawmakers could hold a final vote as early as Monday, potentially reopening the government just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period.
{Matzav.com}
During his weekly Motzaei Shabbos shiur at the Yazdim shul in Yerushalayim, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef sharply criticized the Chabad practice encouraging every girl and woman in the home to light Shabbos candles with a brachah.
Rav Yosef stated, “There’s a new bride who’s very emotional when she lights candles for the first time. We’re not Chabadniks. That’s not our way. There was once an ad campaign printed on matchboxes that said, ‘Every woman and girl lights Shabbos candles with a brachah.’ And Maran, my father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, with the courage he had—people need to learn from Maran, though not everyone has that courage—said it’s assur according to halachah.”
He continued, “Every woman and girl lights candles with a brachah? The mother lights and fulfills the obligation for everyone in the home—sons and daughters alike. Only a married woman, who has her own separate room, lights with a brachah.”
Rav Yosef went on to recall that shortly after his father delivered a similar ruling, “He gave a shiur at Mossad Harav Kook, and a group of Chassidim upstairs began shouting and disturbing the shiur. They asked, ‘How could you dare argue with the Rebbe?’”
“What’s the connection?” Rav Yosef asked. “You can respect the Rebbe, you can admire the incredible outreach work they do around the world—there’s no question about that. But what does that have to do with halachah? Halachah is halachah. How can unmarried girls make a brachah over Shabbos candles? Let them light a candle for Lag BaOmer or whatever they want, but not for Shabbos—with a brachah, that’s not done.”
{Matzav.com}
Air travelers across the United States are facing a grim outlook as the ongoing federal shutdown continues to cripple the aviation system, leaving airports overwhelmed and airlines slashing flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Sunday that air travel could soon grind nearly to a halt as the crisis deepens.
“It’s only going to get worse… the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle,” Duffy said on CNN’s State of the Union.
With Thanksgiving — one of America’s busiest travel seasons — approaching on November 27, millions of travelers could be stranded. “Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open back up,” Duffy cautioned.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airlines to trim daily schedules by 4% at 40 major airports starting Friday, citing mounting safety risks due to staff shortages. The agency plans to escalate those cuts to 6% on Tuesday and 10% by November 14.
By Sunday morning, the situation had worsened dramatically. As of 10:30 a.m. ET, over 1,400 flights were canceled and 2,700 delayed. The FAA confirmed staffing shortages at a dozen air traffic control towers, further compounding the chaos.
Duffy explained that retirements among controllers have surged since the shutdown began on October 1. “I paid experienced controllers to stay on the job and not retire,” he said. “I used to have about four controllers retire a day before the shutdown, … now up to 15 to 20 a day are retiring.”
The FAA now faces a shortage of between 1,000 and 2,000 air traffic controllers, a crisis that has left the agency scrambling. Airlines are reeling from the cascading effects: on Saturday alone, 1,550 flights were canceled and 6,700 delayed, up from Friday’s 1,025 cancellations and 7,000 delays.
Behind the scenes, airline executives are panicking. Several officials privately admitted that the proliferation of delay programs has made it “nearly impossible” to schedule and manage flights. Many expressed fears that the system could collapse entirely if the staffing situation deteriorates further.
Economists are warning that the damage could extend beyond airports. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the travel disruptions could dent national growth. “Thanksgiving time is one of the hottest times of the year for the economy… and if people aren’t traveling at that moment, then we really could be looking at a negative quarter for the fourth quarter,” he said on CBS’s Face the Nation.
According to Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. carriers, the crisis has already upended travel plans for more than 4 million passengers since the shutdown began. The group estimates that by next Friday, the economic toll could range from $285 million to $580 million each day.
The flight reductions have hit the nation’s largest airlines especially hard — about 700 canceled flights came from American, Delta, Southwest, and United combined. Meanwhile, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 airport screeners continue to work without pay.
Duffy previously warned that if more controllers walk off the job, he may be forced to order an even steeper reduction — up to 20% of total air traffic.
Adding to safety concerns, Senator Ted Cruz revealed that pilots have reported a troubling rise in errors by fatigued air traffic controllers. “Since the shutdown started, pilots have filed more than 500 safety reports about mistakes made by air traffic controllers because of fatigue,” Cruz said, citing FAA data.
As the shutdown drags into its 40th day — the longest in U.S. history — the aviation industry faces a nightmare scenario: fewer flights, exhausted workers, frustrated travelers, and a looming economic hit that could ripple far beyond the skies.
{Matzav.com}
As the government shutdown drags on and funding for Obamacare subsidies nears its end, President Donald Trump is reigniting his campaign against the Affordable Care Act, calling it one of Washington’s biggest failures.
“OBAMACARE ‘SUCKS,’” Trump declared on Truth Social Sunday morning. “THE WORST HEALTHCARE FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE.”
Amid the ongoing budget stalemate, Trump floated a new idea over the weekend, encouraging Republicans to take the billions of dollars now flowing to health insurance companies through Obamacare and send the funds directly to citizens instead. “PAY THE PEOPLE, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES!” he urged, a proposal that could find unexpected appeal across the political aisle.
Trump doubled down last night, accusing major insurers of enriching themselves off “a corrupt system of healthcare” established under President Barack Obama’s landmark legislation. “NO MORE MONEY, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TO THE DEMOCRAT SUPPORTED INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR REALLY BAD OBAMACARE,” Trump posted. “THE MONEY MUST NOW GO DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE, TAKING THE ‘FAT CAT’ INSURANCE COMPANIES OUT OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM OF HEALTHCARE. THE PEOPLE CAN BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER POLICY, FOR MUCH LESS MONEY, SAVING, FOR THEMSELVES, AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE!!! PRESIDENT DJT.”
Earlier that same day, Trump had already urged Senate Republicans to get behind his plan to redirect the funds. “I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over,” he wrote. “In other words, take from the BIG, BAD Insurance Companies, give it to the people, and terminate, per Dollar spent, the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World, ObamaCare. Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!”
Trump’s push to end the Senate filibuster, however, faces firm opposition from Republican lawmakers, who fear Democrats would use the same move to advance sweeping left-wing measures such as free healthcare for illegal immigrants or statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico—adding four Democratic senators.
But Trump argued that such a scenario is inevitable once Democrats regain full control of Congress, especially now that moderate obstacles like former Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are out of the way. “Republicans Should Terminate the Filibuster (THE DEMS WILL DO IT THE FIRST CHANCE THEY GET!), End the Shutdown, Pass lots of Great ‘Things,’ and Win the Midterms,” Trump wrote. “SO EASY TO DO — Be the Smart Party, Not the Stupid Party!”
{Matzav.com}
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, has arrived in Israel to hold discussions with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu about advancing Washington’s strategy to bring the Gaza conflict to an end, according to a person with direct knowledge of the visit.
The source, who requested anonymity because the meeting has not been publicly announced, said Kushner’s session with Netanyahu is scheduled for tomorrow. Both the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment when approached by Reuters.
In a sign of the meeting’s urgency, Netanyahu’s court appearance in his ongoing corruption trial was called off, with officials citing a series of diplomatic engagements taking precedence.
{Matzav.com}
