[COMMUNICATED]
Guests Of Honor:
Rabbi & Mrs Avi Schron
Parents of the Year:
Rabbi & Mrs Sholom Stahler
Rabbinical Leadership Award:
Rabbi & Mrs Avrohom Klein- Proud parents in our Yeshiva
Beloved 9th grade Rebbe for 64 years:
Horav Yisroel Meir Shain zt”l
Memorial Tribute:
Mr. Isaac Haber a”h
Sunday, December 7, 2025
The Palace, 780 Mcdonald Avenue
The White House has introduced new boundaries for journalists after staff complained that sensitive conversations were being picked up and even recorded without authorization. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that these limits were put in place only after officials discovered behavior they found highly inappropriate.
As of Oct. 31, both the White House and the National Security Council confirmed that reporters may no longer freely walk into Room 140 — known as “Upper Press,” the workspace near the Oval Office where senior aides often pass through. Journalists had long been able to pop in without warning to speak with staffers, but access is now restricted to pre-arranged appointments.
During a conversation with the New York Post’s Miranda Devine on “Pod Force One,” Leavitt explained what prompted the shift. She said the administration realized that some reporters were listening in on private exchanges and even recording information without permission.
“We felt it became very inappropriate for reporters to be loitering around sensitive information in our offices,” Leavitt said. “And we did unfortunately catch some unruly reporters recording us without our permission, listening in on conversations, eavesdropping.”
She described how morning meetings with staff were being monitored by journalists lingering outside the room. “We’d have staff meetings in the morning. Some of the reporters started to pick up on that, and we’d walk out, and they would be out there trying to listen. If Secretary Rubio or the chief [of staff] want to come in and brief us on something, you’d have reporters out there heckling them. It just became an inappropriate work environment.”
Leavitt stressed that press access has not been eliminated, only regulated. Reporters may still enter the Upper Press area by scheduling a time, and she said many journalists have privately acknowledged that the arrangement is workable despite complaints online.
“A lot of the outrage you’re seeing on Twitter [X], they’ve told us privately they’re okay with how this system works so long as they can still have appointments with me to understand the news of the day,” Leavitt said.
“And we grant them that access. I give them as much time as I possibly can on my schedule, although a lot of my time is with the president and in the Oval Office and sitting in on meetings. So, I try to devote as much time as I can to the press because that is my job, right? That’s the basic duty, is for me to work with the press and make sure they’re telling the truth out there,” she added.
Not everyone is comfortable with the new rules. The White House Correspondents’ Association sharply criticized the move, claiming it weakens reporters’ ability to question key officials. The group’s president, CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang, made its position clear: “The White House Correspondents’ Association unequivocally opposes any effort to limit journalists from areas within the communications operations of the White House that have long been open for newsgathering, including the press secretary’s office.”
{Matzav.com}
The High Court of Justice took a significant step on Wednesday, directing the government to explain why it has avoided launching a full state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023. In its order, the court demanded a clear justification for the refusal to convene a formal commission that could “examine in an independent, professional, and impartial manner” what led to and followed the devastating assault.
Unlike standard petitions, a preliminary order flips the legal burden onto the government itself, signaling that the justices regard the complaints filed by several liberal watchdog organizations as weighty and credible. The ruling forces the government to defend its stance rather than leaving petitioners to prove their case.
The judges gave the government until January 4 to file its response. That deadline now puts pressure on officials who, earlier this week, attempted to preempt criticism by announcing plans for a government-approved investigative body. A ministerial panel has already been established to outline which aspects of the October 7 disaster such a body would be allowed to examine.
Although the coalition has described its planned inquiry as “independent,” its scope and boundaries will be set entirely by a small circle of cabinet members, headed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Their authority includes determining what will be reviewed and what will remain outside the commission’s mandate.
With the exception of Finance Ministry minister Ze’ev Elkin, every member of this panel occupied their government positions on the day thousands of Hamas terrorists burst across the border, murdering roughly 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 251 others—an assault that launched the war against Hamas in Gaza. By the end of December, the committee is expected to present its recommendation on the structure and mission of the proposed commission.
For months, the coalition has fought to avoid a fully independent state commission of inquiry—an arrangement in which the Supreme Court president selects the investigators. Families of those killed and abducted on October 7, as well as many of Netanyahu’s political opponents, have repeatedly demanded no less, insisting that only a state commission holds the necessary authority to expose critical policy and intelligence failures.
Surveys consistently show that most Israelis favor such a robust investigative framework. Still, Netanyahu has rejected it, largely because a state commission would be appointed by the judiciary—an institution his government has spent years attempting to weaken through sweeping judicial overhaul legislation.
The overhaul, announced by Levin in January 2023, sparked nationwide protests that lasted until the Hamas invasion abruptly shifted the nation’s focus. Members of the anti-overhaul movement in the reserves warned at the time that they might refuse to continue reporting for duty if the laws passed, a threat that Netanyahu allies have since used to shift blame for the October 7 collapse onto government critics.
Before the war, top security officials—and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant—cautioned Netanyahu that the overhaul was endangering national stability by tearing at Israel’s social and institutional cohesion. Security chiefs had also opposed Netanyahu’s long-running policy of allowing Qatar to transfer millions of dollars to Hamas each month, money the prime minister argued was designated for civil servant salaries, even as his own close associates faced investigations tied to Qatar.
{Matzav.com}
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed concerns on Tuesday about the impact of $2,000 tariff checks, suggesting that families should consider saving the money instead of immediately spending it. His remarks came during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier, who pressed him on whether distributing the funds nationwide could fuel another wave of price increases.
Responding to the question, Bessent said, “Maybe we could persuade Americans to save that, because one of the things that’s going to happen next year” is the launch of “Trump Accounts” designed for long-term savings for children. He explained that these accounts are central to a House GOP initiative, championed by President Donald Trump, which would create new tax-deferred investment accounts for every baby born in the U.S. over the next four years, each seeded with $1,000 at birth.
Under the proposal, funds from these accounts could be withdrawn once a child turns 18 to help with educational expenses, the purchase of a first home, or starting a small business. Withdrawals for other purposes would be taxed at a higher rate, encouraging families to reserve the funds for meaningful long-term goals.
President Trump, speaking a day earlier, said he hopes to begin issuing tariff checks to “moderate income, middle income” Americans by mid-2026. He emphasized the scale of the program, stating, “We have thousands of dollars for individuals of moderate income, middle income. We are going to pay down debt. We have a lot of money from tariffs; if we didn’t have tariffs, this country would be in serious trouble,” during a meeting in the Oval Office with the 2026 FIFA World Cup task force.
The Treasury Department reported that tariff collections reached $195 billion by the end of September, a sharp increase of 153% from the $77 billion collected in fiscal year 2024. July alone saw nearly $30 billion in revenue, highlighting the scale of tariff income the administration hopes to redistribute.
Not everyone is convinced that distributing tariff rebates is without risk. Several economists have warned that handing out checks to all American households could reignite inflation, much like the pattern seen after the COVID-19 stimulus payments.
William Dickens, professor emeritus of economics and public policy at Northeastern University, argued that the effect depends heavily on the economic climate. He said $2,000 “would help support the economy” during a downturn and likely wouldn’t move prices significantly. “On the other hand, if the economy is running strong and he doles out $2,000 to everyone, it could drive inflation up.”
The Tax Foundation also raised red flags, noting that tariffs have “undoubtedly raised costs for American firms and consumers — since Americans and not foreigners ultimately pay the tariff — rebating the revenue to consumers would be fiscally irresponsible and also risk increasing inflation.”
{Matzav.com}
Dear Matzav Inbox,
I commend Rabbi Bender for courageously addressing the sub rosa practice that has crept into many of our frum communities known as To’a’meha — gatherings where groups of men assemble on Erev Shabbos to drink heavily and indulge in various mat’amim, all under the pretext of the mitzvah of tasting Shabbos foods in advance. Calling for communities to forbid this practice, Rabbi Bender forcefully decried this behavior and emphasized the damaging impact it has on our children, who watch their fathers arrive at the Friday night seudah in a state of inebriation.
I, too, long for the disappearance of such decadence from our cherished and holy communities. Yet I question whether a rabbinic prohibition alone can truly resolve the underlying issues that drive this behavior. Alcohol misuse functions as a numbing agent, and those who rely on it may be attempting to escape stress, soothe an emotional void, or quell anxiety. While many additional factors can contribute to substance abuse, my decades of counseling adult men in our community lead me to believe that these three motivations are the primary forces behind To’a’meha gatherings.
Consider the burdens faced by men between the ages of 35 and 60: making steep mortgage payments on homes built to high standards in the “right” neighborhoods, paying s’char limud for a houseful of children, financing bar mitzvahs and chasunos, navigating shidduchim, keeping a seder limud, meeting tzedakah obligations, supporting a wife who may herself be overwhelmed by managing a large family, satisfying workplace demands, learning with children, attending simchos, striving for growth in ruchniyus, and more.
When a person feels they are falling short of communal expectations for spiritual growth, or when they struggle to balance the needs of a spouse and many children, an emotional void can develop. The constant pressure of providing for a family can naturally lead to anxiety. For some, the weekly ritual of numbing these overwhelming feelings becomes the coping mechanism of choice — selected specifically because it doesn’t interfere with job performance. To their credit, most men in our community find healthy ways to handle these pressures. But in any large population, there will be those who lean on less constructive methods.
Breaking free from this damaging cycle is especially difficult because the brain learns to associate alcohol with temporary relief. Simply banning the practice, without simultaneously reducing the stressors and offering healthier, acceptable alternatives for decompression, is unlikely to yield meaningful change.
Rabbi Bender has brought a critical issue to the forefront. Now, our community must confront the deeper challenge: reducing the pressures that fuel these unhealthy behaviors and providing constructive outlets that support the well-being of the entire family. I eagerly await that conversation in Part II.
Signed,
A rov for 40 years,
F. B.
To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com
DON’T MISS OUT! Join the Matzav Status by CLICKING HERE. Join the Matzav WhatsApp Groups by CLICKING HERE.
The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.
European intelligence agencies, working closely with the Mossad, spent months piecing together a covert web that Hamas had been quietly stitching across multiple countries. Their joint work revealed a broad effort to organize attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets on European soil.
Part of the operation unfolded in Germany, Austria, and additional European states, where coordinated counterterrorism raids exposed hidden stockpiles of weapons and led to the capture of individuals involved in building the network.
One of the breakthrough moments occurred in Vienna in September, when Austria’s DSN security service located a concealed trove of firearms and explosives. Investigators discovered that the stash was tied to Muhammad Naim, whose father, Bassem Naim, is a senior figure in Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza and an associate of Khalil al-Hayya. The findings also pointed to a meeting between the two senior Hamas officials in Qatar around the same time, raising the likelihood that high-ranking Hamas leadership was directly supporting terror operations in Europe.
The broader inquiry has also zeroed in on Hamas activity in Turkey, a location that has long served as a comfortable operational environment for the group. In November, German authorities apprehended Barhan al-Khatib, described as a central operative in the network, after he traveled back to Turkey, apparently following the conclusion of his assignments in Europe.
European officials have intensified actions against Hamas in other spheres as well. Governments have begun shutting down organizations, cultural centers, and religious institutions that were being used as fronts for recruiting and fundraising. These efforts accompany the security operations and signal Europe’s acknowledgment of Hamas’s attempt to expand its footprint across the continent following the attacks of October 7.
“The Mossad continues to cooperate with intelligence services around the world and to thwart dozens of attack plots directed against Israelis, Jews, and civilian targets. These efforts continue as part of its responsibility to counter terror in the international arena and to safeguard the security of the State of Israel and its citizens,” the agency said in its statement.
{Matzav.com}