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A quiet but far-reaching transformation is underway inside the world’s largest yeshiva. After decades of fragmented stipends, fluctuating bonuses, and multiple monthly payments, Mir Yeshiva has adopted a new, unified financial model that is already changing daily life for thousands of avreichim.

Anyone familiar with the inner workings of Mir knows that even a minor administrative adjustment quickly becomes the talk of the Beis Yisrael neighborhood. What has taken place over the past three months, however, goes well beyond a technical tweak. It is a fundamental overhaul that directly affects the financial stability and peace of mind of the yeshiva’s avreichim and their families.

For many years, the stipend system at Mir was built in layers. There was a basic allowance, supplemented by an extensive web of incentives: special programs, chaburos, group learning tracks, bonuses for tests, and rewards for consistency. While these additions increased overall support, they often arrived separately and unpredictably. Payments were sometimes delayed, making it difficult for families to plan ahead or even know how much money would ultimately come in at the end of the month.

In advance of the yeshiva’s upcoming historic Adirei-like gathering scheduled for Rosh Chodesh Adar, the hanhalah approved what insiders are calling a “revolution of order.” The goal was clear: transparency, stability, and kavod haTorah. Under the new system, all bonuses and supplements—previously issued as separate payments—are consolidated into a single, fixed monthly check.

The result is a dramatic increase in clarity and consistency. Instead of a base stipend followed by scattered additions, the entire package is now paid at once. The new monthly amount exceeds 2,000 shekels, with many avreichim receiving between 2,000 and 2,200 shekels, depending on seniority and learning track.

“Until now, the money came in drip by drip,” one Mir yungerman explained. “You’d get the base amount, then wait to see when the chaburah supplement would arrive, and later the bonus from a learning program. Today, I receive one respectable check. It’s almost double what used to be considered a standard stipend. It gives you stability, peace of mind to focus on learning, and a real sense that the yeshiva values our effort in a dignified way.”

Those involved in implementing the change emphasize that this is not merely a financial adjustment, but a shift in attitude toward those who devote their lives to limud haTorah. “We realized that the real revolution isn’t only about raising funds,” one official said, “but about how that support is delivered. A single, unified check creates order and wellbeing. When an avreich knows exactly how much he is receiving—and that the amount meaningfully reflects all the programs and achievements that are now built into the stipend—it changes how he experiences his avodah.”

{Matzav.com}

Kaplan Medical Center reported today that the condition of a 35-year-old chosson who collapsed earlier this week has shown marked improvement.

As reported here on Matzav.com, the chosson collapsed during his wedding at Kibbutz Hulda and received immediate medical attention from medics and paramedics of Magen David Adom (MDA) and United Hatzalah who were present at the simcha.

Hospital officials said Wednesday morning that the chosson has regained consciousness and is now able to communicate with those around him. Doctors noted that he is no longer considered to be in immediate life-threatening danger.

Dr. Natalia Kaufman, Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Kaplan Medical Center, said: “There has been significant improvement in the condition of the patient who arrived from the event hall in the Shephelah region. After intensive treatment by the medical team, the patient has regained consciousness and is communicating with those around him. At this stage, we can say he is no longer in immediate danger.”

She added: “He still requires ongoing supervision and close monitoring in the cardiac ICU to ensure his stability. The medical team continues to investigate the cause of the incident.”

Ben Sinai, a United Hatzalah volunteer who was attending the wedding, described the dramatic moments following the collapse. “I was in the hall as one of the guests at the wedding when I suddenly saw a commotion and heard cries for help. I noticed that the chosson had collapsed and was in cardiac arrest. I immediately called for assistance and began resuscitation efforts with the help of additional medics, including the use of the event hall’s defibrillator. After prolonged CPR and, thank God, his heart started beating again. He was taken to the hospital, and at this stage his condition is serious.”

{Matzav.com}

Trump on Jerome Powell: “I’m asking him, ‘Why are you spending almost $4B on a very small, little complex of buildings?’ … He’s renovating buildings for $3-$4B… They’re spending more money than [was spent on] any building ever built in history, per square foot.”

Senator Josh Hawley on the suspected biolab that the FBI raided in Las Vegas: We don’t know if this property owner, who is a Chinese national, has ties to the Chinese government, and I think we’d better find out really quickly.

Residents of the city of Beitar Illit have become accustomed to the fact that every week, the gates of the city are closed before Shabbos to prevent Chillul Shabbos. But most residents weren’t aware of the story of emunah and mesiras nefesh behind the closing of gates, a story that ended this week with tears […]

Members of the newest class of probationary firefighters visited the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Wednesday, continuing a long-standing department tradition held with each incoming class to honor the victims of the September 11 attacks.

Trump on his call with President Xi: “We have a very good relationship… these are the two most powerful countries in the world and we have a very good relationship. We spoke for an hour… China’s paying a lot of tariffs. In the past, they didn’t.”

More than 60 skiers were stranded in frigid conditions at a resort in New York’s Adirondack Mountains after a mechanical issue halted a ski lift, though all were evacuated safely.

Trump on Kevin Warsh: He would not have gotten the job for Federal Reserve chair if he was not in agreement with lowering interest rates.

TRUMP: “There are some areas in our country that are extremely corrupt. They have very corrupt elections. Take a look at Detroit, take a look at Philadelphia, take a look at Atlanta… If [states] can’t do it honestly, and it can’t be done properly and timely, then something else has to happen.”

Trump on helping cities remove criminals: “Well, one thing I say to my people… I say, ‘They have to ask, and they have to say please.'” NBC: “Who has to ask, and who has to say please? TRUMP: “The mayor or the governor.”

As the Super Bowl returns to center stage this weekend, Jewish billionaire Robert Kraft is using the country’s largest television platform to press a political and cultural message: confronting antisemitism, especially among young people. Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate previewed its 2026 Super Bowl commercial ahead of its scheduled airing during Sunday’s matchup between […]

This week, the city of Beitar Illit has been abuzz with a remarkable story of faith, perseverance, and reward. An avreich from the Boyaner community, who for more than a decade after his wedding had not merited children, welcomed a firstborn son—after taking upon himself a quiet but demanding commitment to protect the sanctity of Shabbos.

The yungerman, Reb Chaim Yosef Brandwein, a member of the Boyaner kehillah, had endured over eleven years without zera shel kayama. During that time, he received a promise from the city’s rav, Rav Chaim Weiss: If he would ensure that the city’s entrance gates were closed before shkiah on Friday afternoon, he would merit children.

In Beitar Illit, following rabbinic directive, the city gates are closed twenty minutes before shkiah to prevent last-minute vehicle traffic that can lead to chillul Shabbos. Cars arriving at the final moments often rush through at high speed in an attempt to beat the onset of Shabbos, creating both spiritual and physical risk.

Heeding the rov’s guidance, Reb Chaim Yosef took it upon himself to be present at the city entrance each Friday afternoon. He reminded the guards to close the gates on time and stood his ground despite harassment, verbal abuse, and at times even physical aggression from fringe youths and others angered by being turned away and forced to enter the city on foot.

Those who pass the city gates on Friday afternoon have grown accustomed to the sight: Reb Chaim Yosef standing there in full Shabbos attire, wearing a shtreimel, quietly and steadfastly ensuring that the gates are closed and the sanctity of Shabbos is preserved.

Only recently, he suffered a personal loss with the passing of his father, Reb Yisrael Mordechai Brandwein, a prominent member of the Boyaner community, who was niftar this past Elul. He continued his weekly vigil undeterred.

This week, on Tu B’Shevat, eleven years after his wedding, Reb Chaim Yosef and his wife were blessed with a baby boy, b’chasdei Shomayim. The shalom zachar is scheduled to take place this coming Shabbos, Parshas Yisro at the Boyaner kloiz on Rechov Rabi Akiva in Beitar Illit.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s cabinet approved a plan to build a supplementary international airport near Nevatim in the Negev, following a proposal by Benjamin Netanyahu. •⁠ ⁠The airport would serve as an additional hub alongside Ben Gurion Airport, aiming to ease congestion and support long-term aviation growth. •⁠ ⁠The project is expected to cost $7–10 billion, with construction […]

A 17-year-old student at Renaissance Charter School in Queens, NY, was arrested Monday after allegedly sending emails referencing “killing Jews” to multiple people connected to the school’s campus. Police said the teen sent the messages around 12:30 p.m. to recipients linked to the Jackson Heights school.

Cabinet member and minister Ze’ev Elkin said that threats by chareidi parties to block the state budget over the draft law would ultimately harm the chareidi public more than anyone else, during a wide-ranging interview with Kikar HaShabbat.

In a comprehensive conversation with journalist Yishai Cohen, Elkin addressed a series of security and political issues, including violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the serious wounding of an IDF officer, tensions with Iran and the possibility of a wider conflict, the battle over the draft law and the status of yeshiva students, and concerns that Agudas Yisrael could derail the legislation and destabilize the budget.

Elkin opened by responding to the ceasefire violation in Gaza and the severe injury sustained by an IDF officer. “He was wounded during an operation, which shows that activity is continuing all the time, and it is clear that this is a violation of the ceasefire. For every such violation, we exact a significant price from Hamas, both by eliminating senior operatives and by dismantling infrastructure as they try to rebuild,” he said.

Addressing the reopening of the Rafah crossing for the first time since the surprise Hamas attack on Simchas Torah, Elkin explained, “Opening the crossing was part of the plan. I cannot accept a situation where people say they support Trump’s plan and then start qualifying it. It is written clearly in the plan. Why wasn’t it opened earlier this week? Because Hamas did not meet all the conditions, and we insisted that until the fallen hostage is returned to us, the crossing would not be opened.”

Elkin also spoke about moving to the next phase of the campaign in Gaza and the dismantling of Hamas’ military capabilities. “I am glad that Trump says this in every speech. They understand that nothing can be done in the Gaza Strip without Hamas being disarmed. I do not believe Hamas will change its nature and disarm, and I also do not believe an international force will be found that is willing to endanger its soldiers against Hamas. That means that sooner or later Israel will have to return to fighting in Gaza and finish the job. Trump knows this as well,” he said.

On the growing tension with Iran, Elkin urged restraint in public rhetoric. “On the Iranian issue, all the talk is unnecessary and only harmful. There is a process being led by the United States. If there is a need, and certainly if we are attacked, the State of Israel will know how to defend itself and strike Iran. Right now, we need to let the United States go through its process,” he said.

Turning to the draft law, Elkin argued that change is unavoidable and that chareidi leadership must recognize this reality. “I think the situation has to change, and the chareidi leadership must understand that. There has to be enlistment among the chareidi community as well. How do you do it? Through legislation that creates both positive and negative incentives, and at the same time through chareidi leadership itself. When this stops being a culture war, there is a chance it can work,” he said.

Elkin, who previously led negotiations on the draft law, warned that Agudas Yisrael is now putting the legislation at risk. “I am afraid that this time as well, just like in previous cases — I have been involved with the draft issue since 2012 — I have seen again and again proposals placed on the table that part of the chareidi leadership was prepared to accept, while another part radicalized and said no. Years later, they told me in closed conversations, ‘It’s a shame we didn’t accept it then, we regret it.’ This mistake repeats itself time and again,” he said.

He continued, “I am concerned that this time too, the insistence of Agudas Yisrael will bring down the law and will also harm the chareidi public itself. A majority will not be achieved because of Agudas Yisrael. According to my count, this entire law is hanging by a single vote because of Agudas Yisrael. There is therefore a real risk that a majority will not be reached. That can absolutely happen, and Agudas Yisrael will only have itself to blame. If they go headfirst into a wall, they will hit a wall. What is happening now is exactly that — they are going headfirst into a wall and leading a line of opposition to the law.”

Elkin also addressed threats by Shas and Degel HaTorah not to support the state budget if the draft law does not pass its second and third readings. “I think they are wrong. They are making a big mistake. What will happen if the draft law gets stuck and does not pass, and the budget is not approved? Who are they punishing? Clearly the state will be harmed, but which public will feel it the most? The chareidi public. So what is the logic? To say that we will harm our own public in order to blame others,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping government funding package into law Tuesday that includes more than $4 billion in support for Israel, reinforcing the administration’s close alignment with the Jewish state as Congress moved quickly to end a brief federal shutdown. Trump signed the measure less than three hours after it cleared the U.S. House […]

President Donald Trump is planning to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds, according to three people with knowledge of the pending move, in his latest effort to remake the presidential campus and celebrate the famed and controversial explorer.

The statue is set to be located on the south side of the grounds, by E Street and north of the Ellipse, two of the people said, although they cautioned that plans could change. The three people spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak on private discussions. The piece is a reconstruction of a statue unveiled in Baltimore by then-President Ronald Reagan and dumped in the city’s harbor by protesters in 2020 as a racial reckoning swept the country.

A group of Italian American businessmen and politicians, working with local sculptors, obtained the destroyed pieces and rebuilt the statue with financial support from local charities and federal grant funding.

Bill Martin, an Italian American businessman who helped recover the remnants of the original sculpture and organize a campaign to rebuild it, said the statue is expected to be transferred from a warehouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Trump administration in coming weeks.

The White House declined to comment on its plans but praised the 15th-century explorer.

“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”

As Columbus statues became something of a battleground in the broader tug-of-war over the nation’s history, Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as a staunch defender of a legacy he says has been dishonored by “left-wing arsonists.”

Trump included Columbus in a 2021 executive order of historical figures for his proposed National Garden of American Heroes, showcasing those who embody “the American spirit of daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love.”

The Italian explorer is long celebrated for his voyage in 1492 to the Americas, opening up trade routes with Europe and setting the stage for colonization and enslavement. Some U.S. states now recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day; Joe Biden in 2021 became the first president to mark the holiday.

Trump campaigned in 2024 on promises to celebrate Columbus Day, and in October he signed a presidential proclamation to recognize Columbus as “the original American hero” and mark the annual holiday.

“We’re back, Italians. Okay? We love the Italians,” Trump said after signing the proclamation. He later said the move should help the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.

“The Italian people are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day,” Trump told reporters at the White House last month.

Meanwhile, his administration pushes to scrub federal institutions of “corrosive ideology” recognizing historical sexism and racism and to leave its mark on the nation’s capital in a sweeping effort that has drawn complaints and lawsuits. The president rapidly demolished the East Wing annex last year to build his planned $400 million ballroom; paved over the Rose Garden to make room for a patio; and has imposed his vision on numerous internal fixtures and rooms, including the Lincoln Bathroom.

Historic preservationists have called on Trump to go through federal review panels before making further changes to the White House grounds.

In his first term, Trump decried the destruction of Columbus statues across the country. After administration officials learned about efforts in 2020 to rescue and preserve Baltimore’s statue, they asked to obtain it for possible installation on federal grounds, but the statue was not yet ready, said Martin, the businessman.

Martin estimated that he and his allies raised and spent more than $100,000 for their recovery and restoration efforts, which he said represented inspiration to the Italian American community.

“It’s not about Columbus ‘discovering America’ … it’s about the Italian immigrants who came here and looked to Columbus as a hero,” Martin said.

Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, also was involved in efforts to recover the statue, and he praised Trump’s plan to install it at the White House.

“It is such an honor for the Italian American community,” Mangione wrote in an email. “This proves that gangs, thugs, and people of that ilk don’t control things by mob rule. … in America the people rule and our voices are heard.”

Columbus’s planned D.C. arrival comes on the heels of the administration’s reinstallation last October of a Confederate general that protesters had toppled and torched five years prior.

Albert Pike is now back on his plinth in a small federal park about a mile east of the White House, the only Confederate leader memorialized with an outdoor statue in Washington.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed for now a new California voting map that could help Democrats gain up to five seats in Congress, the latest twist in a national fight between liberals and conservatives seeking advantage in this year’s midterm elections.

The justices cleared the state to use a map pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and approved by voters that was intended to offset a redistricting effort by Republicans in Texas sought by President Donald Trump. The Texas map could net the GOP up to five additional seats.

The high court’s ruling will remain in effect while a lawsuit challenging California’s map works its way through the courts. The Supreme Court ruled in December that the Texas map was constitutional, so many legal experts expected the justices to approve the California map as well.

The justices did not provide a rationale for their decision in the brief order. There were no noted dissents.

Democrats and Republicans in nearly two dozen states have taken or explored the unusual step of redrawing congressional voting maps mid-decade to try to secure partisan advantage during the 2026 elections. The high-stakes efforts could determine control of the narrowly divided House of Representatives.

Typically, states alter congressional boundaries only after the census, once every 10 years; the mid-decade push this year is the largest since the 1800s.

The Supreme Court’s majority rejected an argument by California Republicans that the state improperly relied on race to draw the map, in violation of the Constitution. The state GOP claimed Democrats tried to increase Latino voting power in the Central Valley to curry political support.

The landmark Voting Rights Act prevents states from drawing maps that dilute the power of minority voters, but states also can’t draw maps explicitly based on race because that would violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause. It can be a tricky needle to thread.

Republicans urged the court to rule quickly because candidates can begin submitting their paperwork to run in California’s new districts this coming Monday. They said the court should require the state use a 2021 map drawn up by the independent, nonpartisan Citizens Redistricting Commission that is normally tasked with drawing maps in the state. That map already yielded a heavily Democratic congressional delegation, but Republicans were able to win nine of the state’s 52 districts in 2024. The new map was designed to yield a 48-4 split.

“Even when a state claims it is engaged in a partisan rather than racial gerrymandering, it may not use race as a ‘proxy’ for politics,” California Republicans wrote in a court filing. “Regrettably, California has done precisely that.”

The state countered that its gerrymander was strictly a political move to gain Democrats more seats, which is allowed by law. They said state Republicans had no evidence that race was a motivating factor in drawing the map. Texas made almost identical arguments about partisanship versus race in successfully defending its map.

It would be “strange for California to undertake a mid-decade restricting effort with the predominant purpose of benefitting Latino voters and then enact a new map that contains an identical number of Latino-majority districts,” state officials wrote in a Supreme Court filing.

After Texas lawmakers approved that state’s new map in August at the urging of Trump, Newsom announced California would try to counter the effort.

“California will not sit idle as Trump and his Republican lapdogs shred our country’s democracy before our very eyes,” Newsom said in a statement at the time.

In November, the state’s voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which allowed the state to temporarily bypass the redistricting commission. The move was seen as a major political victory for Democrats and Newsom, who could run for president.

Republicans sued. A divided panel of district court judges refused to block the new map, before the state Republicans appealed to the Supreme Court. The Trump administration backed California’s GOP.

Other states have also jumped into the redistricting fray, including Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina and Utah, which enacted new maps favoring Republicans. Blue states, including Virginia, Maryland and Washington, are working on their own redistricting plans.

In late January, a Virginia judge ruled the process Democrats used to create a constitutional amendment to increase Democratic seats in Congress was illegal. Democrats vowed to appeal.

The redistricting war is only one legal factor that could influence the outcome of the this year’s midterms. The Supreme Court is also considering the legality of the last remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act, which requires states to draw maps under certain circumstances that allow minority voters to elect candidates of their choice.

The justices seemed inclined to limit or strike down Section 2 during arguments in the case in October. Such a ruling could touch off a nationwide redistricting scramble that could result in roughly a dozen Black legislators losing their seats, mostly in the South.

The case is also part of a busy term at the Supreme Court, which is dealing with election- and voting-related issues. The justices are weighing whether to restrict laws that allow states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after polls close as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

In another case, the justices cleared the way for an Illinois congressman to challenge the state’s mail-in ballot law. Trump supporters have targeted mail-in ballot rules in a number of states after the president falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of voting fraud.

In a third case, the justices will decide whether to knock down restrictions on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and federal candidates.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

As it marks its 100th anniversary, Lufthansa is breaking with decades of corporate caution and publicly confronting its deep ties to Nazi Germany, a move executives say reflects a broader shift toward institutional accountability in Europe’s largest economy. “We at Lufthansa are proud of what we are today,” CEO Carsten Spohr said in remarks released […]