Nancy Pelosi has announced that her time in Congress will come to an end when her current term concludes, closing a remarkable forty-year run in national politics and marking the retirement of one of the most influential figures in Democratic Party history.
“I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress,” Pelosi, 85, declared in a recorded message directed to her longtime supporters and constituents.
The decision confirms widespread speculation that had swirled throughout the week, with many in Washington and California anticipating that Pelosi was preparing to formally step away from elected office after Tuesday’s off-year elections.
Her tenure reshaped the role of women in American politics. Pelosi served as the Democratic leader in the House from 2002 until 2022, holding the gavel as Speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023 — becoming the first woman in U.S. history to occupy that powerful post.
{Matzav.com}
Mark Levin speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, in one of the most potent speeches you’ll ever hear.
WATCH:
In a fiery interview Wednesday night on Radio Galei Yisrael, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat deflected responsibility for Israel’s skyrocketing cost of living, instead blaming a series of other government bodies — including the Finance Ministry, the Competition Authority, and the Israel Land Authority (ILA).
“The Competition Authority is interfering with us,” Barkat declared during the wide-ranging 30-minute segment on the program The System. “The Finance Ministry has no interest in dismantling monopolies. Period.”
Barkat argued that the very agencies tasked with curbing the cost of living are the ones standing in the way of progress. “The authorities that are supposed to help reduce prices are delaying the necessary actions,” he charged.
When asked about dysfunction within his own ministry — particularly regarding the Competition Authority — Barkat revealed, “I asked the director of the Competition Authority to resign, but the attorney general blocked the process.”
He further claimed that the Finance Ministry itself derailed his efforts to control prices during wartime. “We tried to advance legislation to restrain prices during the war, and the finance minister vetoed it,” he said.
Addressing his flagship reform initiative, promoted under the slogan “What’s good for Europe is good for Israel,” Barkat insisted that deeply entrenched monopolies are deliberately trying to sabotage progress. “The monopolies in Israel are strong and are attempting to obstruct the reform,” he said.
Turning to Israel’s housing crisis, the minister pinned the blame squarely on the Israel Land Authority. “The Israel Land Authority is speculating with land,” Barkat said, when asked why young Israelis remain perpetual renters.
Concluding the interview, Barkat called for a radical restructuring of how land is managed in the country. “I call to dismantle the Israel Land Authority, divide its powers into two parts, and transfer the management of industrial zones to my ministry,” he said, adding that “the Accountant General in the Finance Ministry is an enthusiastic supporter of dismantling the Israel Land Authority.”
{Matzav.com}
Toronto police are searching for a suspect seen on surveillance video vandalizing Kehillat Shaarei Torah (KST), marking the tenth time the shul has been attacked in less than two years.
The most recent act of vandalism occurred early Tuesday morning, when a hooded figure, armed with what looked like a hammer, smashed multiple windows before fleeing the scene. Cameras captured the assailant striking one window, sprinting past the front walkway, and shattering two more.
Authorities have confirmed that an investigation is underway into what they suspect is hate-motivated mischief directed at a house of worship. Police described the suspect as wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants, and black shoes with white details.
The Canadian Jewish News reported that KST has faced repeated hate incidents, from defaced hostage signs and anti-Israel stickers to prior window-smashing attacks. The first occurred in April 2024, followed by another just weeks later in May.
Even after installing security cameras and fencing last summer, KST Executive Director Michael Gilmore said the intruder likely entered through a neighboring property. “It’s falling over. We’ve been trying to keep it propped up on our end,” he told The CJN.
Just hours after the latest attack, the shul continued with its scheduled 7:00 a.m. Shacharis. “We just kind of keep on moving on with our lives,” Gilmore said, noting that he’s grown used to pre-dawn alerts and the constant costs of repairing damage.
Gilmore also expressed frustration with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s remarks at a recent gala, where she spoke of “a genocide in Gaza.” He commented, “I don’t think she wants to incite violence against the Jewish community, but when she doesn’t care that her words will incite violence, we have to be protected from somewhere else.”
Rabbi Joe Kanofsky, who leads the congregation, said that while no one has been physically harmed, the emotional toll is heavy. “The community is a place where people come together as a faith community to thank God for the good life that we have and to pray for an even better world for everyone. This is obviously pretty far away from what we believe or what we hope happens around us,” he said.
He added that the community remains resilient. “We see that those who are determined to hurt other people seem pretty determined, so we have to double down on our commitment for good and for positive thoughts and prayer,” said Rabbi Kanofsky.
The vandalism comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic crimes across Toronto following the outbreak of the war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza on October 7, 2023. A report released by the Toronto Police Service in May revealed that 2024 saw record levels of hate crimes, with Jews once again the primary target.
In one recent case, eggs were thrown at the Yorkville Jewish Centre in August. Surveillance video showed a man shouting obscenities while pelting the building. In another incident last month, anti-Israel vandals defaced Cedarvale Park—the same day Jews worldwide celebrated the release of 20 hostages from Gaza.
Just one day after the latest KST attack, violence erupted again when a mob of protesters stormed an event hosted by Students Supporting Israel at Toronto Metropolitan University, breaking a glass door and injuring one of the speakers.
{Matzav.com}
