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Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Zionist Right party, delivered a blistering attack on Israel’s Chareidi political parties in a contentious interview, declaring that he would refuse to join a government with them and accusing their opposition to military enlistment of amounting to a denial of the Torah.

Hendel, who recently announced a joint political run with former minister Chili Tropper, made the remarks during an interview with Yossi Sargovsky in the Kikar HaShabbat studio. Throughout the interview, Hendel rejected compromise over the military draft and directed particularly harsh criticism at Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.

Asked about his alliance with Tropper at a time when some polls show their party hovering near the electoral threshold, Hendel said the partnership resulted from “an understanding that politically, this is the right thing to do.” He then outlined the principle he said would determine his future political alliances.

“The principles should be what dictate political alliances. I have one principle – a Zionist government without Chareidi and Arab parties.”

Hendel was subsequently challenged over comparisons he has made between the Chareidi community and lawlessness in the Bedouin and Arab sectors. The interviewer asked: “Can you really compare Chareidim in Bnei Brak, where the crime rate is close to zero and their volunteerism in emergency organizations is enormous, to crime among the Bedouins?”

Hendel insisted that his comparison was not about criminal behavior but about what he views as a failure to accept obligations to the state.

“It’s not about crime, it’s about a lack of commitment to the state. My Chareidi brothers – and I also have Chareidi family – what they have done over the last three years pains me much more than what is happening with the Arabs… I don’t have a bad word to say about the chessed organizations, but I have many bad words to say about the denial of the Torah. There is an explicit commandment to go out to a milchemes mitzvah, and they choose to deliberately violate it because of financial considerations and political considerations.”

Turning to the broader debate over military service and the status of those engaged in full-time Torah study, Hendel said he does not dismiss the importance of Torah learning but believes every Israeli citizen must also perform some form of national service.

“I want every Israeli citizen to do something for the state. Arab, Chareidi, secular, left-wing, right-wing – anyone who doesn’t do anything cannot receive anything from the state, and he also cannot make decisions for me.”

Asked whether Torah study itself qualifies as a contribution to the country, Hendel acknowledged that it does, but maintained that it should not provide a broad exemption from military service.

“Let him sit and learn – and enlist. There can be some sort of test for iluyim, a small percentage, but the Chareidi parties make sure that even those who don’t learn Torah, street kids, shababnikim, don’t do anything for the state. That is parasitism.”

The interviewer pushed back, arguing that such an approach amounts to “dropping an atomic bomb in broad daylight” by suddenly turning thousands of young fathers into draft evaders rather than gradually bringing them into the workforce and military or national service. Such a policy, he argued, could ultimately strengthen Chareidi parties by validating their warnings about government sanctions.

Hendel refused to soften his position.

“I’m not their representative and I’m not their lawyer. It cannot be that a person comes, receives funding from the state and doesn’t perform service… A defense minister (Gallant) is a political operative who encourages mass draft-dodging. We are short tens of thousands of soldiers to hold all the fronts.”

The interview grew even more heated when the discussion turned to Shas and its longtime chairman, Aryeh Deri.

“There is no party that has harmed the State of Israel more than Shas,” Hendel declared. “They are the most racist party there is toward Ashkenazi Chareidim.”

Asked to explain the striking accusation, Hendel pointed to discrimination against Sephardic girls in seminaries and accused Deri of perpetuating a political system that discourages even young Chareidi men who are no longer religious from joining the military.

“Because they are the ones who made sure that seminaries would continue discriminating against girls of Sephardic origin. Deri is the one who prevents the shababnikim – those who aren’t even religious anymore – from enlisting. What, do they have blue blood? Deri prevents it. Look at the chief rabbis, the city rabbis – they all have Deri’s DNA.”

Near the conclusion of the interview, Hendel said he intends to position himself as one of the strongest opponents of political compromises with the Chareidi parties.

“I am in the most determined place possible. I will be the right-wing marker in the political system. I’m not going to sit with them, I’m not going to compromise with them on anything, not one bit… We must not compromise with the Chareidi parties. Otherwise, we will break apart here into autonomies.”

Despite his sweeping criticism of Chareidi political leadership, Hendel concluded by drawing a distinction between the parties and the broader Chareidi population, telling Chareidi Israelis that he considers them his brothers and does not intend to give up on their integration into Israeli society.

“You are my brothers. I love you. Because of that love and shared destiny, and because of the tremendous potential that exists in Chareidi society, I am not going to give up on you. The ones giving up on you are the Chareidi parties. I want every Chareidi to learn, serve as part of the mitzvah of milchemes mitzvah, and have every opportunity in the world.”

{Matzav.com}

A second yeshiva bochur has been arrested and transferred to Israeli military police custody within a matter of days, raising renewed concerns over stepped-up enforcement against bnei yeshiva as the Elul zeman gets underway.

The Am Kadosh organization reported this evening that Yisroel Guchafi, a talmid who learned at Bais Medrash Elyon in Bnei Brak and recently transferred to Yeshivas Kfar Chassidim, was arrested in Haifa while traveling to Rechasim. According to the organization, the incident began after a problem arose with his Rav-Kav public transportation card. Guchafi was subsequently transferred to the military police.

Am Kadosh said it is providing Guchafi with legal assistance through attorneys and is also guiding and assisting his family in dealing with the relevant authorities.

In the wake of the arrest, the faction associated with Rav Tzvi Friedman is preparing to hold demonstrations as early as Monday. As of Sunday evening, an official time and location had not yet been announced. Based on previous demonstrations, however, one possibility under consideration is a protest along Highway 4 near the entrance to Bnei Brak during the afternoon hours.

Guchafi’s arrest is the second involving a yeshiva bochur in just several days.

Late Thursday night, Mordechai Mishkovsky, a talmid at Yeshivas Nesivos Yitzchok in Tel Aviv, was arrested near Ben Shemen Forest. Mishkovsky is a grandson of Rav Nosson Zochovsky, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov on Rechov Nechemiah in Bnei Brak.

Following Mishkovsky’s arrest, disturbances broke out near the Maccabim checkpoint as efforts were made to transfer him to military police custody.

According to details released following that incident, an alert distributed through the “Tzeva Shachor” system failed to bring a significant number of protesters to the location in time to prevent the transfer. Police ultimately succeeded in handing Mishkovsky over to the military authorities.

Mishkovsky was subsequently sentenced to 20 days in military prison after failing to report to the IDF recruitment office in accordance with the instructions of his rabbonim.

The two arrests come just days after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara submitted a position to the High Court calling for the IDF and police to resume proactive enforcement operations and arrests targeting draft evaders from all sectors of the population, citing the principle of equal enforcement.

Her submission also noted the practical difficulties authorities face when conducting proactive arrests within the Chareidi community, particularly because such operations can trigger large-scale protests and disturbances.

Throughout bein hazemanim, there had been widespread concern that yeshiva bochurim could be arrested while traveling or taking trips around the country. Despite those fears, the vacation period concluded without significant incidents of that nature.

Now, with the beginning of the Elul zeman, two arrests in the span of just several days have once again heightened tensions surrounding the military draft, reporting requirements, and enforcement against yeshiva bochurim.

{Matzav.com}

Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Struck are pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent any multinational or foreign military force from entering the Gaza Strip until Hamas has been completely disarmed and Gaza fully demilitarized, warning that preparations are already underway for a force that could eventually number some 5,000 troops.

The two ministers made their demand ahead of a scheduled Security Cabinet meeting, calling for the Cabinet to adopt an explicit decision establishing that no foreign forces may enter Gaza before Hamas’ weapons and military capabilities have been dismantled.

Their appeal follows what they described as rapidly advancing preparations for the deployment of a multinational force inside Gaza. Struck toured the area surrounding the LSA camp on Friday, a facility designated to accommodate ISF forces, and said she observed extensive preparations that, according to the ministers, go significantly beyond what Cabinet members had previously been told.

According to figures cited in their letter, residential infrastructure is currently being established at the camp for approximately 1,500 foreign troops. The facilities reportedly include 20 enormous tents and approximately 100 temporary structures.

The site also contains a fleet of military vehicles that the ministers said appears sufficient to support roughly 1,000 troops. Approximately 50 workers are reportedly continuing to prepare the base and bring equipment and construction materials into the facility.

Smotrich and Struck further claimed that once development of the site is completed, the camp could ultimately accommodate approximately 5,000 foreign troops.

At the same time, they said efforts are underway to locate additional land that could be used for more bases and storage facilities. Construction and preparation at the existing site are proceeding at a pace that could allow the infrastructure to be completed within several weeks, according to the ministers.

Smotrich and Struck warned that both the anticipated size of the multinational force and its intended mission differ substantially from what they say was previously presented to members of the Security Cabinet.

Their concerns are particularly acute, they said, because Hamas has shown no indication that it is prepared to surrender its weapons or accept the complete demilitarization of Gaza.

In their letter to Netanyahu, the ministers warned that Israel could soon find itself facing enormous international pressure to permit thousands of foreign troops to enter Gaza simply because the force and its infrastructure are already prepared for deployment.

“We must not reach a situation in which the multinational force, on such an enormous scale, is ready and waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, and enormous pressure is exerted on Israel to allow its entry, even though the demilitarization has not yet been carried out,” the ministers wrote.

Smotrich and Struck are therefore demanding that the Security Cabinet adopt what they described as a corrective decision at its upcoming meeting.

Under their proposal, Israel would formally declare that no multinational force — or any other foreign military force — will be permitted to enter the Gaza Strip until Hamas has been fully disarmed and the demilitarization of Gaza has been completed.

{Matzav.com}

The Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Boro Park, who is currently visiting Eretz Yisroel, paid a special visit on Erev Shabbos to Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim.

Rav Amar lives near the residence where the Rebbe is staying during his visit to Yerushalayim, providing the opportunity for the two Torah leaders to meet.

Rav Amar warmly welcomed the Rebbe into his home, and the two spent an extended period engaged in a wide-ranging Torah discussion, with a particular focus on matters relating to simcha.

An interesting element of the conversation was the language in which it took place. Rav Amar spoke in modern Hebrew, while the Rebbe responded and formulated his thoughts in Lashon Hakodesh.

At the conclusion of the visit, Rav Amar presented the Rebbe with one of his seforim and inscribed it with a warm personal dedication.

The two parted with heartfelt brachos for one another ahead of the approaching new year.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has barred two Swedish members of the European Parliament from entering the country, citing what officials described as a years-long record of hostile activity against Israel, including efforts to promote international legal action against Israeli officials and accusations that Israel has committed genocide and deliberately targeted civilians.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar requested that the Population and Immigration Authority deny entry to Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, both members of Sweden’s Left Party. The decision was made under the authority provided by Israel’s Entry into Israel Law.

Sjöstedt and Gedin had been scheduled to arrive in Israel overnight before continuing on to the Palestinian Authority as part of their planned visit.

The Foreign Ministry said the two European lawmakers have repeatedly engaged in activities directed against Israel in recent years. Among their actions, according to the ministry, have been calls for international judicial proceedings targeting Israeli officials.

Israeli officials also pointed to a series of public statements made by the lawmakers that Israel considers false and inflammatory. Those allegations have included claims that Israel is committing genocide and intentionally starving Palestinians.

The two have also accused Israel of deliberately targeting children and medical personnel, allegations that Israeli officials have strongly rejected.

A man who pleaded guilty to vandalizing cars with the words “[Curse] Israel” did not commit an act of Jew-hatred, an Australian Supreme Court judge determined in a ruling.

The man, Mohommed Farhat, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison in November 2025, backdated to February of that year, for vandalizing cars and building walls in Woollahra, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, with the words “[Curse] Israel,” “PKK” (a reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey), “PKK is coming” and an obscene gesture followed by the word “Israel.” Farhat also set a vehicle ablaze, per the judge’s ruling.

The New South Wales government had requested a one-year extended supervision order for Farhat, arguing that he is a terror risk. Desmond Fagan, a judge on the New South Wales Supreme Court, stated in his ruling that “a curse in those terms is not antisemitic, either self-evidently or by any degree of analysis or construction.

“It is a crude political expression of contempt and dismissal of a foreign state,” he wrote.

Fagan denied the state’s request. The state is considering an appeal, according to the Guardian. JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Boston Police Department told JNS that a driver who accelerated into a crosswalk and allegedly shouted at two Jews walking to shul on Aug. 14, a Friday night, did not intend to “drive at somebody.”

“They may have driven through the crosswalk when someone was in the crosswalk, which is a crosswalk violation,” Sgt. Det. John Boyle told JNS.

Boyle added that police are still investigating for “bias indicators.” The driver reportedly accelerated while driving toward the Jewish couple.

“With the Jewish holidays coming up, people are always going to be on edge,” he said. “I don’t want people to be in fear.”

The incident occurred shortly after 7:20 p.m. on Aug. 14, as a husband and wife crossed at Washington Street and Euston Road on their way to Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe, a shul in Brighton, Mass.

The driver allegedly shouted, “[Curse] Israel!”

Surveillance footage showed what appeared to be a green metallic Audi A-series sedan with distinctive stickers on its rear bumper, according to an incident report. The driver was listed as an unidentified male.

The couple declined medical evaluations at the scene, and shul staff provided investigators with still images from surveillance footage. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Canada’s Jewish community is calling on the Montreal City Council to reject an “incendiary” anti-Israel motion set to be debated on Monday.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs accused Projet Montréal, the city’s official opposition party, of “importing a foreign conflict” to City Hall “while local emergencies pile up,” including homelessness, drugs and housing. CIJA said the motion does not refer to Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Introduced by Projet Montréal city councilors Nathalie Goulet, Ericka Alneus and Alex Norris, the proposal calls on Montreal to recognize and denounce what it describes as an “apartheid regime” and “genocide” in “Palestine.” It also calls on the city to suspend institutional ties with Israel’s current government, its institutions and municipalities until Israel “returns to internationally recognized borders” and ends what the motion describes as violations of Palestinian rights and international law.

The motion, action on which was postponed after being introduced in June, reaffirms opposition to antisemitism and Islamophobia. It also says Jewish residents and those of Israeli origin should not be held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

CIJA and Federation CJA, its Quebec partner, shared a video of Raquel Look, whose son Alexandre was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. In the video, she urges city councilors to reject the motion.

"Do not let the intolerance that tore my son away from me destroy our city."

Listen to the heartfelt plea from Raquel Look, mother of Alexandre, a Montrealer murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, at the Nova Festival.

While local emergencies pile up (homelessness,… https://t.co/zN8RrYz0ux pic.twitter.com/b1zWxjiuYN

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 21, 2026

“This motion seeks to divide our city,” Look said, adding that violence and hate-motivated acts targeting Jews have risen in Montreal since Oct. 7. She cited statistics showing that Canada’s Jewish community experiences a disproportionate number of hate crimes.

“I am begging you,” Look said. “Do not let the intolerance that tore my son away from me take root and destroy our city.”

A Jewish couple visiting South Florida from New York was allegedly targeted in an antisemitic assault in Surfside, with a man accused of punching the husband in the head, threatening to kill him, and directing antisemitic remarks at the couple. Local rabbonim condemned the attack while stressing that it appeared to be an isolated incident that does not reflect the broader Surfside community.

Rabbi Gavriel Koskas of Magen David Congregation of Surfside-Bal Harbour described the alleged attack as “deeply disturbing and unacceptable” but said it appears to have been “an isolated incident.”

“It is important to put it in perspective,” the rabbi of the shul said. “This appears to have been an isolated incident involving individuals who are not Surfside residents, and it does not reflect the community we live in.”

The incident reportedly occurred on the night of Aug. 16 as the Jewish man and his wife were visiting the area from New York. According to news reports citing a police report, the man was struck in the head and threatened during the confrontation. JNS requested an incident report from local police.

The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jorden Stephen Perozo, allegedly approached the couple while riding an electric scooter. News accounts citing police said he began cursing at the husband, his wife, and other members of the Jewish community before allegedly punching the man.

“Now you’re going to die,” Perozo allegedly told the man, per the report. “Walk away before I kill you.”

Perozo allegedly continued directing antisemitic comments at the couple while also making statements about Israel and “Palestine.” The victim’s wife reportedly captured part of the encounter on her cellphone.

Police reportedly located and arrested Perozo on Wednesday at Flanigan’s Bar & Grill, where he was employed. He faces one count of battery with prejudice and another count of harassing or intimidating a person based on religious or ethnic heritage.

As of Thursday, Perozo was reportedly being held on $6,000 bond.

Rabbi Zalman Lipskar of the Shul of Bal Harbour, a Chabad synagogue, praised law enforcement agencies in the area for maintaining a close relationship with the local Jewish population and working to protect residents.

The local police departments “work very closely with the Jewish community and are doing an amazing job ensuring the safety of all our residents.”

“We are very grateful to them for their tireless efforts to protect our community,” he said.

Koskas noted the particularly prominent Jewish presence in Surfside and said the proper reaction to incidents of antisemitism is increased awareness and preparation rather than allowing fear to take hold.

“Surfside has a very visible and vibrant Jewish population” and “we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear.”

Koskas said Jewish institutions must recognize the importance of establishing serious and organized security systems rather than relying on informal precautions.

“At our synagogue, we have developed a comprehensive security team, both inside and outside, working alongside professional security and law enforcement,” he told JNS. “I would urge synagogues and Jewish institutions everywhere to develop similarly strong security protocols appropriate to their circumstances.”

He cautioned that the mere presence of armed security personnel does not, by itself, constitute an adequate security strategy.

“Simply having armed people present is not a security plan,” Koskas said. “Anyone entrusted with protecting a congregation must be properly trained, coordinated, disciplined, and know exactly how to respond in an emergency.”

Despite the alleged assault, Koskas said Surfside’s Jewish community is not living in fear. He credited state and local authorities in Florida with consistently supporting and protecting Jewish residents.

“We are extremely fortunate that in Florida, our state and local leaders and law-enforcement agencies have consistently been vigilant, responsive and strongly supportive of the Jewish community,” he told JNS.

Koskas said antisemitic incidents must be treated with seriousness but cautioned against allowing a single attack to characterize an entire community.

“Antisemitism is something we must always take seriously and condemn unequivocally,” Koskas said. “But we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear. One isolated incident should not define Surfside.”

“This remains a community where Jewish families feel safe and supported,” he added.

Perozo reportedly had another encounter with law enforcement earlier this summer. On June 15, Miami Beach police arrested him after accusing him of slashing a large inflatable FIFA World Cup soccer ball that was on display in Miami Beach.

The Torah community in Bnei Brak is mourning the passing of Rebbetzin Simcha (Simone) Barchatz a”h, a renowned mechaneches and the wife of Rav Yehoshua Barchatz, rosh kollel of Kollel Eitz Chaim and a leading rov for the French Jewish community in Bnei Brak. She was 79.

Rebbetzin Barchatz passed away Sunday at Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak following a period of severe yissurim, which she endured with remarkable faith and acceptance.

She was born in Morocco on the 22nd of Tishrei 5707 to her parents, Rav and Rebbetzin Yosef Berdugo zt”l. She was a great-granddaughter of the renowned gaon and tzaddik Rav Raphael Berdugo zy”a, known as “the Malach,” and descended from an illustrious lineage of distinguished gedolei Torah.

For decades, Rebbetzin Barchatz devoted herself to chinuch, earning a reputation as an exceptional educator. She guided thousands of kallos at Seminar Ohr Hachaim as well as at numerous other seminaries.

Her influence extended well beyond the classroom. Through her extraordinary acts of chessed, she helped establish numerous Torah homes, while her own home served as a bais vaad lachachomim. Its doors were always open to guests, and she was known for exceptional hachnosas orchim and gemilus chassadim.

Throughout the years, Rebbetzin Barchatz stood devotedly alongside her husband as he dedicated himself to harbotzas haTorah. With tremendous mesirus nefesh, she enabled and supported his Torah endeavors while together they raised generations of accomplished bnei Torah.

She merited to leave behind sons and sons-in-law who are prominent marbitzei Torah and talmidei chachomim. Her sons are Rav Reuven Barchatz, one of the rabbonim of Kehillas Yaaros Devash; Rav Yosef Barchatz, a prominent rov in Elad; Rav Rachamim Barchatz, one of the leading rabbonim of the Kol Yaakov shul in Elad; Rav Raphael Moshe Barchatz, a United Hatzalah volunteer in Elad; and Rav Avraham Yeshaya Barchatz, head of the Kerestir kehillajh in Yerushalayim.

Her sons-in-law are Rav Moshe Cohen, a ram at Yeshivas Mishkan Chaim in Yerushalayim; Rav Goel Elkaref, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Derech Chaim in Bnei Brak; Rav Eliyahu Cohen, mashgiach at Yeshivas Heichal HaTorah in Bnei Brak; Rav Raphael Tzadka, rov of the Shaar Hashamayim shul and community; and Rav Yehuda Lev of Kollel Bais Hillel.

The levayah was held this evening at 6 Rav Sorotzkin Street in Bnei Brak’s Ramat Aharon neighborhood and proceeded to the Ponevezh bais hachaim, where Rebbetzin Barchatz was laid to rest.

The family is sitting shivah at the Barchatz home at 6 Rav Sorotzkin Street in Bnei Brak.

Yehi zichrah baruch.

{Matzav.com}