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Months after returning home, released hostage Segev Kalfon says the fears that gripped him in captivity have not let go. Speaking with Channel 12 News, he described life after rescue as anything but calm. “My sense of security has diminished. I still don’t feel safe. I went through two very difficult years. They know all my personal details. They were always telling us over and over that they’ll yet come for us, they’ll come for me yet,” he revealed.

Kalfon explained that the psychological burden of what he endured is something he can push away only temporarily. During daylight hours he forces himself to function, but when night falls, the flashbacks surface again, pulling him back to the tunnels where he was held.

One memory still haunts him more than most. “The most humiliating thing was when they made us dig their toilets. We dug a pit nearly two meters deep over three days so they would give us food. We did it because we were starving – but even then, we didn’t get food,” he shared. He added that even when the terrorists provided something to eat, it was barely recognizable as nourishment. “They just ground up fava beans and ‘expanded’ it with water to make it seem like more.”

He admitted that the contrast between his horrific captivity and his recent appearance in Washington is almost too much to process. “In the end, I’m Segev from Dimona,” he said. “To suddenly be in the White House with my family – it’s crazy. A lot of my return is thanks to [US President Donald] Trump, but also thanks to our country and our soldiers. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

What anchored him through the darkest moments, he said, was his family. Above all, he carried constant fear for the people he loved most. “Throughout the whole two years I thought about my family a lot. My biggest fear was hearing something had happened to my father, my grandfather, or my mother. That’s what weighed on me. In the end, I was blessed to kiss my grandfather, and he kissed me.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s top security officials are increasingly convinced that the U.S.-backed international force tasked with disarming Hamas in Gaza — a central component of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war — is unlikely to materialize, according to Israeli assessments disclosed in recent cabinet briefings. The force, known as the International Stabilization Force (ISF) […]

At the end of the last shiur of the DBS Yarchei Kallah in Eretz Yisroel, R’ Sruly Bornstein had this hergesh. Reb Sruly Bornstein, who delivers a Daf Yomi Shiur each day to tens of thousands of Lomdei Daf Yomi, was on a Yarchei Kallah in Yerushalyim, joined by 120 Talmidim.

The Congressional Budget Office slashed its tariff revenue forecast to reflect new data on the highest import duties the U.S. has seen in nearly a century. The CBO, which Congress created to help evaluate economic and budgetary policies, said the new projections show tariff changes will reduce deficits by $3 trillion over the next decade. […]

FBI MISSED CHANCES TO STOP TRUMP SHOOTER: According to the New York Post, former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker says the FBI missed several opportunities to stop Thomas Matthew Crooks before he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump. Swecker pointed to Crooks’ extremist social-media posts including threats of political violence and hateful rhetoric and said even […]

SEN. PAUL: “I think once there’s an invasion of Venezuela, or if they decide to re-up the subsidies & the gifts to Ukraine, I think you’ll see a splintering & a fracturing of the [MAGA] movement.”

Ukrainian Amb. to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna says the 28-point draft Russia-Ukraine peace plan is “definitely not about justice,” but notes Ukraine is engaged in an “intensive” and “constructive way” with the U.S. as talks remain ongoing.

In a nationally broadcast statement on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed Israelis just hours after the IDF confirmed the killing of Hezbollah senior commander Haytham Ali Tabataba’i. Netanyahu opened by citing the gravity of the moment, reminding the public that “a few hours ago, the IDF eliminated Haytham Ali Tabataba’i, the chief of staff of the Hezbollah terror organization.” He described Tabataba’i in searing terms, noting that “Tabataba’i was a mass murderer. His hands were full of the blood of many Israelis and Americans; it is not for no reason that the United States offered a five-million-dollar prize for his head.”

The Prime Minister explained that Tabataba’i had long been a key figure in Hezbollah’s offensive ambitions, serving as a high-ranking Radwan Force commander, a unit Netanyahu said “planned to conquer the Galilee and slaughter many of our citizens.” He emphasized that the terror figure had recently attempted to rebuild Hezbollah’s arsenal after the sizable setbacks it suffered during the Pager Operation, pointing out his efforts came despite “the heavy blows that Hezbollah was dealt… the damage to its missile supply, and, of course, the elimination of Nasrallah.” Netanyahu credited the IDF and security forces for what he called a “professional, precise, and successful operation” that removed Tabataba’i from the battlefield.

Reiterating Israel’s red lines, Netanyahu declared that “the policy I am leading is absolutely clear: Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to pose a threat to the State of Israel again.” He pressed the Lebanese government to uphold its obligations and disarm Hezbollah, asserting that “only in this way can a better future be made possible for every citizen in Lebanon, and only in this way can good and secure neighborly relations be established between Israel and Lebanon.”

Before concluding, the Prime Minister turned briefly to regional policy developments, voicing appreciation for President Trump’s move to categorize the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organization. “On this occasion, I also want to commend President Trump on his decision to outlaw and designate the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ organization as a terrorist organization,” he said, warning that the group threatens stability both in the Middle East and beyond. He underscored that Israel has already banned parts of the organization and is advancing steps to extend that designation further.

{Matzav.com}

In the most consequential disciplinary action since Hamas’s devastating surprise attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday dismissed and censured senior military officials for their roles in the failures of October 7, 2023. The move follows months of investigations led by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi and an external professional panel […]

Air traffic controllers, technicians with perfect attendance in shutdown to get $10,000 bonuses, FAA says • Close to 800 air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the more than 40-day shutdown will get $10,000 cash bonuses, the FAA and DOT said. • An increase in absences among air traffic controllers during the shutdown, […]

The Satmar community in Williamsburg has launched the construction of two additional state-of-the-art wedding halls, dramatically expanding its ambitious low-cost wedding initiative aimed at easing the financial burden on young families.

The new project, announced in a large community notice this week, is part of the chassidus’ rapidly developing “Express Wedding Project,” a program designed to provide high-quality yet affordable wedding venues for families who adhere to the takanos, the wedding regulations instituted by the Satmar Rebbe to curb excessive spending.

The two halls are being built with elegant décor and a luxurious atmosphere, matching or surpassing the standards of New York’s premier event spaces, but at a fraction of the cost. The chassidus emphasized that the halls will be reserved exclusively for those following the Rebbe’s guidelines, ensuring that families can make a simchah with dignity while avoiding the crushing expenses that have become standard in the wider community.

The halls will bear the names of the Satmar Rebbe, the Vayoel Moshe, and his rebbetzin, who left no descendants.

These two new venues join the existing pair of halls previously opened under the same initiative, together forming a large, multi-hall wedding complex intended to completely transform the wedding landscape for the Satmar community.

The entire project is being financed by a prominent Satmar philanthropist whose identity has not been made public. Construction is moving at an accelerated pace to meet rising demand.

An announcement in Der Yid highlighted the goal of the project clearly: to ensure that every family making a wedding can do so “b’simchah u’b’nachas” without being weighed down by financial strain.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has sued California for providing in-state college tuition, scholarships, and state-funded financial aid to students who aren’t legally in the United States. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the practice harms U.S. citizens and encourages illegal immigration. Among the defendants are the […]

Days after a decisive arbitration ruling handed control of Ponovezh Yeshiva to its nosi, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, the attorneys who represented the yeshiva arrived at his home on Sunday — cake in hand — to celebrate what has been described as a landmark legal triumph.

The visit came after retired judge David Cheshin issued his long-awaited decision last week in the decades-long dispute between Rav Kahaneman and Rav Shmuel Markowitz over leadership of the storied Ponovezh Yeshiva. The ruling overwhelmingly favored Rav Kahaneman.

In the arbitration decision, the court ordered the faction led by Rav Markowitz to vacate all Ponovezh properties, to cease using the Ponovezh name, and to stop issuing official documents on the yeshiva’s letterhead. In addition, Rav Markowitz was directed to pay Ponovezh a financial penalty of ten million shekels within sixty days of the ruling.

Judge Cheshin accepted the vast majority of the arguments presented by Ponovezh’s legal team — attorneys Udi Artzi and Ran Feldman — and rejected most of the claims made by Rav Markowitz and his organization, Masores HaTorah. The arbitrator also ruled that this decision constitutes a continuation of the well-known 2000 arbitration by Rav Zimbalist, determining that those who violated the earlier arbitration agreement were Rav Markowitz and the Masores HaTorah faction.

On Sunday, attorneys Artzi and Feldman visited Rav Kahaneman at his residence to celebrate the victory. They brought a cake decorated with an image of the yeshiva’s building and thousands of talmidim dancing in its courtyard — a photograph taken recently at the yahrtzeit of the late rosh yeshiva, Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, during a Sefer Torah dedication held in his memory.

During their meeting, participants recalled Rav Edelstein’s unwavering insistence that the yeshiva could not be jointly run by both factions. From the very beginning, he maintained that peaceful functioning required separation — to the point that he voluntarily relinquished the main heichal and moved to the Ohel Kedoshim building for the sake of harmony.

Rav Kahaneman expressed deep gratitude to the attorneys and blessed them that their efforts in securing the yeshiva’s stability and its ability to continue its Torah mission in peace and serenity should bring them continued success in the years ahead.

{Matzav.com}

Amid intensifying tensions over the national draft, the IDF chief of staff has circulated the finalized draft of new military service regulations for chareidi soldiers to three retired major generals for their review — a move insiders say signals that official approval of the long-awaited orders is only days away.

According to information obtained by sources, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi received the final version of the Pekudot Matkal several weeks ago. The document was drafted in recent months through negotiations between representatives of Rav Dovid Leibel and senior IDF officials, headed by Brig.-Gen. Shay Taib.

After reviewing the text, the chief of staff opted not to sign immediately and instead forwarded the draft to three reserve major generals for further examination.

Sources familiar with the process say this internal review is the main reason for the delay in Halevi’s signature. The reserve officers, however, reportedly offered no significant objections to the content. As a result, officials expect the orders to be signed in the coming weeks — possibly even within days.

The new regulations represent a major shift for the IDF. For the first time, the army will formally allow external rabbinic supervision over commanders, codify restrictions on women entering bases where chareidi soldiers serve, and solidify additional guarantees aimed at preserving chareidi religious standards.

In the background of the delayed approval is ongoing friction between the IDF and Rav Dovid Leibel, who has refused to permit students who do not qualify for the status of torasam umnasam to enlist. His position, associates say, stems from a lack of confidence in the army’s commitment to safeguarding chareidi needs.

In recent weeks, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Nissim Vaturi Bismut met with Rav Leibel to discuss the hold-up and the broader implications. With coalition negotiations over a mutually acceptable draft law hinging partly on the completion of these new regulations, officials hope that the signing of the orders will clear the path for renewed progress.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. senators critical of President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday they spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual U.S. plan. A State Department spokesperson denied […]

Nukhba terrorists succeeded in disabling Merkava Mark 4 tanks in the Gaza border area during the October 7 massacre using a secret button thought to be known only to tank crews. IDF officials were puzzled for months after the massacre—how did Hamas discover such a classified mechanism and gain such detailed knowledge of the Merkava […]

Kristen Welker: How long do Americans need to be patient? How long do they have to wait for the cost of living to come down? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: I talked about the three I’s that were killing Americans – immigration, interest rates and inflation.

Hostages at JFK last night as they returned to Israel following a visit to the Whitehouse with President Trump and other major visits. Photo via “Four Seven”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don’t cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday. His comments provide clarity into who directed the CDC’s website change, after many current […]

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