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Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard stopped by Wednesday night’s Hannity to discuss the latest 2024 election developments, her support for Donald Trump, and share her experience debating Kamala Harris.

Gabbard touched on her role in helping with Donald Trump’s debate prep.

 

“He is prepared to debate Kamala Harris anytime, anywhere,” Gabbard said. “I think the only place where I may possibly be of help is conveying that experience I had with her on the debate stage; sharing the kind of games she will play in order to hide her real record from the American people.”

Gabbard continued: “She is saying one thing while her record and her actions over the last three and a half years prove the exact opposite to be true. She is lying through her teeth every single day, which is incredibly insulting to the American people and voters because she thinks we are so stupid that we will forget what she’s done over the last three and a half years and all of a sudden buy this new lie that she is selling us.”

The first presidential debate is set for September 10th on ABC.

Watch the clip above.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday as the latter wound up a three-day visit with the stated aim of keeping communications open in a relationship that has become increasingly tense in recent years. Sullivan, on his first trip to China as the main adviser to President Joe Biden on national security issues, earlier met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a top general from the Central Military Commission. Starting with a trade war that dates back to 2018, China and the United States have grown at odds over a range of issues, from global security, such as China’s claims over the South China Sea, to industrial policy on electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturing. Sullivan’s trip this week is meant to keep the tensions from spiraling into conflict. “We believe that competition with China does not have to lead to conflict or confrontation. The key is responsible management through diplomacy,” he told reporters at a news conference shortly before leaving Beijing. Both governments are eager to keep relations on an even keel ahead of a change in the U.S. presidency in January. They said they remain committed to managing the relationship, following up on a meeting between Xi and Biden in San Francisco last November. “While great changes have taken place in the two countries and in China-U.S. relations, China’s commitment to the goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged,” Xi said. “President Biden is committed to responsibly managing this consequential relationship to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict or confrontation, and to work together where our interests align,” Sullivan said. The two countries agreed to work toward a phone call between Xi and Biden in the coming weeks, and Sullivan indicated the two could meet in person at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or Group of 20 summits later this year. “The likelihood is they’ll both be there and if they are, it would only be natural for them to have the chance to sit down with one another,” he said. Xi and Sullivan’s meeting also touched on the issues of American citizens detained in China, on Taiwan and also on the clashes between the China and Philippines in the South China Sea. The two also discussed China’s support for Russia, as a recent U.S. assessment found that the country was exporting technology that Russia uses to manufacture missiles, tanks and other weaponry. They also discussed efforts to end the Ukraine war, but Sullivan said they did not make any progress on that issue. Sullivan said an agreement to have a call between the military theater commanders was a “very positive outcome” of his meetings and that they hope to deepen military-to-military communication so it can be passed on to whoever succeeds Biden as president. A decades old-issue, Taiwan in recent years has re-emerged as a critical one as the island’s ties with China became increasingly strained over Beijing’s claims that Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan, a self-governing island that split from communist China in 1949, has rejected Beijing’s demands that it accept unification with the mainland. The U.S. is obligated under a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware and technology to deter invasion. Sullivan also met one of China’s vice […]

If Israeli elections were held today, Likud would secure 30 seats—a quarter of the Knesset—with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu maintaining a lead with a 46% public approval rate, compared to 27% each for National Unity party leader Benny Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

That’s according to a new survey from Israel’s Channel 14, which recorded the largest projected number of Likud seats since Israel launched a defensive war against Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attack.

National Unity had the next most projected seats (17), followed by Yisrael Beiteinu (13), Yesh Atid and the Democrats (11 each), Shas (10), United Torah Judaism (eight), Otzma Yehudit (six), Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al (five each) and Religious Zionism (four).

Otzma Yehudit, lead by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, is down two seats in the projected outcome.

Likud held 32 seats when Netanyahu was elected in November 2022. A survey in May by Direct Polls and Channel 14 suggested that Likud would win 25 seats. JNS

{Matzav.com}

The World Health Organization (WHO) has obtained a preliminary commitment for area-specific humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip to facilitate a polio vaccination campaign, according to a senior WHO official. The campaign aims to vaccinate an estimated 640,000 children in Gaza, where a 25-year absence of polio was recently disrupted by a confirmed case of type 2 polio virus paralysis in a baby. The three-day “humanitarian pauses” will enable the vaccination campaign to commence on Sunday in central Gaza, said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories. Earlier this week, Israel delivered 25,100 vials of the polio vaccine to Gaza, sufficient to inoculate over half of the Strip’s population. The humanitarian pauses are similar to the “tactical pauses” frequently announced by the military to enable humanitarian aid delivery and distribution. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

According to Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli nonprofit organization that assists farmers and protects agricultural state land in Yehuda and Shomron, the sanctions the United States imposed against it on Wednesday are based on false information provided by left-wing groups.

“We ask, why? And we have an answer,” Meir Bertler, the group’s foreign relations chief, told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.

“The answer isn’t about the activities of Hashomer, which are legal and legitimate and coordinated with the government. It is about false and distorted information conveyed by left-wing groups,” he said.

Kan also published a statement from Hashomer Yosh, which read:

Hashomer Yosh “strongly condemns the government’s decision. This is a fundamentally wrong political decision. The organization operates according to the law and supports agriculture in the entire country. Sanctions on the guard are the same as sanctions on the State of Israel. Together we will stand firm, together we will support Hebrew agriculture in the Land of Israel.”

The State Department announced sanctions on Wednesday against the nonprofit and a community’s security coordinator, alleging that they are engaged in “extremist settler violence” in Yehuda and Shomron.

“Extremist settler violence in the West Bank causes intense human suffering, harms Israel’s security and undermines the prospect for peace and stability in the region,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

“As part of the United States’ efforts to address the extreme levels of instability and violence against civilians in the West Bank, we are taking additional actions today against those who engage in or provide material support for violent activities there,” he said.

Hashomer Yosh allegedly supports the already sanctioned Meitarim Farm as well as other individuals and prevented 250 Palestinians from returning to their village in January. The State Department alleges that the group supports some 26 illegal farming outposts in Yehuda and Shomron.

“The Department of State is imposing sanctions on Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli nongovernmental organization that provides material support to U.S.-designated outpost Meitarim Farm, and U.S.-designated individuals Yinon Levi, Neriya Ben Pazi and Zvi Bar Yosef,” said the State Department in announcing the sanctions.

“After all 250 Palestinian residents of Khirbet Zanuta were forced to leave in late January, Hashomer Yosh volunteers fenced off the village to prevent the residents from returning. The volunteers also provided support by grazing the herds and purporting to ‘guard’ the outposts of U.S.-designated individuals,” the statement continued.

The department also placed sanctions on Yitzhak Levi Filant, the civilian security coordinator of the Yitzhar community in Samaria.

Betler said that the group has not been contacted about the details of the sanctions. There were “zero confrontations” with Palestinians as part of the organization’s activities, he added.

He cited funding the group receives from Israeli government ministries and coordination with authorities, rejecting the accusation that it operates as a “private police force.”

“Hashomer Yosh does not engage in violent activity of any kind. The Americans have made a mistake that we are hoping to change and working to change,” Betler said.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in response the U.S. move that “Israel views with utmost severity the imposition of sanctions on citizens of Israel. The issue is in a pointed discussion with the United States.”

The U.S. announcement describes Filant as “akin to a security or law enforcement officer,” but says he has also “engaged in malign activities outside the scope of his authority.

“In February 2024, he led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands,” said Miller.

Wednesday’s sanctions are the latest actions taken under President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14115, which declared that “extremist settler violence” had reached “intolerable levels.” It further stated that such violence undermines “the foreign-policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution.”

The Biden administration has now sanctioned 23 Israeli organizations and individuals.

Lions’ Den, a Nablus-based Palestinian terrorist organization, is the only Palestinian entity that has been sanctioned under the order.

(JNS)

Strong winds knocked nearly four dozen train cars off a track in North Dakota, part of a storm system that spurred reports of five tornadoes across the Dakotas. BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan said a train was stopped due to a tornado warning Wednesday night near the town of Steele, North Dakota, when high winds from a suspected tornado caused 43 empty coal cars to derail. No one was hurt, and no hazardous materials were in the cars, Sloan said in an email. BNSF cleanup crews were at the site on Thursday. The National Weather Service said three potential tornadoes were reported in north-central South Dakota on Wednesday night, and two were reported in North Dakota. Storm survey teams on Thursday were trying to verify if damage was from tornadoes or straight-line winds. No injuries were reported. While bad weather was generally moving out of the Dakotas, severe thunderstorms were possible Thursday in Minnesota and parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, the weather service said. (AP)

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week as the U.S. labor market remains healthy in the face of high interest rates. Jobless claims ticked down by 2,000 to 231,000 for the week of Aug. 24, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s just below the 232,000 new filings analysts were expecting. The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 4,750 to 231,500. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits, which are considered a proxy for layoffs, remain low by historic standards. They have ticked up in recent months though. From January through May, claims averaged a paltry 213,000 a week. But they started rising in May, hitting 250,000 in late July and adding to evidence that high interest rates were finally cooling a red-hot U.S. job market. Employers added just 114,000 jobs in July, well below the January-June monthly average of nearly 218,000. The unemployment rate rose for the fourth straight month in July, though it remains low at 4.3%. Last week, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March this year than were originally reported. The revised total supports evidence that the job market has been steadily slowing and likely reinforces the Federal Reserve’s plan to start cutting interest rates soon. The Fed, in an attempt to stifle inflation that hit a four-decade high just over two years ago, raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023. That pushed it to a 23-year high, where it has stayed for more than a year. Inflation has retreated steadily, approaching the Fed’s 2% target and leading Fed Chair Jerome Powell to declare last week that it was largely under control. Most economists expect the Fed to begin cutting rates at its next meeting in September. The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 13,000 to 1.87 million for the week of Aug. 17. (AP)

Over the last 15 years, a new approach and method of limud Hashas has been nurtured and developed in Eretz Yisroel at Reshet Kollelei Shas Yiden. This phenomenon has captured the imagination and electrified lomdei Hatorah throughout the world, and has earned the avid support of Gedolim across the Torah spectrum.  Shas Yiden in UK & USA Shas Yiden not only grew from 6 avreichim metzuyonim to 122 avreichim geonim in five kollelim across Eretz Yisroel but, in response to repeated requests from abroad, a Shas Yiden kollel was first established in the UK, in Stamford Hill, London. The Shas Yiden reputation soared in this location and their first Annual Siyum Hashas with Gedolei Torah in attendance reflected the grandeur of those in Yerushalayim. This foray into Chutz La’aretz has been followed by a long-awaited opening of a Shas Yiden kollel in Flatbush, NY. The Eretz Yisroeldike bren of learning the entire Shas has already had a significant local impact and is a source of inspiration to the local Flatbush kollelim. The incredible devotion to limud gantz Shas and its completion within a year by each avreich at Shas Yiden has encouraged many others to try and emulate this broader study of Shas. This elevated level of Torah study at Shas Yiden and the ability of the avreichim geonim to face public oral farheren by world recognized Gedolei Torah, together with monthly tests on 225 blatt, is nothing short of remarkable. Shas Yiden has truly raised the bar in the study of Shas. Our unique system of learning, the tight demanding regimen and the motivation emanating from Eretz Yisroel has truly placed Shas Yiden in a Torah league of its own.  In the Words of Maranan Hageonim Sar Hatorah, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, זצ”ל – Nasi, Shas YidenI tested them, I know them throughout Shas – a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar partnership  Rosh Hayeshiva, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Gershon Edelstein, זצ”לShas Yiden has raised the bar of Torah learning in both depth and clarity, and its unique method of ameilus in Torah The Sanzer Rebbe, שליט”אA first in 2000 years of Jewish history – never before a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim know kol Hashas kulo, Rashi and Tosfos b’al peh Over 1.6 Million Blatt at Shas YidenThis Year Alone! With each of the 122 avreichim geonim at Shas Yiden required to complete a minimum of 13,555 blatt per year, you are helping support some 1,654,000 blatt!  At the most recent farheren, the reaction of the Gedolei Torah conducting the testing to the prowess of the Shas Yiden was simply one of amazement at the breadth and detailed knowledge and all-encompassing mastery of Shas – remarking: “They know it like others know Ashrei Yoshvei!” The joy of the avreichim geonim and their clear love of Torah electrifies each farher. (To see the different farheren in action, please click on our website: www.shasyiden.com.) It is no wonder that the overall reaction to the Shas Yiden Network is that in its 15 years it has certainly revolutionized and raised the bar in the learning and mastery of Shas.  Caring for the Avreichim Families Despite the difficulties of these last few years, Covid etc., Shas Yiden has made sure to keep our commitment to each […]

The U.S. Postal Service has announced a “Hanukkah Forever” stamp to commemorate the eight-day Jewish “Festival of Lights.”

Designed by Antonio Alcalá, it features a ocean-blue background, white Chanukkiah and nine floating yellow lights. USPS says the design uses “irregular lines to suggest a more human presence.”

A first day of issue dedication ceremony will take place on Sept. 19, to be led by Michael Gordon, USPS government liaison director, at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

Music and activities are on the docket, and the event is free and open to the public; attendees are encouraged to register online.

The last celebrated release of a Hanukkah stamp was in 2022, featuring the work of American Judaica artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren.

(JNS)

In her first sit-down interview since taking over as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris faced at least one pointed questions from CNN anchor Dana Bash about her flip-flopping policies throughout her political career. The interview marks Harris’s first major media appearance since becoming the top candidate on the Democratic ticket, after having drawn widespread criticism for her relative media silence. During the conversation, Bash pressed Harris on her apparent policy reversals, particularly concerning fracking and the decriminalization of illegal border crossings. When asked how voters should interpret these changes, Harris insisted that while specific policies may have evolved, her core values have remained steadfast. “Dana, I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is, my values have not changed,” Harris said. She cited her longstanding commitment to addressing climate change as an example, noting her work on the Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. “We have set goals for the United States of America and, by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” she added. Harris also addressed her record on border security, saying, “My value around what we need to do to secure our border, that value has not changed. I spent two terms as the Attorney General of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage, illegal passage of guns, drugs, and human beings across our border.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A 33-year-old Algerian man who for a “long time nursed a hatred towards Jews” and wanted to “support the Palestinian cause” has been charged with attempted murder for an arson attack on a French Shul last weekend, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

A police officer was injured when a gas canister near a burning vehicle exploded after the suspect allegedly set fires around the Beth Yaacov Shul on Shabbos in the Mediterranean resort town of La Grande-Motte.

The suspect, identified by prosecutors only by his initials EHK, fled the scene but was later arrested. He was injured in the thorax, arm and face during the arrest, France’s national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

French authorities have described the attack as an act of antisemitic terrorism.

The rabbi and several people were inside the building and escaped unharmed; most of the Tzibur had not yet arrived for Shacharis when the explosion occurred.

In addition to attempted murder, the suspect was also charged with taking part in a terrorist conspiracy, arson and assaulting police officers. He has been placed in pretrial detention, the prosecutor’s office said.

The attack deepened anxiety among France’s Jewish community, which has long been targeted by deadly attacks and where antisemitism has skyrocketed since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that triggered the current war in Gaza.

“Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said after visiting La Grande-Motte. “We are outraged and repulsed.”

France is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as to the largest Muslim community in the European Union.

(JNS)

A former Defense Ministry official was ordered held in a fraud case Thursday, the latest high-profile arrest in what appears to be a sweeping investigation into abuse of office in Russia’s military leadership. Former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov faces up to 10 years in prison if he is charged and convicted following his detention on suspicion of committing fraud, Russian state news agencies reported, adding that he was ordered held until at least Oct. 29. The case against Popov relates to business activities at a sprawling park in Moscow sometimes called Russia’s “military Disneyland.” Patriot Park, a pet project of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, is designed to inspire national pride in younger generations and showcases Soviet and Russian weaponry. It has a firing range, air base, museums and conference center and a massive, khaki-colored Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, which features mosaics of Soviet and Russian soldiers. President Vladimir Putin personally donated money to commission the main icon for the church, according to the Kremlin. Popov is the eighth top military figure to be arrested on charges of fraud, bribery or abuse of office in recent months, including Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was arrested for bribery in April and later dismissed from his position. The arrests began shortly before Putin replaced Shoigu with an economist, Andrei Belousov. Analysts suggest the arrests are a sign that Shoigu’s associates are being removed from power and that the most egregious corruption in the Defense Ministry will no longer be tolerated. Popov was responsible for developing and maintaining Patriot Park and is accused of renovating his own properties in the Moscow region at the park’s expense, according to the state news agency Tass. He is accused of fraud alongside the director of the park and Maj. Gen Vladimir Shesterov, deputy of the Defense Ministry’s innovations department, both of whom have already been detained. Popov forced companies that had contracts with Patriot Park to do work on his “out-of-town apartments without paying for them,” Svetlana Petrenko of Russia’s Investigative Committee told Tass. In addition to a plot of land with houses outside Moscow, Popov and his family own “numerous properties in prestigious areas of Moscow, the Moscow region and the Krasnodar region,” in southern Russia, Petrenko said. The properties are worth a total of 500 million rubles ($5.5 million), and investigators are establishing whether they were acquired legally, Petrenko told Tass. Graft in the Defense Ministry “is so rife” that the choice of who is arrested will be informed by “internal turf wars,” said Richard Connolly, a specialist on the Russian economy and military at the Royal United Services Institute in London. The arrests are “sending a message in a strategically important sector. But also offering the chance to settle some scores,” he said. Popov was a deputy defense minister from 2013 until June, when he was dismissed by presidential decree. His arrest comes shortly after that of former Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov, who was detained in Moscow in July. According to Tass, Bulgakov is charged with large-scale embezzlement. He reportedly oversaw supplies of food rations to soldiers that reportedly were overpriced and of low quality. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison. Bulgakov was deputy defense minister from 2008 until his dismissal in […]

Former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton suggested that Iran feels apprehensive about Israel’s government, headed by Bibi Netanyahu, and is concerned about the repercussions of retaliating against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“Netanyahu will not be punished by the Biden administration,” Bolton stated on Wednesday during Newsmax’s “Newsline.”

Bolton further remarked, “Netanyahu won’t be afraid of what they’re going to do. And he may really hit Iran very hard, including their nuclear weapons program.” He added, “I think what we’re seeing on the West Bank now is evidence that Israeli authorities are quite worried that Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism extends not just to Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis and Shia militia in Iraq, but on the West Bank that they’ve set up terror networks there, maybe waiting until the appropriate moment and Israel doesn’t wait for them to be hit first.”

Bolton elaborated, “They preempted against Hezbollah on Sunday, and I think this is a preemptive strike on the West Bank. And there could well be more.” He noted that the Iranian government appears to be presenting a positive image at the moment. “I think they don’t want to see anything that could cause the Biden administration to take strong action against them before the election,” he said. “So instead of showing what they really believe, they’re just engaged in propaganda.”

{Matzav.com}

Talks aimed at achieving a Gaza ceasefire and securing a hostage-release deal have made significant progress, according to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Speaking to reporters in Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Sullivan provided an update on the ongoing negotiations, emphasizing that the discussions have entered a critical phase. “The negotiators are bearing down on the details, meaning that we have advanced the discussions to a point where it’s in the nitty-gritty, and that is a positive sign of progress,” Sullivan said. The discussions, involving officials from the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel, took place in Doha on Wednesday, following a weekend of high-level talks in Cairo. Jerusalem’s delegation, which included representatives from the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad, and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), returned to Israel on Tuesday after participating in the Cairo negotiations. While the high-level talks in Cairo ended on Sunday without a deal, lower-level discussions continued on Monday as negotiators sought to resolve the remaining differences. In Doha, the Israeli delegation is expected to continue talks with representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. These discussions are aimed at finalizing the terms of a ceasefire and securing the release of hostages held by Hamas. US Special Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk also engaged in preparatory talks on Tuesday with senior Qatari leaders ahead of Wednesday’s negotiations, according to a US official cited by the Associated Press. Despite the progress, challenges remain. Hamas has publicly rejected the current terms of the deal, accusing the United States of siding with Israeli demands. Egyptian officials have also expressed doubts about the likelihood of a breakthrough. “At the end of the day, nothing is done until it’s done. And so we’re just going to keep working at this until we finally get the ceasefire-and-hostage deal across the line,” Sullivan concluded. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

[COMMUNICATED]

Over the last 15 years, a new approach and method of limud Hashas has been nurtured and developed in Eretz Yisroel at Reshet Kollelei Shas Yiden. This phenomenon has captured the imagination and electrified lomdei Hatorah throughout the world, and has earned the avid support of Gedolim across the Torah spectrum. 

Shas Yiden in UK & USA

Shas Yiden not only grew from 6 avreichim metzuyonim to 122 avreichim geonim in five kollelim across Eretz Yisroel but, in response to repeated requests from abroad, a Shas Yiden kollel was first established in the UK, in Stamford Hill, London. The Shas Yiden reputation soared in this location and their first Annual Siyum Hashas with Gedolei Torah in attendance reflected the grandeur of those in Yerushalayim.

This foray into Chutz La’aretz has been followed by a long-awaited opening of a Shas Yiden kollel in Flatbush, NY. The Eretz Yisroeldike bren of learning the entire Shas has already had a significant local impact and is a source of inspiration to the local Flatbush kollelim. The incredible devotion to limud gantz Shas and its completion within a year by each avreich at Shas Yiden has encouraged many others to try and emulate this broader study of Shas.

This elevated level of Torah study at Shas Yiden and the ability of the avreichim geonim to face public oral farheren by world recognized Gedolei Torah, together with monthly tests on 225 blatt, is nothing short of remarkable. Shas Yiden has truly raised the bar in the study of Shas. Our unique system of learning, the tight demanding regimen and the motivation emanating from Eretz Yisroel has truly placed Shas Yiden in a Torah league of its own. 

In the Words of Maranan Hageonim

Sar Hatorah, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, זצ”ל – Nasi, Shas Yiden
I tested them, I know them throughout Shas – a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar partnership 

Rosh Hayeshiva, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Gershon Edelstein, זצ”ל
Shas Yiden has raised the bar of Torah learning in both depth and clarity, and its unique method of ameilus in Torah

The Sanzer Rebbe, שליט”א
A first in 2000 years of Jewish history – never before a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim know kol Hashas kulo, Rashi and Tosfos b’al peh

Over 1.6 Million Blatt at Shas Yiden
This Year Alone!

With each of the 122 avreichim geonim at Shas Yiden required to complete a minimum of 13,555 blatt per year, you are helping support some 1,654,000 blatt! 

At the most recent farheren, the reaction of the Gedolei Torah conducting the testing to the prowess of the Shas Yiden was simply one of amazement at the breadth and detailed knowledge and all-encompassing mastery of Shas – remarking: “They know it like others know Ashrei Yoshvei!” The joy of the avreichim geonim and their clear love of Torah electrifies each farher. (To see the different farheren in action, please click on our website: www.shasyiden.com.) It is no wonder that the overall reaction to the Shas Yiden Network is that in its 15 years it has certainly revolutionized and raised the bar in the learning and mastery of Shas. 

Caring for the Avreichim Families

Despite the difficulties of these last few years, Covid etc., Shas Yiden has made sure to keep our commitment to each of the Shas Yiden families to ensure their menuchas hanefesh to be free to focus on Shas.  Each month their salaries have been paid on time. Further, in Tishrei and, now again, for Nissan, they are all paid full extra salary checks to help them meet the extra Yom Tov expenses. 

That we are able to do so, a big ‘thank you‘ is due to you all. You have an eternal stake in the incredible learning of Shas Yiden. Your on-going interest and support in this unique ‘Entire-Shas’ Torah-learning venture is most sincerely appreciated. Collectively and individually, you are singular partners in changing the way the Torah world views the ability to both learn and master the entire Shas. Whatever you can do to help in defraying their extra Yom Tov expenses will be a great chesed to these Bnei Torah who are true bnei aliyah.

One of the handful of F-16 warplanes that Ukraine has received from its Western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion has crashed, Ukraine’s air force said Thursday. The fighter jet went down on Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine, a military statement posted on Facebook said. Four of those Russian missiles were shot down by F-16s, the statement said. The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where they arrived at the end of last month. At least six of the warplanes are believed to have been delivered. The Defense Ministry has opened the investigation into the crash. Earlier Thursday, Russia conducted a heavy aerial attack on Ukraine for the third time in four days, again launching missiles and scores of drones that mostly were intercepted, Ukraine’s air force said. Russian forces fired five missiles and 74 Shahed drones at Ukrainian targets, an air force statement said. Air defenses stopped two missiles and 60 drones, and 14 other drones presumably fell before reaching their target, it said. Authorities in the capital, Kyiv, said debris of destroyed drones fell in three districts of the city, causing minor damage to civilian infrastructure but no injuries. Russia’s relentless and unnerving long-range strikes on civilian areas have been a feature of the war since it invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Ukrainian officials have recently become more vocal in their long-standing insistence that Western countries supporting their war effort should scrap restrictions on what Ukraine is allowed to target inside Russia with long-range weapons they have provided. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his pleas for Western allies to untie his hands in deciding what to strike on Russian soil. “All our partners should be more active — much more active — in countering Russian terror,” Zelenskyy said late Wednesday. “We continue to insist that their determination now — lifting the restrictions on long-range strikes for Ukraine now — will help us to end the war as soon as possible in a fair way for Ukraine and the world as a whole.” The European Union’s top diplomat on Thursday backed Zelenskyy’s push for international backers to end their limits. Ukraine has deployed domestically produced drones to strike Russia. The Russian military said Thursday it had thwarted an overnight attack on Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian sea drones aimed at the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev added that four Ukrainian aerial drones and three sea drones were destroyed “at a significant distance” from the peninsula’s shore. In the meantime, Ukraine’s Army General Staff acknowledged Thursday Ukraine’s involvement in strikes this week on oil depots deep inside Russia, where blazes broke out. The attacks in the Rostov and Kirov regions were part of Ukraine’s effort to disrupt logistical infrastructure supporting Russia’s war machine. (AP)

Dozens of families of hostages held a demonstration at the Gaza border on Thursday, shouting through loudspeakers in the hope that their loved ones would hear. Some of the demonstrators broke through a fence near the border and ran toward the Strip.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersch Goldberb-Polin, 23, shouted, “This is mom. Hersch. This is the 328th day. We’re all here. All the families of 107 abductees who remain in captivity,” Ynet reported.

“Hersch, we work day and night and we will never stop. I you need to know that I bless you every morning and every Friday evening, and I raise my hands toward Gaza and I give you the blessing, ‘May God bless you and keep you,’” she said.

His father, Jon, said, “Hersh, this is dad. We need you to know, and all 107 abductees need to know that not only the families here today, and not only 9 million people in this country, but the whole world—we will not stop until you all come home soon.”

Hamas footage of Hersh from Oct. 7 shows him with one arm missing at the elbow. He suffered the wound tossing back a grenade thrown by terrorists into a shelter where he and others were hiding.

His best friend, Aner Shapira, had thrown back seven grenades before being killed.

Shira Elbag, mother of the abducted soldier Liri Elbag, 19, said, “We are on the 327th day of this war; 327 days and nights of hearing Liri cry for help, calling ‘Mom,’ and me not being able to come. Can you imagine that feeling, knowing your child is suffering and you’re powerless to help?”

Hagit Chen, whose son Itay’s body is being held in Gaza, said, “My Itay, I miss you so much and can’t fathom the situation we find ourselves in. When you decided to join the army and become a fighter, I didn’t foresee the dreadful state it would bring us to.

“You said, ‘Mom, don’t worry,’ you believed in the system. I wanted you to come home and fulfill your dreams. What did you manage to achieve in this life? I ache for your absence in ways I never knew were possible,” she said, according to Ynet.

Itay’s father, Rubi, added, “We, the parents, after seeing the current round of talks ending without result, are compelled to wage a battle and embark on a journey to Gaza, to remind the Israeli government to fulfill its moral, ethical and Jewish duty, so we can bring our Itay to burial in Israel.”

The hostages’ families arrived at the border on Wednesday as part of a convoy of over 300 vehicles that traveled from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to Kibbutz Be’eri on the Gaza border to protest the lack of movement in ceasefire talks. They hold the Netanyahu government responsible for that failure.

Titled the “End the Abandonment” convoy, it featured cars adorned with yellow flags, pictures of the hostages, and burned-out cars on trailers, which had been destroyed in the Oct. 7 attack.

“Every day that passes is another lost opportunity to bring them home; it’s time to end the abandonment,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organized the event.

Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostage on Oct. 7.

An estimated 107 are still held in captivity following the rescue of Bedouin captive Kaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, on Tuesday.

(JNS)

The Consumer Product and Safety Commission is warning people to immediately dispose of a magnetic game because it poses serious ingestion risks for children. The CPSC posted a warning Thursday that “Magnetic Chess Games” sold by China-based seller JOMO contain magnets that do not comply with U.S. federal safety regulations. As a result, the “loose, hazardous magnets pose a risk of serious injury or death,” according to the warning. The CPSC said it issued a violation notice to JOMO, but that the company has not agreed to recall its Magnetic Chess Games or provide a remedy. The commission urged people to stop using the game and throw it away immediately. The games were sold online at walmart.com in a blue box with the word “Magnetic” on the front and back, according to the CPSC. They include about 20 loose black magnets but not chess-shaped pieces, despite its marketing. It’s unclear when or how long these games were sold. A CPSC spokesperson said the commission could not provide further information since JOMO is not cooperating. Experts have long noted the serious health hazards tied to swallowing magnets, with children particularly at risk. When high-powered magnets are ingested, the CPSC noted, they can attract each other or another metal object in the body and become lodged in the digestive system — potentially resulting in blockage, infection, blood poisoning or death. Overall, the CPSC estimates that a total of 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in hospitals annually between 2017 and 2021. The commission said it is aware of eight related deaths from 2005 through 2021, two of which were outside the U.S. (AP)

On Wednesday’s broadcast of “PBS NewsHour,” Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy discussed his advisory on parental stress and said that while there are many reasons for increased parental stress, “we’re still living with some of the aftereffects” of the stress imposed on parents from school closures during the coronavirus pandemic, Breitbart reports.

Murthy said, “I think the pandemic certainly created an increase in stress in many parents’ lives. I so viscerally remember what it was like to have to homeschool our kids during that time on top of work, and how challenging all of that was, and I think we’re still living with some of the aftereffects of that stress.”

He continued, “But the pandemic also changed how we live our lives. I think, in some ways, being able to do hybrid work was helpful for some parents, as it gave them the flexibility to be able to be there for mealtimes, for example, at dinner or being able to be there to pick up their kids or be there during the day if their child needed something. But I think being available all the time, via video or whatever remote means, it may be your choice, that also creates additional stresses for parents because it can create this expectation that you’re available all the time. And so, one of the things that it’s really important in the workplace is to have a culture where leaders understand what the stresses are that parents are managing, where they have policies that support parents, like predictable schedules, so that parents can schedule and balance work and home and where there’s also some degree of flexibility so that if issues come up, like a sick child, a parent has the ability to respond in that scenario and care for their family without worrying that they’re going to suffer at work.”

{Matzav.com}