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This is not just another video. It is three minutes worth setting aside. What you will see is a story told through time, spanning from the 1980s until today. A vision cast by Rabbi Moshe Sherer, Zichrono L’vracha, brought to life decades later with school choice victories. Communities cross-country. Shuls and schools stamped for approval. Buses on the road, laws rewritten, and security grants delivered — alongside the many other ways the Agudah serves Klal Yisroel, including its vast Torah projects. The video’s artistic treatment brings these decades together in a seamless timeline, a visual time-lapse of small acorns growing into towering oaks. A glimpse of what happens when visionaries plant and invest, fully knowing they may never sit in the shade of the trees they nurture. This is the Agudah story.  A timeline of doing. And a reminder of what your support makes possible. Take a few moments to watch. You will see the impact of the Agudah, and the impact on you. CLICK HERE TO JOIN CAMPAIGN Stand with us and support the Agudah today, ensuring that Klal Yisroel always has a voice tuned in to the details that matter most. In 1987, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, Zichrono L’vracha, set a vision for school aid that he knew might only come in his grandchildren’s time. That time is now. Fifty-three years later, a federal scholarship tax credit unlocks billions for tuition support. A so-called “overnight victory,” but fifty-three years in the making. Real shtadlanus takes akshanus: planting trees knowing you might never enjoy their shade. That is the Agudah. When you see thriving communities in Linden, Jackson, Blooming Grove, or New City… when you see shuls, mikvaos, and schools under construction… chances are the Agudah was involved. When zoning issues hit home, you know who to call. Because cranes don’t do the heavy lifting. Doers do. As antisemitism surges globally, threats strike our streets, shuls, schools, and campuses. From slurs and bricks hurled, to shots fired and harassment. We are there — in councils, in courts, in Congress — securing millions in grants, defending yachidim in the workplace, and holding hate to task. The child tax credit. Special education. Security for our schools. Rewriting the substantial equivalency law. Taking on the New York Times. Nothing escapes their forensic eyes. No shortcuts. No skimming. Flagging the one word that makes a world of difference. Because for them, there is no TL;DR. School busing doesn’t just happen. It takes tireless advocacy to keep our kids moving. Day in, day out. In Washington. In statehouses. At zoning boards. In classrooms. In courtrooms. Just doers, doing. When you support the Agudah, you invest in futures — where every dollar yields the highest returns. Asei L’maancha V’hoshienu. Caring for Klal Yisroel. Doing for Klal Yisroel. That’s who we are. That’s what we do. Please join us. Do what you can, and enable us to do so much more on your behalf. CLICK HERE TO JOIN CAMPAIGN

The IDF and Shin Bet on Monday released the names of 21 senior operatives of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, part of what they say are “hundreds” of members of the terror group eliminated during the past six months of fighting in Gaza. According to the joint statement, the list includes commanders responsible for key combat and weapons systems across the Strip. Among them: Muhammad Mashtaha, in charge of “military specialization” in northern Gaza. Amir Wadi, commander of the sniper array in Islamic Jihad’s Khan Younis Brigade. Jamal Maamar, head of rocket artillery in Rafah. Fadl Abu al-Ata, a sector commander in Gaza City. Abdullah Abu Tir, commander of the eastern sector in Khan Younis. Waam Abu Hajaj, commander of the eastern sector in northern Gaza. Samir Abu Shawish, commander of the Yabna sector in Rafah. The agencies also highlighted the deaths of Islamic Jihad’s weapons manufacturing experts, including Muntasir Salah, Ahmad Qadi, Fuad Ghanam, Khaled Bana, and Saeed Mashraoui. Additionally, the statement names several terrorists tied directly to attacks on Israeli forces: Basem al-Kheir, head of a sniper cell; Youssef Kassab, deputy commander of Rafah’s eastern sector; and Murad Abu-Jarad, deputy commander of the Beit Hanoun sector in northern Gaza. Israeli officials said several other lower-ranking operatives were also killed but were not publicly identified. Their details were instead included in an infographic distributed alongside the statement. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Tucker Carlson reveals that he initially struggled to take Charlie Kirk seriously but eventually found himself “learning from him.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called on Trump to condemn political violence following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, saying, “I would like to hear the President… simply say that political violence has no place in this country.”

Sen. Rubio says he will revoke visas for foreigners who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s “execution,”: “Why would we want to bring people into our country who are going to engage in negative and destructive behavior?”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard joined mourners in Washington, DC, on Sunday evening for a vigil honoring Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated last week.

Holding back emotion, Gabbard described Kirk’s murder as the “definition of terrorism.”

“Ultimately, for every one of us, the time that we have in this world is temporary. Our time will come sooner or later. And so the critical question that we have for ourselves is, whatever time we have, what are we doing with it? How are we making the most of every day that we have?” she continued. “Charlie Kirk, every single day, carried out his mission motivated by his faith … and his unwavering dedication to defending our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

Gabbard emphasized that the attack was meant to suppress Kirk’s voice and those who shared his worldview, again calling it the “definition of terrorism.”

“They feel that their only recourse is to commit an act of violence, to silence those who oppose them, and to intimidate and terrorize others into silence. This is the definition of terrorism,” she said. “We cannot allow ourselves to be terrorized into silence.”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while addressing a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He leaves behind his wife and two children. President Donald Trump paid tribute to him shortly after the tragedy.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

{Matzav.com}

The United States, South Korea and Japan opened an air and naval exercise off a South Korean island Monday in their latest joint drill condemned by North Korea as a “reckless show of strength.” The exercise called Freedom Edge is aimed at strengthening the countries’ combined operational capabilities in the sea, air and cyberspace and is necessary to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise will include U.S. Marine and Air Force aerial assets and feature enhanced ballistic-missile and air-defense drills, medical evacuations and maritime operations training, making it “the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date.” The exercise off South Korea’s southern Jeju Island runs through Friday. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier condemned the drills in state media, saying they show the countries’ confrontational stance toward the North. “The reckless show of strength made by them in real action in the vicinity of the DPRK, which is the wrong place, will inevitably bring bad results to themselves,” Kim Yo Jong said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. She also criticized the United States and South Korea over their latest Iron Mace tabletop exercise, which aims to explore ways to integrate Washington’s nuclear and South Korea’s conventional capabilities to bolster deterrence against North Korean threats. The U.S. and South Korean militaries did not confirm details of the exercise that was reported to be coinciding with Freedom Edge. North Korea in the past has carried out its own military demonstrations or weapons tests in response to joint military exercises of its rivals. Kim Jong Un’s government has repeatedly dismissed calls by Seoul and Washington to restart negotiations aimed at winding down his weapons programs, as he continues to prioritize Russia as part of a foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with nations confronting the United States. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kim has sent thousands of troops and large shipments of weapons, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to help fuel President Vladimir Putin’s warfighting. Kim also visited China earlier this month, and shared center stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at a massive military parade, in another step aimed at strengthening his diplomatic leverage. (AP)

Dear Matzav Inbox,

The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk has been seared into the public consciousness. It is an act so violent, so brazen, that it forces every decent human being to pause and reflect.

And it got me thinking: Baruch Hashem, in our frum community, we do not see physical assassinations. Guns are not drawn. Shots are not fired.

But let us not fool ourselves. We are not free of blood on our hands. We have our own form of assassination, and it is one that is all too common.

I am talking about character assassination.

It is a plague that has infected certain corners of our community. If we don’t like a person, if their hashkafah doesn’t align neatly with ours, if their psak isn’t the one we’d prefer, if their bais din doesn’t rule in our favor, we don’t simply disagree. We assassinate. We take a scalpel to their reputation. We whisper in the shadows, we spread sly insinuations, we post venom under the cover of anonymity, and we slash apart another Jew’s dignity with the same cruelty as a bullet.

Let us be honest: in some ways, this kind of murder is even more insidious. A physical assassination is obvious, horrific, undeniable. But a character assassination is slow, corrosive, and often justified under the guise of “concern for the community” or “l’sheim Shomayim.” Lashon hara is dressed up as responsibility, rechilus parades as truth-seeking, and before long, good people’s names are lying in tatters on the floor.

I cannot count how many times I have seen this play out. Someone stands for a different approach in chinuch, and suddenly he is a “dangerous innovator.” A rov rules a certain way in halacha, and within hours, the “knowledgeable” chatterers have branded him “ignorant” or “reckless.” A member of a bais din issues an unpopular decision, and people act as though they are now licensed to destroy his reputation for life. We pounce with glee. We circulate half-truths and innuendo until the victim is crushed beneath the weight of communal disdain.

And all of it is done, of course, in the name of frumkeit. Of course.

This, my friends, is nothing less than assassination. The Torah teaches us that malbin pnei chaveiro b’rabim—to shame someone in public—is akin to spilling blood. The comparison is not poetic; it is precise. When you kill a man’s character, when you erase his reputation, you may leave him walking, but you have bled his soul dry.

So no, baruch Hashem, we don’t have assassins lurking with rifles in our shuls. But make no mistake, we have assassinations. We allow it, we tolerate it, and sometimes we allow people in our own communities to even cheer it on. And the damage is no less devastating. Families are shattered. Careers are destroyed. Talmidei chachomim are defamed. Rabbonim, even gedolim, are humiliated. And Klal Yisroel is weakened.

And I must ask: How did we get here? When did our community become so quick to destroy? When did our zeal for the emes morph into a license for cruelty? When did the ruach hatumah of cancel culture seep into our own ranks, turning every minor disagreement into an excuse for major character destruction?

We cry out when outsiders speak against us. We rally when the world mocks our way of life. But inside our own walls, we commit the very violence we decry. The assassination of character has become a national pastime, and it is tearing us apart from within.

It is time to call this out for what it is. It is time for us to stop excusing it, stop cloaking it in noble language, stop pretending it’s anything less than spiritual murder. And it is time for each of us to take responsibility.

Because every time a Yid indulges in character assassination, they desecrate Hashem’s Name. And every time they hold back, every time they protect another Yid’s dignity, they bring kavod Shamayim into this world.

So let us not congratulate ourselves that in our circles, boruch Hashem, there are no assassinations. There are. They just don’t leave bodies in the street. They leave hearts crushed, reputations obliterated, and neshamos broken.

The murder of Charlie Kirk is a reminder of the depths to which society can sink when hatred takes over. But it should also be a mirror for us to look into, honestly and painfully, at the kind of assassination that we have normalized. And perhaps this Elul and these Yomim Noraim, we can commit ourselves to ending this plague, before it claims its next victim.

Signed,

A. S.

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{Matzav.com}

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Igud of Yeshivas and Seminaries and Chaim V’Chessed, an important improvement has been introduced to ease the entry of student visa holders into Israel. Until now, all foreign passport holders arriving in Israel were required to stop at passport control, even after using the automatic scanning machines. By contrast, Israeli citizens were able to simply scan their passports at the machines and walk directly out, bypassing the counters. This policy has now changed. Border Control has announced that holders of valid student visas will now be able to enjoy the same streamlined process as Israeli citizens. Upon scanning their passport at the automatic machines, student visa holders will receive a printed slip identifying them as visa holders. If the slip also says “VIP”, they may proceed directly to the exit gates, along with Israeli passport holders, without stopping at the counter. Chaim V’Chessed welcomes this development, which is expected to significantly improve the arrival experience for thousands of yeshiva and seminary students. As with any new policy, there may be some initial confusion about the process. Travelers should check their printed slip carefully upon arrival. If it is marked “VIP,” simply present it to the agent at the exit and proceed via the Israeli passport holder line. This improvement will make arrival in Israel smoother, faster, and far more pleasant for student visa holders. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NOW: Vice President JD Vance is currently hosting the Charlie Kirk Show from the White House.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, President Isaac Herzog welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Yerushalayim today. Rubio arrived in Israel as part of a diplomatic visit, and the two leaders met at the President’s Residence in Yerushalayim.

During their discussions, Herzog emphasized the urgent matter of securing the return of the hostages and highlighted the need to continue striving for stability and peace across the region.

Following their private talks, Herzog and Rubio made short statements to the press before moving on to a broader bilateral session with their teams.

President Herzog expressed his appreciation, telling Rubio: “Mr. Secretary, we’re very happy to have you in Israel. I especially want to mention that today, exactly today is five years to the signing of the Abraham Accords on the White House Lawn. That was a very important historic moment in the history of the Middle East, when agreements that were brokered under the auspices of President Donald Trump, as part of his great legacy to bring peace to the Middle East and to the world, were signed between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Secretary, we bless those agreements every day. They’ve brought enormous change to everybody’s lives in the Middle East, and these allies that signed the agreement, despite all the storms of the Middle East, have kept these agreements going, and it is very important to upgrade and enhance and foster and bring more partners to these agreements.”

He went on to add, “I want to thank all the partners of the agreements and of course, we are most grateful to the United States of America for being there always in times of war and in times of peace, thank you.”

Secretary Rubio, in turn, reflected on the timing of his visit, saying: “Thank you, Mr. President, I think it’s appropriate we’re here on the fifth anniversary of that historic accord. Imagine, despite the difficulties the region has confronted over the last few years, how much more difficult they would have been had the Abraham Accords not been in place, and we’re obviously incredibly grateful as well just from the perspective of the United States to Morocco and Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. They’re also strong partners of ours on a bilateral basis, not to mention as part of this agreement.”

He continued, “As you said, not only does this agreement with these existing partners need to continue to be strengthened and built upon, but it needs to be expanded. There are other countries that have expressed an interest in being a part of this — and one of the great promises of the era is the ability, under President Trump’s second term, to be able to build upon the foundation of the Abraham Accords and expand it to more countries who want to join in something like this. And so it’s also part of our focus. But we are very grateful to our partners and to those who are part of those accords now and grateful to be here today on the fifth anniversary of it to remind us the progress that was made and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) exposed the hypocrisy of senior Hamas officials in Gaza who submitted requests to Israel to leave Gaza while preventing “innocent Gazan civilians” from leaving the Gaza City area, which is currently a war zone. A COGAT spokesperson stated, “While Hamas calls on the residents of Gaza City NOT to move south, its operatives fear for their own lives and are seeking to leave the Gaza Strip. They are using residents of northern Gaza as human shields while looking out for their own interests. “Two weeks ago, a member of the Gaza City Council, Anwar Atallah, fled the Gaza Strip together with his family through the mechanism operated by Israel that allows Gazans to exit via Jordan to a third country. “Many other senior officials have submitted requests for their families to leave the Strip, and some have even asked to leave themselves, but their requests were denied by Israel. “Israel continues to call on residents of northern Gaza to move south for their protection.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

President Donald Trump wants to do away with the quarterly earnings report. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said securities regulators should stop requiring companies to issue financial reports every three months and instead switch to a six-month reporting period. The Securities and Exchange Commission has required publicly traded companies to report on a quarterly basis since 1970. “This will save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies,” Trump wrote. Trump asked the SEC to examine the three- versus six-month reporting requirement during his first term. No change was made. Last week, the Long Term Stock Exchange said it planned to petition the SEC to do away with the quarterly requirement. The San Francisco-based exchange lists companies focused on long-term goals. Supporters of the change say quarterly reporting is too costly and time-consuming and discourages companies from wanting to go public. They also say company executives focus too much on hitting quarterly earnings targets and not enough on long-term planning. Those who favor quarterly earnings say the reports provide investors with valuable financial updates and make them aware of any new risks a company is facing. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio stood together this afternoon at the Prime Minister’s Office in Yerushalayim, issuing a joint statement after their high-level discussions. Their talks focused on the ongoing war in Gaza, the fate of the hostages, and the continued confrontation with Iran.

Netanyahu began by welcoming Rubio, saying: “Your visit to the eternal capital is a strong demonstration of the strength of the bond between our countries. Iran continues to shout ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’ but these threats are neutralized thanks to our joint determination and Trump’s decision to strike its nuclear facilities. It was a message to the entire world that America acts to protect its interests and those of its allies.” He further declared, “Israel has no better ally than America.”

The prime minister went on: “President Trump told me: ‘Remember October 7th,’ and we remember. We remember the hostages, are committed to bringing them all back, and appreciate your help. We remember Hamas and know we must defeat them. They don’t belong there. Your visit is a message that the U.S. stands with Israel, against medieval lies, the rise of antisemitism in the world, and weak governments that increase pressure on us because they crumble under pressure themselves.”

Addressing reports about Israel’s recent actions in Doha, Netanyahu stressed that the move was entirely Israeli-led. “The decision to strike the terrorist leadership there was completely independent. It was made by us, managed by us, and we take full responsibility—because terrorists cannot have safe haven. We did it ourselves. We sent a message to the terrorists: you can flee, but you cannot hide. The strike did not fail; the message was clear: we stripped them of immunity. I do not accept the claim that the operation failed.”

Speaking about the current battles in Gaza, Netanyahu explained: “We do not demolish buildings to frighten people; these are Hamas strongholds. We tell civilians to evacuate, but Hamas shoots them in the legs to keep them there as human shields. The world condemns Israel incorrectly, but we will continue to do everything possible to remove civilians from danger zones, free all the hostages, and ensure Hamas is destroyed.”

Rubio also addressed the Gaza crisis and Qatar’s involvement: “We are focused on the role Qatar can play now to help release the hostages and create a better future for the residents of Gaza, as long as Hamas and the hostages remain there. At the end of the day, Hamas exists, there are 48 hostages, and we remain focused on what can be done next. We have good relations with our partners in the Gulf, and we are talking to them.”

The senator was clear about the hostage issue: “Every hostage needs to be home immediately,” he said, insisting that “Hamas cannot threaten the security of Israel or the world.”

When it came to Iran, Rubio laid out the dangers: “We discussed Iran and its desire to acquire nuclear weapons and missiles, which pose a threat to Israel, the United States, the Gulf states, and Europe. A nuclear Iran with missiles is an unacceptable risk to the entire world. We encourage the snap-back process initiated by the Europeans and urge them to continue; that is what is needed.”

Netanyahu also paused to honor Charlie Kirk, the American activist who was murdered: “Kirk was an extraordinary friend of Israel. He saw our struggle as a partner and believed in freedoms and shared values. There were assassination attempts against Trump, attempts against me—this is a shared problem for America and Israel, challenged by extreme violence.”

Concluding the press event, Netanyahu was asked how Israel would respond if the United Nations were to push forward unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. His answer was straightforward: “If unilateral steps are taken, we will respond with unilateral steps of our own.”

{Matzav.com}

1,500+ tinokos shel bais rabban greet Gedolei Eretz Yisroel in London, as they continue their visit which began yesterday on behalf of Keren Olam Hatorah.

Lebanese media report that an Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern town of Yater has killed one person, while the IDF has not yet commented.

After intelligence investigations, the IDF and Shin Bet have identified 21 “key terrorists” from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were among hundreds of operatives killed in Gaza operations over the past six months.