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California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday sharply criticized Israel, referring to it as an “apartheid state” and raising the possibility that the United States may eventually need to reconsider its military backing of the country. His remarks came as President Donald Trump faces growing political pressure in Washington following U.S. military strikes against Iran.

Newsom made the comments during an event in Los Angeles while promoting his newly released memoir.

During a discussion with Jon Favreau, host of the “Pod Save America” podcast, Newsom was asked whether the United States should begin “rethinking our military support for Israel.”

Newsom responded: “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don’t think you have a choice about that consideration,” Politico reported.

The California governor, who traveled to Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has found himself navigating a politically sensitive issue that deeply divided Democrats during the 2024 presidential race.

Newsom has previously emphasized the strong relationship between California and Israel, while also noting that he did not receive campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

AIPAC typically focuses on federal elections rather than state-level contests. Through its affiliated federal political committees, the organization supports candidates seeking seats in Congress.

The group describes its mission as supporting “pro-Israel Democratic and Republican members of Congress and congressional candidates,” a focus that centers specifically on elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

At the Los Angeles event, Newsom directed criticism toward the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that internal political considerations in Israel are influencing policy decisions.

“He’s got his own domestic issues. He’s trying to stay out of jail. He’s got an election coming up. He’s potentially on the ropes. He’s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West Bank,” Newsom said, adding that some “are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state.”

Newsom also took aim at the Trump administration’s military campaign in Iran, expressing skepticism about the administration’s stated objectives.

Iranian state media reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, and other reports have described a widening American military campaign against Iran that has drawn legal and political scrutiny from Democrats while being praised by many Republicans.

“We’re talking about regime change?” Newsom said. “For two years, they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”

{Matzav.com}

Several roshei yeshiva and senior rabbonim within the Religious Zionist community sharply criticized a directive issued by Israel’s Education Ministry instructing boarding schools to send their students home for Shabbos following the outbreak of the war with Iran.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, the rabbonim said the sweeping order was applied to institutions across the country without proper consideration of the circumstances at each yeshiva or campus. According to them, officials failed to examine whether individual schools had adequate protected areas where talmidim could remain safely, and the decision was issued without meaningful consultation with recognized poskim or other gedolei Torah.

Some mechanchim explained that while certain institutions may indeed have lacked sufficient shelter and therefore needed to send their students away, many others were properly equipped with secure areas and could have safely kept their talmidim on campus for Shabbos. They argued that issuing a blanket directive caused unnecessary chillul Shabbos in situations where there was no clear or immediate danger.

One prominent rav described the ministry’s action as “scandalous,” saying that schools suddenly found themselves placed in an impossible situation—forced to choose between obeying government orders or remaining faithful to their hashkafah and halachic standards. In some instances, he said, institutions that hesitated to carry out the directive faced pressure from authorities and were compelled to make their own independent decisions.

According to reports, in several locations buses arrived during Shabbos in order to take the students home. In other cases, parents traveled to pick up their children themselves. However, some yeshivos chose to delay the departures until after Shabbos, deciding it was preferable to wait before arranging transportation.

At least one evacuation, according to the reports, was carried out only after receiving explicit authorization from a local rav.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian intelligence officials quietly reached out to the CIA to explore possible terms for halting the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against their country shortly after the attacks began, according to a report, even as Tehran has publicly rejected negotiations with President Donald Trump.

According to Middle Eastern officials and representatives of a Western government who spoke anonymously to The New York Times, operatives tied to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence contacted the CIA indirectly through the intelligence service of a third country just one day after the strikes began.

Despite the contact, officials in Washington are doubtful that either side is ready to seriously pursue negotiations in the immediate future.

Even so, the reported outreach has raised questions about whether Iran’s leadership would be capable of implementing any ceasefire arrangement while the country’s power structure is being shaken by ongoing Israeli strikes targeting top officials.

Neither the White House nor Iranian officials responded to requests from the Times for comment on the report, while the CIA declined to comment.

According to the report, Israeli officials have urged the United States not to engage with the Iranian overture, as Israel intends to continue its extended campaign aimed at crippling Iran’s military capabilities and potentially undermining the stability of its ruling regime.

President Trump signaled Tuesday that negotiations were unlikely, writing on social media that it was now “too late” to pursue talks with Tehran.

Later in the day, while speaking with reporters, Trump noted that many of the Iranian officials the United States once viewed as potential negotiating partners had been killed in the strikes.

“Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said. “Pretty soon, we are not going to know anybody.”

The outreach from Tehran highlights a major dilemma facing the Trump administration as it considers its longer-term strategy toward Iran: what kind of leadership might take shape in Tehran if the current government weakens or collapses.

At the beginning of the conflict, Trump suggested that widespread unrest among the Iranian public could produce an entirely new leadership. More recently, however, his comments have suggested a more practical approach in which new figures might rise from within the existing political structure.

Officials familiar with the administration’s thinking say any agreement to stop the bombing campaign would likely require Iran to abandon—or sharply scale back—its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, while also ending its backing of proxy groups such as Hezbollah.

In return, Trump has suggested that Iran’s remaining leaders might be permitted to retain certain levels of economic and political power.

Trump recently pointed to developments in Venezuela as a possible model for reshaping leadership in Iran.

“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect scenario,” Trump said in an interview Sunday with The New York Times. “Leaders can be picked.”

Some analysts, however, caution that such an outcome may be difficult to achieve.

Steven A. Cook, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Trump’s recent remarks could reflect differing views between Washington and Israel about the ultimate objectives of the military campaign.

Israel, he suggested, does not want the United States pursuing what Cook described to the Times as a “Venezuela-like solution to change in Iran,” which could involve figures tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an organization that controls large segments of the country’s economy.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes against Iran’s leadership have continued.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces targeted a compound where senior Iranian clerics had gathered to discuss selecting a successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday.

Before the strikes began, the CIA reportedly compiled an intelligence assessment analyzing several possible leadership scenarios that could emerge in Iran following a joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign.

Officials who were briefed on the analysis said none of the potential outcomes carried a high level of certainty, given the many unknowns surrounding Iran’s complex political system.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz disclosed Wednesday that Israel’s military campaign against Iran had originally been scheduled for later in the year but was moved forward significantly because of shifting developments.

Katz made the remarks during a meeting with IDF intelligence soldiers and commanders, where he described how evolving conditions led to an accelerated timetable for the operation.

Addressing the intelligence personnel, Katz said: “Since the war was planned for the middle of the year, with the same goal, but because of the developments and circumstances, mainly within Iran, the US President’s position, and the possibility of creating a joint operation, the need arose to move everything up to February.”

He praised the intelligence units for their work leading up to the campaign, noting that their efforts helped make the earlier launch possible. “We ourselves hoped for this, but weren’t sure, and you advanced the intelligence aspect significantly. From day to day and hour to hour, another capability and more dimensions, and of course, operational preparedness. You have a giant part in building this ability, which also led to this combination and the result of the fantastic opening blow and onward,” the Minister added.

Katz stressed that the fighting is still ongoing but expressed confidence that the campaign will ultimately strengthen Israel’s security standing. “We are in the midst of a campaign, we are convinced that it will end well, and that the result will be the most significant boost to Israel’s security and position, the removal of threats and everything that we have been contending with for a long time,” Katz emphasized.

He said Israel’s edge in the confrontation stems largely from its intelligence capabilities and operational strength. “Our advantage over Iran in this campaign is mostly on two dimensions: intelligence and operational capabilities. If you asked what surprised the Iranians to the point that they weren’t ready despite the strategic warning, it’s because they didn’t know how to estimate the two dimensions: the width and depth of intelligence on every target, and the operational ability to utilize the intelligence to hit, attack, destroy, and ruin their abilities.”

The head of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, also addressed the soldiers and described the role of intelligence units during the ongoing conflict. “We are operating from this very place to provide timely warnings in a multi-front campaign. We are constantly monitoring all arenas and ensuring we deliver high-quality intelligence that will give us the alert we need. We also provide intelligence for decision-making, and above all, we are now supplying intelligence for victory over the enemy, for victory over Iran across all dimensions, in every mission, and in all the capabilities we have determined to degrade. We are operating 24/7.”

{Matzav.com}

A senior Iranian Shiite cleric has issued a religious decree urging Muslims worldwide to wage jihad after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi released the ruling shortly after Khamenei’s death, framing the event as a religious turning point and calling on followers of Islam to respond.

In the decree, Shirazi wrote that “the lowest of the enemies of humanity and the most evil infidels” succeeded in killing the “leader of the Islamic revolution,” Ali Khamenei, who “fulfilled his dream to be a martyr.”

Shirazi argued that throughout Islamic history, sacrificing one’s life in the service of Allah has often been the cost of preserving honor and independence. He also suggested that such sacrifices are part of the spiritual preparation for the arrival of the Mahadi, the Islamic messianic figure.

The cleric stressed that the Islamic Revolution is larger than any single leader and will continue regardless of Khamenei’s death. He said the country’s Assembly of Experts must move quickly to select a new supreme leader, while Iranian security forces should take firm action to ensure that foreign enemies cannot exploit the moment to stir unrest within the country.

The ruling directly blamed both the United States and Israel for Khamenei’s killing, with Shirazi referring to Israel as “the cursed Zionist entity,” and declared that Muslims everywhere were religiously obligated to avenge the slain Iranian leader.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Refoel Avrohom Yitzchok Hakohen Portowicz zt”l, a devoted mechanech who influenced generations of talmidim over more than five decades in the field of Torah education, leaving behind a legacy of dedication to Torah, chinuch, and the growth of countless young lives.

For more than fifty years, Rabbi Portowicz stood at the forefront of Torah education, guiding and inspiring talmidim with patience, clarity, and a deep sense of responsibility for every student entrusted to his care. For many years he served as menahel of Yeshivas Ziv Hatorah in Brooklyn, where he played a central role in building and strengthening the yeshiva’s educational environment. Under his leadership, generations of boys were guided not only in their learning, but in their development as bnei Torah and ehrliche Yidden.

His influence extended far beyond the classroom. With genuine care and a deep understanding of the challenges young people face, he invested himself in the growth of each student, offering guidance, encouragement, and direction.

Rabbi Portowicz’s dedication to chinuch was not limited to the school year. During the summer months, he continued his work with young people in the camp setting, where his presence was felt by hundreds of campers who benefitted from his guidance and inspiration. He served as head counselor of Camp Rayim, where he helped create an atmosphere of growth, camaraderie, and meaningful learning.

He also served as director of Camp Kochavim, where he worked tirelessly to ensure that the camp environment was not only enjoyable, but also uplifting and spiritually enriching for the boys who spent their summers there.

In addition, Rabbi Portowicz served as teen learning mashpia of Camp Romimu, where he inspired older campers to deepen their commitment to Torah and avodas Hashem.

Throughout his decades of work in chinuch, Rabbi Portowicz became known for his warmth, sincerity, and dedication to the success of every talmid. Whether in the classroom, the beis medrash, or the camp grounds, he approached his role with a deep sense of mission. His talmidim remember a mechanech who believed in them, pushed them to grow, and remained a source of guidance long after they left his direct care.

A couple of years ago, Rabbi Portowicz moved to Lakewood, where he resided in the Albert area.

The levayah will take place today at 2:30 PM at the Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, New Jersey. Kevurah will follow at the adjacent Mt. Sinai Cemetery.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF has released footage showing soldiers operating in Lebanon.

X is rolling out a new policy aimed at curbing the spread of artificial intelligence–generated war footage, as misleading videos tied to the ongoing Iran conflict circulate widely online. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, said the platform will penalize users who post AI-generated videos of armed conflicts without clearly disclosing that the footage was […]

CENTCOM: While the Iranian regime indiscriminately targets civilians with missiles and drones, U.S. forces continue to aggressively hunt and destroy Iranian missile launchers with precision.

URGENT CAMPAIGN! Widows, orphans, and vulnerable families in Israel are under crushing financial strain. With income lost and daily life disrupted, many cannot cover basic necessities. Your tzedakah provides emergency food, rent assistance, and critical support. Please give generously. DONATE NOW: https://thechesedfund.com/kupahsheltzedaka/when-crisis-strikes-we-must-stand-together?aff=4

The IDF carried out a wide-scale strike on a large Iranian military compound in eastern Tehran that housed multiple command centers of the regime’s security apparatus. The compound included headquarters for the IRGC, the Intelligence Directorate, the Basij, the Quds Force, Internal Security forces, cyber warfare units, and a unit responsible for suppressing protests.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first New York City neighborhoods that will offer free day care for 2-year-olds this fall under the new 2-Care initiative.

Mamdani joined Hochul and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels during a visit to the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling in Harlem, one of the providers expected to participate in the 2-K program.

City officials said the initial rollout will provide about 2,000 2-K seats across four areas: Washington Heights and Inwood; Fordham and Kingsbridge; East Brooklyn, including Canarsie, Brownsville and Ocean Hill; and Ozone Park and the Rockaways.

“Launching 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here,” Mamdani said.

The city plans to gradually expand the program over the next several years, with full implementation expected by the 2029–2030 school year.

“This is the first time the State of New York has made such an unprecedented commitment to the families and children of the City of New York, and we’re not going backwards, we are committed,” Hochul said.

According to Hochul, the pilot phase has already secured funding. Officials say the program will grow to serve 12,000 children next year and will ultimately expand to cover all 2-year-olds in New York City within four years. In the meantime, participation will remain limited to selected neighborhoods.

“These determinations were made in part, on a reflection of which neighborhoods had those providers ready to go before the end of this year, and also as a reflection of economic need that will continue to be some of the ways in which we making determinations for the 12,000 seats next year,” Mamdani said. “But then by the end of year four, it’s every single 2-year-old in the City of New York.”

Staten Island will not be part of the first phase of the program. Mamdani did not offer a specific explanation for the borough’s exclusion but said it will be included in the expansion next year.

Officials said enrollment will open this summer, though the process for selecting participating children has not yet been finalized.

{Matzav.com}

Anthropic’s moral stand on U.S. military use of artificial intelligence is reshaping the competition between leading AI companies but also exposing a growing awareness that maybe chatbots just aren’t capable enough for acts of war. Anthropic’s chatbot Claude, for the first time, outpaced rival ChatGPT in phone app downloads in the United States this week, […]

In major events in Jerusalem on February 16 and 17, the State of Israel and World Jewry celebrated the reclamation of the 3,000 year old Har Hazeitim, the historic burial site of more than 150,000 Jews over the ages. Among them Nevi”im, many great Rabbis, and notable modern Israeli leaders. The events were sponsored by […]

Amid the ongoing security tensions, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has reportedly held emergency discussions about the possibility of declaring a leap year and adding a second month of Adar in order to delay Purim celebrations until conditions improve.

According to a report published Tuesday, urgent consultations have taken place in recent days in the offices of Israel’s chief rabbis—Rishon LeTzion Rav Dovid Yosef and Chief Rabbi Rav Kalman Bar. The discussions reportedly included senior security officials and focused on the halachic possibility of declaring ibbur hashanah—intercalating the year by adding a second Adar—even though the current year is scheduled to be a regular year according to the established Jewish calendar.

The report states that the talks began after the outbreak of the war with Iran during Operation Shaagas HaAri. The central concern raised in the discussions was the prospect that large segments of Israel’s population might be forced to celebrate the days of Purim in bomb shelters and protected spaces due to the ongoing rocket threats.

According to those familiar with the discussions, the chief rabbis expressed deep concern that the security situation could undermine the spirit of the holiday. The fear is that the commandment of v’nahafoch hu—the transformation of danger into joy—could instead be overshadowed by anxiety and fear if people are required to celebrate the festival under emergency conditions.

For that reason, the rabbis reportedly examined whether it might be halachically possible to redefine the current month as Adar I and add an additional month of Adar II, in the hope that the security situation would stabilize by then and allow the holiday to be celebrated properly and with communal joy.

During the extended deliberations, historical precedents from the Beis Din HaGadol were reviewed. In past eras, the year was sometimes intercalated not only due to astronomical considerations but also because of pressing circumstances that could prevent the proper fulfillment of mitzvos.

One of the questions raised during the discussions was whether the current situation—where many Israelis must remain in shelters—could be considered a form of oneis, a halachic circumstance beyond people’s control that might justify extraordinary measures in the calendar.

Another concern mentioned was the potential timing of Pesach, particularly in light of statements by President Donald Trump suggesting that the war could last approximately four weeks, which could place additional holidays under the shadow of ongoing hostilities.

Sources close to the chief rabbis described the discussions as reflecting a difficult dilemma between preserving the fixed Jewish calendar and addressing the emotional and spiritual challenges facing tens of thousands of Israelis currently living under constant threat.

The Chief Rabbinate issued a brief response to the report, stating: “Following consultations between the chief rabbis, it was decided to wish everyone a happy Purim, including those who enjoy the Purim humor in the report.”

Ah frelichen Shushan Purim.

{Matzav.com}

Footage from the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Sec. Of War Pete Hegseth: “Operation Epic Fury has delivered twice the airpower of Shock and Awe of Iraq in 2003 — minus Paul Bremer and the nation-building… We are just getting started.”

Sec. Of War Pete Hegseth: “Starting last night, and to be completed in a few days… the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies.”

Sec. Scott Bessent: “President Trumps’ frustration with the Spanish government is justified…they are the only NATO member not meeting their NATO requirement…it was unacceptable over the weekend that the Spanish were highly uncooperative…as we began executing on Operation Epic Fury.”