[Videos below.] The Police Benevolent Association is urging authorities to make arrests and pursue charges after a group was filmed throwing snowballs at NYPD officers Monday in Lower Manhattan.
The incident occurred during a pre-arranged snowball fight gathering at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Video circulating online shows several individuals trailing uniformed officers, shouting at them and hurling snowballs as the officers made their way toward a police van.
Police officials confirmed that the encounter is under review. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned the conduct in a post on social media, writing, in part, “The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal. Our detectives are investigating this matter.”
Staten Island Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis also spoke out, calling for public officials to respond. “This is disgraceful. @NYCMayor and every elected official in our city should denounce this juvenile attack on our #NYPD. Back the blue and hold those who disrespect them accountable.”
The Police Benevolent Association said those involved should be identified and charged, arguing that attacks on officers — even if involving snowballs — cannot be dismissed as harmless behavior. Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.
WATCH:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quipped Sunday that if there is ever a spike in pizza deliveries near the Pentagon, it might simply be him placing large orders to mislead online observers who monitor such activity as a predictor of major world events.
Appearing on Fox News, Hegseth was asked about the “Pentagon Pizza Report,” an account on X that tracks ordering patterns at pizzerias located near the Pentagon and other key military facilities. The account analyzes Google Maps “popular times” data under the theory that unusually high late-night demand may signal that senior officials are working extended hours in response to unfolding military developments.
Hegseth acknowledged he is familiar with the account and joked about deliberately disrupting its conclusions.
“I’ve thought of just ordering lots of pizza on random nights just to throw everybody off,” he said Sunday on Fox News. “Some Friday night when you see a bunch of Dominos orders, it might just be me on an app, throwing the whole system off so we keep everybody off balance. We look at every indicator.”
The Pentagon Pizza Report focuses on spikes in evening activity at restaurants near U.S. military headquarters, suggesting that sudden increases could indicate heightened operational tempo or pending action abroad.
On June 12, for instance, hours before reports emerged of Israel launching a major strike on Iran, the account noted a sharp rise in activity at four pizza establishments close to the Pentagon around 7 p.m., interpreting it as a sign that top officials remained on site to monitor events.
“As of 6:59 p.m. ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,” the account posted on X that evening.
Although the United States initially said it did not take part in the first wave of attacks against Iran, it later entered the 12-day conflict. On June 22, U.S. forces carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in an operation known as Midnight Hammer.
Hegseth maintained that Pentagon officials are conscious of publicly available tracking methods and take them into account.
“There’s a reason Midnight Hammer worked, because we understood open sourced, we understand classified ways in which the public and others are trying to watch movements and in sensitive ways, we control for a lot that,” he said.
Launched in August 2024, the Pentagon Pizza Report is part of a longer-standing public fascination with pizza deliveries as a barometer of military activity, a pattern observers have noted since the 1980s.
In January 1991, Frank Meeks, who owned 43 Domino’s locations in the Washington area, told the Los Angeles Times that pizza delivery patterns sometimes reveal more than official briefings.
“The news media doesn’t always know when something big is going to happen because they’re in bed, but our [pizza] deliverers are out there at 2 in the morning,” Meeks said.
He recalled that on Aug. 1, 1990, the CIA placed an order for 21 pizzas — a one-night record at the time — just hours before Iraqi troops moved into Kuwait, setting off the Gulf War.
{Matzav.com}
In an emotional radio interview, internationally acclaimed Jewish singer Gad Elbaz disclosed a deeply personal secret he carried unknowingly for nearly four decades. Speaking live on Kol Chai Radio in Israel, Elbaz revealed that until recently he had never undergone a bris milah, a discovery that led him, at age 39, to undergo the procedure and formally enter the covenant of Avrohom Avinu.
The stunning revelation has sent ripples through the Jewish music world. Elbaz, known for performing on major stages around the globe and widely seen as a symbol of connection to Jewish heritage and tradition, told listeners: “I was uncircumcised my entire life.”
In a heartfelt conversation with radio host Menachem Toker, Elbaz described the moment he accidentally discovered that he had not been circumcised as an infant. “At age 39, I had a bris milah after I discovered that they did not circumcise me when I was born,” Elbaz told a stunned Toker.
The singer spoke candidly about the shock and emotional turmoil that accompanied the revelation, as well as the medical and spiritual journey he undertook to correct what he described as a lifelong omission. Undergoing the procedure as an adult, he said, was both physically and emotionally challenging, but ultimately transformative.
According to Elbaz, performing the mitzvah marked the closing of a profound personal circle and reshaped his understanding of his identity. He said the experience gave renewed meaning to the songs and tefillos he has sung throughout his extensive career, infusing them with a deeper sense of personal connection and spiritual authenticity.
{Matzav.com}
Member of Knesset Meir Porush delivered a sharp speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday evening, accusing opposition leaders of relentlessly targeting bnei Torah and the chareidi community and branding them as part of what he called a “Losers Government.”
Speaking from the podium, Porush said he wanted to use his limited speaking time to address what he described as a pressing issue.
“I want to use the few minutes at my disposal,” Porush began, “to speak to you about another important issue. ‘The Losers Government.’ Yes, what you heard. Today, two governments are serving in Israel — the elected government and the ‘Losers Government.’ You are familiar with the term ‘shadow government’ from Britain? Here, we have the ‘Losers Government’ — people whose only common denominator is failure.”
Porush continued by elaborating on his remarks.
“‘The Losers Government’ is made up of members from various parties, some currently serving as Knesset members and some aspiring to serve. What they all have in common is that they served in the previous government and failed — just as losers fail. The members of the ‘Losers Government’ are many, and I will list the main ones in alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone.”
He then proceeded to name: “Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Yoaz Hendel, Avigdor Lieberman.”
Porush also criticized additional political figures who, he said, were undecided about joining what he termed the “Losers Government.”
“There are also those still deliberating whether they want to be members of the ‘Losers Government,’ such as Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz, who have one foot here and one foot there. What distinguishes the members of the ‘Losers Government’? They have nothing genuine to offer the citizens of Israel. So what is their solution to justify their tenure? Incitement, division, hatred, and more of the same.”
He added that competition among them was intense.
“Lieberman wants to send us to the garbage dump, Lapid wants to strip us of the right to vote, Hendel wants us thrown out of our workplaces, and Bennett is a genius — he knows what we don’t know. If he just publishes multi-billion-shekel plans, all the chareidim will run to vote for him, just as he surely explained in his booklet ‘How to Defeat a Pandemic.’”
In closing, Porush said: “In the meantime, the losers are competing among themselves over who is the bigger loser, and the battle is tough — every day a new poll is published in which a different loser leads the race for who is closest to the electoral threshold. The head of the opposition who spoke here a few hours ago usually wins that race for the threshold. Dear losers, let me give you a spoiler — it won’t help you. Tommy Lapid tried this. It worked for a few short years, but it ended in disappointment. It’s a shame for you.”
{Matzav.com}
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that advancing Russia’s nuclear triad remains an “absolute priority,” outlining his government’s approach to its strategic weapons program during remarks tied to Defender of the Fatherland Day, according to media reports.
Speaking at a ceremony in which he presented state honors to military officers involved in the war in Ukraine, Putin highlighted efforts to reinforce the country’s nuclear capabilities, the Moscow Times reported.
During his address, Putin pointed to Russia’s nuclear triad — the three-part system designed to deliver nuclear weapons by land, sea and air — which is intended to guarantee a viable second-strike capacity in the event of a nuclear confrontation.
He characterized the continued development of the system as “an absolute priority,” adding that it “guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world.”
Putin also said Russia would keep bolstering its army and navy, “taking into account developments in the international situation, based on combat experience gained,” referencing lessons drawn from the ongoing war with Ukraine.
He further stated that Moscow plans to “significantly” upgrade the capabilities of other military branches, enhancing their operational readiness, flexibility and capacity to function under even the most demanding conditions.
“And, of course, we will accelerate the development of advanced systems for the armed forces,” he added.
The comments follow Russia’s decision on Feb. 5, 2023, to suspend participation in the New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington.
The treaty had placed caps on the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems each side could maintain.
Despite halting its formal participation, Russian officials have previously indicated they intend to continue managing their strategic nuclear arsenal in what they described as a “responsible” manner and to adhere to previously agreed-upon limits.
Putin’s statements came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked the start of a far broader global conflict, saying the Russian leader had effectively launched “World War III.”
“I believe that Putin has already started it. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him… Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told the BBC in an interview Feb. 23.
Zelenskyy described the war as part of what he sees as Putin’s larger effort to impose a “different way of life” on the international community.
“Stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world,” he said.
When asked whether Ukraine might relinquish control of the contested Donbas region as part of a negotiated settlement, Zelenskyy cautioned that Moscow could rebuild its military power within “no more than a couple of years” and initiate another offensive.
“Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue [the war] is a fact,” Zelenskyy said.
{Matzav.com}
[COMMUNICATED]
This Taanis Esther 5786, will mark 40 years since the Rosh Yeshiva, Maran HaGoan Rav Moshe Feinstein ztvk”l, Rabban of Klal Yisroel, the poseik hador, left this world. He left us a remarkable legacy of Torah and Halachah through his Dibros Moshe and Igros Moshe.
Fifteen years ago, a project began to publish the thousands of shailos and teshuvos of halacha, hadracha and hashkafa that were transmitted orally, and recorded meticulously by his grandson, close talmid and gabbai, Rav Mordecai Tendler shlit”a. The result has been 5-volume masterpiece named Mesores Moshe, giving over Rav Moshe mesorah’s to our generation, with many volumes still to come, b’ezras Hashem.
Harav Dovid Feinstein zt”l recommended that before publishing, the work should be reviewed by talmidim of the Rosh Yeshiva zt”l. He suggested that Rav Shmuel Fishelis shlit”a, his son-in-law, and Rav Shmuel Fuerst shlit”a, Dayan of Agudath Yisroel of Illinois look over the galleys and edit it as needed. Rav Fuerst added a letter of haskama, detailing his involvement with the project.
The children of the Rosh Yeshiva then added their own haskama, pointing out that these seforim are a tremendous window into the thought process and daas Torah of their illustrious father.
Baruch Hashem the seforim were received by the Torah world with much excitement and is found and used in batei medrish around the world.
A few years ago, there was a growing interest in translating these works into English, so that those more comfortable with English can also be enlightened by the Rosh Yeshivah’s insights, sensitivity and worldview. After receiving a beracha from HaRav Dovid Feinstein zt”l, this new project began. Sections from the first two volumes were chosen, and translated from the original Hebrew.
The result is a wonderful blend of fascinating shailos brought to the Rosh Yeshiva, and his view of various topics such as doctors, shidduchim and giving berachos. There are numerous historic recollections the Rosh Yeshiva himself shared, of life in Russia and early years in America. HaRav Reuven Feinstein shlit”a graced this sefer with a warm haskama.
The Sefer has been acclaimed as a masterfully engaging release. It is widely being learned by chavrusa-schafts, Talmidei Chachamim, Baalei Batim, adults, and teenagers. The Sefer is noted to be exciting and exhilarating, whoever picks it up cannot put it down.
Available at all Jewish booksellers in stores and online.
Distributed by Alef to Tav – info@aleftotav.com
