Speaking at an event in Toronto, Rav Yaakov Bender, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY, delivered a sharp warning about the growing culture of alcohol consumption in frum communities, singling out Friday afternoon toameha gatherings as a dangerous and destructive trend.
Rav Bender opened his remarks with a stark assessment. “The drinking is a shrecklich problem. It’s a terrible, terrible problem. I blame the parents for that. I really do. Very heavily.”
He then shared a tragic example to underscore the consequences. “There was a boy that, I’ll explain to you, a boy was in a car accident, Rachmana litzlan, and he killed somebody, in one of our prominent communities, and he’s looking at jail time of a very, very, very long time. You know where he got it from?”
According to Rav Bender, the boy’s first exposure to drinking came through a toameha group. “He went to a Toameha, I think, in a very chashuva city. Toameha should be stopped.”
Rav Bender then described the gatherings bluntly. “Those who don’t know, Toameha means you get together, seven, eight men get together, and they drink, they buy very fancy— not the women, they’re wonderful. Erev Shabbos, when a wife should be going home to his wife, helping her out, unless the wife doesn’t want you home, you know— helping her out and doing what you got to do, they go to a party, AND they call it Toameha.”
With biting irony, he added: “It’s a mitzva d’oraisa. And they eat kugel and they fress cakes and zachen, and they drink to their hearts content.”
Rav Bender said the fallout reaches the home. “I have mothers who have told me, again, not many, but [some] have told me that the husband comes drunk to the Friday night, to the Friday night Shabbos table. And Toameha is a mitzva? You got to ban it.”
He urged communities to take action. “If you find out that there’s a Toameha in your neighborhood, go and protest against the family. Put up signs. The kids are going to kill a kid afterwards.”
Parents, he said, often complain about their children drinking, without acknowledging the source. “They come to me complaining about, my kid is drinking. I said, Daddy, do you drink? And Daddy says — that means you’re drinking.”
Rav Bender broadened the critique to communal norms. “We have a society, why do we have Kiddush clubs? Kiddush clubs is bad because in the middle of davening. Why should we serve anything at a Kiddush on Shabbos? Why? You want to give beer by a Shalom Zachar? …We have made a society where drinking is chashuv.”
He expressed astonishment at the luxury liquor culture that has become common. “I don’t believe it. I haven’t gone into a liquor store maybe 30, 40 years. I haven’t ever went in also. There’s bottles today that sell for five to ten thousand dollars, and people are buying it.”
He described the status culture surrounding these bottles as hollow. “The gadlus by a Toameha club is the guy who knows he could tell the difference between a $10,000 bottle and a $5,000 bottle. I don’t believe him for a second. He thinks he can tell the difference. And we glorify these things.”
Rav Bender then made a bold proposal. “There should be no kiddushim in shuls, I’m sorry. You’re very quiet. I liked it better when we talked about the kids. So I’m telling you the kids are seeing this.”
He insisted the drinking problem among teenagers is learned behavior. “I’m telling you right now, the kids by us in yeshiva who drink, let’s say on a Friday night sometimes, there are a few, right? On a Friday night or during the Shabbos and they put them together, they’re getting it from home. They’re seeing it by their parents.”
The problem then spreads socially. “Then other kids do it, other kids see it, they also become, yeah, it spreads from kid to kid. I blame the parents.”
Rav Bender emphasized that his criticism was not directed at the host community. “I’m not talking about this shul right now. I think you don’t know, you don’t know me, you do know what you have over here. You have a posek acharon. You have someone I hope should become the posek acharon in this town for all yeshivas. He should be that. Don’t let him get away with it. He should be doing it.”
He then added, “We glorify drinking. I blame it on the parents, I’m sorry.”
Rav Bender described the calls he receives. “Am I wrong? The kids who drink, I have parents who call me, my kid is drinking.”
Often, he said, the problem begins at home. “The mother calls me and her husband gets shikker every week. I can’t tell it to the wife, you know why? I’m causing shalom bayis problems. I’m sure the wife is already screaming at the husband already. That’s why he’s drinking, because she’s screaming at him.”
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{Matzav.com}
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Otzma Yehudit set off intense debate on Tuesday after sharing the outline of its proposed death penalty legislation for terrorists in the National Security Committee’s WhatsApp group. The circulated draft lays out the party’s vision in stark, uncompromising terms.
The document explains that the penalty would be applied solely in cases where a Jew is murdered because they are Jewish. It mandates that a simple majority be sufficient to impose the sentence, that no appeal be permitted, and that lethal injection be the method of execution. The responsibility for carrying out the penalty would fall to the Prison Service, and the execution would have to occur within 90 days.
Interestingly, the plan has not only gained traction among coalition partners but has also found backing from Yisrael Beiteinu, broadening its political reach.
According to the draft, the measure is framed as a deterrent “that looks to the future based on past (negative) experience,” insisting that such a law must be practical and fully enforceable, not merely a declarative statement.
As written, anyone who murders a Jew for being Jewish — whether by orchestrating, attempting, or committing the act — would automatically be sentenced to death. The legislation would remove judicial discretion entirely, prohibit appeals regarding the nature of the punishment, and bar plea agreements or pardons, consistent with existing legal limitations. To eliminate procedural delays, the proposal requires that executions take place within 90 days of a verdict becoming final. Lethal injection would be codified as the official method, with statutory adjustments to accommodate it.
Nonetheless, legal analysts warn that the bill, if advanced in its current structure, would likely encounter serious constitutional and procedural hurdles in the High Court, raising doubts about its ultimate viability.
{Matzav.com}
No GOP senator stepped in to derail a procedural move that would have forced an immediate vote on compelling the release of Jeffrey Epstein–related files.
Within hours of the House’s overwhelming approval of the resolution, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., followed through on his promise to push it forward, bringing the matter to the Senate floor.
Schumer insisted there was no reason for the chamber to stall, declaring that the Senate “should pass this bill as soon as possible, as written and without a hint of delay.”
He warned Republicans not to meddle with the language, saying, “Republicans must not try to change this bill or bury it in committee, or slow walk it in any way. Any amendment to this bill would force it back to the House and risk further delay. Who knows what would happen over there?”
Once the House formally sends the measure across the Capitol, it will head directly to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The resolution, authored by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., mandates that the Department of Justice publish every unclassified file, memo, communication, and investigatory document connected to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment, making them “publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format.”
Unlike the House — where the push for disclosure upended schedules and even triggered a temporary recess earlier this year under House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. — the Senate has been far less volatile as the issue has moved forward.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that Republicans were already evaluating the bill through the hotline process, the internal mechanism for vetting legislation before it reaches the floor. If it passed that stage, he said, the expectation was to bring it forward before lawmakers adjourn for the Thanksgiving break.
“We’ll see what the Democrats have to say,” Thune remarked. “But it’s the kind of thing, probably, that could perhaps move by unanimous consent.”
In the end, the measure advanced without needing a roll-call vote.
The landscape shifted considerably once President Donald Trump — who had spent months blasting efforts to force open the Epstein archives — unexpectedly embraced the Massie-Khanna proposal over the weekend.
He condemned the push as a “Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.”
He added on Truth Social, “Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory.”
Many Senate Republicans have long said they are open to making more information public but stress that victims must not be exposed in the process. House Speaker Johnson has urged lawmakers to add protections ensuring that identifying details remain shielded.
But Senate leadership signaled that such revisions are unlikely.
“I think when a bill comes out of the House 427 to one, and the president said he’d sign it, I’m not sure that amending it is in the cards,” Thune said.
Israeli airstrikes hit a Hamas training compound in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon on Tuesday evening, in what Lebanese outlets described as an unusually deep strike into the area. Minutes after the initial reports surfaced, the IDF confirmed that its aircraft had targeted terrorists operating at the site.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that fifteen people were killed and many more wounded. Hamas, however, issued a denial, claiming in an official statement that “it was a soccer field where children were playing at the time of the strike.”
Lebanese media reported heavy Hamas security around the area inside the Ein al-Hilweh camp following the attack, as operatives worked to keep civilians away. One unverified report from Lebanon said more than twenty individuals were inside the targeted building and that the facility had been used for gatherings of senior Hamas figures.
According to additional Lebanese media coverage, the strike was aimed at a group that had just exited the Khaled Ibn al-Walid Mosque in the camp and was preparing to board vehicles parked nearby when the attack occurred.
In its formal statement, the IDF said the Air Force had struck terrorists operating “in a military compound used by the terror organization’s operatives for training and instruction to plan and execute terror routes against IDF forces and the State of Israel.” The spokesman added that precautionary steps were taken ahead of the strike “to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”
The IDF stressed that it is acting consistently against Hamas’s foothold in Lebanon and “will continue to act forcefully against terrorists of the Hamas terror organization wherever they operate.”
Military correspondents in Israel added further context. Yossi Yehoshua reported that dozens of Hamas members—mostly lower-level operatives—had gathered at the compound and were involved in preparations for future terror attacks. Intelligence assessments indicated that the site served as a coordination hub for local Hamas cells in Lebanon.
Journalist Itay Blumental noted that the IDF had been planning to strike the compound for some time, but only on Tuesday did the operational conditions align. Once surveillance confirmed the presence of numerous terrorists, a fighter jet carried out the strike. According to early assessments, those killed were relatively low-ranking operatives.
This was the fourth Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday. Around 16:50, Lebanese media reported a drone strike in the village of Blida in the south. Earlier, at about 10:00, another UAV strike was reported on a vehicle in Bint Jbeil. In the morning hours, a drone reportedly targeted an excavator in Blida as well, marking a full day of ongoing military activity in southern Lebanon.
{Matzav.com}
In a landmark moment for Orthodox Jewish representation in American politics, Michelle Weiss clinched the mayoralty of University Heights, Ohio, setting a national first as an orthodox Jewish woman elected to lead a U.S. municipality.
Weiss, who has spent years cultivating a reputation as a pragmatic Republican voice in a predominantly Democratic suburb of Cleveland, centered her bid on cooperation over partisanship. Her message of unity, coupled with her long record of public service, helped her secure the community’s confidence.
With 15 years on the city council and six more as deputy mayor, Weiss entered the race as a familiar and steady presence in local government. Her election stands out not only for its political significance but for breaking new ground—no other orthodox Jewish woman is known to have held a comparable mayoral role in the United States.
At the outset of her campaign, she spoke of her deep bond with the city. “I love University Heights – my husband and I raised our children here and now watch our grandchildren grow,” she said. “I feel a debt of gratitude to the city and a commitment to make a difference.”
Her platform highlighted her reputation as someone ready to “reach across the aisle” to build consensus. Throughout the campaign, she emphasized strengthening infrastructure, promoting commercial growth, and safeguarding the needs of longtime residents. Weiss is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2026.
{Matzav.com}
Speaking to attendees at the Tikva Jewish Leadership Conference, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz offered a rare glimpse into the strategic thinking guiding Washington’s expectations for how the Gaza conflict must ultimately conclude, Channel 12 News reported.
Waltz described the administration’s view of the crossroads bluntly. “Here are the choices: it was either Hamas, or it was the IDF in perpetuity (in the Gaza Strip). And if it was the IDF in perpetuity, then frankly I don’t think we had a way of expanding the Abraham Accords, which is the number one objective of this administration.”
His comments underscored a central tension in US policy: while Hamas remaining in control of Gaza is wholly unacceptable, the White House is equally unwilling to endorse a long-term Israeli military and civil presence there. A sustained IDF role, he stressed, would directly interfere with the administration’s diplomatic ambitions—particularly its push to broaden the Abraham Accords.
Waltz went on to credit the architects of the original regional breakthroughs, saying, “You don’t get that unless you have President Trump, his team – Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Marco Rubio and people in there fighting the good fight,” pointing to the individuals he believes laid the groundwork for any further regional realignments.
{Matzav.com}
A Brooklyn court case that has shaken an entire community took another dramatic turn when Miriam Yarimi accepted a plea agreement that sharply reduced her potential prison time. Judge Danny Chen approved the deal, granting a sentence of three to nine years after Yarimi pleaded guilty to manslaughter, according to court filings.
Prosecutors, who had pressed for a far steeper penalty, are preparing a detailed submission ahead of her Wednesday sentencing. They intend to outline why they believe Yarimi’s punishment should be closer to the 15-year maximum they originally requested.
The tragedy unfolded in March, when Yarimi’s Audi A4 hurtled down Ocean Parkway and smashed into an Uber before spiraling toward Natasha Saada and her four young children. Two of the children, Diana, 7, and Deborah, 5, were killed instantly, while 4-year-old Philip suffered devastating injuries.
“The lives of Natasha Saada and her young daughters were stolen by the callous choices of a chronically reckless driver on Ocean Parkway,” said Eric Gonzalez, district attorney for Brooklyn. “Though the proposed sentence falls short of the maximum we sought, it will still send a clear message that reckless driving that ends in tragedy will be met with serious penalties.”
The wreck rattled south Brooklyn’s Jewish community, where residents had long voiced fears about speeding along Ocean Parkway but say this disaster underscored how quickly disaster can strike.
Yarimi, known for her work as a wigmaker and even advertising it with the vanity plate “WIGM8KER,” had no valid license at the time of the crash. She had amassed an astonishing 93 traffic violations, among them 20 speeding offenses that together brought more than $10,000 in fines, records indicate.
Her behavior in the moments after the collision added another disturbing layer. First responders reported that Yarimi made erratic and alarming remarks, insisting she was “possessed” and “had the devil in me,” according to sources. A criminal complaint states she told officers, “The devil’s in my eyes. I’m haunted inside. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hurt anyone. Prove it. Show me proof.”
{Matzav.com}The office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued a fierce denunciation on Monday night, insisting that Israel bear full accountability for what it characterized as a direct provocation by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The uproar followed Ben-Gvir’s declaration that Abbas should be arrested and that senior PA figures should be assassinated if the United Nations advances recognition of a Palestinian state.
In its announcement, the PA leadership said it viewed Ben-Gvir’s remarks as nothing less than an open call to harm Abbas and other senior officials. The statement blasted what it described as “dangerous incitement” and argued that such rhetoric fuels violence, emboldens would-be attackers, and encourages Israeli civilians to target Palestinian Arabs, their communities, and their sacred sites.
The PA Chairman’s Office urged Washington and the broader international community to intervene, asserting that global pressure is needed to halt what it labeled a reckless escalation from the Israeli government. According to the statement, this kind of language only ratchets up instability, fans hostility on the ground, and drags the region further from any realistic attempt to restore negotiations.
Ben-Gvir ignited the controversy during the opening of his Otzma Yehudit faction meeting on Monday, where he took aim at a UN Security Council proposal that includes the phrase “a path to a Palestinian state.” He claimed the concept keeps resurfacing in different formats and is once again being pushed forward.
Linking diplomatic advocates of statehood to terrorism, Ben-Gvir argued that those promoting such political moves are the very same players who support violence. He dismissed the notion of Palestinian nationhood as a project for a “fabricated people,” asserting that its champions hope to erect it “upon the ruins of the State of Israel.” He also tied the idea to the October 7th attackers, accused its supporters of paying stipends to terrorists, and claimed that those who deny the Holocaust share the same objective of establishing a Palestinian state.
Ben-Gvir then pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take decisive steps against the Palestinian Authority. He declared that Abbas “and his terrorist associates” should not be shielded from consequences. If the UN proceeds with recognition, Ben-Gvir insisted Israel must respond with targeted action against top PA leaders and order Abbas’ arrest, suggesting that a prison cell in Ktzi’ot Prison is already waiting for him.
{Matzav.com}
