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Donald Trump said Xi Jinping was “extremely hard to make a deal with” as the leaders of the world’s two largest economies battle over trade.

BREAKING: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the US nuclear deal proposal was “against Tehran’s national interests” and that Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment. Speaking at an event marking 36 years since the death of his predecessor, Khamenei said in a speech that uranium enrichment is key to the country’s nuclear program and that the US proposal to end it violates Iranian independence. Khamenei also addressed President Trump, saying, “Who are you to tell us whether we can have a nuclear program or not? We will not give up the ability to enrich uranium.”

Master Sergeant (Res.) Alon Farkas, 27, from Kabri, was killed in action during a battle in northern Gaza, the IDF confirmed Wednesday. Farkas served in the 6646th Reconnaissance Battalion of the 646th Brigade.

The confrontation that claimed Farkas’s life also left another reservist from the same battalion critically wounded. The injured soldier was quickly transported to a hospital for urgent care, and his family has been informed of his condition.

In a separate encounter in Gaza, a Hamas drone dropped an explosive device on a group of soldiers operating in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. As a result, two members of the elite Yahalom Unit sustained moderate injuries, and a Shin Bet officer suffered light wounds.

On Tuesday, the IDF released the names of three soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s 9th Battalion who lost their lives during clashes in northern Gaza: Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhana, and Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder.

Steinberg, 20, from Petach Tikva, and Barhana, 20, from Yavne, both served as combat medics. Van Gelder, 22, from Ma’ale Adumim, held the position of squad commander.

Two other troops were moderately hurt in the same incident that resulted in the deaths of the three soldiers.

As of now, the total number of IDF soldiers killed since the war began stands at 861.

{Matzav.com Israel}

YWN regrets to inform you of the petira of Rebbetzin Miriam Chava Rubin A”H, daughter of the Kossover Rebbe, HaRav Shraga Feivish Hager ZT”L—who was niftar less than a year ago. She was the wife of Rav Yisocher Rubin, Koznitz-Siget Rav. Rebbetzin Rubin A”H, who recently married off her eldest child, passed away following an illness. She leaves behind eight yesomim. She was just 42 years old. The Levaya will take place Wednesday morning (Isru Chag Shavuos) at 11:00 AM at the Kossover Beis Medrash in Boro Park at 1355-55th Street, followed by the kevurah at the Viznitzer Beis HaChaim in Monsey. Besuros Tovos!  

The home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has issued a stark warning: If there is no significant breakthrough on the long-stalled draft law, the Degel HaTorah faction within United Torah Judaism will exit the governing coalition.

This announcement follows what is perceived as a continued standstill in legislation that would accommodate chareidi yeshiva students within Israel’s mandatory military conscription framework. The statement from Rav Hirsch’s home emphasized that without a dramatic change, the time has come to take decisive action.

The ultimatum comes as a critical meeting took place between MK Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and former Shas MK Ariel Attias. According to reports, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office is considering removing Edelstein from his position due to his firm opposition to a maximalist draft law, which has been heavily backed by the chareidi parties. However, Netanyahu’s office has officially denied the claims.

Sources close to the Prime Minister are reportedly evaluating whether such a political shake-up would buy enough time to appease chareidi demands and allow for the legislation to pass within their desired timeline.

Earlier Tuesday, the crisis over the draft law appeared to reach a boiling point. Motti Babchik, close aide to UTJ chairman and Housing Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf, met with National Unity leader Benny Gantz. The meeting is part of a broader effort by Agudas Yisroel to explore a potential Knesset dissolution bill, a move that could bring down the government altogether.

Meanwhile, MK Moshe Gafni reportedly delivered a stern message to the Prime Minister’s office on behalf of the leading rabbinic figures of the Litvishe community—Rav Dov Landau and Rav Hirsch—that unless real progress is made on the draft legislation by tonight, instructions will be given to escalate political pressure immediately.

{Matzav.com Israel}

QUESTION:  Does Rav Moshe Feinstein’s leniency of chalav stam (milk that is supervised by government inspectors) apply to cheese? Is there such a thing as gevina stam? ANSWER: Shulchan Aruch (YD 115:2) writes that if a nochri makes cheese using herbs, even if one can tell that the cheese was made with herbs and not with rennet, it is considered gevinas Akum. The Rema writes that the general custom is like Shulchan Aruch. He adds that there were places (such as Narbonne) where they had a tradition to be lenient, but if one does not have this tradition it is forbidden to be lenient. In places without a lenient tradition, even if it is known that cheese was made with herbs, the Rema ruled that it is forbidden since a Yisroel did not supervise the cheesemaking. The Shach (YD 115:20) is even more stringent. According to the Shach, if a Yisroel did not add the rennet, even if he watched the cheese being made, the cheese is forbidden. Even though he knows the cheese was made with all kosher ingredients, it is gevinas akum since a Yisroel did not actually make the cheese. According to the Shach, it is obvious that government regulations will not make a difference. Although most poskim follow the ruling of the Rema, Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe YD 1:50) writes explicitly that there is no substitute for a Yisroel supervising the making of the cheese. Government-regulated cheese would not be better than cheese of Narbonne, about which the Rema writes that the accepted custom is to be strict. Rav Moshe writes that even if a nochri would have ne’emanus to say that his cheese was made with kosher rennet, this would still not be any better than the cheese of Narbonne and would be considered gevinas akum. This is a different standard than is required for chalav Yisroel. Regarding chalav Yisroel, it is sufficient for the mashgiach to stand outside the barn, since the farmer is afraid of being caught contaminating the milk. Since fear of getting caught is sufficient for chalav Yisroel, government inspectors work as well. For gevinas Yisroel, however, there is no substitute to having a Yisroel supervise (or, according to the Shach, make) the cheese.

In a landmark ruling, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation have announced that all stones from the Kosel HaMa’aravi currently scattered across various locations in Israel will be returned to their original location for genizah (burial), in accordance with the position of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

The decision comes in response to the recent transfer of a massive five-ton Kosel stone—believed to have fallen during the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash—for display at Ben Gurion Airport. The move drew strong opposition from the Chief Rabbinate and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which stressed that these stones are not archaeological artifacts to be exhibited, but sacred remnants that must be treated with halachic reverence and preserved as part of the sanctity of the Kosel.

On Tuesday, a pivotal meeting was held at the Kosel, bringing together senior rabbinic leaders and government officials, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel; the Rishon Letzion and President of the Rabbinical Courts, Rav Dovid Yosef; President of the Chief Rabbinate Council Rav Kalman Bar; Rav of the Kosel and holy sites Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz; Minister for Religious Services Michael Malchieli; Minister for Yerushalayim Affairs and Jewish Tradition Meir Porush; Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu; Director of the Antiquities Authority Eli Eskosido; Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation Mordechai (Suli) Eliav; Director General of the Ministry for Religious Services Rabbi Yehuda Avidan; Director of the Chief Rabbinate Rabbi Yehuda Cohen; Director of the Yerushalayim and Jewish Tradition Ministry Shimi Elboim; along with representatives from the Antiquities Authority and the Jewish Quarter Development Company.

Prior to the meeting, the rabbonim and ministers visited the designated site where fallen Kosel stones from the time of the Second Bais Hamikdosh are respectfully preserved for genizah. Dozens of stones currently rest there in accordance with halachah. The leaders then convened in the office of the Rav of the Kosel, where the rabbonim reiterated their firm position that these stones are an inseparable part of the Kosel’s sanctity and must be treated accordingly.

Following the tour and deliberations, a unanimous decision was reached: all Kosel stones currently on display in places such as Ben Gurion Airport, the President’s Residence, the Kirya in Tel Aviv, the Israel Museum, and in Antiquities Authority warehouses will be removed from exhibition and respectfully interred alongside the other Kosel stones at their designated burial site. Additional safeguards will be implemented to protect the sanctity of the stones, including fencing off the genizah area and issuing public instructions prohibiting any use of the stones.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, affirmed the agency’s commitment to religious sensitivity: “The Israel Antiquities Authority will act on matters of holiness in line with the position of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and accordingly, all the stones will be returned for genizah at their proper site beside the other Kosel stones.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

A 22-year-old Vizhnitz chassid studying to become a sofer, is now at the center of one of the most unusual espionage cases in Israel’s history — a tale that began with financial stress, a smartphone, and a mysterious message from a woman named “Anna.” Facing mounting debts of nearly 70,000 shekels, which he attributed to “poor financial choices,” Stern purchased a smartphone in June 2024 — a rare and frowned-upon move in his kehilla. Hoping to make fast money trading cryptocurrency, he downloaded investment apps and joined several Telegram groups. It wasn’t long before he was scammed out of 5,000 shekels. Then came “Anna.” Claiming to be a Canadian activist running a campaign against traffic accidents in the UK, “Anna Elena” reached out to the chossid with an emotional appeal to “help save lives in Israel.” But according to Israeli security officials, “Anna” was no activist — she was an Iranian intelligence operative running a covert recruitment effort. At first, the requests were strange, but not overtly violent. Anna sent the avreich an image of bloodied hands with an English caption: “History will record that children were murdered. Let’s stand on the right side of history.” The chossid, who later claimed he couldn’t fully understand the English text, was told it was “for the protection of children.” He printed 150 copies of the image at a local store in Beit Shemesh, paying 150 shekels, and hid them under loose floor tiles in his apartment building. He then arranged for a second individual — also found online — to post them around Tel Aviv. For this effort, he received $50 in cryptocurrency. The “Anna” persona began requesting increasingly disturbing acts: burning a forest, placing a severed sheep’s head in front of the Israeli ambassador’s home, and staging grotesque public threats — such as placing a knife-stabbed doll inside a cardboard box. Most shockingly, she allegedly asked him what he would do if asked to shoot someone, offering $75,000 and an escape flight from Israel. The avreich declined, saying, “That’s not for me.” When Shin Bet agents arrested him at home, one investigator asked if he wanted to bring his tefillin. He replied they were at the Vizhnitz beis medrash. In a surreal moment, the agents drove him — just before dawn — to the shul to retrieve them. “He shook my hand and thanked me for treating him with understanding,” the investigator later recalled. The avreich’s story has reportedly stunned investigators. A sheltered chassidishe young man — a father, husband, and aspiring sofer — lured by debt, naiveté, and digital deception into the orbit of a hostile regime. He now faces serious security charges, with Israeli prosecutors expected to indict him for attempting to assist a foreign enemy in carrying out acts of incitement and subversion. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back sharply Monday against media reports that Israeli tanks fired on Palestinians attempting to access humanitarian aid in Gaza, accusing journalists of spreading unverified information sourced from Hamas. In response to mounting questions about alleged Israeli military actions near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — where multiple Palestinians have reportedly arrived at hospitals with gunshot wounds and some have died — Leavitt said the Trump administration is reviewing the reports but urged skepticism. “The President is aware of those reports and we are currently looking into the veracity of them,” Leavitt said during a White House press briefing. “Because unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don’t take the word of Hamas with total truth. We like to look into it when they speak.” Leavitt singled out the BBC for criticism, citing a recent incident in which the outlet retracted a report accusing Israeli forces of killing civilians in Gaza. “Unlike the BBC, who had multiple headlines about Israeli tanks killing various numbers of civilians and then had to correct and take down their entire story — saying ‘we reviewed the footage and couldn’t find any evidence of anything’ — we take a different approach,” she said. Leavitt concluded her remarks with a broad rebuke of the press corps, accusing them of fueling global misinformation. “We’re going to look into the reports before we can confirm them from this podium, before we take action. And I suggest that journalists who actually care about truth do the same — to reduce the amount of misinformation that’s going around the globe on this front,” she said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A groundbreaking Israeli Health Ministry report on smoking in Israel has revealed alarming statistics about the prevalence of smoking among young men in the chareidi sector, with dramatically higher rates than in the general population. The study, the first of its kind, found that over half of students in chareidi high schools and nearly 80% of dropouts had tried smoking—many starting at a shockingly young age.

The survey, conducted by the Public Health Division in cooperation with the Institute for Chareidi Research, polled 618 boys aged 12–24 in both yeshiva ketanos (high school age) and yeshivos gedolos (post-high school). The results point to a deep public health concern:

• 80% of dropouts from chareidi high schools reported trying smoking

• 54% of students in yeshiva ketanos had also experimented with smoking

• 77% of young men in yeshivos gedolos had smoked

• 56% of the latter group reported being regular or occasional smokers

The average age for first-time smoking among chareidi boys was 12.4 years, highlighting how early the behavior begins. A dramatic jump in experimentation was recorded starting from age 15, emphasizing the need for preventive efforts before that age.

The study also shed light on differences among sectors within the chareidi community:

• Chassidishe yeshivos reported a 63% rate of regular or occasional smokers

• Sephardic yeshivos followed with 59%

• Litvishe yeshivos had a relatively lower rate of 52%

Chassidishe institutions had a higher tendency toward traditional cigarettes, while students in Litvishe yeshivos were more likely to use electronic cigarettes or vapes.

A strong correlation was found between family smoking habits and student behavior:

• When the father smoked, 55% of students smoked

• When siblings also smoked, the rate jumped to 70%

• When both father and siblings smoked, an overwhelming 81% of students were smokers

Despite 94% of surveyed students acknowledging that smoking is harmful to health, awareness about the dangers of alternative tobacco products was significantly lower:

• Only 78% believed electronic cigarettes are harmful

• Just 70% saw hookah as dangerous

• Merely 43% thought passive vaping could harm others

Access to tobacco products was found to be alarmingly easy:

• 55% of students purchased cigarettes or vapes on their own

• 56% said they were not asked their age

• 58% were not asked to show ID

The report also raised concerns over targeted advertising: tobacco and nicotine companies were found to advertise in chareidi print media at disproportionately high rates, exploiting regulatory loopholes to reach a vulnerable audience.

Despite the high numbers of users, many expressed a desire to quit:

• 50% of smokers in yeshiva ketanos and 31% of high school dropouts said they wanted to stop smoking

• Among yeshivos gedolos students, 55% hoped to quit, though most admitted it would be very difficult

• Alarmingly, 40% of young smokers were unaware of the Health Ministry’s cessation hotlines, and only a few had ever reached out for help

The Health Ministry emphasized the urgent need for culturally sensitive intervention programs, including:

• Stricter enforcement of sales bans to minors

• Public awareness campaigns tailored for chareidi communities

• Increased access to smoking cessation resources

• Involvement of rabbonim and educators to shift norms

The report calls for a coordinated effort with religious leaders and policymakers to transform smoking from a normalized behavior into a socially rejected one—muktzah machmas mi’us in their words.

Smoking Epidemic Beyond the Chareidi Sector

The findings regarding the chareidi community are part of a broader national concern. According to the report:

• 20.5% of Israeli adults smoke—roughly 30% above the global average

• Among Arab men, the rate soars to 40.3%

• About one-quarter of non-smokers reported being exposed to secondhand smoke, with significantly higher exposure in the Arab sector

Among youth nationally, 53% of those who tried smoking began with electronic cigarettes. Flavored tobacco products are highly popular:

• 88% use flavored hookah

• 82% use flavored electronic cigarettes

• 45% use flavored traditional cigarettes or rolling tobacco

Health Minister MK Uriel Buso stated in the report’s introduction: “Fighting the damage caused by smoking is an urgent national mission—especially among youth. Smoking kills about 8,000 men and women in Israel every year.”

Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov added: “The prevention of smoking and its harmful consequences remains one of our top priorities. Unfortunately, the use of e-cigarettes among young people is accelerating.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron slammed the court’s increasing intervention in controversial issues in his speech last week at the Bar Association conference. “In recent years, we have witnessed a trend of expanding the authority of the Supreme Court and its increasing intervention in constitutional and even extra-constitutional review,” Elron said. “This expansion, which I have consistently opposed, poses a real challenge to the principle of separation of powers. It leads to a discourse of extremes in which the court has become a public battleground, even in non-legal issues.” “In my opinion, we must walk a middle path: a path that recognizes the authority of the Supreme Court but seeks to use it in a restrained, limited, and moderate manner.” Elron warned that constitutional law in Israel has been developing for several decades without a complete constitution, based on key Basic Laws such as ‘Human Dignity and Liberty’ and ‘Freedom of Occupation,’ as well as on precedent-setting rulings of the Supreme Court. He emphasized that in recent years the trend has reached a peak, especially with the Supreme Court’s unprecedented verdict that it has the authority to repeal even Basic Laws—as happened in Amendment 3 to the Basic Law: The Judiciary (revocation of the reasonableness clause). Elron also decried the fact that any Israeli civilian can appeal against the government’s laws to the Supreme Court, even those who will not be personally affected by the law. “At times, the moment a controversial law is passed, petitions are filed against it—even without waiting for its practical effects,” Elron said. “Thus, public issues immediately move from the legislature to the halls of the Supreme Court. The discourse focuses on the result—victory or defeat—instead of the substance, and every decision becomes a power struggle. This is a power-based discourse that also permeates constitutional law—and the damage from it is immense. The law, and especially constitutional law, is not black and white. It has many shades.” Elron warned that “the most dramatic remedy—the annulment of a law or a basic law—is a conventional weapon that should be used only as a last resort.” He noted that in many cases, such as in the ruling on Amendment 3 to the Basic Law: The Judiciary, he argued that there was no justification for disqualifying a basic law at an early stage: “In the opinion of many, no significant change would have occurred if the amendment had remained in effect—and no damage would have been caused to the citizens of Israel.” Elron emphasized that the judiciary’s authority “must be exercised responsibly and proportionally.” “I say this as a Supreme Court Justice for eight years and after another 13 years in other courts,” he said. “I have always kept in mind the importance of public trust in the judicial system—because without it, the court has no validity.” Last week, an Israeli district court judge left his position in the judicial system after expressing harsh criticism regarding the conduct of the President of the Supreme Court, Yitzchak Amit. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Sources in the Chareidi parties claim that Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, wants to drag Israel to elections, Arutz Sheva reported on Wednesday. The report comes after the Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, instructed the Degel HaTorah MKs on Wednesday morning to act to dissolve the Knesset after the negotiations on a Chareidi draft law with Edelstein on Tuesday evening failed. “It cannot be said that Yuli Edelstein does not speak with a lot of logic to the average secular voter in that he demands a draconian law, but along the way he’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater, leading to the exit of the Chareidim from the coalition, elections, and a left-wing government,” a senior Shas official told Arutz Sheva. Edelstein is insisting that the law include harsh sanctions on bnei yeshivos if the recruitment targets aren’t reached, even if there is an increase in Chareidi recruitment, and is also not willing to include civilian service [such as service in Israel Police or MDA] in the recruitment goals. “What exactly does Edelstein want?” the senior official questioned. “If he wants to recruit Chareidim, no one will enlist because there will be no law and there will be no Chareidi agreement around a formula of the kind he is proposing. If he wants to oust Binyamin Netanyahu, he should say it out loud.” “At the end of the day, he knows very well that there is no world in which all yeshiva bochurim will leave their Gemaras and go to the battlefield. There is not one Chareidi Rav – even those who support Chareidi employment – who supports this.” “The proposals he is offering are detached and unrealistic. What he’s doing is pushing the entire Chareidi leadership into a corner, uniting them into one position, and dismantling the government. That way there will be no law, there will be no Chareidi recruitment, there will be no government, and a left-wing government will be elected. And maybe that’s what he wants.” Edelstein’s fellow Likud members are also angry at Edelstein’s refusal to compromise, Ynet reported. However, despite calls to oust him from his position as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, such a move is not on the table because it “would sully the legislative process” and would make the law more likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court. However, according to the report, the Likud party is exploring other options to appease the Chareidim. A senior coalition official said that “despite the fact that the Chareidim are compromising again and again, Edelstein has decided to dismantle the government. He won’t pass the conscription law, and not a single Chareidi will be drafted, and he will also endanger us with the rise of a left-wing government in such a complex security period.” A source close to Edelstein responded to the allegations against him, saying that “he has stuck to the same view for a year and a half and we have not changed anything in the principles of the law. He is determined to formulate a law that meets security needs. What is happening now is an attempt to introduce loopholes in our law, which really leads to recruitment. Edelstein’s law is logical, effective, and fair. It […]