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A fresh clash emerged today in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as lawmakers revisited the proposed Security Service Law and confronted a charged question: Who qualifies as a “graduate of a chareidi educational institution” for the purposes of the draft?

The discussion, held today as part of ongoing deliberations on the draft law, centered on Section 26Yud-Beis, which determines how the state identifies chareidi conscripts, a classification that directly affects annual recruitment targets for chareidim.

Under the version currently on the table, anyone who attended chareidi educational institutions for at least two of the four years between ages 14 and 18 would be recognized as a chareidi graduate. This group forms the basis for the minimum yearly recruitment benchmark.

During the meeting, the committee’s legal advisers suggested narrowing the definition by counting only the years closest to the actual draft date. Their rationale: tightening the timeframe might better reflect the characteristics of the individual as they enter the IDF.

But Brig. Gen. Shay Taib, head of the IDF’s manpower support division (TOMCH”A), urged caution and objected to revisiting the definition at this stage. If the practical difference between the definitions is minimal, he argued, stability should take precedence. “There is value in continuity,” he said, noting that the Ministry of Education holds the necessary data to analyze any discrepancies.

Taib also raised a related, long-standing problem: the mechanism used to tally chareidi recruits. The current system relies on after-the-fact cross-checking — often sparking disputes and lengthy delays. “I propose that we do not count retroactively, but rather assign each conscript to a birth year grouping,” he said. “From the moment someone crosses age 18, it must be clear whether he is defined as chareidi under the law. Otherwise, we spend months arguing after the enlistment already happened.”

A representative of the Ministry of Education, Miriam Grazi Rosenbaum, rejected accusations that the ministry misclassifies institutions or mistakenly includes graduates of religious-Zionist yeshiva high schools as chareidi. She explained that every school is reviewed individually according to the relevant regulations, and when misunderstandings arose, the ministry clarified the data and provided the IDF with accurate, targeted information.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense signaled support for keeping the existing definition intact. Kobi Blitstein, the ministry’s deputy director general, said the current formulation maintains balance among different population groups — including youth who leave religious observance after years in chareidi schools, as well as baalei teshuvah who may enlist at a later age. He emphasized the importance of consistent data, comparability across years, and alignment with definitions used by the Civil Service Commission.

The committee is expected to continue debating the matter as the draft law advances, with the core issue still unresolved: how to determine, in a uniform and defensible way, who counts as chareidi for the purpose of national service requirements.

{Matzav.com}

FOX: What is the administration’s plan to rein in the cost of food and housing? SCOTT BESSENT: People should be stressed because it’s Biden inflation. We are bringing that down.

CNBC: The president said the other day “why can’t there be 25% GDP growth.” What is the street supposed to do with that kind of number? KEVIN HASSETT: As an abstract thought, I don’t know what the highest growth ever is, but I doubt it made it to 20%.

The latest U.S. jobs report, released today, shows that employers added 64,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, the highest level in four years. The data, delayed by the government shutdown, points to a softening labor market, with slower wage growth and federal layoffs weighing on employment, according to the report.

The third candle has been lit at Kever Rashbi in Meron, as the Lubavitcher “Haneiros Halalu” is sung.

[Video below.] Maran Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, rosh yeshiva of Slabdoka, delivered pointed words of chizuk on Monday night during a Chanukah gathering attended by hundreds of talmidim at Yeshivas Ohr Yisroel in Petach Tikva, addressing the ongoing storm surrounding Israel’s draft law and what he described as growing pressure on the עולם התורה.

Referring to the continued arrests of yeshiva students classified as “draft evaders,” Rav Landau lamented efforts he said are aimed at pulling bochurim away from Torah learning. “There are people here among us who want to cancel learning,” he said. “They are pursuing us, and we hope, with Hashem’s help, that everything will pass like a fleeting dream, like a cloud that dissolves — that it will all vanish, and very soon we will only learn and be involved in learning.”

In his remarks, Rav Landau emphasized that Chanukah highlights the centrality of uninterrupted Torah study. While the Yom Tov includes mitzvos such as lighting the menorah, reciting Hallel, and krias haTorah, he stressed that there is one obligation that never ceases. “There is a mitzvah that is always, always, always — to learn. There is no time exempt from learning,” he said. “On Chanukah even more so, because they decreed ‘to make them forget Your Torah.’ One must always be immersed in learning — not just learning, but fully immersed, placed into the learning, listening to what you are taught, with persistence and total involvement. That is how time is meant to be spent — except for one day a year, Tisha B’Av, which will be annulled speedily in our days.”

Addressing the draft issue directly, Rav Landau dismissed other pursuits as insignificant distractions. “To learn and to learn,” he said. “There is no time exempt from learning, to be immersed and diligent. Everything else is emptiness of emptiness. Now they want to pass decrees against Your will. They want to take us away from learning.”

Concluding his words, Rav Landau urged the talmidim to remain steadfast. “Be immersed in learning and listen to what your rabbanim teach and guide you,” he told them. “Know that this alone is true happiness. There is nothing else in the world. Fortunate are we, how good is our portion, that we learn Torah. May it be His will that we continue learning in proper order until the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, speedily in our days, amen.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Government Secretary Adv. Yossi Fuchs sharply criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday night, accusing her of consistently targeting the chareidi community and of systematically expanding Supreme Court rulings far beyond their original scope, amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the proposed conscription law.

Although Knesset deliberations on the draft law are still underway and the legislation remains in the formulation stage, Baharav-Miara released a legal opinion over the weekend addressing the emerging bill. Her opinion was issued while the law is still being debated in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth.

In her opinion, the attorney general expressed sweeping opposition to the proposed law and stated unequivocally that if the matter reaches the High Court of Justice, she would recommend striking it down. Her remarks came against the backdrop of ongoing committee discussions and various frameworks currently under consideration.

While Baharav-Miara’s position did not surprise political figures, it emerged that during a meeting last week between Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the United Torah Judaism faction, chareidi MKs demanded a forceful response to the attorney general’s opinion. They called on Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth to issue a sharply worded letter rebutting her arguments.

Ultimately, it was Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs who responded. On Monday evening, Fuchs sent a letter of his own to Baharav-Miara, in place of Bismuth, delivering unusually harsh criticism.

In his letter, Fuchs wrote: “You have made it a habit to act only against the chareidim. It is a shame that you did not apply such strict standards to yourself as well, in the case of the Military Advocate General.”

Fuchs went on to accuse the attorney general’s office of operating a calculated and recurring strategy: “You have developed an efficient method. After every High Court ruling, you issue a letter that significantly tightens the ruling far beyond what was actually stated in it. The ‘Movement for Quality Government’ then issues a letter of exhaustion of remedies based on your unfounded claims, files a petition to the High Court, and the Attorney General’s Office sides with the petitioner instead of representing the government.”

{Matzav.com}

In a moving Chanukah event held within one of Israel’s most challenging environments, the Rishon LeTzion and Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Dovid Yosef, visited the Israel Prison Service (IPS) headquarters on Monday, participating in a festive menorah lighting and delivered words of chizuk to inmates and staff alike.

Rav Yosef arrived at the IPS headquarters together with Prison Commissioner Rav-Gonadar Kobi Yaakobi, senior IPS officials, and representatives of the IPS Rabbinate. As part of the visit, the Chief Rabbi also traveled to prisons themselves, where he delivered shiurim and messages of chizuk to inmates in the Torah wings at Maasiyahu and Ayalon prisons.

Addressing the significance of these units, Rav Yosef emphasized their transformative role. “I am happy to return and visit the Prison Service, and I make a point of coming into the prisons themselves to meet the inmates and strengthen them with words of Torah,” he said. “The Torah wing of the IPS is of immeasurable importance. It gives a person hope, a path, and an opportunity for tikkun, and enables connection to values and faith even in the most complex places. I greatly appreciate the sacred work of the IPS Rabbinate and of all those who serve in the Prison Service.”

Prison Commissioner Yaakobi highlighted the impact of the Chief Rabbi’s presence on IPS personnel, particularly during Chanukah. “The presence of the Rishon LeTzion and Chief Rabbi of Israel during the Festival of Lights provides meaningful strength to the women and men of the Prison Service,” he said. “This is the festival of light, and this light illuminates the work of IPS personnel who stand on the front lines day after day — facing terrorists, criminal organizations, and evil — with courage, dedication, and professionalism. The men and women of the Prison Service are carrying out a national mission of the highest importance for the security of Israel’s citizens.”

{Matzav.com}

A potentially devastating fire was narrowly avoided on Monday night after young children reportedly played with a lit Chanukah menorah, causing a blaze on a residential balcony.

Fire and rescue crews from the Afula district were dispatched to an apartment on Chativat Kfir Street after a woman reported seeing flames coming from the balcony of the apartment opposite hers.

B’chasdei Shomayim, the residents were able to gain control of the fire on their own before firefighters arrived, preventing what officials said could have ended in tragedy.

Fire officer Lahav Kfari Azulai, who took part in the response, described the scene upon arrival. “In the stairwell, we encountered a mother and her two children. The mother was extremely shaken and explained that while she stepped into the bathroom for a few minutes, her children apparently played with the lit candles and caused the fire,” he said.

Azulai stressed that only good fortune prevented serious harm. “A major disaster was narrowly avoided here,” he said, issuing a clear warning to the public. “Do not leave a Chanukah menorah lit without adult supervision. Place menorahs in a safe, stable location and far away from flammable materials.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has made clear to coalition partners that he has no intention of dismissing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, despite claims by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that the minister violated a prior agreement governing the terms of his service.

According to a report by Kan News, Netanyahu’s remarks come amid a petition currently being heard by Israel’s High Court of Justice challenging Ben Gvir’s continued tenure. The attorney general has argued that Ben Gvir breached understandings reached with her office in the past, raising the possibility that she could demand his removal.

Sources close to the prime minister stressed that even if the High Court were to rule otherwise, the authority to appoint or dismiss cabinet ministers rests solely with the prime minister. For that reason, they said, Ben Gvir will remain in his post.

Against the backdrop of growing expectations that Baharav-Miara may formally call for Ben Gvir’s dismissal, Netanyahu submitted a response on Sunday to the High Court petition. In his filing, the prime minister argued that the court lacks the legal authority to intervene in decisions regarding the appointment or removal of ministers.

The dispute follows an agreement reached last April between the attorney general and Ben Gvir outlining the framework for his continued service. That arrangement addressed, among other issues, the minister’s involvement in senior appointments, the operational and decision-making independence of the police, and the regulation of working relations between the political echelon and law enforcement.

Earlier this year, in February, and prior to Ben Gvir’s return to the government following his resignation over the hostage deal, Kan News reported that Netanyahu had already weighed the possibility of refusing to comply with a High Court ruling concerning the minister’s position. At that time, Netanyahu made clear that he would not accept the attorney general’s stance on the matter.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the petirah of Rav Yitzchak Abadi zt”l, concluding a lifetime of singular dedication to halacha, clarity in psak, and the shaping of generations of talmidei chachamim who continue to spread his influence throughout the world.

Born on March 12, 1933, in Venezuela, Rav Abadi entered the world far from the major Torah centers of the time. His parents soon brought him to Teverya, then under Mandatory Palestine, setting him on a path of Torah. His childhood was spent in Haifa, and from his earliest years, it was evident that he possessed an uncommon depth, seriousness, and yearning for Torah.

His formative learning took him first to the Yishuv HaChadash in Tel Aviv and then to Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim. The atmosphere of penetrating iyun, coupled with the yiras Shamayim that defined the yeshiva, left an indelible mark on him.

At just 19 years old, his extraordinary gifts were recognized by none other than the Chazon Ish. Sensing his potential, the Chazon Ish sent him to Montreux, Switzerland, for further growth, an unusual and remarkable endorsement for a young bochur. Only a year later, the Chazon Ish guided him once again, this time sending him across the ocean to Lakewood, New Jersey, to study under Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l. With this move, Rav Abadi entered the heart of the great American Torah renaissance.

Under the tutelage of Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Abadi developed into an outstanding talmid chochom. After Rav Aharon’s passing, he was widely viewed as one of the central poskim for the burgeoning Lakewood kehilla. His ability to analyze, clarify, and decide the most intricate halachic dilemmas set him apart, and his psakim were sought by rabbanim across the globe.

Rav Abadi was known for tackling complex and sensitive questions, often crafting rulings that were both deeply grounded in the mesorah and yet innovative in their application.

In 1980, Rav Abadi charted an independent course, establishing a halacha kollel in Lakewood devoted to cultivating elite talmidei chachomim capable of addressing real-world halachic questions. The kollel quickly drew attention for its rigor and its insistence on producing outstanding poskim.

In 1993, Rav Abadi moved the kollel to Har Nof in Yerushalayim, where it continued to flourish. Students Rav Abadi eventually returned to Lakewood in 2009, continuing to answer shailos and guide seekers of halachic clarity until the final years of his life.

His written works include Ohr Yitzchak and his well-known Birkat Hamazon Hakatzar.

The levayah is scheduled for today at 11:00 AM at the Conrgegation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, NJ. Kevurah will take place in Eretz Yisroel.

Rav Abadi is survived by a wonderful family following in his ways.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

A 20-year-old American yeshiva bochur was critically wounded during the terror attack at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia, as his family describes a young man devoted to spreading joy and strengthening Jewish life.

Leibel Lazaroff was shot in the abdomen and leg during the attack at the annual “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach on Sunday night. Family members said he suffered significant blood loss and still has shrapnel lodged in his stomach and upper thigh. He is hospitalized in critical but stable condition and is expected to undergo additional surgery.

Leibel’s father, Rabbi Yosef Lazaroff of Texas, shared an emotional message on Monday while flying from Texas to Australia to be at his son’s bedside. He said that his son “spread light” even at the moment he was targeted in the attack at Bondi Beach.

Rabbi Lazaroff said he remains in constant contact with hospital staff as his son fights for his life. He described Leibel as a young man who dedicated his year to volunteer work, strengthening Jewish life, and bringing happiness to others.

Rabbi Lazaroff characterized the shooting as an act driven by antisemitic hatred, calling it a defining moral moment separating good from evil, light from darkness, and violence from goodness.

Leibel, an American citizen who had recently been studying at a yeshiva in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was wounded when terrorists opened fire at the seaside Chanukah celebration. His family said that despite the severity of his injuries, his condition has stabilized following emergency treatment.

Lazaroff grew up in Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University, where his father serves as a Chabad shliach. About two months ago, during the Yom Tov season, he moved to Sydney to volunteer and assist the local Jewish community. On the night of the attack, he was actively helping organize the Bondi Beach Chanukah event when the shooting began.

At least 15 people were murdered in the attack, and more than 40 others were injured, including children. Authorities have classified the incident as a terrorist attack, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Despite the trauma, the Lazaroff family has urged the Jewish community to respond with strength rather than fear. Leibel’s mother thanked the public for their prayers and called on people to increase the spread of light, joy, and celebration throughout Chanukah, dedicating those efforts to the recovery of all the wounded.

{Matzav.com}

As Australian authorities continue investigating what has been described as the deadliest antisemitic terror attack the country has seen in years, the mother of one of the terrorists has publicly defended her son, insisting he is a “good boy” and denying his involvement in the massacre.

The comments were made by Verna Akram, the mother of 24-year-old Naveed Akram, one of the two attackers who opened fire on Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Akram said she does not believe her son took part in the mass shooting, despite overwhelming evidence presented by law enforcement.

“He doesn’t have a gun. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places,” she claimed. “He goes to work, he comes home, he goes to train, and that’s it.”

According to Akram, her son and his father, Sajid Akram, had recently returned from a trip to the Philippines and told family members they were planning a fishing excursion along Australia’s coast. On Sunday, she said, her son even called her to provide what she described as an alibi.

“He called me and said, ‘Mom, I just went swimming. I went diving. We’re going to eat now,’” she recalled, adding that he told her they planned to remain at the beach due to the heat.

Authorities, however, have painted a starkly different picture. Police say they discovered explosive materials and an ISIS flag inside a vehicle linked to the attackers — findings that directly contradict claims that Naveed Akram had no connection to extremism or violence. Despite this, his mother insisted she does not recognize her son in footage from the attack and continued to proclaim his innocence.

“Anyone would want a son like my son,” she said. “He is a good boy.”

According to police, for between 10 and 20 minutes on Sunday evening, Naveed Akram and his father opened fire on a large crowd of Jews gathered for a public Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach. Dozens of shots were fired into a crowd that included families, children, and elderly attendees. Approximately 1,000 people fled the area, scattering into nearby streets in panic.

Naveed Akram, an unemployed former construction worker, had reportedly been fired from his job two months before the attack. He lived with his parents, his 22-year-old sister, and his 20-year-old brother. He was a graduate of the Al-Morad Institute, where he studied the Quran.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Monday that his administration is formally designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, a move he said reflects the staggering toll the synthetic opioid has taken on American lives and underscores a broader effort to confront powerful drug networks operating across the Western Hemisphere.

Speaking as he signed an executive order enacting the change, Trump argued that the deadly impact of fentanyl rivals that of the world’s most feared weapons. “No bomb does what this is doing — 200-300,000 people die every year, that we know of,” Trump said, explaining why the substance is being placed in the same category as nuclear, biological, and chemical arms.

The order itself states that “illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic” and warns that it “threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere and at our borders.” Administration officials say the classification is meant to expand the government’s legal and strategic tools against international drug organizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States recorded roughly 80,000 overdose deaths in 2024, with approximately 48,000 linked specifically to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, highlighting the scale of the crisis Trump cited.

The decision dovetails with a wider campaign by the Trump administration against what it describes as “narco-terrorists.” As part of that effort, U.S. forces have carried out strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in recent months, an operation that has resulted in nearly 90 deaths since early September.

Trump has defended the strikes by asserting that each destroyed vessel prevents enormous loss of life at home, contending that eliminating more than 20 intercepted boats saves 25,000 Americans per ship. Critics, however, argue that many of the targeted vessels were likely transporting cocaine rather than fentanyl. They note that fentanyl, which drives the overdose epidemic, is largely trafficked overland through the southern border from Mexico, not by sea from countries like Colombia or Venezuela.

Alongside the maritime operations, the administration has ordered a significant military buildup in the Caribbean. The deployment includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier, multiple warships, and increased aerial activity, with U.S. military aircraft flying repeated missions along Venezuela’s coastline in recent weeks.

While the White House maintains that these actions are aimed squarely at disrupting drug trafficking routes, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused Washington of masking a push for regime change behind anti-narcotics rhetoric.

U.S. officials have sought to tie Venezuela directly to the drug trade, accusing Maduro of heading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns.” The United States formally designated the group a “narco-terrorist” organization last month and announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, linking its fentanyl policy, military posture, and regional strategy into a single front against what it calls a growing transnational threat.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH: Sydney Hatzolah member Yanky Super, who was wounded in the terrorist attack, with a bullet narrowly missing his spine, is interviewed from his hospital bed. He remains in need of tefillos. Please continue to daven for Yaakov Dov ben Penina.

Sydney’s Jewish community gathered at Bondi Beach to light a menorah and sing “Gesher Tzar Meod,” sending a powerful message of courage and hope in the aftermath of the deadly Chanukah attack.

The Trump administration said in a court filing Monday that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for unexplained national security reasons and because a preservationists’ organization that wants it stopped has no standing to sue. The filing was in response to a lawsuit filed last Friday by the National Trust for Historic […]

Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Second Chanukah Candle Lighting with IDF Soldiers at the Kosel: “If the Maccabees had failed, there would be no Huckabees. There would be no Judeo-Christian civilization. There would be no United States.”

Australian security agencies are intensifying their investigation into the backgrounds and overseas connections of Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father and son responsible for the deadly Chanukah attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people murdered.

According to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, intelligence officials have determined that the two men traveled abroad shortly before the massacre, raising concerns that the assault may have been tied to a wider international terror framework.

Officials briefed on the probe told ABC that the Akrams flew to Manila in early November and later continued on to the southern Philippines. There, investigators believe the pair received what was described as “military-style training” before returning to Australia toward the end of November, just weeks before the attack unfolded.

A senior counter-terrorism source said the overseas trip and training have become a central focus of the inquiry, as authorities work to establish whether the shooters were acting independently or as part of a coordinated jihadist network operating beyond Australia’s borders.

Earlier reporting by ABC revealed that 24-year-old Naveed Akram had longstanding associations with members of Australia’s pro-Islamic State milieu. Among those named were extremist cleric Wisam Haddad and Youssef Uweinat, who was previously convicted for recruiting youth on behalf of ISIS.

Haddad, responding through his legal representative, denied any role in the attack, stating that he “vehemently denies any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings that took place at Bondi Beach.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously told ABC that Australia’s domestic intelligence service, ASIO, had conducted a six-month investigation into the Akram family and uncovered “no evidence” that either Sajid or Naveed Akram had been radicalized. Neither individual had appeared on any terrorism watchlists prior to the massacre. Authorities also confirmed that Sajid Akram legally owned firearms and faced no restrictions preventing him from accessing weapons.

While Australian investigators continue their work, international intelligence agencies are also weighing in. The British Telegraph reported that Israeli intelligence officials assess the Sydney massacre to have been the work of a foreign terrorist cell receiving backing from Iran.

The report further stated that the tactics and execution of the attack bear hallmarks associated with a Hezbollah-linked operational unit responsible for carrying out attacks beyond Lebanon’s borders. Israeli officials are additionally examining whether Hamas or other terrorist organizations may have had a role in supporting or directing the perpetrators.

{Matzav.com}

An Arab tried to run over a police officer at the Elazar Junction in Gush Etzion early Tuesday afternoon and then fled the scene. B’Chasdei Hashem, no one was injured in the incident. An initial investigation revealed that the police officer got out of a patrol car and tried to stop the vehicle that swerved […]