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Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has announced that she will withdraw from direct involvement in the ongoing Sde Teiman investigation, handing responsibility for supervision of the case to the State Prosecutor’s Office.

Her decision came in the wake of an internal legal opinion issued by Yael Kotik, the Justice Ministry’s legal adviser, who concluded that Baharav-Miara’s continued participation could present a serious conflict of interest.

Kotik explained her reasoning in a formal letter to the Attorney General, writing: “At this stage, the Attorney General must refrain from participating in the oversight and supervision of the ongoing investigation. This cautious position in no way casts doubt or expresses any stance regarding the Attorney General’s involvement in the process, but is solely intended to ensure the independence of the investigation, even in terms of public perception.”

The ruling intensified an already heated public debate. Critics and petitioners have pressed Israel’s Supreme Court to disqualify Baharav-Miara from the case, arguing that her oversight could compromise the impartiality of the probe.

Adding to the procedural developments, Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Noam Sohlberg earlier on Wednesday approved Baharav-Miara’s request for extra time to respond to those petitions. She was granted until 10:00 p.m. Thursday to submit her formal reply.

The Attorney General’s recusal marks a significant shift in a case that has already drawn intense scrutiny and political controversy, as the justice system seeks to reassure the public of its independence and transparency.

{Matzav.com}

Investigators say a third Michigan man is now facing charges in a plot to stage a terror attack on Halloween. He traveled to Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, to scout the location, they said. Ayob Nasser, 19, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of participating in the planning of a possible attack on […]

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Chavra D’Hilchisa marked a major milestone this week with an uplifting siyum and recognition evening celebrating a year of structured, accountable limud Halacha Lemaaseh, and immediately launched its second year with great excitement and momentum.

Under the leadership of Rav Daniel Glatstein, the program has emerged as a premier framework for baalei batim seeking disciplined growth, clarity, and real achrayus in Halacha. The first year culminated in a heartfelt gathering where participants reflected on how consistency, exams, and guided learning transformed their daily schedules and spiritual lives.

Rabbi Rafi Amar, Mashgiach of the program, praised the extraordinary commitment of participants who balanced demanding work and family lives with steady Torah study. “This was a life-shaping decision,” he said. “They built limud HaTorah with structure and accountability into their everyday lives, and that’s where true growth begins.”

Program Director Rabbi Yonason Rosenblum highlighted how incremental effort in learning Torah brings profound transformation. “Even small steps in disciplined learning change who a person is,” he said. Participant testimonials echoed that theme, sharing how the program reignited their love for learning and reshaped their entire week.

Delivering the keynote, Rav Glatstein urged attendees to continue “disrupting” their routines for Torah. “You are trailblazers,” he said. “Ohev Hashem she’arim ha’metzuyanim ba’halacha mikol mishkenos Yaakov—Hashem loves those who make Halacha their gateway to Him.”

Just days later, Chavra D’Hilchisa opened its second year with the inaugural shiur in Hilchos Taaruvos – Issur V’Hetter, again led by Rav Glatstein. Participants joined from across the United States and abroad, eager to begin another year of clarity and kinyan in Halacha. With its blend of structured learning, rigorous standards, and warm chizuk, Chavra D’Hilchisa continues to attract serious lomdim who want to master Halacha and live it more fully.

As the new cycle begins, excitement is building—and there are still a few spots available for this year’s program. For information or to register, visit chavra.net, call 347-459-7352, or email admin@chavra.net.

WATCH THE EVENT HERE!

TRUMP: “The Democrats will terminate the Filibuster in THE FIRST HOUR, if and when they assume “control” or power. Republicans have what the democrats want, we should do it, NOW, and have the greatest three years in History!

Last night, FDNY responded to a call at 955 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, where firefighters found several cars and piles of garbage on fire; an explosion on scene injured seven firefighters—five with serious but non-life-threatening burns—three of whom were admitted to Jacobi Hospital. Fire Marshals are now investigating the cause of the explosion Chief […]

As Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pushes to pass the new draft law within a month to stabilize his coalition, deep divisions are emerging among the chareidi factions, with Agudas Yisroel MK Yitzchok Goldknopf expected to vote against the legislation.

Netanyahu has instructed senior coalition leaders and MK Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to expedite the passage of the bill regulating the status of yeshiva students. The prime minister’s goal is to pass the law through its second and third readings within four weeks, a key step to prevent the coalition from fracturing and triggering early elections.

Over the past few days, the heads of the chareidi parties — Shas, Degel HaTorah, and Agudas Yisroel — have been holding consultations with their respective rabbinic leadership. According to political sources, Shas and Degel HaTorah are expected to approve the new version of the bill, including several legal modifications required by the Knesset committee’s legal advisor, Miri Frenkel-Shor.

Shas insiders reveal that despite initial hesitation, the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah will support a bill that “protects Yavneh and its scholars — those who truly learn — even if it results in the enlistment of those who are not learning, as long as it is within frameworks suited to the chareidi sector.”

The legal aspect of the legislation, however, remains a sticking point. Lawmakers from the chareidi factions acknowledge that without Frenkel-Shor’s approval, the High Court is likely to strike down the bill or issue an injunction preventing it from taking effect. To that end, representatives of Shas and Degel HaTorah are currently negotiating with the committee’s legal team to reach a mutually acceptable draft.

Meanwhile, in Agudas Yisroel, the picture is far less unified. Senior officials from the party say that the faction is likely to split its vote when the bill reaches the Knesset floor. MK Yitzchok Goldknopf and MK Yitzchok Tesler are both expected to oppose it.

A source close to Goldknopf explained his stance: “We will not support a law that includes quotas and sanctions. This is an unprecedented bill, with recruitment targets reaching half of each draft cycle — completely against the position of our gedolei hador. We will vote against it.”

{Matzav.com}

Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David, who is currently in prison for his alleged role in a massive corruption scandal, transferred hundreds of thousands of shekels over the past two years to the left-wing Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Channel 14 reported. According to sources familiar with the details, funds were used by one of Israel’s most […]

Camp Achim has announced that its 2026 summer session will be slightly shorter than in previous years due to the early arrival of Rosh Chodesh Elul, which falls out on August 13.

Because of the way the calendar aligns, the camp season will last about two and a half days less than usual. Traditionally, the program includes four Shabbosos during the summer. However, this coming summer, the schedule will include only three Shabbosos, with camp running for three full weeks.

Despite the shortened season, the administration emphasized that the full camp program and year-round operations will continue as always. “Of course, we still have to run the full camp program and keep everything going throughout the year, no matter how long the season is,” the announcement stated. “Still, since it’s a bit shorter this summer, we felt it would be nice to do something a little different — and we hope you’ll agree.”

That “something different” comes in the form of a fee reduction. Camp Achim is lowering tuition by $150 compared to last year’s rate.

Kol hakavod.

The 2026 summer season at Achim will run from Tuesday, July 21, through Wednesday, August 12 (7 Av to 29 Av). The camp fee has been set at $3,345.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an anti-Israel Republican and a geyser of conspiracy-laden stupidity, is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential campaign, according to a new report that portrays the far-right firebrand as both a loyalist to Trumpism and an aspirant to inherit it. The report, published Wednesday by Notus, cites four sources familiar with […]

A fascinating halachic dialogue has captured the attention of the Torah world over recent days, as Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, and the Sanzer Rebbe, have engaged in a rare and remarkable written exchange of Torah ideas.

The debate began during Chol Hamoed Sukkos, when Rav Dov Landau hosted a major Torah gathering in his sukkah on Rechov Harav Sher in Bnei Brak. Present were leading roshei yeshiva, dayanim, and rabbanim, who joined the Rosh Yeshiva in animated discussion and deep halachic analysis for more than an hour and a half. The event, broadcast live, drew throngs of bnei Torah of all ages who surrounded his sukkah to witness the electrifying ahavas haTorah and hear the Rosh Yeshiva’s insights.

During the gathering, Rav Landau posed several sharp questions and halachic difficulties, raised in the midst of passionate rischa d’oraysa, as he interwove fascinating stories from the yeshiva world of Poland and Lithuania.

Shortly after, in response to one of the questions raised, the Sanzer Rebbe published a thoughtful letter in the weekly Torah publication Ohaley Moed. The Rebbe delved directly into one of Rav Landau’s points, articulating his own well-reasoned halachic position. The fact that a leading Chassidic Rebbe formally published a scholarly response to a Litvishe Rosh Yeshiva’s query sparked enormous interest across the Torah world, reflecting the deep mutual respect shared between these two Torah giants.

This week, Parshas Vayeira, Ohaley Moed has published Rav Dov Landau’s full written response to the Rebbe’s letter, bringing the fascinating halachic dialogue to its current peak.

In a striking conclusion, Rav Landau ended his reply with a line expressing both humility and admiration: “Kach mistabra k’mo shekasav rum maalaso shlita — It appears to be as written by his exalted honor, shlita.”

Beyond its intellectual depth, the correspondence serves as a model of Torah unity—two towering gedolim, representing distinct traditions, engaging in a search for emes with reverence and grace.

{Matzav.com}

The grim task of finding victims from the firestorm that followed the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, entered a third day Thursday as investigators gather information to determine why the aircraft caught fire and lost an engine on takeoff. The inferno consumed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, killing […]

After days of public protest and widespread outcry, yeshiva student Ariel Shamai — who was jailed for refusing to enlist in the IDF — was released on Wednesday and made his first stop at the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshivas Slabodka, to personally thank him for his support.

As previously reported extensively here on Matzav.com, Shamai, a talmid at Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, became a symbol of the fight against the imprisonment of yeshiva bochurim for Torah study. Just hours after leaving the military prison, he visited Rav Hirsch’s home in Bnei Brak to express gratitude for the encouragement he had received during his detention, including the shiur Rav Hirsch delivered outside the prison gates and the massive public rally that followed.

The rosh yeshiva greeted Shamai warmly, shaking his hand and listening as those accompanying him described the circumstances of his early release. “It was unusual,” they explained. “He and three others were told today that they were receiving the mutsmedet — meaning those scheduled for release on Friday were permitted to leave two days early. That almost never happens. This time, they implemented the special procedure and released him.”

“He looks a hundred percent,” Rav Hirsch said with a smile.

Reflecting on his days behind bars, Shamai admitted, “It was very difficult,” but said that Rav Hirsch’s shiur and personal visit deeply strengthened him. “It really encouraged me,” he said.

Those present told the rosh yeshiva that during his time in prison, Shamai spent many hours learning and even wrote Torah essays and answers to questions posed by his fellow inmates.

Earlier in the day, MK Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, spoke with Shamai by phone following his release. “We will do everything possible to ensure this never happens again — that no bochur is ever arrested for learning Torah,” Gafni told him. “I strengthen you and bless you. Return to your learning.” Gafni had also visited Shamai in military prison several days earlier to express solidarity.

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned several Hezbollah terrorists —Ossama Jaber, Ja’far Mohammed Qasir, and Samer Kasbar—accused of funneling tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah while exploiting Lebanon’s cash economy.

Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most powerful in American politics. Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday. “I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi […]

Israeli strikes are hitting Zawtar El Charqiyeh in southern Lebanon after prior warnings from Israel.

Confronted with a plea from a longtime supporter struggling with rising prices, President Donald Trump flatly denied that Americans are paying more, insisting that costs are “way down” — a claim at odds with broad public polling and the lived experience of millions of voters. The tense moment came during Special Report with Bret Baier […]

Speaker Johnson on Nancy Pelosi’s retirement: “The old guard has been repudiated, and the radicals are taking over the Democratic Party… Even the famous San Francisco liberal is not far-left enough for the neo-Marxists, and we commend her for her service.”

DEVELOPING IN YERUSHALAYIM: Protests taking place now on Shmuel Hanavi Street after word spread that the IDF Police have arrested a woman. Sources tell YWN that the woman may have been an active soldier who decided to run away and they were looking for her, and this is not a case of the Military Police […]