World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel issued a sharp rebuke of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the city moved to revoke its prohibition on boycotts targeting Israel, calling the decision “deeply troubling.”
Hagoel underscored the heightened dangers facing Jews worldwide, saying, “Jews around the world have been facing relentless Antisemitic campaigns since October 7, 2023. Just two weeks ago, 15 people were murdered in a brutal Antisemitic terrorist massacre in Sydney, Australia.” He pointed to that climate as reason for heightened vigilance, not policy reversals he believes could embolden hostility.
Emphasizing public safety, he warned that local leadership carries responsibility for the wellbeing of Jewish residents, stating that “the Jewish communities of New York must be able to live in safety, and I sincerely hope that Mayor Mamdani does not continue down a path that fuels Antisemitism against the Jews living in his city.”
He framed the moment as requiring firm lines rather than accommodation, declaring, “This is the time for zero tolerance toward Antisemitism.”
Hagoel also said the World Zionist Organization is actively coordinating with communities to address threats, adding, “The World Zionist Organization is in close contact with Jewish communities and will do everything in its power to protect Jews in New York and around the world.”
{Matzav.com}
Fire and Rescue officials who arrived this week to close a well-known yeshiva in Elad ultimately agreed to delay the shutdown after being deeply impressed by the atmosphere of Torah learning and holding an extended discussion with the rosh yeshiva.
Personnel from Israel Fire and Rescue Authority conducted a safety inspection at Yeshivas Knesses Yechezkel, led by Rav Baruch Mordechai Ettinger. Following the inspection, officials initially determined that the yeshiva did not meet legally required safety standards and ordered its immediate closure.
However, after a lengthy conversation with Rav Ettinger and a visit inside the beis medrash—where they encountered the powerful sound and intensity of ongoing Torah study—the inspectors agreed to postpone the decree for several months. This reprieve is intended to allow the yeshiva time to bring its facilities into compliance with safety regulations.
At the same time, Fire and Rescue officials instructed that most of the dormitories, which are housed in caravans lacking proper fire-safety standards, must be closed within a few months unless significant upgrades are completed.
In response, the yeshiva’s administration has been working around the clock to find immediate solutions and prevent any interruption to the learning. According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the yeshiva is considering launching a matching fundraising campaign to raise the approximately 2.5 million shekels required to carry out the necessary safety renovations and repairs.
{Matzav.com}
New details reveal that just one month before the October 7 massacre, Israel actively pressed Qatar to expand the flow of cash into the Gaza Strip, funds that went directly to the Hamas government. At the time, Israel’s security establishment assessed that Hamas was not interested in a full-scale escalation and was instead using limited confrontations along the border fence as leverage to extract additional economic concessions.
According to a report by Ynet, a key meeting took place in September 2023 at a hotel in Yerushalayim. During that meeting, official Israeli representatives asked a senior Qatari official to increase the transfer of funds to Hamas in Gaza, citing threats by the terror organization to escalate violence in the enclave.
The central figure at the meeting was Mohammed al-Emadi, the Qatari official who for years oversaw the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars into Gaza. These transfers were carried out with the knowledge and approval of successive Israeli governments.
The report states that Israel’s entire security system believed Hamas was not seeking a broader conflict. Instead, officials assessed that Hamas was deliberately managing friction near the border in order to secure economic relief and additional concessions.
Israeli officials also received assurances from Qatar that Hamas was interested in preserving stability. At the same time, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly demanded an increased allocation of fuel for Gaza’s power station during the August–September period, citing the extreme summer heat.
During September, Mossad chief David Barnea traveled to Doha for meetings with senior Qatari officials to coordinate the continuation of the cash transfers. According to the report, Qatari officials directly asked whether they should keep transferring money to Hamas. Barnea responded affirmatively, acting under the explicit instructions of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
The report further notes that Barnea had opposed the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas even before assuming his role as Mossad chief. Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, as well as his predecessor Nadav Argaman, were also firmly against allowing Qatari money to reach Hamas. Despite this opposition, Netanyahu repeatedly set the priority of maintaining calm in Gaza at almost any cost and instructed officials to coordinate that policy with Qatar.
It now emerges that Israel was not merely interested in continuing the existing funding mechanism. According to the report, Israeli officials sought to expand the financial transfers and grant additional economic concessions, largely in line with Sinwar’s demands, in what is described as a desperate attempt to purchase quiet.
In hindsight, the cost of that policy is now tragically clear.
{Matzav.com}
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Aryeh Zilberstein zt”l, the rov of the Gerer kehillah in Bnei Brak, who was niftar early Friday morning at Hadassah Ein Kerem. He was 67 years old.
Rav Zilberstein’s levayah began at the Gerer Beis Medrash on Yirmiyahu Street in Yerushalayim. From there, the levayah continued to Bnei Brak, with kevurah at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery.
Rav Aryeh was born on 15 Kislev 5719 (1958) as the eldest son of his father, Rav Shlomo Zilberstein zt”l, who served as rov of the Gerer kehillah in Bnei Brak. He was a grandson of Rav Zev Zilberstein, one of the prominent figures of the Gur court, known for his influence and presence in the famed shtiebel on Kishon Street.
His mother, Mrs. Chava a”h, was a daughter of Rav Meir Shcharnesky, founder of the first seminary of the New Yishuv in Eretz Yisroel.
In his youth, Rav Zilberstein studied at Ger’s Yeshivas Imrei Emes and Sfas Emes. In 1982, he married his wife, Mrs. Rochel, daughter of Rav Shmuel Malavsky of Bnei Brak.
He received semichah from Rav Shmuel Halevi Wosner and served for several years as a dayan and moreh hora’ah at the Zichron Meir beis hora’ah.
In 1994, he was appointed by the Pnei Menachem of Ger to serve as rov of the Gerer kehillah in Kiryat Gat. Following the passing of his father in 2009, Rav Zilberstein was appointed by the current Rebbe of Ger to succeed him as rov of the Gerer kehillah in Bnei Brak. In addition to his rabbinic duties, he later established a kollel for rabbanim and dayanim, which he headed.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
A possible agreement to halt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is close to being finalized, but key issues remain unresolved, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his New Year’s address to the nation.
Speaking in a 20-minute speech devoted largely to the war, Zelenskyy said a draft deal is largely complete but stressed that the remaining gaps are decisive. “Ten percent remains … Those 10 percent contain, in fact, everything,” he said. “Those are the 10 percent that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”
Zelenskyy explained that while Ukraine’s arguments have been presented on the global stage, they have yet to win full acceptance. “Have our arguments been heard? We very much hope so. Have they agreed with us? Not fully. Not yet. That is precisely why, for now, we speak of 90 percent, not the full 100 percent, readiness of a peace agreement,” he said.
The president underscored that Kyiv will not agree to a settlement it views as fragile or dangerous. “What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want the end of the war — not the end of Ukraine,” he said, adding that a weak deal would “only fuel war.”
During his address, Zelenskyy thanked nearly every European country for backing Ukraine but conspicuously excluded Hungary. Alluding to Budapest’s position on Moscow’s invasion, he said: “A Budapest-style piece of paper will not satisfy Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy also commented on President Donald Trump, noting: “The U.S. president always mentions our people and talks about how bravely Ukrainians are fighting.”
Despite acknowledging the strain on the population, Zelenskyy said the country remains determined. Ukrainians, he said, are “tired,” but “not ready to surrender.” He pointed out that Russia’s full-scale invasion has now lasted longer than the Nazi occupation of Ukraine during World War II.
He rejected claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas would end the war. “That is how deception sounds when translated from Russian … Does anyone still believe them? Unfortunately. Because too often, the truth is still avoided and called diplomacy, though in reality it is simply lies in suits,” Zelenskyy said.
Reiterating his broader warning to the international community, the Ukrainian leader said: “Either the world stops Russia’s war, or Russia drags the world into its war.”
Even as Zelenskyy spoke of diplomacy, fighting continued. He said Russia launched another overnight assault late Wednesday, firing more than 200 attack drones. Although most were intercepted, strikes were reported in the Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.
“If the strikes do not stop even during the New Year holidays, then air defense deliveries cannot be delayed. Our allies have the necessary scarce equipment. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our protection will be delivered on time,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Officials have said Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with international leaders in France on January 6, as diplomatic efforts continue into the new year.
{Matzav.com}
