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A major protest is taking place outside Prison No. 10 in Israel following the arrest of yeshiva bochur Ariel Shamai, a talmid of Yeshiva Ateres Shlomo in Rishon LeTzion.

In a powerful show of solidarity, Maran Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch will arrive at the prison gates to deliver a shiur klali, marking the opening of the winter zeman amid what is being described as a storm of outrage throughout the Torah world.

The arrest of the young ben Torah—for learning Torah instead of serving in the IDF—has sparked widespread protests and calls for his immediate release. Ateres Shlomo has launched a campaign, printing posters drawing a comparison between the hostages in Gaza – recently freed, baruch Hashem – and what the yeshiva is calling “the hostages of the Torah world.”

Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Ateres Shlomo, who had flown to the United States just yesterday, is now en route back to Israel to personally lead efforts to secure his talmid‘s release.

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, has been closely following developments since early morning. Activists who visited his home were informed that he supports the idea of a large public gathering in protest of the arrest.

At the same time, bochurim and avreichim of Ateres Shlomo are organizing study vigils and protests outside the prison until Ariel Shamai is freed.

This evening, Rav Hirsch will personally deliver the opening shiur of the winter zeman on Chezkas HaBatim in Maseches Bava Basra. Rav Hirsch will give the shiur outside the prison walls, both to inaugurate the zeman and to mechazeik the bochur who, as many are saying, has been “thrown into jail for the crime of learning Torah.”

{Matzav.com}

Less than a day after gold soared to another record high, prices for the precious metal plunged — marking the biggest sell-off in years. Gold futures in New York closed at a record $4,374 per troy ounce on Monday, before falling more than $250 (or 5.74%) Tuesday. That’s the largest, single-day percentage drop seen since September 2011, according to data in FactSet. And despite some brief rebounds, losses continued to pile up Wednesday — with gold futures trading at about $4,036 as of 11 a.m. ET. Prices are still up since the start of 2025. Gold sales often rise sharply amid wider economic uncertainty, as anxious investors seek a “safe haven” for their money. More have turned to gold amid President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs on imports from around the world, rising concerns about inflation and the now weekslong U.S. government shutdown. And even before that, geopolitical tensions and strong demand from central banks bolstered gold’s gains over recent years. But precious metals can be volatile — so it’s not uncommon for gold to see day-to-day fluctuations in value. Some analysts say this week’s pullback was triggered by hopes of cooling trade tensions between the U.S. and China, for example. Meanwhile, criticism had already been growing that gold’s price had gone too far, too fast. Others speculate there could be broader correction. Here’s what we know. What’s the price of gold today? What about silver? Again, gold futures were trading at $4,036 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — as of as of 11 a.m. ET. Wednesday. Spot prices had previously closed Tuesday at just over $4,125, down from a record more than $4,355 on Monday. Silver also saw some losses this week. Silver futures in New York fell more than 7% on Tuesday, before seeing slight rebounds Wednesday morning. Prices were trading at $47.60 per troy ounce as of 11 a.m. ET, down from a record $53.44 hit last week. Why have prices tumbled from record highs? No investment’s price consistently goes up forever, and some fluctuation isn’t surprising after such meteoric rises. “Why precious metals sold off yesterday — and whether this is the beginning of a broader correction — remains to be seen,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote wrote in a Wednesday note. Ozkardeskaya said Tuesday’s losses were “triggered by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and a rebound in the U.S. dollar.” Still, she noted that the future is far from guaranteed, and many of the same factors that drew buyers to gold this year remain. “What probably better explained yesterday’s precious metals sell-off was mainly the fact that the metals are now trading in deeply overbought market conditions with heightened volatility,” she added, noting that further price pullback is possible. Again, despite this week’s losses, gold futures are still up 50% overall since the start of 2025. And silver has climbed even higher, up 60% year to date. Is gold worth the investment? Advocates of investing in gold call it a safe haven — arguing that the commodity can serve to diversify and balance your investment portfolio, as well as mitigate possible risks down the road as a hedge against rising inflation. Some also take comfort in buying something tangible that has the potential to increase in value over time. Still, experts caution against putting all your […]

British Airways and Iberia plan to resume flights to Israel on Sunday, becoming the latest carriers to restore service to Tel Aviv following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June and this month’s ceasefire with Hamas.

The move highlights both the resurgence of the Israeli aviation sector and the reemergence of Tel Aviv as an international travel hub.

The British flag carrier will offer daily service from London’s Heathrow Airport to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, while Iberia will renew service from Madrid, following in the footsteps of its Spanish rival Air Europa.

Scandinavian Airlines is also returning to Israel next week after nearly a decade, with thrice weekly service from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv, while the German low-cost carrier Eurowings will restart flights to Tel Aviv next week as well.

United is expanding its service to Israel next month, adding flights from its hubs in Chicago and Washington, D.C., in addition to its twice daily Newark flights, cementing its position as the U.S. carrier with the most flights to Israel.

Italy’s ITA Airlines and Air India are due to resume flights to Israel by the end of the year.

Some 60 foreign carriers are now flying to Tel Aviv compared to 80 two years ago, before the war, an Israel Airport Authority spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The return of foreign airlines to Israel is finally bringing down airfares, which have remained stubbornly high over the last two years.

Several major international carriers that have not resumed service to Tel Aviv yet, include American Airlines—the only U.S. legacy carrier not to resume flights to Israel—Emirates, which is coming back in the spring, and Cathay Pacific.

American Airlines, which is thought to be eyeing a return as it has been hiring Hebrew-speaking staff, did not return requests for comment.

The return to Israel of Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, has been pushed off indefinitely due to a dispute with the Israel Airports Authority over regaining its past flight slots.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel has asked Oman to allow commercial flights access to its airspace en route to the Far East.

Separately, El Al announced on Tuesday that it was resuming twice-daily domestic flights from Tel Aviv to Eilat after a break of more than a decade, during which the route was only serviced by Israel’s smaller carriers.

Some 68,000 passengers were traveling through Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday on over 400 international flights, according to the Israel Airport Authority. JNS

{Matzav.com}

In a stunning on-air meltdown Wednesday morning, Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa stormed out of his longtime home at 77 WABC Radio, publicly severing ties with the conservative station after its owner and top hosts urged him to end his uphill campaign for New York City mayor. “You will never see me in the studio of WABC ever again,” an enraged Sliwa declared live on air, moments before walking out mid-segment. The Guardian Angels founder, whose fiery personality helped make him one of New York’s most recognizable political provocateurs, accused the station’s management of betraying him to boost Andrew Cuomo, the scandal-plagued former governor mounting an independent run. The blowup came during a tense exchange with morning host Sid Rosenberg, who pressed Sliwa to bow out to clear a path for Cuomo to consolidate anti-socialist voters against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a progressive Assemblyman backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Station owner John Catsimatidis, a billionaire Republican donor and supermarket mogul, has also publicly called for Sliwa to withdraw, arguing that a divided right-of-center vote would hand City Hall to Mamdani. “Curtis should do the right thing for New York,” Catsimatidis told the New York Post earlier this week. Sliwa fired back on air, accusing WABC of turning against him. “I feel personally offended by friends and colleagues at WABC,” he fumed. “They have become Always Broadcast Cuomo. They’ve been calling me selfish — are you out of your mind?” For years, The Curtis Sliwa Show has been a staple of WABC’s populist programming, known for its mix of streetwise humor and political bombast. But Sliwa has been off the air since launching his insurgent mayoral campaign earlier this year, returning occasionally for interviews and guest spots. His departure underscores a growing rift within New York’s fractured Republican circles, where loyalty to Trump-era populism increasingly collides with establishment pragmatism. Sliwa, a fiery anti-crime crusader who won the GOP nomination last month, has refused to yield to pressure from Catsimatidis and other Republican power brokers who see Cuomo — despite his Democratic past — as the only viable alternative to Mamdani. “I’m not quitting, I’m fighting,” Sliwa told reporters outside WABC’s Midtown studios after his walkout. “The people of New York deserve a choice — not a backroom deal between billionaires and washed-up politicians.” The standoff comes as polls show Mamdani leading with roughly 42% of the vote, followed by Cuomo at 31% and Sliwa trailing at 17%, according to a recent Emerson College survey. Cuomo’s allies have been lobbying conservative donors and media figures — including WABC’s roster of right-leaning hosts — to rally behind him in a last-ditch effort to stop the city’s first socialist mayoral victory. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa quit his radio show on 77 WABC Wednesday after a heated on-air argument, declaring he would “never” return, following pressure from host Sid Rosenberg to drop out in favor of independent Andrew Cuomo’s chances against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Massive protest underway on Yoel Street in Yerushalyim over the arrest of three more Yeshiva Bochrim, including one who is sitting Shiva for his father who died suddenly of a heart attack.

Yeshiva Bochrim from Yeshiva Ateres Shlomo are protesting outside Prison 10 — the first time since the start of the draft crisis that yeshiva bochurim not affiliated with the Peleg Yerushalmi have taken part in an organized public demonstration.

A heart-wrenching photo of a newborn baby with a handwritten Yiddish note pinned to her blanket went viral across the frum world over the last day, but Matzav.com has confirmed that the image was entirely fabricated.

The photo, which shows an infant peacefully wrapped in a blanket with a note written on Hamaspik Center for Human Services stationery, was widely circulated with claims that the baby’s parents are unable to care for her. “Dos kind heist Malky tichyeh. (This child’s name is Malky.) Zi is ah Yid. (She is a Jew.) Bitteh care far ihr. (Please care for her).”

The image spread rapidly across WhatsApp groups, X, and Instagram channels, prompting emotional reactions. Many users shared the post believing it depicted a real tragedy.

However, Matzav.com confirmed that the story is a hoax. No such baby had been reported found.

“It is deeply disturbing that anyone would fabricate such a story for attention,” said one askan.

It seems that the photo was part of a publicity stunt.

The incident highlights how easily emotional images can be weaponized for viral attention, even when entirely untrue. By the time the hoax was exposed, the picture had already reached tens of thousands of people worldwide, another reminder of how fast misinformation can spread in today’s digital world.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions exploded on Canal Street Tuesday afternoon when a federal immigration enforcement operation targeting street vendors spiraled into confrontation, with angry crowds surrounding agents and trying to block their movements.

The operation unfolded in the heart of Manhattan’s bustling counterfeit goods district, a stretch famous for its tables and storefronts offering imitation luxury handbags, watches, perfumes, sunglasses, and electronics.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as dozens of federal officers descended on the area. An Associated Press reporter saw agents detain a vendor believed to have been selling glitter-covered smartphone cases.

Protesters quickly gathered, chanting and shouting as they formed human barriers to stop the officers’ vehicles from leaving. “ICE out of New York,” the demonstrators yelled, as others demanded that the agents release the detained vendors.

In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — joined by Border Patrol and other federal units — warned the crowd they would use pepper spray if the blockade continued. Several protesters were then taken into custody as the standoff escalated.

Moments later, reinforcements arrived — heavily armed federal agents in tactical gear, carrying long guns and deploying a military-style BearCat vehicle — prompting renewed clashes and more arrests.

A representative for Homeland Security Investigations said the operation was organized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which focuses on locating and detaining individuals in the country illegally.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing for a visit to the United States by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next month, in what could be the first state visit to the U.S. by a foreign leader in Trump’s second term, according to several people familiar with the planning. Work is underway to prepare a package of agreements that Trump and the crown prince could sign or witness during the visit, U.S. officials familiar with the plans for the trip said. The trip is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17-19, but the timing and status of the visit could change, according to two people familiar with the planning. Those people and the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the trip before it has been announced. The planned visit will be the first to the United States by the crown prince since the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul during Trump’s first term in office in 2018. U.S. intelligence agencies said Prince Mohammed likely directed the killing, resulting in U.S. sanctions against several Saudi officials. He denies his involvement. But in the years since, both the Trump and Biden administrations have tried to mend ties with Saudi Arabia. The opening major foreign trip of Trump’s second term was to Saudi Arabia. The first Trump administration unsuccessfully sought to have Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords, the agreements that normalized relations between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan. The Biden administration sought to negotiate a similar deal, but those attempts were derailed by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. A tenuous ceasefire in Gaza that Trump negotiated has given the administration new hope for the possibility that Saudi Arabia could be brought into the Abraham Accords. Details of the agreements to be signed during the planned visit were not immediately clear, but many are expected to be commercial and trade deals under the framework of a Strategic Economic Partnership that Trump signed with the crown prince during the Republican president’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May. A bilateral security deal, long sought by the Saudis, is also under discussion, according to the officials. Trump signed an executive order last month offering Saudi Arabia’s fellow Gulf state neighbor Qatar security assurances in the wake of Israel’s attack on Hamas leadership in Doha. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment, and the Saudi Embassy declined to comment. Bloomberg first reported the expected visit. (AP)

Demolition of the White House East Wing is continuing to make way for Trump’s $250 million ballroom.

After an enormous wave of public pressure and a demand from the Degel HaTorah party to address the matter, yeshiva bochur Ariel Rosenzweig of Yeshiva Neve Eretz in Be’er Yaakov was released from Israeli military prison late Tuesday night. His arrest — which took place while he was sitting shivah for his father — had provoked outrage across the Torah world and beyond.

Ariel had been mourning the sudden passing of his father, Reb Yair Rosenzweig z”l, a professional engineer from Ramat Gan who died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest, leaving behind a widow and six orphans. At approximately 1:30 a.m., during the shivah, military police arrived at the family’s home and arrested the young man on charges of draft evasion, as his grieving mother, who is disabled, and his younger siblings cried in despair.

The arrest drew fierce backlash throughout the yeshiva world, leading to urgent intervention by attorney Shlomo Hadad, who worked to secure the bochur’s release.

Ariel’s detention came shortly after another high-profile arrest, that of Yair Tirosh, a talmid at Yeshivas Itri in Givatayim, who was also detained for learning Torah instead of reporting to the army. Roshei yeshiva from Itri visited Tirosh at Tel Hashomer to offer support, and a hearing in his case was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. today.

Meanwhile, another bochur, Ariel Shamai from Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, was sentenced by a military court to 20 days in prison following his arrest at his home in Ramat Gan. In response, Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Ateres Shlomo, called on bnei yeshiva nationwide to demonstrate outside Military Prison 10. Buses were arranged from across the country to bring participants to the 3:00 p.m. protest.

Degel HaTorah leadership issued a public statement after mounting backlash. Spokesman for party chairman MK Moshe Gafni released a photo of the party’s chareidi representatives gathered at the Knesset, discussing the escalating situation. In its statement, Degel HaTorah declared: “The party’s MKs convened this morning following the arrest of the holy yeshiva students for the ‘crime’ of learning Torah — including the arrest of a bochur in the middle of shivah for his father. This represents a deeply troubling escalation and will not be ignored.”

The statement continued: “This rampage, supported by the attorney general who has made it her mission to wage war against Torah learners in Eretz HaKodesh, is aimed in part at sabotaging the upcoming legislation to secure their exemption status. We will consult with the gedolei Yisroel shlita for guidance on how to respond to these disgraceful arrests and will act according to their directives.”

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

A candidate for the U.S. Senate from Maine denied on Tuesday that his totenkopf “death’s head” tattoo indicated that he had or has neo-Nazi or antisemitic views.

Graham Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer who is running as a Democrat to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), told Jewish Insider that he was previously unaware of the symbol’s meaning and plans to get the tattoo removed.

“It was not until I started hearing from reporters and D.C. insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol,” Platner said. “I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that, and to insinuate that I did is disgusting.”

A video published on the Pod Save America podcast on Monday shows Platner in 2015 in his underwear with a chest tattoo of the emblem of the unit responsible for administering Nazi Germany’s death camps.

“The video is from my brother’s marriage to his wife, to my sister-in-law, who I was serenading. I told them that my wedding gift to them would be my embarrassment,” Platner said. “I am not a secret Nazi. Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments, I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism, and racism in general. I would say a lifelong opponent.”

The Maine Democrat, who has been embraced by many from the progressive wing of the party, has previously faced controversy over his Reddit comments describing himself as a “Communist,” a label he now rejects.

Platner said he got the tattoo on shore leave from U.S. Marine Corps service in 2007 in Split, Croatia, and drunkenly picked what he said he thought was an innocuous skull and crossbones.

“At no point in this entire experience of my life did anybody ever once say, ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi,’” he said. “It never came up until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo.”

Jewish Insider reported on Tuesday that Platner had previously told an acquaintance in 2012 that he was aware of the symbol’s origin, saying “Oh, this is my totenkopf,” in “a cutesy little way.”

Platner is running in the Democratic primary against Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, to unseat Collins, the incumbent Republican.

His campaign ads have repeatedly focused on the endorsement of Collins from AIPAC, and his platform describes the Israeli war against Hamas as a “genocide.”

“We are sending American taxpayer dollars to underwrite the starvation of Gaza, in what can only be accurately described as a genocide,” Platner wrote.

“I stand with all people seeking peace, democracy and self-determination,” he added. “In this moment, that means a clear-eyed condemnation of the Gaza genocide, and the use of every means available to America to bring it to an end.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

A late-night scare unfolded in Washington on Tuesday when a driver slammed his vehicle into a security barrier near the White House, prompting an immediate law enforcement response.

According to officials, the collision occurred at approximately 10:37 p.m. when the vehicle struck a gate at one of the entrances to the White House complex. “The man was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service’s uniformed division,” the agency reported in a statement.

After the arrest, investigators conducted a full inspection of the vehicle. “Investigators searched his car and deemed it to be safe,” the Secret Service said, confirming that no threat was found on the scene.

Authorities have yet to release the driver’s name or discuss a possible motive behind the incident, and officials said additional details would be provided as the investigation continues.

{Matzav.com}

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman accused Curtis Sliwa of staying in the NYC mayoral race to milk his campaign funds to finance his lifestyle. Sliwa has defied calls for him to drop out, despite growing pressure.