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An IDF career soldier was stabbed multiple times in a terror attack in the Jordan Valley on Sunday morning after stopping near a shopping center while traveling with his pregnant wife for an anniversary vacation.

The victim, Elchanan Chanania, was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim, where his condition stabilized. His brothers said he was expected to undergo surgery.

Chanania’s brothers, Shlomo and Yosef, said the couple had been heading to northern Israel for a family getaway marking their wedding anniversary when they stopped along the way.

According to the brothers, Chanania got out of his vehicle to purchase cigarettes when the terrorist came up behind him and attacked. They said he was stabbed three times in the shoulder and twice in the back before the assailant escaped.

“We hope they catch him and give him the death penalty. Am Yisrael Chai,” the brothers said, urging security forces to quickly locate the attacker.

Magen David Adom received the initial report of the stabbing at 9:18 a.m. Paramedics, together with IDF personnel, treated Chanania at the scene for penetrating wounds before transporting him by intensive care ambulance to Shaare Zedek.

MDA emergency medic Gal Shani said Chanania remained conscious throughout the initial treatment.

“We received a report about a man who had been stabbed,” Shani said. “We met the wounded man, who was fully conscious and suffering from a stab wound to his upper body. We provided medical treatment and evacuated him in an intensive care ambulance to the hospital in moderate condition and fully conscious.”

A preliminary police probe found that Chanania had pulled over on Route 90 near a commercial center and was outside his vehicle when the terrorist approached from behind, stabbed him and fled.

Security forces immediately launched an extensive search for the attacker. IDF troops and police established roadblocks around Al-Auja and nearby communities as forces began combing the area.

The IDF later said the search had expanded across the Al-Auja and Jericho areas, with soldiers questioning suspects and collecting intelligence that could lead them to the terrorist.

Military officials said forces were also remaining in continuous communication with residents and local security personnel as the manhunt continued.

Police officers from the Jordan Valley station, along with forensic teams from the Judea and Samaria District, opened an investigation and began gathering evidence from the scene of the attack.

{Matzav.com}

Former U.S. intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard announced on Sunday that he is entering Israeli politics.

Appearing with former deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel at the Kosel, Pollard said he would run for the Knesset on the slate of the newly formed Israel First Party founded by Haskel.

The 72-year-old Pollard said the failures surrounding Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack had convinced him that Israel has been “abandoned and betrayed” by its leadership.

“With you, I hope there will be a new government dedicated to protecting the land and the people of Israel,” said Pollard.

After Oct. 7, 2023, “no one wanted to take responsibility,” he said.

He also praised Haskel for her past efforts on his behalf, saying she had worked quietly and effectively without seeking credit.

“The only way to prevent another Oct. 7 is to put people like you in positions of responsibility,” he said.

Haskel welcomed Pollard’s decision to join her political platform, saying his support was both a privilege and a responsibility.

Pollard, an American-born Jew, was arrested by the FBI in 1985 while working as a civilian U.S. Navy intelligence analyst in Washington. He pleaded guilty to providing classified information to Israel and was sentenced to life in prison in 1987.

He was released on parole in 2015 and moved to Israel in 2020 after restrictions on his movement expired.

The Canadian-born Haskel is a former Likud lawmaker who later joined Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope Party. Haskel broke with Sa’ar in July 2026 after he backed legislation shielding Haredi draft refusers from arrest, which she said undermined national security and her principles.

Israel’s general election is set for Oct. 27, 2026.

{Matzav.com}

Key West, Florida, has elected its first Jewish mayor in the city’s nearly two centuries of history, with longtime city commissioner and attorney Samuel Kaufman defeating incumbent Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez in Tuesday’s election.

Kaufman told JNS that the historic nature of his election carries particular meaning for him, especially given the role Jews have played in the island community over the years.

“To carry that forward and to contribute in a positive way to the entire city as a Jewish person, given our values and given what it means to me to be a Jewish person, it’s an incredible honor and responsibility,” Kaufman said. “It gives me incredible pride to be that first Jewish mayor.”

Although the mayor’s office in Key West is officially nonpartisan, Kaufman is a Democrat, while Henriquez is a Republican. Kaufman captured approximately 58% of the vote, compared with 42% for the incumbent.

Born in New York City, Kaufman has spent the past three decades building his professional career in Key West. He said his victory included support from Republican voters who crossed party lines following a major corruption controversy that rocked the incumbent city administration.

“We had a really huge corruption scandal,” Kaufman told JNS. “Our city attorney, our city building official and our city code enforcement director were all taken out in handcuffs.”

Three officials connected to the administration were charged with felonies involving evidence tampering in 2025, a development that Kaufman said played a role in the political environment surrounding this year’s election.

Key West, the largest municipality in the Florida Keys, has approximately 25,000 permanent residents. Kaufman estimates that roughly 1,000 members of the city’s population are Jewish.

The city’s population, however, swells dramatically because of tourism. Key West estimates that approximately 3 million visitors arrive each year, and the impact of that enormous tourist presence emerged as a major concern for residents during the mayoral race.

“We don’t want five cruise ships a day,” Kaufman said. “We can’t accommodate that. We don’t have the infrastructure for that.”

“We like one cruise ship a day, on my side of the political scale,” he told JNS. “Others may want three or four ships a day.”

Politically, Kaufman characterized Key West as a “liberal blue” enclave within the more conservative Monroe County. Despite its liberal political leanings, he said the city has largely avoided the anti-Israel activism that has surfaced in some other progressive communities.

Kaufman attributed that in part to Key West’s ties to its Jewish population and to the significant number of Israelis with connections to the city.

“You won’t see Palestinian flags ever in the city,” Kaufman told JNS. “The same week as Oct. 7, I sponsored a resolution, and it was unanimously approved by our city commission, condemning the terrorist attack and supporting the State of Israel.”

Kaufman said the city went even further by displaying the Israeli flag outside City Hall following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

“As a result of that we’re probably the only city in the state and in the country that raised the Israeli flag on our City Hall, next to our state flag, next to the American flag,” he said. “It stayed there for four months.”

Kaufman describes himself as a “somewhat observant” Jew and said he davens at the local Chabad. With his election victory coming shortly before the High Holidays, the mayor-elect said he is especially looking forward to celebrating the upcoming Yomim Tovim with the local Jewish community.

“It’s going to be a bigger party than ever,” he said. “People should feel excited about going to such a special place like Key West.”

“We’re an inclusive place that will even elect a Jewish mayor,” Kaufman said.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Postal Service is moving ahead with new requirements governing the distribution of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections, adopting rules that closely track a President Donald Trump executive order even after a federal judge blocked enforcement of that directive.

USPS announced the new guidelines Friday, outlining conditions states would have to meet for the Postal Service to distribute mail-in and absentee ballots. The changes stem from Trump’s March executive order aimed at tightening requirements surrounding mail voting.

The details are contained in a 95-page USPS report scheduled to be formally published Aug. 26. Under the plan, states seeking Postal Service distribution of mail ballots would be required to provide information identifying voters considered eligible based on citizenship data, similar to provisions contained in Trump’s executive order.

States would have until 60 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections to inform USPS that they intend to provide a list of eligible voters based on citizenship information. The Postal Service would then distribute mail-in or absentee ballots to those residents.

Postmaster General David Steiner indicated in June that USPS planned to follow Trump’s directive. Testifying before senators, Steiner said the new approach was designed to ensure “the right ballots are going to the right people.”

But in August, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a nationwide order blocking implementation of the president’s directive. Talwani said making significant changes to election procedures so close to the midterms could produce unnecessary “confusion” and “chaos.”

“That it is now less than 90 days before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections underscores the critical need for an injunction to prevent Defendants from changing election rules on the eve of the election,” Talwani wrote in her ruling.

The White House defended its election agenda following the court decision. Spokesperson Lauren Bis said the administration “will continue lawfully enacting the agenda President Trump was elected to enact – which includes the safety and security of American elections.”

Trump has long criticized widespread use of mail-in voting and has repeatedly alleged that the system is susceptible to extensive voter fraud, claims that have not been substantiated by evidence demonstrating widespread fraud through mail ballots.

The president also sharply criticized a Supreme Court ruling in late June that upheld the counting of mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received afterward. Trump described the ruling as a “tremendous loss in the Supreme Court.”

Mail voting continues to represent a substantial portion of ballots cast nationwide. According to a June report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 30.3% of votes in the 2024 general election were cast by mail — nearly one out of every three ballots and significantly above the levels recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump has also continued pressing Congress to enact stricter federal voting requirements. During an interview in August, he declined to dismiss the possibility of declaring a national emergency if the Senate failed to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America, Act.

The legislation would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and to present photo identification when casting ballots at polling places.

Asked about the possibility of taking emergency action if the measure did not pass, Trump left the door open.

“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her administration post at the end of August, but she is not leaving President Donald Trump’s political operation, announcing that she will join the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc.

Leavitt revealed her plans while speaking with reporters outside Air Force One on Friday evening, saying that her next job will be with MAGA Inc., the powerful political organization supporting Trump and Republican candidates.

Her departure from the White House had already been announced, with Leavitt saying she wanted more time with her young and growing family. Her final day as press secretary is expected to come at the end of August.

Leavitt did not disclose what position she will hold at MAGA Inc. The move, however, marks a return to familiar territory: She previously served as the organization’s spokesperson before moving to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

“You guys will still see me all the time,” she told reporters.

MAGA Inc., which is closely aligned with Trump and the Republican Party, has reportedly amassed more than $350 million as Republicans prepare for the November midterm elections, according to The Hill.

Leavitt said Friday’s trip aboard Air Force One would also mark her final official flight in her role as White House press secretary. She accompanied Trump to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the president was scheduled to appear at a campaign rally for Sen. Darline Graham, a Republican seeking a full term in the seat previously held by her late brother.

The outgoing press secretary and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, have two preschool-age children. Their son was born in July 2024, while their daughter was born in May of this year. Riccio is a New Hampshire real estate developer and investor whose holdings include both commercial and residential properties.

Trump has made clear that Leavitt’s departure from the press secretary’s podium will not end her role in his broader political circle. Following her announcement, the president said she would remain involved with the White House as one of his “top advisers” and would continue to be an “influential voice within the Republican Party.” Leavitt similarly said that leaving the administration would not end her “fight” against the Democratic Party.

The White House has not yet announced who will succeed Leavitt. She returned from maternity leave in mid-July and decided shortly afterward that she would permanently step away from the press secretary position.

Trump has acknowledged intense interest in the job, indicating that numerous candidates are being considered and that selecting Leavitt’s successor will not be an easy decision.

Among the names reportedly being considered are CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings and Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

“I will tell you this, and Karoline will tell you this,” Trump told reporters Friday, “I have never seen so many job applications in my life.”

Leavitt made history when she became White House press secretary at age 27 at the beginning of Trump’s second administration, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the position. During her tenure, she developed a reputation for aggressively defending the administration and readily sparring with veteran members of the White House press corps.

{Matzav.com}

The percentage of American kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has slipped further, falling below the level public health officials say is generally needed to prevent measles outbreaks, according to newly released federal data.

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s SchoolVaxView program for the 2025-2026 school year show that 92.4% of kindergartners nationwide had completed the MMR vaccine series. That represents a decline from the previous school year and leaves the national rate below the 95% level that health experts generally cite as necessary for community immunity against highly contagious measles.

According to the CDC, approximately 280,000 kindergartners across the country do not have documentation indicating that they completed the MMR series.

The decrease was not limited to the MMR vaccine, with federal figures showing declining coverage for other routine childhood vaccinations as well.

The CDC reported that vaccination rates fell from the previous year for every vaccine included in its data, extending a downward pattern that the agency has observed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national vaccination rate for polio was also 92.4%, while coverage for DTaP — the vaccine protecting against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — stood at 92%.

More than half of the states recorded declines during the school year in vaccination rates for each of four major vaccines: MMR, DTaP, polio and varicella.

Meanwhile, vaccine exemptions among kindergartners continued to rise. The percentage of children receiving exemptions from at least one required vaccine climbed to 4.2%, compared with 3.6% during the previous school year.

The CDC found that exemption rates increased in 41 states as well as Washington, D.C. Twenty-four states now have exemption rates exceeding 5%.

Altogether, approximately 155,000 kindergartners received an exemption from at least one required vaccination during the 2025-2026 school year.

The statistics were assembled through the Immunization Services Division of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, using vaccination and exemption information submitted by individual states.

Public health authorities have repeatedly expressed concern that declining MMR vaccination rates could leave more communities susceptible to measles outbreaks.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, a designation meaning that the virus was no longer spreading continuously within the country.

This year, however, the United States has experienced its highest number of measles cases in more than 30 years, with outbreaks concentrated largely in communities where vaccination rates are lower.

Officials say the combination of national MMR coverage falling below 95% and increasing exemption rates presents particular concerns because clusters of unvaccinated children can remain vulnerable to outbreaks even when a state’s overall vaccination rate is comparatively high.

The CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine before entering kindergarten, in addition to recommended vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, polio and varicella.

Every state permits medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements, while most states also allow exemptions based on religious beliefs or personal objections.

The CDC’s SchoolVaxView data page containing the latest figures was updated Aug. 17.

{Matzav.com}

Iran warned countries around the world Saturday not to participate in President Donald Trump’s escalating economic campaign against Tehran, threatening to treat governments that cooperate with Washington’s restrictions as enemies while declaring that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.

Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, delivered the warning in comments aired by Iranian state television as the regime confronted a sweeping new American effort aimed at further isolating and crippling the Iranian economy.

“We declare to all countries… do not join the economic war waged by the United States,” Rezaei said.

“Any country participating in the imposition of economic restrictions against us is considered an enemy,” he added.

Rezaei also threatened a severe Iranian response if Trump moves from economic pressure to renewed military action against the Islamic Republic.

Should Trump “take action, our confrontation will be like an earthquake,” he said.

The Iranian official made clear that Tehran also has no immediate intention of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime passage that has been at the center of the confrontation.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed and will not reopen,” Rezaei declared. “If the United States changes its behavior and fulfills its commitments, the equation will be different, but this time the United States must act. It cannot be resolved through words and talks.”

Rezaei said Iran and Oman have reached an understanding regarding what he described as a “middle route” through the strategic waterway, although the two governments have not yet completed a joint statement outlining the arrangement.

The threats came just days after Trump unveiled a massive new economic offensive against Iran, announcing Wednesday that Washington would seek to tighten financial pressure on Tehran and penalize countries that help keep the Iranian economy afloat.

Trump described the campaign in a Truth Social post as “an economic D-Day,” portraying the measures as an effort to cripple the Iranian regime financially and prevent it from rebuilding its ability to threaten the United States and its allies.

“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he wrote.

Trump stressed Friday that the decision to intensify economic warfare should not be interpreted as taking military action off the table.

“No, not at all,” the President replied to reporters when asked if the shift towards economic warfare means that the military options are limited. “It just means that we’re seeing what happens. They have no money, they have no navy, they have no air force, they have 350% inflation. So we’re just going to sort of see what happens.”

The president also asserted that the United States holds overwhelming leverage over Iran and the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have total control, as you know, of the border. We have total control, if you look at the blockade, we have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz. And that means well into it, the land areas,” Trump continued.

Trump said Tehran remains interested in reaching an agreement with Washington, but argued that Iranian leaders have not yet agreed to terms that he considers acceptable.

He said Iran “would love to make a deal, but they are not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion.”

{Matzav.com}

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