Rav Shmuel Markowitz delivered a shmuess to his talmidim at Ponovezh Yeshiva shortly after Justice David Cheshin released his arbitration ruling regarding the long-standing dispute within the institution. The decision granted a clear victory to his brother-in-law Rav Leizer Kahaneman. Within hours, Rav Markowitz gathered the talmidim in the main bais medrash to guide them through the moment and to set the tone for the yeshiva’s response.
Rav Markowitz opened by acknowledging those who devote their “koach, nefesh, and neshama” to raising the talmidim. He explained that a new situation had arrived unexpectedly and that they must understand the proper perspective: “There is now a new situation, and we must know the correct outlook and how to relate to it. This came suddenly, and we need the tools and the thought to know what our mission is now.”
He told them that although the din Torah had affirmed their right to teach and learn where they are, outside authorities now seek to dislodge them. “Since the ruling in the din Torah, the ruling stated that we are here, learning and teaching Torah, and our right according to the Torah is to bring into the yeshiva roshei yeshiva and rabbeim. Now, through the civil system, they want to expel us. What was in our hands to do, we did, to preserve the din Torah ruling, and it did not succeed.”
Despite that, he told the talmidim that they must continue with strength and gratitude. “We must thank Hashem for what you have merited to grow. It is known and public that you are growing and immersed in Torah. It is known throughout the world that here is the finest of the fine.”
Rav Markowitz emphasized that the essence of the yeshiva cannot be uprooted: “The inner dimension that is not connected to any building exists forever. The inner dimension is greater than the outer, and that is what we are speaking about now.” He added later, “The yeshiva is ruchniyus, and ruchniyus cannot be taken.”
He reminded them that generations of struggle do not weaken Torah; they strengthen it. “We are in a time when Hashem has broadened things for us and we will flourish in the land. From something bitter will come something sweet. We will not leave you, and more and more generations will grow.”
He urged the talmidim not to react against anyone. His warning was explicit: “We will continue and grow as usual, and absolutely do nothing against the other side. There is no point in it. Whatever they will do, they will do.”
Rav Markowitz told them that their entire task is to deepen their commitment to learning, tefillah, and mussar. “Our role now is only to learn, and to be immersed in the toil of Torah. What they will do, I do not know. But we do nothing, only learning, davening, and character growth—only what is necessary, only the will of the Creator.”
He spoke openly about responsibility and inner strength: “There is no doubt that the main strength in this is you. If each one, with spirit inside him, wants to grow and use all his abilities, there is guaranteed heavenly assistance.”
He encouraged them not to be intimidated by present circumstances. “We must not measure things in the moment. Days will speak. There is a vision and a process. The vision remains.”
He explained that challenges force a person to become a builder, not a bystander. “Each one of us now becomes a builder. When each one builds himself, his group, and everyone together—that is the construction that passes from generation to generation.”
Rav Markowitz told the talmidim that now is not the time for fear, but for elevated effort. “If we stand in the test, we grow from it and will flourish in the land. This is the greatness that comes from inner strength.”
He reassured them that the yeshiva will emerge stronger. “We will come out of this situation strengthened. The desire that everyone has will continue, and we are certain that from this, Hashem, who desires justice, will magnify Torah and glorify it. The power of Torah will grow from this.”
He concluded with a call for uplifted spirit and confidence. “The atmosphere of wanting to grow must continue. Do not fall into a negative mood. There is no reason for it. From something bitter will come something sweet. Hashem will broaden things for us again. The greatness of Torah will rise among us with heavenly assistance.”
{Matzav.com}
A tense confrontation unfolded in Ashdod when a band of extremists opposed to any deal on giyus of bnei yeshivah forced their way into the residential building where Shas MK Yinon Azoulay resides. Their goal was to intimidate him over recent legislative developments tied to the ongoing giyus debate.
Footage from the scene captures the group gathered outside his door, pounding and shouting, while a neighbor tries to push them back and urges them to leave the floor. She warns them repeatedly to move downstairs, but her appeals are brushed off. When she informs them that she has alerted the authorities, the crowd escalates, erupting in cries of “traitor.”
This outburst comes at a time when representatives of both Shas and United Torah Judaism have been singled out by radicals who resent their participation in advancing the latest proposal intended to formalize draft guidelines for bochurim learning in yeshivos.
{Matzav.com}
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg made it clear on Wednesday that he intends to push ahead swiftly with the long-delayed contempt proceedings over whether senior administration officials knowingly brushed aside his directive halting the removal of Venezuelan migrants back in March. From the outset of the hearing, he signaled that he expects cooperation from both sides — and that he is particularly interested in hearing testimony from two Justice Department lawyers deeply connected to the events in question.
The dispute centers on President Donald Trump’s reliance on the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime statute dating back to 1798 — to expel more than 250 Venezuelans earlier this year. Those individuals were flown to a maximum-security facility in El Salvador, despite an emergency order Boasberg issued on March 15 instructing that the flights be stopped immediately. The renewed focus on the contempt issue, and Boasberg’s assertive role overseeing it, is almost certain to inflame Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill.
Boasberg appeared undeterred by the political crossfire. “This has been sitting for a long time,” he remarked, noting that the court had an obligation to proceed. He reiterated that he would “move promptly” and directed attorneys for both the Justice Department and the migrants’ class-action counsel to submit written proposals by Monday outlining how they believe the case should now advance.
The government made its opposition clear. “Your honor, the government objects to any further proceedings of criminal contempt,” Justice Department attorney Tiberius Davis said. Boasberg responded that he “certainly intends to determine what happened” on the day his emergency order was either knowingly or inadvertently ignored, remarking that the government “can assist me to whatever degree it wishes.” He added, “I am authorized to proceed, just as I intended to do in April, seven months ago.”
Among those the court wants to question are Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign and Erez Reuveni, who represented the government at the time the removals occurred. Reuveni — now a whistleblower — previously testified that senior officials suggested they “may have to consider telling that court, ‘f— you’” if the judge impeded deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. To Boasberg, that alone indicated that “a factual inquiry is in order.”
The core issue remains whether officials defied his emergency order, which had instructed all flights to “immediately” return to the United States. Instead, the migrants were kept for months inside El Salvador’s CECOT supermax facility until July, when they were transported to Venezuela as part of a broader prisoner exchange that included the release of at least 10 Americans.
In April, Boasberg concluded there was “probable cause” to advance criminal contempt proceedings, pointing to what he called the administration’s “willful disregard” for the court’s authority. The matter remained dormant until Friday, when the full appeals court declined to intervene further and directed Boasberg to restart the process. That decision placed him squarely in the sights of Trump and several Republican lawmakers, some of whom mounted a failed eleventh-hour attempt to secure his temporary suspension before the hearing convened.
Wednesday’s arguments also touched on the migrants’ request for injunctive relief. Boasberg’s emergency order in March set off a cascade of legal battles nationwide, and his courtroom became the first venue where the controversial deportations were challenged. By July, he ordered that every noncitizen removed to the El Salvador prison must be given a chance to pursue habeas review and contest any government claims about gang affiliations before being expelled again as part of the prisoner swap.
Efforts to locate the deported migrants are still underway. According to ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, the “overwhelming” majority of those sent to El Salvador in March still wish to present their due-process arguments in court.
How the next phase will unfold is not yet clear, but Boasberg indicated that the court will examine the remaining legal and procedural issues in the weeks ahead.
{Matzav.com}
