A dramatic incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon in the chareidi Geulah neighborhood of Haifa, when a lightweight roof structure tore loose from the top of a four-story residential building and crashed onto the sidewalk and street below. Despite the collapse occurring at the height of the midday rush, no one was injured, bechasdei Hashem.
The incident took place amid strong winds sweeping through the city. According to initial reports, the temporary rooftop structure was unable to withstand the force of the gusts, became detached, and plunged from a significant height. Residents described hearing a powerful bang that echoed through the area, as twisted metal and debris slammed into the pavement.
Eyewitnesses recounted moments of fear and shock. “It came out of nowhere,” one resident said. “We heard the sound of metal bending, and suddenly everything was on the ground. If it had landed a few meters to the side, or a minute earlier when children were walking here, we would be talking about a tragedy.”
In what many locals described as clear rachamei Shomayim, the sidewalk was momentarily empty at the precise moment of the collapse. The only damage reported was to a parked vehicle, which sustained heavy damage after being struck by the falling structure.
Security and municipal inspection teams were dispatched to the scene to clear the debris and examine the stability of nearby buildings.
As neighbors gathered around the wreckage, many recited the brocha, “Baruch she’asa nes bamakom hazeh,” pointing to the pile of debris lying where, just moments earlier, pedestrians had been passing through a busy neighborhood street.
{Matzav.com}
Against the backdrop of ongoing debates over the draft law and the intermittent detention of yeshiva students, Hagaon Rav Dov Landau delivered words of chizuk to bochurim at Yeshivas Mishkenos HaTorah in Bnei Brak.
Opening his address, Rav Landau said, “Outside, all kinds of things are happening, and all kinds of talk is going on. A large portion of that talk is against the Torah and against those who learn Torah…various decrees and various plots, rachmana litzlan.”
He went on to outline what he described as the only proper response. “The only way to deal with all of this,” the rosh yeshiva said, “is to ignore them and their noise, and to engage in Torah study with depth and total immersion, with all one’s strength and at all times.” He urged the bochurim to channel their natural curiosity exclusively into Torah learning, adding, “There is so much to find in the Torah. This is the path we received from our rabbeim, zichronam livrachah, throughout all generations—to be completely immersed in Torah.”
Rav Landau emphasized that steadfast dedication to learning serves as a spiritual shield. “Only in this way,” he said, “will everything that is happening outside be unable to penetrate us, and no force in the world will be able to overcome us. Baruch Hashem, the bnei hayeshiva here are immersed in their learning. Continue on the path laid out for us by our rabbeim, to be even more deeply immersed in Torah.”
He further encouraged the talmidim to remain attached to the mesorah of their rabbeim. “Be davuk in the Torah of your rabbeim, the rosh yeshiva and the rabbonim shlita, who educate you according to the tradition of the yeshivos. In this way you will merit to live a life of Torah, which brings happiness and honor to one who lives by this path.”
Concluding his remarks, Rav Landau offered a brachah to the leadership of the yeshiva. “I want to bless the rosh yeshiva, shlita, and the rabbonim, shlita, that your borders be expanded with worthy talmidim. May you increase Torah in Klal Yisroel, and may the Name of Heaven be sanctified and elevated through you. May Hakadosh Baruch Hu annul the counsel of our enemies and merit us with a complete geulah speedily in our days, amein.”
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s largest supermarket chain, Shufersal, has been hit with a significant regulatory penalty after the Israel Competition Authority imposed a fine of more than NIS 8 million, citing the company’s failure to provide required data during an official investigation.
The decision was announced Wednesday by the Competition Commissioner following an extensive review process and a formal hearing in which Shufersal presented its arguments. After weighing those claims, the commissioner rejected them and moved forward with the substantial financial sanction, signaling a tougher stance toward companies that delay or withhold information deemed essential to regulatory oversight.
The case stems from a broad examination conducted by the Competition Authority across Israel’s food sector. As part of a comprehensive market study aimed at analyzing cost structures, pricing mechanisms, and the overall cost of living, the authority issued data requests to Shufersal and other major players in the industry. While regulators expected full cooperation, they later determined that the information provided by Shufersal was incomplete.
According to the authority, the data submitted did not include key figures—most notably the company’s operational expenses—information described as critical to assessing the chain’s true profitability. The situation escalated when Shufersal maintained that the requested data was not in its possession. Regulators say that after repeated inquiries, it ultimately became clear that the data did, in fact, exist and was eventually transferred to the authority.
This revelation—that the information had been available despite earlier claims to the contrary—led the Competition Commissioner to conclude that there were serious flaws in the company’s conduct. As a result, and after dismissing Shufersal’s explanations, the authority decided to impose the hefty fine.
In its announcement, the Competition Authority stressed that the move was about more than a single company. It emphasized that the commissioner has clear legal authority, under Section 46(b) of the Economic Competition Law, to demand data from market participants. The statement further noted that receiving complete, accurate, and timely information is vital to the authority’s work, whether in enforcement proceedings, in evaluating mergers and transactions requiring approval, or in conducting market studies.
Shufersal, for its part, firmly rejected the allegations and signaled that it intends to challenge the decision. In a statement, the company said it “acts in accordance with the law,” adding that it routinely receives numerous data requests from the Competition Authority and provides extensive information on an ongoing basis while fully cooperating. “This was also the case here,” the company asserted.
The retail giant made clear it does not intend to pay the fine without a legal fight, announcing that it plans to file an appeal against the authority’s decision with the Competition Tribunal.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir addressed the fatal ramming that occurred Tuesday night on Route 3533 at the entrance to Komemiyus, vowing firm enforcement and backing police action following the death of a Satmar yeshiva bochur.
The victim, identified as Naftali Zvi Kramer, a talmid of the Satmar Yeshiva, was killed in the incident. In a video message, Ben Gvir offered condolences to the Kramer family while delivering what he described as an unequivocal deterrent message regarding the safety of the chareidi public.
“I send my condolences to the dear Kramer family and I back the Israel Police for arresting the driver who committed this horrific act,” the minister said. “The blood of our chareidi brothers will not be treated as free.”
In an earlier statement, Ben Gvir wrote: “My heart is with the dear Kramer family in this difficult hour, and I send my deepest condolences over the heavy tragedy in which their son, Zvi Kramer, of blessed memory, lost his life. There are no words that can comfort such pain; the people of Israel embrace you.”
He added: “I fully back the Israel Police, who acted decisively to locate and arrest the driver who carried out the ramming. Anyone who chose to drive recklessly in a manner that resulted in the taking of a human life must be punished with the full severity of the law. I trust the police to carry out their work to the end.”
Concluding his remarks, Ben Gvir stressed: “And from here, a clear message to my chareidi brothers and sisters: your blood is not free. We will not allow such cases to pass in silence, and we will ensure that these severe incidents are handled firmly, decisively, and without compromise.”
Meanwhile, questions surrounding the circumstances of Kramer’s death continue to mount, bolstered by disturbing footage and eyewitness accounts from the scene.
Central to the investigation is a video recorded from inside the bus involved in the incident. In the footage, passengers can be heard reacting in alarm as the driver accelerates toward a group of yeshiva students standing on the roadway.
“What is he doing? He’s crazy… those are yeshiva students, stop! What did he do, idiot!” one passenger is heard shouting in the moments before the fatal impact.
Investigators say the fact that passengers noticed the driver’s abnormal conduct prior to the collision strengthens suspicions that the driver acted with, at minimum, a disregard for human life. The case remains under investigation by the Israel Police.
{Matzav.com}