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Following a series of discussions and negotiations over the past 24 hours, the proposed Shas slate for the upcoming Knesset elections was submitted Sunday evening to the party’s rabbinic leadership for approval.

Under the proposed lineup, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri remains in the top position, while Yinon Azoulay makes a significant jump to the No. 2 spot on the slate.

Michael Malchieli moves up to third place, followed by Yoav Ben-Tzur in fourth and Chaim Biton in fifth.

The proposed Shas slate submitted for rabbinic approval is:

Aryeh Deri

Yinon Azoulay

Michael Malchieli

Yoav Ben-Tzur

Chaim Biton

Dror Amos

Yoni Mashriki

Yossi Taieb

Uriel Buso

Moshe Abutbul

Erez Malul

The most notable development in the emerging lineup is Azoulay’s rise to second place, representing a significant change in his position on the Shas slate. Malchieli’s move into third place similarly puts him among the party’s highest-ranking candidates.

Another change involves Yoni Mashriki, who has also moved up in the proposed lineup and would hold the seventh position when Deri is included as the slate’s No. 1 candidate.

The proposed arrangement comes after intensive discussions surrounding the composition of the Shas list and the positioning of its leading representatives ahead of the election.

The slate, however, is not yet final. It has been submitted to the rabbonim for their approval, and the final decision on the composition and ordering of the candidates is expected to be made by the party’s rabbinic leadership.

The list submitted Sunday evening reflects the latest developments in negotiations over the Shas slate, including several significant changes near the top of the party’s lineup.

A plan to establish a coffee and refreshment room inside the cemetery in Uman has been halted following a sweeping halachic ruling from leading rabbonim and poskim representing a broad range of communities.

The proposal, funded by a generous donor, was intended to provide drinks and refreshments for the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov, particularly during the massive Rosh Hashanah gathering. However, because the proposed facility was to be located within the boundaries of the cemetery, officials responsible for the tziyun decided to seek a formal halachic ruling before moving forward.

Rav Nosson Ben Nun, chairman of Ichud Breslov in Uman, sent an urgent inquiry to leading poskim from across the spectrum of the Torah community, asking them to address the halachic implications of the proposal.

The response was unanimous and unequivocal: A coffee and refreshment facility may not be operated inside the cemetery.

In a letter dated 11 Elul 5786 and addressed directly to Rav Ben Nun, the rabbonim cited the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah 368, which states that “a cemetery may not be treated with frivolity… nor may one eat or drink there.”

The poskim further cited a ruling of the Chasam Sofer, in siman 335, as establishing that a “coffee room” or similar facility may not be established anywhere within the cemetery grounds.

The ruling was signed by a lengthy roster of prominent rabbonim and poskim, including Rishon Letzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef; Rav Sariel Rosenberg, gaavad of the Bnei Brak Badatz; Rav Moshe Shaul Klein and Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern of Badatz Zichron Meir; and Rav Yehuda Fischer and Rav Shlomo Yehuda Hirsch of the Badatz of the Eidah Hachareidis.

Also joining the ruling were Rav Menachem Mendel Lubin; Rav Yaakov Shekhnaazi of the Sephardic Eidah Hachareidis Badatz; and Rav Naftali Nussbaum.

One of the poskim wrote that “it is clear that it is forbidden to establish a place for drinking inside a cemetery,” while another declared that “this is a clear halacha and there is no room for debate; it is forbidden to engage in frivolous behavior.”

The rabbonim added that even if such a facility had already been constructed inadvertently, it would have to be removed without delay so that “there should not be displeasure from the tzaddikim who are there.”

They concluded with the assurance that “one who listens will dwell securely,” along with a bracha for a favorable inscription and sealing for the coming year.

Following the ruling, Ichud Breslov in Uman decided not to abandon the donor’s initiative, but instead to relocate it outside the cemetery.

The new coffee and tea room will be established at the Kloiz complex in Uman, which is situated beyond the boundaries of the cemetery. Ichud Breslov has operated a coffee room there in recent years during the major gatherings in Uman, and officials have now decided to complete work on the facility and keep it operating throughout the year.

The move will allow the tens of thousands of people who travel to Uman to benefit from the refreshments provided by the donor while preserving the sanctity of the cemetery and adhering to the ruling of the poskim.

{Matzav.com}

George Pataki, who was governor of New York during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and led the state through the difficult period that followed, has revealed that he is suffering from a lung condition tied to his exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.

Pataki, a Republican who served as governor from 1995 through 2006, told the New York Post that he has restrictive airway disease resulting from his exposure to toxic material at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan.

Pataki said he received the diagnosis sometime within the past five years. His disclosure comes just days before the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“I just look at it as I’m one of the lucky ones,” Pataki told The Post, humbly deflecting questions about his condition.

“You know, 25 years later, I feel great. I have this minor residual impact from that time. But compared to so many others, I consider myself very lucky,” he said.

Rudy Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City at the time of the attacks, has also been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease connected to his exposure at Ground Zero, according to his representative. Giuliani was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia earlier this year.

The toxic dust and fine particulate matter that blanketed Lower Manhattan after the Twin Towers collapsed have been linked to a wide range of respiratory diseases and other serious health problems among those who were exposed. Research conducted over the ensuing decades has documented the lasting respiratory effects of World Trade Center exposure.

Pataki, who had not previously made his diagnosis public, sought to shift attention away from his own health and toward the first responders, government workers and others who repeatedly returned to Ground Zero during the rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts after terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center.

“The people who were with me at Ground Zero over and over for months after those attacks, many of them have serious illnesses, far more serious than anything I might be experiencing,” Pataki said, noting that he has not been diagnosed with cancer related to Ground Zero.

The continuing health toll from the attacks remains substantial 25 years later. A newly released FDNY report found that more than 10,000 department members are living with at least one physical health condition connected to 9/11 exposure.

Before becoming governor, Pataki served in the New York State Senate and as mayor of Peekskill in Westchester County. He remains the most recent Republican to have won a statewide election in New York.

Pataki has also drawn attention recently for his comments about Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the upcoming 25th anniversary commemoration at Ground Zero. Pataki said Mamdani should consider staying away from the memorial unless he condemns the slogan “globalize the intifada” and distances himself from commentator Hasan Piker.

Mamdani, a Muslim and a critic of Israel, has previously defended the use of “globalize the intifada,” disputing the contention that the phrase amounts to an incitement to violence against Jews. The American Jewish Committee has said the expression invokes the idea of “rising up” against Israel.

Pataki said Mamdani should also make a clear break with Piker, who has faced criticism over remarks concerning the Sept. 11 attacks.

“If he says he will have nothing to do with Hasan Piker, and if he says he will condemn the statement, ‘globalize the intifada,’ then I would have no problem with him being here,” Pataki told The Post.

Pataki, however, said he does not expect that to happen before the anniversary commemoration.

“Out of respect for those who died and out of the respect for their families and the first responders, he should make the decision not to go,” Pataki said.

Regardless of Mamdani’s attendance, Pataki said he wants the anniversary ceremony to remain free of political distractions and to “go off without any disruption.”

“I think basically just ignoring his presence might be the best,” Pataki said.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign is increasingly resulting in the arrests of migrants without criminal convictions, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pushes arrest totals to record levels and broadens operations to include people already known to immigration authorities. Recent federal data independently reviewed by multiple news organizations shows that more than half of those arrested in July had neither criminal convictions nor pending criminal charges.

ICE recorded successive months of sharply elevated enforcement activity over the summer. The agency made 49,571 arrests in July, the highest monthly figure of President Trump’s second term at that point, following 43,021 arrests in June. The article reports that arrests exceeded 50,000 in both July and August based on newer data.

The figures have complicated the administration’s frequent emphasis on apprehending dangerous offenders, whom officials have repeatedly described as the “worst of the worst.” The new numbers indicate that the pool of people being arrested has expanded considerably beyond immigrants with criminal histories.

According to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and cited by The Hill, 55 percent of those arrested had no recorded interaction with the criminal justice system, while another 24 percent had been charged with crimes but had not been convicted. Other recent analyses of ICE data likewise found that more than half of July arrests involved people with neither convictions nor pending criminal charges.

The changing profile of those being arrested has prompted concern from some Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), whose South Florida district has a large immigrant population.

“I’ve been telling the administration that do not conflate the gangster with the gardener, the nanny with the narco,” Salazar said.

The enforcement pattern increasingly includes immigrants with pending asylum applications and others attempting to change or regularize their immigration status, including individuals whose identities and locations were already available to federal authorities. Recent reporting has also documented arrests of people with pending asylum claims and green-card applications.

“What this shows is that the Trump administration is expanding its mass deportation operations away from people who are public safety threats or who have had some interaction with the criminal justice system and towards everybody else in an effort to hit the quotas put on them by the White House,” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, told The Hill.

The Department of Homeland Security has offered differing descriptions of whom ICE is arresting. On X, DHS has continued to assert that 70 percent of those apprehended by ICE have criminal records, according to The Hill, while the recently released arrest data shows a substantially smaller share with criminal convictions.

“I mean the 70 percent figure has not been true since May of 2025,” Reichlin-Melnick said.

“DHS has been giving the 70 percent figure for at least a year now. It’s not true. It hasn’t been true. The agency has released extensive data confirming that it’s not true.”

At the same time, senior administration officials have publicly emphasized that a criminal record is not required for someone to become an immigration-enforcement target.

“These individuals that we’re going after — I don’t care if you have a criminal background or don’t have a criminal background, you chose to break the law when you came across our border illegally. It’s our position and our job to hunt you down and send you back to where you came from,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said this past week during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle.”

Border czar Tom Homan similarly acknowledged during a July appearance on the program that a substantial portion of those being arrested do not have criminal records.

“Just over half of everybody we’re arresting is a criminal. So about half are noncriminals,” he said.

“But bottom line is, everybody’s on the table. The numbers show it’s about half and half now. … And with the additional resources we got from the reconciliation bill, you wait to see what the numbers are this year.”

The increase in arrests has been driven by several developments, including a move away from some of the highly visible large-scale operations that previously generated widespread attention. ICE has increasingly employed a combination of street arrests, immigration check-ins, courthouse enforcement and arrests at airports. Recent reporting on the federal data has documented the expansion of those tactics.

“This is from all the different tactics coming together really for the first time. The street arrests happening at the same time you have all the check-ins for people, immigration court interactions. All that stuff’s coming together — the airport arrests,” said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute.

Bier said Mullin assumed leadership of DHS as significant additional enforcement resources were becoming available.

“They’re paying people a huge amount of overtime. They have no worries about money, so you know that’s a big part of it too is they just have people working like crazy to get these through,” he said.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee, argued that the administration has adopted a less conspicuous enforcement strategy following criticism of the more visible operations carried out during Kristi Noem’s tenure at DHS.

“They are continuing this strategy quietly now because it was unpopular when it was loud. But they’re going to find out in November that it’s unpopular when it’s quiet as well,” she told The Hill.

“They’re just arresting anyone. It’s just all about their ultimate number.”

Reichlin-Melnick said the expanded enforcement increasingly encompasses immigrants who are already participating in government immigration proceedings and whose whereabouts are therefore known to federal officials.

“We’re seeing this expanded to people at airports, people who overstayed their visa solely because the U.S. government didn’t get around to adjudicating their case in time, and these are people who really have done nothing wrong. They took the path that the Trump administration itself used to say was the right way,” he said.

“More and more of those people are now being swept into the mass deportation machine, despite the fact that they have pending applications with the U.S. government and have been complying with every obligation put on them. So why is the administration going after them? Because in some ways they are the easiest targets. They tell the government who they are or where they live. … And so when the U.S. government needs to ramp up arrest numbers, it can just go after those people rather than having to find people that it doesn’t know about already.”

Bier also pointed to a growing number of detainees who have not received final removal orders from immigration judges. Those immigrants may remain detained while their immigration cases continue.

“Pretty soon, it’s going to be a majority of their deportations are not going to be based on a final order of removal, which will be just a real threshold for proving the success of the strategy, which is arrest and detain people without removal orders, and then just hope they give up,” he said.

The widening enforcement campaign has also generated criticism in Florida, despite the state’s strong Republican political leanings and support for stricter border enforcement. Florida is home to large immigrant communities that include naturalized citizens, legal immigrants and people without legal status. Federal data showed Florida among the states accounting for a large share of the summer increase in ICE arrests.

“Look, I’ve always supported TPS for Venezuelans, for Haitians,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), referring to Temporary Protected Status, which can temporarily shield eligible nationals of designated countries from deportation.

“Securing the border had to happen. It’s worked. It’s good. It’s good for our security. But some of the enforcement, I think, has been a bit of an overreach, to say the least — to say the least. I’ve expressed that.”

“You can enforce the border, but I think you also have to hopefully look at all the circumstances when you have some specific cases,” he added.

Salazar, who has introduced the Dignity Act, legislation that would provide a potential route for certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States, argued that immigration enforcement should also take into consideration longtime workers who contribute to major sectors of the economy.

“The people who’ve been here for decades in construction, hospitality, agricultural, healthcare, manufacturing [industries] — those people are needed, and we need it for the economy. It’s just that there is a disconnect. … The White House is not understanding that those people are needed for the economy,” she said.

“And that those are our values as Americans.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that construction of the newly redesigned White House helipad has been completed, bringing to a close a project that underwent significant changes at his direction last month.

Trump marked the completion by sharing on Truth Social a historic photograph of President Dwight D. Eisenhower preparing to leave the White House grounds aboard an Air Force H-13J helicopter in July 1957. Eisenhower became the first sitting U.S. president to travel by helicopter when he flew to Camp David that year, a mode of transportation the Secret Service had urged him to use.

“Dwight Eisenhower didn’t need a Helipad at the White House for those little Choppers, but America needs one now — Just completed, and MAGNIFICENT!” Trump wrote in the post.

Work on the landing pad began after the temporary fighting arena erected on the South Lawn for the “Freedom 250 UFC” event celebrating Trump’s 80th birthday in June was removed. Trump said in July that Sikorsky Aircraft, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary that produces presidential helicopters, would cover the project’s cost, which he estimated at roughly $5 million to $6 million. Lockheed Martin said its contribution was made to the National Park Service and complied with applicable laws and regulations.

The project encountered a major change of plans in August after Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the work already completed. The president wanted the landing area to appear level despite the slope of the South Lawn, leading contractors to dismantle portions of the work, including granite pieces that had already been installed as part of the presidential seal.

It was not immediately clear how much the additional work resulting from the redesign added to the overall price of the project.

Trump subsequently brought reporters to the South Lawn for a lengthy tour of the construction, where he praised both the helipad and work on his new White House ballroom. He said the landing pad looked “incredible from the air and from every place else,” and discussed its potential use during visits by foreign leaders. During the tour, he also signed the underside of one of the granite pieces being installed.

The new Marine One landing area measures approximately 100 feet across and incorporates thick granite, including stone quarried in California. Its centerpiece is a large presidential seal fashioned from stone. The helipad is intended in part to accommodate the newer generation of presidential helicopters, which officials have said could damage the South Lawn when operating directly over the grass.

Workers told Trump during his August tour that they expected to finish the project by Sept. 21, shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned meeting with the president. The work ultimately appears to have been completed roughly two weeks ahead of that timetable.

“We might make it for President Xi,” Trump said. “That’d be nice but not imperative.”

The helipad is one piece of a broader series of construction and renovation projects Trump has undertaken at the White House and elsewhere in Washington during his second term.

Among the most prominent is the new White House ballroom project, which has drawn criticism from preservationists and others and prompted litigation over the construction. Last week, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, allowed work on the project to continue while the legal fight proceeds.

The preservationists’ challenge could still return to the Supreme Court as the case moves forward. For now, however, the high court’s order permits construction on the ballroom project to continue while the underlying legal dispute remains unresolved.

{Matzav.com}

Yisrael Beytenu unveiled its candidate slate for the 26th Knesset on Sunday evening, as party chairman Avigdor Lieberman laid out an aggressive post-election agenda that includes universal military or national service, mandatory core studies in state-funded schools, and a refusal to enter into understandings with the chareidi parties.

The slate was presented before more than 1,000 people at Expo Tel Aviv. Lieberman retained the No. 1 position, while several new candidates were given prominent spots on the list.

Rafi Ben Shitrit, a former mayor of Beit She’an and onetime Likud member, was placed second. Ben Shitrit is the father of Elroi Ben Shitrit z”l, a soldier in the IDF’s 414 Combat Intelligence Collection Unit who was killed while fighting at the Nahal Oz outpost during the October 7 massacre. He is also among the founders of the October Council.

The third spot went to Col. (res.) Talia Lankri, who previously served as deputy head of the National Security Council for counterterrorism policy, homeland security and the home front, as well as head of the NSC’s Home Front Division. She currently works as a national security adviser and lecturer.

MK Oded Forer was placed fourth, followed by MK Yulia Malinovsky in fifth. Sharon Sharabi received the sixth position. Sharabi is the brother of Yossi Sharabi z”l, who was murdered while being held hostage by Hamas, and of captivity survivor Eli Sharabi, whose wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were murdered in the October 7 massacre. Since the attack, Sharon Sharabi has been active in efforts to secure the return of the hostages.

Positions seven through 10 went to MK Hamad Amar, MK Evgeny Sova, Lod Deputy Mayor Elvira Kolikhman, and former MK Dan Illouz.

The next five spots went to Lili Ben Ami at No. 11, Dr. Yael Benvenisti at No. 12, Metula Mayor David Azoulai at No. 13, former MK Limor Magen Telem at No. 14, and Capt. (res.) Yisrael Ben Shitrit at No. 15. Ben Shitrit, a reserve deputy company commander in the Alexandroni Brigade, was seriously wounded during fighting against terrorists in Khan Yunis.

Former MK Sharon Roffe Ofir was placed 16th, followed by Mor Dekel at No. 17, attorney Michaela Levin Shamir at No. 18, and Col. (res.) Olivia Rapovitz at No. 19. Maj. (res.) Yaakov “Yanki” Moses was given the 20th position. Moses left the chareidi community and volunteers with Hillel, an organization that assists others who have done the same.

Rounding out the 25 candidates presented were Ami Kor at No. 21, Maya Plumboim at No. 22, attorney Eddie Mordechayev at No. 23, Michal Oron Azani at No. 24, and attorney Stav Boyangiu Matza at No. 25.

In his address, Lieberman took a hard line on the draft issue, declaring that he would reject any arrangement establishing exemptions or quotas for bnei yeshivos.

“I am not prepared to accept any wink in the direction of Netanyahu and the chareidi parties. Anyone who talks about an exemption for 30% or for 4,500 yeshiva students is mistaken and misleading,” Lieberman said. “The moment you agree to a certain exemption, what was is what will be. An argument over the numbers will begin, and then go establish an administration that will determine who is really learning Torah and who is not. Therefore, this will not happen. We will not lend a hand to such a thing.”

Lieberman said one of his party’s first priorities would be legislation establishing “a draft law for everyone.”

“In our system, there will be no draft dodgers. Everyone will stand in line at the recruitment office,” he said.

“Every young person who reaches the age of 18 – Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze or Circassian – will report to the induction center, and the IDF will decide whom it recruits for military service and who goes to national service,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman also pledged to require every educational institution receiving state funding to teach a core curriculum.

“Every child whose education is funded by the State of Israel must receive the tools that will enable him to integrate into society and the labor market,” he said.

The Yisrael Beytenu chairman then turned his attention to what he characterized as “chareidi coercion,” promising to oppose policies he views as imposing chareidi standards on the broader public.

“We believe in a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state. We love the tradition of Israel and Jewish values, but we will strongly oppose chareidi coercion,” Lieberman said.

“We will not agree to allow the Bnei Brak syndrome to spread throughout the country. City councils will not be able to make decisions regarding separate sidewalks for women and men, and we will repeal the law on gender separation in academia,” he added.

Lieberman also addressed Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, saying that while he respects him personally, the two differ significantly over the strategy their political bloc should pursue.

“I respect and appreciate Gadi Eisenkot. We worked together and knew how to get along, even when we had difficult disagreements. I will tell you something else, I have no ego. But at the same time, there is a significant gap between my approach and Gadi Eisenkot’s approach.”

“What I have seen over the past month is an intensified effort by Gadi and his people to ensure that the ‘Yashar’ party will be the largest party. What interests me is bringing as many mandates as possible to the bloc. It is not enough to be the largest party when the entire bloc does not have enough mandates,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman outlined several additional measures he said he would pursue following the election, including establishing a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, limiting a prime minister to two terms, creating a national headquarters to combat organized crime, and establishing a constitution for Israel.

Lieberman said the government he hopes to form would consist “only of Zionist parties,” adding that he believes that at a later stage, “Likud without Netanyahu will also join our government.”

Ayelet Shaked has decided not to run in Israel’s upcoming election, turning down an offer from Benny Gantz to take the No. 2 position in his party and potentially setting her sights instead on a future political comeback through Likud.

According to a Channel 13 News report, Shaked is now expected to join Likud as a party member, a move that would allow her to begin accumulating the necessary seniority ahead of a possible future bid for a place on the party’s electoral slate.

Journalist Amit Segal addressed Shaked’s decision, saying that she “decided not to run in this election.” Regarding the possibility of another political partnership with Naftali Bennett, Segal added, “with Bennett, it is clear that it is over.”

Segal said Shaked had been skeptical from the outset about the prospects of what has been described as a “third bloc” in Israeli politics. He added that influential Likud mayors have been urging her for an extended period to formally join the party.

As an example, Segal pointed to Yehiel Zohar, whom he described as the “strongest in the party.” Zohar said this week that if Shaked were to compete in Likud, she could make it into the party’s top 10.

“My assessment is that she will join Likud, but time will tell,” Segal said.

Shaked’s decision came on the same day that another politician who previously ran with Bennett announced that he, too, would sit out the coming election. Former deputy minister Abir Kara said he would not be a candidate this time around.

Kara explained his decision in a lengthy post, arguing that Israel requires far more fundamental changes than he believes the current political options are offering.

“Israel needs far-reaching changes. Not Band-Aids, not cosmetic fixes, not hugs and certainly not makeup on reality and sweeping the problems under the rug,” Kara wrote.

“The society, the economy and the government in Israel need a total restart… I have not currently found a political framework with the necessary determination to truly change the course of the ship,” he wrote.

Kara added that incremental adjustments are insufficient for the challenges facing the country and said he sees the approaching election as offering largely the same political choices.

“Israel does not need another change of two percent here and three percent there. And these elections look like the same cards that are going to be shuffled in the same deck.”

{Matzav.com}