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Vice President JD Vance lashed out at sections of the American and Western media on Tuesday, accusing reporters of showing “a weird attitude” and even “rooting for failure” as the administration’s landmark Middle East peace initiative gains momentum.

“Things are going, frankly, better than I expected that they were,” Vance said during a press conference in southern Israel to mark the inauguration of the new Civilian-Military Cooperation Center. “This is a very, very tough situation. You have two peoples, two enemies who fought a very tough conflict against each other.

“You have a terrorist organization on one hand that murdered a lot of innocent people. You’ve got an Israeli army that was defending itself on the other, that has learned a lot over the past couple of years.”

Vance said that even with Sunday’s brief interruption in the ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces, the process continues to move forward. He applauded the teamwork among Israeli officials, U.S. representatives, and regional allies, while taking issue with what he described as consistently gloomy portrayals in American news outlets.

“There’s this weird attitude I’ve sensed in the American media and the Western media, where there’s almost this desire to root for failure,” he said. “Every time there’s an act of violence, there’s this inclination to say, ‘This is the end of the ceasefire.’

“It’s not the end. We are in a very good place.”

The vice president went on to commend the leadership of Ambassador Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command, and American servicemembers who are working alongside Israeli personnel at the new coordination hub.

He acknowledged that achieving lasting peace will not happen overnight, but said the groundwork being laid offers real hope for a stable future. “You have Israelis and Americans working hand in hand to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, implement long-term peace, and ensure security forces on the ground that can keep the peace,” Vance said.

{Matzav.com}

Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded on Tuesday after their tank was struck by an explosive device in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the military said. Both soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and their families have been notified, according to the IDF. The explosion occurred around 12:30 p.m. as troops were conducting operations to clear the area of potential threats. An initial military investigation found no terrorists present at the time of the blast, suggesting the device had been planted earlier. The IDF said it is examining when and how the explosive was placed in the area. Following the incident, Israeli forces carried out air and artillery strikes against several targets nearby that “posed a threat to the troops operating in the area,” military officials said. The Khan Younis region has remained a focal point of ongoing IDF activity as Israeli forces work to dismantle remaining Hamas infrastructure and prevent renewed terrorist operations following the ceasefire. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

More and more incredible stories of the spiritual gevurah of the recently released hostages are emerging. The story of Matan Angrest, an IDF soldier who was on active duty on October 7 and was abducted from his tank position at Nachal Oz, seriously wounded and unconscious, and suffering from burns and wounds, is especially inspiring. Matan suffered from open wounds after his abduction that went untreated for months. Due to his status, he also suffered especially severe torture during his captivity. Despite his secular background, Matan began davening three times a day during captivity. For most of his captivity, Angrest was held with fellow hostage Gali Berman, who had a Chamisha Chumshei Torah, and they recited the entire sefer together at least 20 times. “I know every parsha by heart,” he said. Angrest, who did not grow up in a religious home, explained to Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher that after five months, he needed something to sustain him. “Emunah provides a lot of chizzuk,” he said. He asked for a siddur, which a senior Hamas official eventually provided.   Matan’s father, Chagai (seen in the video below alongside his son), told Kan about the suffering his son endured. “He suffered more than others because he was a soldier, and that led to especially violent interrogations,” his father said. Matan’s gaunt condition upon his release shocked his family members. “We looked at him and said: ‘You’re a neis. It’s hard to believe you can even walk.” “He still can’t believe he can just drink water whenever he wants,” his father added. “They had almost nothing there. He needs to rebuild himself, physically and emotionally.” Matan’s mother told Kan that her son’s severe injuries caused the terrorists who abducted him on October 7 to debate whether it was “worth keeping him alive or to give up on him.” She said Matan told her, “I did what was expected of me as a soldier,” and that he is proud of his decision to fight the terrorists that morning, fully aware of the possibility that he might be taken captive. She added, “Before Matan came back, I didn’t change the sheets. I hadn’t touched his room since October 7. We kept his bedding, his scent, so that I could lie in his bed from time to time.” The video below shows Matan reciting Mizmor L’Todah, publicly thanking Hashem for his release: More stories of the recently released hostages connecting to ruchniyus in captivity can be read here and here and here, and here. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

After a period of quiet over Sukkos, the military police have resumed arresting bnei yeshivos. A talmid of Ohr HaChaim yeshivah was arrested overnight Monday at his home in Adam, a moshav in the Binyamin area (also known as Geva Binyamin). According to the bochur’s family members, the military police arrived in large numbers and even blocked several streets around his home to prevent protesters from gathering in the area. It should be noted that reports published on Monday that Chareidi “draft dodgers” will no longer be arrested apply only to the Israel Police and not the military police. Israel Police chief Danny Levy made a decision that bnei yeshivos who encounter Israel Police officers will no longer be arrested and transferred to the military police. His decision does not affect targeted arrests of bnei yeshivos by the military police. Some Chareidi sects have announced plans for protests on Tuesday evening. However, the official Peleg Yerushalmi sect stated that it will not hold demonstrations today. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Curtis Sliwa threatens to report to prosecutors anyone who offers him money to drop out of the New York City mayoral race. He has been under major pressure to drop his bid, but has adamantly refused.

House Minority Leader Jeffries: “We’re going to win in Virginia. We’re going to win in New Jersey because the American people are fed up that Republicans would rather spend time on vacation… and can’t find resources to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”

Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, in a startling interview, suggested the need to “get rid of” Donald Trump amid a heated dispute over the U.S. crackdown on drugs. The conflict escalated after Trump threatened to shut down what he called the “killing fields” in Colombia, and announced that the U.S. would reduce its subsidies to the Latin American country, following Petro’s accusation that the U.S. committed “murder” by attacking a suspected drug boat on September 15.

In a televised discussion with Daniel Coronell on Univision, Petro said, “Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways,” when asked about his ambition for securing the best possible deal for Colombia.

He then added, “The easiest way may be through Trump himself,” followed by, “If not — get rid of Trump,” punctuating his remark with a dramatic snap of his fingers.

When Coronell pressed him by suggesting that his primary mission was “to seek the best possible negotiation,” Petro denied that his immediate objective was to “change Trump.”

Petro conceded that his nation is “out of control,” yet asserted that Bogota is governed by its citizens and not by a monarch. “Trump said: ‘Colombia is out of control.’ Of course, it is out of his control. In a democracy, a government is under the control of the people, not Trump. He is not a king in Colombia; we do not accept kings here, period,” he declared.

He added later, “In the 21st century, some believe they can become kings and viceroys, but in republics, it is not possible,” noting, “Here, the heads of kings are cut off if they come with a king’s attitude.”

The feud between the two leaders began after the Trump administration’s strike on a suspected drug boat in September. Trump claimed the attack eliminated “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” who were in international waters at the time.

Petro countered, arguing the vessel was Colombian, used for fishing rather than drug transport. On X, he stated: “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” explaining that “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. … We await explanations from the US government.”

A later report by CNN indicated that one of Trump’s recent strikes in the Caribbean killed Colombian nationals, citing officials from the United States Department of Defense.

In his remarks on Sunday, Trump blasted Petro as “a very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America” and accused him of being “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.”

Beyond cutting off foreign aid to Colombia, Trump also threatened to increase tariffs on Bogotá, which currently pays a baseline rate of 10 %.

According to foreignassistance.gov, the U.S. has provided over $207 million in foreign aid to Colombia this year.

Trump has authorized at least seven known strikes against alleged drug-boats in the area, targeting vessels suspected of ties to Venezuela — a strategy that has raised concerns among Democrats in Congress and Republicans such as Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

The harsh rhetoric from Petro drew alarm from Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees. On X, he warned: “In an interview with [Univision Noticias], Colombia’s narcoterrorist-in-chief, Gustavo Petro, has just threatened to ‘overthrow’ President Trump. Petro threats must be taken seriously, he is a genuine threat to the safety & security of our hemisphere.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City police are searching for this woman after an infant girl — her umbilical cord still attached — was found abandoned Monday morning at the 34th Street–Penn Station subway stop in Manhattan. The baby, wrapped in a blanket, was discovered during rush hour in a passageway connecting to the busy rail hub beneath Madison Square Garden. She was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition.

OpenAI said Tuesday it is introducing its own web browser, Atlas, putting the ChatGPT maker in direct competition with Google as more internet users rely on artificial intelligence to answer their questions. Making itself a gateway to online searches could allow OpenAI, the world’s most valuable startup, to pull in more internet traffic and the revenue made from digital advertising. OpenAI has said ChatGPT already has more than 800 million users but many of them get it for free. The San Francisco-based company is losing more money than it makes and has been looking for ways to turn a profit. OpenAI said Atlas launches Tuesday on Apple laptops and will later come to Microsoft’s Windows, Apple’s iOS phone operating system and Google’s Android phone system. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called it a “rare, once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be about and how to use one.” OpenAI’s browser is coming out just a few months after one of its executives testified that the company would be interested in buying Google’s industry-leading Chrome browser if a federal judge had required it to be sold to prevent the abuses that resulted in Google’s ubiquitous search engine being declared an illegal monopoly. But U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta last month issued a decision that rejected the Chrome sale sought by the U.S. Justice Department in the monopoly case, partly because he believed advances in the AI industry already are reshaping the competitive landscape. OpenAI’s browser will face a daunting challenge against Chrome, which has amassed about 3 billion worldwide users and has been adding some AI features from Google’s Gemini technology. Chrome’s immense success could provide a blueprint for OpenAI as it enters the browser market. When Google released Chrome in 2008, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was so dominant that few observers believed a new browser could mount a formidable threat. But Chrome quickly won over legions of admirers by loading webpages more quickly than Internet Explorer while offering other advantages that enabled it to upend the market. Microsoft ended up abandoning Explorer and introducing its Edge browser, which operates similarly to Chrome. Perplexity, another smaller AI startup, rolled out its own Comet browser earlier this year. It also expressed interest in buying Chrome and eventually submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer for the browser that hit a dead end when Mehta decided against a Google breakup. A premium feature of the ChatGPT Atlas browser is an “agent mode” that accesses the laptop and effectively clicks around the internet on the person’s behalf, armed with what it has learned from users’ browser history and what they are seeking to learn and explaining its process as it searches. “It’s using the internet for you,” Altman said. (AP)

NASA is reevaluating SpaceX’s role in returning U.S. astronauts to the moon, citing delays in Elon Musk’s Starship program. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said Monday the agency will reopen SpaceX’s $2.9 billion lunar lander contract to new bidders, warning, “We’re in a race against China — and we can’t afford to lose.” The move marks a major shift from NASA’s 2021 plan to rely solely on SpaceX for the Artemis III mission, now targeted for 2027. Duffy said other companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, will be invited to submit “acceleration plans” to help get Americans back on the moon faster.

A New York man pardoned by President Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has been arrested again—this time for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, was charged with making a terroristic threat after state police say he texted that Jeffries “must be eliminated” ahead of a speech in New York City.

European and Ukrainian officials are drafting a 12-point peace plan to halt Russia’s invasion along current front lines, with a “peace board” chaired by President Trump to oversee a potential ceasefire. The proposal includes prisoner swaps, the return of deported Ukrainian children, gradual lifting of sanctions tied to compliance, and new security guarantees for Kyiv. EU leaders will discuss the framework in Brussels this week, calling it the most serious push toward a ceasefire in months.

Japan made history Tuesday as lawmakers elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi the country’s first female prime minister. Takaichi takes office after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered major election losses and formed a shaky new coalition that could shift Japan further to the right. She pledged to strengthen Japan’s defense posture as she prepares to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump to Tokyo next week — signaling that security and U.S.-Japan relations will be top priorities for her new government.

Snapple is reviving a piece of its past, bringing back its signature glass bottles — but the nostalgic comeback is short-lived and limited to just one city.

The beverage brand confirmed to Today.com that, starting this week, it’s reintroducing its old-school glass bottles complete with the beloved pop cap and hidden Snapple fact under the lid.

A company representative explained that the decision was inspired by customer nostalgia, saying there’s been a “demand for nostalgia.”

According to Today.com, the glass bottles will be sold only in the New York City area, available at select bodegas and retailers for $3.99 each — but only while supplies last.

The focus on New York is no coincidence. A Snapple spokesperson told Today.com that the limited release serves as a tribute to the brand’s Brooklyn origins.

Fans will have a small but classic lineup to choose from, including Snapple Apple, Kiwi Strawberry, Peach Tea, Zero Sugar Peach Tea, and Lemon Tea.

Snapple originally began phasing out its glass bottles in 2017, fully transitioning to plastic packaging by 2021 — but for now, at least in New York, the familiar clink of glass is back.

{Matzav.com}

The community continues to mourn the heartbreaking loss of four precious  bochurim who were tragically niftar in a devastating car accident on the New Jersey Turnpike early Sunday morning.

The levayos, attended by thousands, reflected the profound grief felt across the Olam HaTorah.

Nichum Aveilim

Shiva for Habachur Shlomo Abba Cohen z”l
31 Ponderosa Pine River, Lakewood
Shacharis: 8:00 a.m.
Mincha: 1:45 p.m.
Maariv: 9:00 p.m.

Shiva for Habachur Chaim Simcha Grossman z”l
Until Wednesday noon in Lakewood at 74 Tova Drive
Shacharis: 8:00 a.m.
Mincha: 1:45 p.m.
Maariv: 8:45 p.m.
Thursday and Friday in South Fallsburg at 24 Estate Drive

Shiva for Habachur Yaakov Kilberg z”l
120 Hearth Court East, Lakewood
Shacharis: 8:00 a.m.
Mincha: 1:45 p.m.
Maariv: 8:30 p.m.

Shiva for Habachur Aharon Nosson Lebovits z”l
132 Spruce Street, Lakewood
Shacharis: 8:00 a.m.
Mincha: 1:45 p.m.
Maariv: 9:00 p.m.

HaMakom yenacheim eschem besoch she’ar aveilei Tzion v’Yerushalayim.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump has shelved plans for another in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after Moscow rebuffed his call to freeze the Ukraine war along the current lines of control.

The announcement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. According to a source familiar with the discussion, the exchange made clear that the Kremlin was unwilling to adopt Trump’s proposed framework for ending the conflict.

“Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call,” a White House official told The Post on Tuesday. “Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”

Trump had said last week that Rubio would head a senior U.S. delegation to meet face-to-face with Russian officials in hopes of paving the way for direct Trump-Putin talks in Budapest, Hungary.

Following his third White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since returning to office, Trump urged both nations to halt fighting immediately and enter negotiations toward a lasting truce.

Zelensky readily embraced the plan, issuing a call for an immediate cease-fire and for peace talks to commence without delay.

However, on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea outright. The proposal would have allowed Ukraine to retain about 22% of the Donbas region that Russia has failed to seize despite more than a decade of war.

“This topic was repeatedly raised in various forms during contacts between Russia and the US. The Russian side answered every time, this answer is well known: The consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change,” Peskov told local outlets, reiterating Moscow’s insistence that Ukraine surrender territory.

By Tuesday, Zelensky had joined with leaders from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the European Commission, and the European Council to endorse Trump’s plan.

“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the coalition declared in a joint statement.

The leaders accused Moscow of dragging out the process, saying that “Russia’s stalling tactics” have “shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace.”

“We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. Therefore we are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest position possible — before, during and after any cease-fire.”

The allied leaders are slated to meet again later this week to weigh new measures aimed at forcing Moscow’s hand — including the potential use of frozen Russian funds to help sustain Ukraine.

“We must ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defense industry until Putin is ready to make peace,” the group’s statement concluded. “We are developing measures to use the full value of Russia’s immobilized sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs.”

{Matzav.com}

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday referred former CIA Director John Brennan to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution, alleging that he lied to Congress about the role of the Steele dossier in shaping the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment of Russian interference in the U.S. election. The move, spearheaded by Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), marks a new front in Republicans’ years-long campaign to revisit and punish what they call the “Russia collusion hoax.” In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Jordan accused Brennan of “knowingly making false statements” during a May 2023 transcribed interview before the committee’s weaponization subpanel, claiming the ex-intelligence chief misrepresented his role in including information from the dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). “The integrity of congressional oversight depends on truthful testimony,” Jordan wrote. “Brennan’s false statements strike at the heart of that duty.” The referral revives a political and legal saga that has shadowed U.S. intelligence agencies since Donald Trump first took office. Brennan, who led the CIA from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama, has long been a lightning rod for conservatives who accuse him of politicizing intelligence findings to damage Trump during the transition period. During his 2023 testimony, Brennan insisted the CIA “was very much opposed” to including the Steele dossier — a compilation of opposition research financed by Hillary Clinton’s campaign — in the assessment that concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to boost Trump’s election chances. Brennan told lawmakers the dossier appeared only as an FBI-proposed annex, distancing the CIA from its inclusion. But Jordan’s referral cites declassified documents and a 2020 House Intelligence Committee report—released earlier this year by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—that contradict that claim. Those records, Republicans say, show Brennan personally pushed for the dossier’s inclusion in the ICA’s main body despite objections from analysts who viewed it as unreliable. “The HPSCI report and internal CIA memoranda confirm that Brennan insisted on including the dossier,” Jordan wrote, arguing that the testimony “stands in stark contrast” to the record. The committee’s referral also references Brennan’s 2017 testimony, where he similarly downplayed the dossier’s role. That statement is now beyond the five-year statute of limitations but, Jordan argues, shows a “pattern” of dishonesty. This is not the first time Brennan’s credibility has come under scrutiny. In 2014, he falsely denied that CIA staff had accessed Senate Intelligence Committee computers during a torture investigation, a claim later refuted by the agency’s inspector general. Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance in 2018, citing his “erratic behavior and partisanship.” The former CIA chief has dismissed the latest referral as a political vendetta. “This is retribution, pure and simple,” Brennan told The New York Times last month, calling the GOP-led probe “a partisan effort to rewrite history.” The referral builds on earlier moves by Trump-aligned officials to revisit the origins of the Russia investigation. In 2025, CIA Director John Ratcliffe—himself a Trump appointee—sent a similar criminal referral accusing Brennan of misleading lawmakers about the assessment process. That review described the 2017 report as “politically skewed” and “rushed to align with a predetermined narrative.” Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey have since faced overlapping DOJ inquiries into alleged false statements related to the Russia probe, though no charges have emerged to date. For Republicans, Tuesday’s referral is part […]

Millions of Americans struggling under student debt are set to gain long-awaited relief after the Trump administration agreed to reinstate key loan forgiveness programs it had previously suspended during an extended legal fight.

The administration reached a settlement with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), paving the way for widespread debt cancellation for borrowers who have been making consistent payments under income-driven repayment plans.

According to a joint filing submitted Friday, the AFT and Department of Education finalized the deal to resume processing loan forgiveness for qualified borrowers enrolled in those programs.

“This is a tremendous win for borrowers. With today’s filing, borrowers can rest a little easier,” said Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director for Protect Borrowers, the organization representing the teachers’ union in the case.

The AFT, which represents about 1.8 million members, had filed suit in March, charging that Trump officials illegally blocked borrowers from accessing repayment and forgiveness programs that were active when they originally took out their loans.

Earlier this year, the White House halted forgiveness under certain income-driven repayment plans that base monthly payments on a borrower’s earnings. Those who completed the required number of qualifying payments had expected their remaining balances to be canceled.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s department defended the pause, arguing it was legally justified under a court order that temporarily froze the Biden-era “Saving on a Valuable Education” (SAVE) plan, another income-driven program. The freeze left only one pathway to loan cancellation available: the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan.

After months of litigation, the administration reversed course, signing an agreement to bring back the suspended forgiveness options.

“For nearly a decade, the AFT has fought for the rights of student loan borrowers to be freed from the shackles of unjust debt—and today, a huge part of that affordability fight was vindicated,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement. “This year, we took on the Trump administration when it refused to follow the law and denied borrowers the relief they were owed. Our agreement means that those borrowers stuck in limbo can either get immediate relief or finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

The settlement applies to borrowers participating in income-based repayment (IBR), income-contingent repayment (ICR), pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) plans, and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, according to the union’s announcement. Borrowers must still complete the required number of payments under their plan before receiving forgiveness.

As part of the deal, the administration agreed to refund borrowers who made extra payments after qualifying for cancellation through income-driven repayment. The Education Department will also process buyback applications under both IDR and PSLF programs, including for those who no longer meet a “partial financial hardship” test, which was scrapped under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Borrowers can log into their StudentAid.gov accounts and select “My Aid” or “View Details” to review their loan types and repayment plans to determine eligibility for cancellation.

The administration also confirmed that anyone who qualifies for forgiveness this year will not owe federal income tax on the canceled amount. To address future concerns, it clarified that the government will use the date a borrower becomes eligible for forgiveness—not the date of processing—to determine whether the debt is taxable.

That provision ensures that borrowers who qualify by December 31, 2025, won’t face an unexpected tax bill caused by bureaucratic delays or court-related slowdowns. The AFT called this an important step in preventing what it described as a looming “tax bomb” from changes scheduled to take effect in 2026 that would treat canceled debt as income.

The agreement still awaits judicial approval. Once the court signs off, the administration must file monthly progress reports for six months tracking application reviews and loan cancellation activity.

If finalized, the settlement will offer long-overdue relief to countless Americans who have spent decades paying off federal student loans while waiting for the government to fulfill its promises. The timeline for the court’s decision remains uncertain.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Chaim Simcha Grossman had a pure heart and always wanted to do the right thing. Whenever he learned he got very involved and wanted to get to the truth. He invested so much in his learning and was always striving to understand and clarify the depth of the sugya. His rebbeim always enjoyed his questions and his involvement in the shiur. He was a talmid in the true sense of the word. He was always close to his rebbeim and as a true talmid, he followed their guidance and advice. 

Chaim Simcha was a בעל אחריות to the fullest extent. Well beyond his years, he went above and beyond to fulfill his responsibilities. Chaim Simcha, we are now all your תלמידים.

Please Donate Here

He truly personified his name and was full of life and שמחה. He was taken at such a young age yet he left such a powerful impact on all who knew him. With the twinkle in his eyes, his lovable personality and heart of gold, he uplifted all who knew him. In his humble way, he did so much for so many! His whole being was enveloped in מדת האמת. His honesty in all his dealings was unparalleled. In every area of his life, he was driven by the truth to do the ‘רצון ה!

His last words were, “TYH – WE OUT“ not knowing this would be his last trip… to ישיבה של מעלה. 

We, his family have undertaken the writing of a ספר תורה to memorialize his love for תורה! Join us in this great zechus of writing a ספר תורה to honor his שמחת התורה and שמחת החיים.

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 לעילוי נשמת הב’ חיים שמחה בן גרשון ישעיה

Israeli hostage Segev Kalfon, abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, revealed that Hamas terrorists viciously assaulted him for refusing to change his name and forced him to live underground in Gaza for months under constant threat of execution.

Kalfon, 27, was held for 738 days before being released earlier this month. In an interview with Ynet and Yedioth Achronot, he recalled how his captors mocked his name after hearing “Segev,” which sounded to them like the Arabic word for “ceiling.”

“They didn’t believe me and started beating me,” he said. “When they began calling me ‘Steve,’ I stopped correcting them. That’s when I realized I was a prisoner.”

Upon his arrival in Gaza, Kalfon said he was taken to what he thought was a mosque. “Someone pressed a knife to my neck and asked my name. I said ‘Segev.’ He pressed harder. Every time I said it, I was beaten again,” he said.

Captured while fleeing the Nova festival, Kalfon described being tied up, blindfolded, and repeatedly hit with rifle butts. “They hit me in the knees, the stomach, the head, from every side. After a few minutes, you stop feeling the blows — only silence, a minute before life ends,” he recounted.

He was eventually shuttled between various safe houses as Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza, before spending 11 months trapped in a tunnel with fellow captives Ohad Ben Ami, Elkana Bohbot, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Maxim Harkin, and Bar Kuperstein. At times, he was left completely alone.

“We dug a pit for a toilet — for us and for them — because they called us ‘worthless Jews,’” he said. “We dug tunnels. They forced us to work. When you go down into a tunnel, you become a rat. The life you had above ground no longer exists.”

Kalfon said he refused Hamas’s demands to appear in propaganda footage. “I thought about my parents and my family,” he explained. “I didn’t want to say that I was suffering or starving, or that a tunnel collapsed on me. Even though every day there was a danger to your life, every minute you survived was a miracle.”

He recalled one bombing so intense that he and two others prepared to die. “We said to each other, ‘If something happens, know that I love you, that you’re my brothers.’ After that day they took us down into the tunnel.”

“Death becomes your best friend,” Kalfon said. “You talk to death all the time. Nothing is certain. You have no food, no communication, and they do everything to make you suffer.”

He added that the captives were beaten whenever Hamas fighters saw National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on television or heard news about Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails. “We knew the light at the end of the tunnel meant beatings were coming,” he said.

Describing his life underground as sheer torment, Kalfon said, “You sleep on an uneven floor, on a mattress as thin as a sheet. I made a pillow from scraps of mattress. The little water we had, I filtered through gauze. A bottle of water was like gold,” he said. “Today, nothing is taken for granted.”

{Matzav.com}