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Thousands of Breslover chassidim preparing to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah 5787 are facing steep increases in transportation costs, with fares from European airports, border crossings and Ukrainian train stations rising by tens of percentage points compared with last year.

An examination by Emess comparing official price lists from the previous two years with newly published rates for Rosh Hashanah 5787 found substantial increases across nearly every major route and vehicle category. The report also found that the two primary transportation companies serving Uman travelers, Paichele and Uman Express, are advertising completely identical prices this year.

For travel from Chisinau, Moldova, to Uman, the cost of a private car increased from $500 to $550, a 10% rise. A VIP SUV climbed from $650 to $750, an increase of approximately 15.4%, while a five- to seven-passenger minivan jumped from $700 to $900, or roughly 28.5%. An 18-seat Sprinter rose from $1,400 to $1,500, approximately 7.1%.

Travel from Iasi, Romania, saw even sharper increases. A private car now costs $650, compared with $500 last year, representing a 30% jump. A VIP SUV rose from $650 to $800, approximately 23%, while a minivan climbed from $700 to $1,000 — an increase of approximately 42.8%. An 18-seat Sprinter increased from $1,400 to $1,700, or roughly 21.4%.

The journey from Bucharest to Uman has also become significantly more expensive. A private car increased from $950 to $1,100, approximately 15.8%, while a VIP SUV jumped from $1,100 to $1,400, or roughly 27.2%. Minivan prices surged from $1,200 to $1,700, an increase of approximately 41.6%, and Sprinter transportation rose from $2,300 to $2,800, or approximately 21.7%.

Travelers arriving through Poland are seeing similar increases. A private car from Rzeszow to Uman has risen from $800 to $1,000, a 25% increase. Minivans from Warsaw or Katowice, previously priced between $1,400 and $1,500, now cost $2,000, representing increases ranging from approximately 33% to 42%. Sprinter transportation from those cities has increased from roughly $2,700-$2,750 to $3,200, approximately 17%.

Prices have also climbed for travelers continuing to Uman from Ukrainian railway stations. A private car from Vinnytsia, previously costing between $150 and $180, now costs $210. Minivan service from Vinnytsia has jumped from approximately $210-$250 to $350, while a minivan from Khmelnytskyi now costs $600, compared with $400-$480 previously.

Perhaps the most striking finding in the new price lists is that Paichele and Uman Express are advertising precisely the same rates for every vehicle category, destination, border crossing and surcharge examined in the report, without even a one-dollar difference between the two companies.

A senior Breslov community activist sharply criticized the situation, raising concerns about possible price coordination in a market where travelers have few alternatives.

“It is simply terrible to see how prices are skyrocketing in such an extreme and unprecedented manner from year to year, placing an unbearably heavy financial burden on the chassidim. But even more serious is that the only two companies currently providing transportation services are matching their price lists and presenting completely identical prices. There is a serious concern of price coordination in a closed market. When there are only two options on the ground and they are completely coordinated, the public becomes captive and has no alternative or opportunity for free competition on the way to Rabbeinu.”

The transportation companies rejected the implication that the higher rates were arbitrary, pointing instead to sharply rising operating costs caused by the continuing war in Ukraine, fuel prices, infrastructure problems and shortages of available drivers.

Paichele told Emess: “The increase in prices is an unavoidable reality resulting directly from the war in Ukraine and Russia’s bombardment of power stations and fuel infrastructure in the country. Fuel prices have nearly tripled and continue to rise consistently, and last winter there was almost no electricity in the country. In addition, there has been a sharp increase in all cost-of-living indexes and logistical expenses in Ukraine, making it extremely difficult to operate the transportation system.”

Uman Express offered a similar explanation, saying its rates reflect significantly higher costs on the ground.

“It is important for us to clarify that the prices were determined according to actual costs, which have risen very significantly this year. The main factor is the sharp increase in fuel prices in Ukraine, and in addition, there is a significant shortage of drivers who are able and permitted to leave Ukraine, which makes it very difficult to find available drivers and increases operating costs. Beyond that, prices throughout the Ukrainian market have risen considerably, not only for pilgrims but also for the local population. We were forced to adjust prices to the existing reality, and we are making every effort to maintain fair prices without compromising service, safety and reliability.”

{Matzav.com}

Attorneys representing Ponevezh Yeshiva have moved swiftly following the court ruling in the long-running dispute over the yeshiva campus, sending a formal demand letter calling on the opposing side to fully comply with the decision.

The letter, sent Monday by attorneys Ehud Artzi, Rivka Ariel, Ran Feldman and S. Horowitz, was addressed to attorney Eyal Rozovsky, who represents Rav Shmuel Markowitz and the Mesores HaTorah association. It came just one day after Judge Yehudit Shevach issued her ruling upholding the arbitration decision governing the future of the Ponevezh campus.

The brief and pointed letter demands that the ruling be implemented in full, beginning with the requirement to “vacate the Ponevezh Yeshiva property” by the deadline established by the court.

Under Judge Shevach’s ruling, the buildings occupied by Rav Markowitz’s yeshiva are to be vacated during Chol Hamoed Sukkos 5787, two days before Simchas Torah.

Ponevezh’s attorneys also demanded that the buildings be returned in proper condition and that all financial penalties imposed in the arbitration ruling by retired Judge David Cheshin be paid in full, together with applicable linkage adjustments.

The letter further calls for Mesores HaTorah and “Eim HaYeshivos” to immediately stop using the Ponevezh Yeshiva name and trademarks in any form. That demand applies to the yeshiva’s logos, official documents, advertisements, fundraising websites and other platforms.

In addition, the attorneys demanded that Rav Shmuel Markowitz immediately cease using the title “Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh.”

The letter followed Sunday’s sweeping District Court decision in favor of Ponevezh Yeshiva and its president, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman. Judge Shevach essentially upheld the full arbitration ruling issued by retired Judge David Cheshin, who was appointed to adjudicate the bitter dispute in 2021.

The ruling represents a potentially decisive turning point in a decades-long conflict that resulted in two rival yeshivos operating on the same Ponevezh campus and was repeatedly accompanied by bitter confrontations and, at times, violence.

In her decision, Judge Shevach leveled particularly severe criticism at Rav Markowitz, placing responsibility on his side for the violence and turmoil that plagued the campus during the dispute.

Attention is now turning to Simchas Torah, which is expected to mark the first Yom Tov after the deadline by which the entire Ponevezh campus is supposed to be under the exclusive control of Ponevezh Yeshiva.

Officials at the yeshiva are reportedly awaiting that date with considerable anticipation, although Rav Markowitz’s side has indicated that it intends to pursue an appeal of the ruling.

[COMMUNICATED]

National Sukkah Outlet has been building sukkahs for the community for 36 years. It started with R’ Ezriel Munk making wooden panels in his garage in Passaic, and over time it became one of those places people just tell each other about. A neighbor mentions it, and that’s how you end up there.

They’ve got a lot to choose from. Wood panels, fiberglass, the newer lucite that actually holds up and doesn’t scratch, a see-through option if you want something different, fabric ones, travel ones, and bamboo and schach under Badatz with two mehadrin options. Whatever you’re after, it’s probably there.

And the modular pre-sized sukkahs are a genuinely good deal right now:

6×8 — $1,899
8×12 — $2,395
10×16 — $2,999

Plus a range of color options.

But the thing people really talk about isn’t the sukkahs. It’s that when you call, someone picks up,  someone who knows what they’re talking about and actually helps you figure out what you need. In a busy season, with Yom Tov coming fast, that’s worth more than anything.

The good sizes and colors do go early, though. So if this is the year you’re getting a new one, it’s worth calling sooner rather than later.

Reach them at 1-800-778-5624, take a look at sukkahoutlet.com, or WhatsApp them at wa.me/8483827990. Tell them what you’re working with and they’ll take it from there.

British-manufactured long-range drones have reportedly been used by Ukrainian forces to attack targets deep inside Russia for the first time, marking another expansion in Western-supplied weaponry being employed against Russian military and economic infrastructure and prompting renewed warnings from Moscow.

The Sunday Times reported, citing British and Ukrainian government sources, that drones produced by two British companies have successfully carried out long-range missions against targets well beyond the front lines in recent months. Among the systems reportedly supplied to Ukraine is the Callen-Lenz/BAE Systems-developed Nyan drone, which has allegedly been involved in attacks on “oil refineries in Volgograd, southwest Russia, and Yaroslavl, near Moscow”.

The Nyan is a carbon-fiber, jet-powered aircraft built around a compound delta-wing design. Also described as a “One-Way Effector (OWE) Uncrewed Air System (UAS),” the weapon is intended to perform missions similar to those of a cruise missile while costing substantially less. The drone incorporates some stealth characteristics and backup navigation capabilities that allow it to continue toward its target when GPS and other guidance systems are disrupted by electronic warfare. Its design is also intended to permit rapid, relatively inexpensive mass production.

The system has previously undergone testing with the British military, including launches from Royal Navy vessels using a catapult rail. Britain is reportedly planning to provide Ukraine with “over 150,000” drones this year, though most of those aircraft are expected to be cheaper, shorter-range systems rather than the British-built long-range strike drones that have reportedly entered Ukrainian combat operations in recent months.

Moscow responded to reports of the British weapons being used against targets inside Russia with another round of warnings directed at the West, including references to the possibility of nuclear escalation. Russian state media ran the headline “UK moves toward nuclear war by allowing Ukraine to launch British-made UAVs against Russia” while circulating comments from a Norwegian academic discussing the development. The Russian Embassy in London issued its own warning to Britain.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the embassy accused the British government of hypocrisy for publicly supporting peace efforts while continuing to arm Ukraine. Moscow also alleged that London had become complicit in Ukrainian “terrorist attacks” — terminology rejected by Western governments, which regard Ukrainian strikes against military and war-related targets as part of Kyiv’s defense against Russia’s invasion.

The Russian Embassy did not specify what retaliation Britain could face but warned that continued British involvement in the conflict would carry consequences.

“London’s actions will inevitably have consequences, for which it will have to answer. The deeper its involvement in this conflict and the greater its support for the terrorist machine of Kyiv, the higher the price will be.”

Russia has repeatedly issued severe warnings over Western military assistance to Ukraine, while Britain has steadily supplied Kyiv with increasingly sophisticated equipment. British support has included tactical weapons, armored vehicles, artillery and long-range cruise missiles.

British officials are also increasingly concerned about a different form of Russian retaliation. The Times reported that sources fear factories producing drones for Ukraine could become priority targets for sabotage as Moscow intensifies what Western governments describe as “hybrid warfare” operations across Europe.

Such concerns are heightened by the relative ease with which individuals or small groups could potentially attack defense-related industrial facilities without sophisticated weapons or training — and, in some cases, without necessarily knowing that they were acting at Moscow’s direction.

British defense-related sites have already faced attacks by anti-Israel activists in recent years. Some incidents involved little more than protesters equipped with paint and sledgehammers, while others were significantly more aggressive.

In one particularly serious incident, activists rammed the entrance of a defense-related facility using a prison van before entering the property and damaging equipment. Prosecutors alleged that security personnel and responding police officers were also attacked with hammers. A jury later failed to reach a verdict in the case, after which pro-Palestinian activists declared “victory.”

{Matzav.com}

Newly released emails show that a senior FDA official raised concerns with Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins in May 2021 about reports of adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, prompting Fauci to suggest consulting other federal health officials and cautioning that they could not “ignore” the matter.

Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the correspondence over the weekend. The email was written by Dr. Janet Woodcock, who was serving as acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration at the time, and sent to Fauci and Collins, then director of the National Institutes of Health.

“I have been contacted by a number of people who have experienced adverse events post COVID-19 vaccination (from all three of the current vaccines). Many are healthcare professionals, some of whom I know. The symptoms do not fit together into a distinctive syndrome and most are not easily quantifiable or evaluated with standard laboratory testing,” she wrote.

Woodcock acknowledged that a nationwide vaccination campaign would inevitably produce reports that could have different explanations, but she expressed concern that people reporting symptoms felt they were being dismissed.

“Clearly during mass vaccination you will get a lot of psychological reactions and it is hard to sort these things out. But the people’s main complaint is that no one takes them seriously, no one knows how to treat them, and there is no effort to study this,” she said, encouraging them to do a study and evaluate a “cohort of these individuals.”

Woodcock suggested that properly investigating the reports would require both funding and a researcher willing to examine unusual medical cases.

“But of course $$ need to be made available, and you would need an investigator who is interested in ‘medical mysteries,’” she wrote, noting, “I doubt the industry would support, for obvious reasons.”

She also warned that failing to investigate a potential problem early could create greater difficulties later.

“But my experience is, that if you let a problem fester, then it will come back to bite you later and you are not prepared,” she said, asking, “What do you think of this? Jw,” the email concluded with Janet Woodcock’s initials.

Rather than immediately answering Woodcock, Fauci forwarded her message to Collins the following day. According to Johnson’s office, Fauci wrote:

“Janet [Woodcock] asks what we think of this? We cannot ignore her. We should probably bring in CDC and see what Rochelle [Walensky] thinks.”

It remains unclear from the records released thus far whether Rochelle Walensky, who was then director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was subsequently consulted about Woodcock’s concerns.

Johnson’s office also pointed to contemporaneous reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. According to the senator’s office, when Woodcock sent the email, the database contained “440,025 worldwide adverse events and 8,650 deaths associated with the COVID injection reported to VAERS, with 3,350 (39 percent) of 0those deaths occurring within 2 days of injection.” VAERS reports by themselves do not establish that a vaccine caused a reported medical event or death.

“What they knew in private they never said to the public,” Sen. Paul remarked.

Fauci continued publicly urging Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines throughout 2021, particularly as new variants emerged. He repeatedly warned that unvaccinated Americans faced substantially greater risks from the virus and at one point spoke of “almost two types of America” developing between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

“They’re going to be very vulnerable. That’s why I worry about the people who refuse to get vaccinated. When you’re dealing with any COVID virus, when you’re dealing with one that spreads so rapidly, and you’re unvaccinated, the virus is going to find you,” he warned in December 2021.

“And I know there will be a lot of people that will get seriously ill if you are unvaccinated. That’s the reason why despite the recalcitrance on the part of so many people to get vaccinated, we continue to encourage them, particularly in the context of this new variant, to please get vaccinated. If you have been vaccinated, make sure you get your booster in time,” he said.

COVID-19 vaccines were ultimately shown not to completely prevent infection or transmission, particularly as newer variants emerged, although studies found that vaccination reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death, with effectiveness varying over time, by variant and by vaccine dose.

The newly disclosed Woodcock correspondence comes after Johnson and Paul released another set of communications last week involving Fauci. That release included a text sent from Fauci’s government-issued cellphone in which he discussed whether a COVID-19 vaccination administered during the first trimester of pregnancy could “theoretically” be associated with miscarriage.

{Matzav.com}

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a new series of federal initiatives Monday aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome and other illnesses transmitted by ticks, appearing alongside actor and patient advocate Dennis Quaid.

Kennedy detailed the effort in a video posted on X, saying the department is seeking to shorten the often lengthy process patients face before receiving an accurate diagnosis while expanding access to effective treatment.

“Millions of Americans need faster diagnoses, better care, and real answers,” Kennedy wrote in the post.

Kennedy said large numbers of patients suffering from tick-borne illnesses are either incorrectly diagnosed or left without treatment. Noting that nearly half a million Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease annually, he said HHS is putting millions of dollars toward new technologies, including AI-powered tools designed to detect illnesses sooner, improve patient care and advance research.

“HHS has worked with the LymeX community to help bring two improved FDA-cleared Lyme diagnostics to market, giving clinicians better tools and helping more patients get an accurate diagnosis sooner,” Kennedy said.

Quaid joined Kennedy for the announcement and highlighted the experience of his late friend, singer and actor Kris Kristofferson, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease for years before doctors determined that he was suffering from Lyme disease.

“But Alzheimer’s wasn’t the problem,” Quaid said. “He actually had Lyme disease and when the doctors finally diagnosed him correctly in 2016 and started the right treatment, his symptoms did improve.”

Kennedy also called on patients who have recovered, as well as those who continue experiencing symptoms, to share information about their treatments through Cure ID, a free FDA and National Institutes of Health app that gathers real-world patient data. For people who do not have a trusted medical provider, Kennedy said an HHS clinician-locator service allows patients to search by ZIP code for doctors experienced in treating Lyme disease.

Monday’s announcement expands on a broader campaign Kennedy unveiled in May at the New Hampshire State House. At the time, he said more than 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year and announced several initiatives aimed at reducing the prevalence and impact of the illness.

Those measures included a multimillion-dollar Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pilot program focused on tick control, as much as $2.5 million for LymeX innovation challenges and a public-private partnership establishing a clinician locator. HHS has set a target of reducing Lyme disease cases by 25 percent by 2035 compared with 2022 levels.

Kennedy has incorporated the effort into his wider “Take Back Your Health” tour and the Make America Healthy Again agenda, which has included a series of policy changes involving food, nutrition and other public-health issues during the year.

Most Lyme infections detected early can be successfully treated with antibiotics. However, according to the Washington Examiner, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of patients who undergo treatment continue experiencing symptoms for years afterward.

The White House is considering an unusual approach to handling press briefings following Karoline Leavitt’s departure, with cabinet officials potentially rotating behind the podium until President Donald Trump chooses a permanent replacement, according to a report Monday.

Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott reported that administration officials are discussing reviving the arrangement used during Leavitt’s recent maternity leave, when senior members of the administration periodically conducted briefings rather than having a designated interim press secretary.

“It’s a temporary practice that satisfied Trump during the period that Leavitt was off for maternity leave, and a White House official told Semafor that it’s once again under discussion until a new permanent press secretary is named,” Talcott wrote.

While Leavitt was away on maternity leave, the administration opted against appointing someone to formally serve as acting press secretary. Instead, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were among the officials who appeared at the White House podium.

Should the administration return to that system, some of those same officials could again conduct briefings, along with other senior administration figures considered capable of handling the reporters gathered in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

The search for Leavitt’s successor may also carry less urgency than a press secretary vacancy would have in previous administrations, largely because Trump himself maintains an unusually frequent dialogue with the media. The president regularly answers questions from reporters several times during a typical week.

According to figures previously reported by Breitbart News, Trump appeared at nearly 500 transcribed events during 2025 and interacted with reporters at approximately three-quarters of those appearances.

Those interactions included questions at 134 press sprays, each of his 15 general rallies and 14 formal press conferences. Trump also fielded questions during 31 Marine One gaggles, 41 exchanges with reporters aboard Air Force One and 28 gaggles outside the presidential aircraft, effectively making the president one of the administration’s most prominent and frequently heard spokesmen.

Trump, meanwhile, recently praised Leavitt during an interview with Fox News reporter Alexis McAdams, saying that replacing her would not be easy.

Asked whether Leavitt was replaceable, Trump replied, “No, she’s not. She really isn’t. She’s standing right over there, and she’s done a great job.”

“I found out she likes her children more than she likes Trump. I’m very concerned about that,” he jokingly added.