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Degel Hatorah Chairman MK Moshe Gafni urged Shas leaders on Monday to establish additional schools for girls in response to severe overcrowding in Degel Hatorah institutions in Beit Shemesh.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new Derech Emuna school in the city, Gafni stated: “I know that there are problems here with city high schools, and therefore I call on Shas leaders from this honorable platform – ‘open new schools, as befits a quality population.’”

Gafni highlighted the strain on Degel Hatorah’s existing network, suggesting that the influx of Sephardi students has intensified the problem. “Our institutions cannot accommodate everyone,” he said, emphasizing that space limitations are affecting the community’s ability to serve all applicants.

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He further explained that while Degel Hatorah schools continue to expand, the current facilities are insufficient to house the growing student body. “Your girls need a place to study comfortably and spaciously, without having to crowd into our institutions,” Gafni stressed.

The Shas party issued a statement in response: “Shas’ mission in life is to establish excellent educational institutions for the Sephardi public, and it has been doing so with great success throughout the country for decades. Kudos to Rabbi Moshe Gafni, who made it clear how important it is that Shas continues to be strong and independent, and how much the Sephardi public cannot rely on any other party to take care of it.”

{Matzav.com}

Global cosmetics retailer Sephora has quietly removed Huda Beauty from its high-profile fall “Experts” campaign, following weeks of backlash over inflammatory comments made by brand founder Huda Kattan, according to a report by Puck. Kattan, who commands 1.7 million followers on TikTok, triggered outrage in July when she posted a video falsely claiming that Israel was behind some of the 20th and 21st century’s deadliest tragedies—including World War I, World War II, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023. “All of the conspiracy theories coming out… that Israel has been behind World War I, World War II, September 11, October 7—they allowed all of this stuff to happen,” Kattan said in the now-deleted video. Jewish groups and watchdogs blasted the remarks as antisemitic incitement. The Anti-Defamation League and StopAntisemitism demanded accountability, and TikTok removed the post for violating its platform rules. Sephora, owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH, initially issued a cautious statement in early August, noting it was reviewing the situation. A later update confirmed an internal investigation and stressed that promoting hatred, harassment, or misinformation runs contrary to the company’s values. The French retailer had now decided to cut Huda Beauty from its fall promotional campaign—a move StopAntisemitism called a “significant first step.” Still, the NGO urged Sephora to go further by severing ties altogether, warning it would continue boycotting the chain until it does. Kattan has since attempted damage control, releasing a lengthy response video in which she insisted her comments were “misinterpreted” and were intended as criticism of Israeli government policies, not Jews. She claimed she personally removed the video after it was “altered” online and accused critics of orchestrating a smear campaign. Founded in 2013, Huda Beauty grew into a $1.2 billion global empire and became heavily reliant on Sephora for its North American distribution. While the brand continues to sell through luxury outlets like Harrods and India’s Nykaa, losing Sephora’s marketing support could deliver a major blow in its most lucrative market. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Officers from the Yerushalayim Yasam, the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit, detained a Palestinian Arab after he drew their suspicion while walking along a street in the capital.

When they searched him, the police discovered a black yarmulka inside his pocket. Since the man failed to provide a satisfactory reason for why he was carrying it, he was brought to the Shalem Station of the Yerushalayim District for further questioning.

Investigators determined that the suspect had entered Israeli territory illegally, crossing the security barrier near a-Ram, located north of Yerushalayim.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed that his intention was to seize a soldier’s weapon and use it to carry out a terror attack. Police officials stressed that the alertness and swift response of the officers successfully prevented the planned assault.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump announced on Monday that Rudy Giuliani will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, just days after the New York City icon suffered serious injuries in a car crash.

“As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announce that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor,” Trump shared in a statement posted to Truth Social.

Giuliani, 81, remains in the hospital while recovering from the accident, which occurred on Saturday in New Hampshire.

According to Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security, the former mayor is “in good spirits and recovering tremendously.”

{Matzav.com}

Illinois Governor Pritzker is incredibly worried that if troops or ICE are deployed to polling stations for the midterms, certain people may be afraid to vote.

Around 20 boats from 44 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, set out from Barcelona on Monday for the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to open a “humanitarian corridor” to Gaza and protest what organizers call the “ongoing genocide” of Palestinians, after high winds briefly forced them back to port; “sumud” means “resilience” in Arabic.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Chicago experienced a wave of violence as shootings surged across the city, leaving 54 people wounded and seven dead. The crisis has fueled a growing clash between President Trump and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker over deploying the National Guard to restore order.

According to ABC News, police reports show that at least 32 separate shooting incidents took place from Friday evening through midday Monday, marking one of the deadliest holiday weekends the city has faced in recent years.

Among the victims was a 17-year-old girl struck in the arm after a bullet ripped through the window of her home, ABC reported.

In another tragic case, a 25-year-old woman suffered two gunshot wounds to the stomach and one to her leg on Friday night. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but did not survive, ABC7 confirmed.

Authorities also reported that a 31-year-old man was injured when he was caught in crossfire between rival shooters firing from separate vehicles. Additionally, two other victims were hit while driving through the city during the weekend chaos.

Tensions escalated Saturday night when, just five hours after Trump criticized Pritzker’s handling of Chicago’s violence in a Truth Social post, a shooting in Bronzeville left at least seven people injured around 11:10 p.m. Fortunately, ABC7 noted that all the victims are expected to recover.

In his social media remarks, Trump blasted the governor as “weak and pathetic” for rejecting calls to bring in the National Guard to help curb Chicago’s spiraling crime.

The president also issued a warning, writing “we’re coming,” signaling potential federal intervention in Chicago if Pritzker fails to “straighten it out, FAST.”

Pritzker, however, rejected the idea outright, saying, “National Guard troops or any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don’t belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency – and there is not.”

He further vowed to challenge any such move in court, warning the administration, “It’s an invasion with US troops, if they in fact do that. They’ll be in court pretty quickly.”

{Matzav.com}

House Republicans plan to slash nearly $14 billion from the budgets of the Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments for the next fiscal year, according to Punchbowl.

The death toll from the Afghanistan earthquake has risen to 1,100, with over 3,500 injured and countless homes and livelihoods destroyed.

The IAEA has detected traces of uranium at Syria’s Deir Ezzor site, which Israel destroyed in 2007, contradicting the former Assad government’s claim that it was merely a conventional military base with no nuclear reactor.

Sec. Wright: “What we’re trying to do is allow people to build power plants and generation of all kinds… We want AI to be HERE. The U.S. needs to lead in this industry.”

President Donald Trump said Monday he will award former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, two days after his longtime political ally was seriously injured in a car crash. The decision places the award on a man once lauded for leading New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and later sanctioned by courts and disbarred for amplifying false claims about the 2020 election. Giuliani was also criminally charged in two states; he has denied wrongdoing. Trump in a statement on social media called Giuliani the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.” For much of the past two decades, Giuliani’s public life has been defined by a striking rise and fall. After leading New York through the aftermath of Sept. 11, he mounted a brief campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and became one of the most recognizable political figures in the country. But as Trump’s personal lawyer, he became a central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Courts repeatedly rejected the fraud claims he advanced, and two former Georgia election workers won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, said Giuliani’s efforts to promote Trump’s lies about the election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives. Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington for repeatedly making false statements about the election, and he was criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona in connection with efforts to undo Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized after the Saturday night collision in New Hampshire. State police said he was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when the vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V. Giuliani suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra along with multiple lacerations, contusions and injuries to his left arm and leg, according to his security chief, Michael Ragusa. On Monday, Ragusa said Giuliani remained in the hospital but was expected to be released “soon.” The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public endeavors. (AP)

Senior officials within Hamas dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to place the Gaza Strip under American trusteeship for a period of at least ten years.

According to a report from The Washington Post, the plan was designed to advance Trump’s vision of “taking control” of Gaza and transforming it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

The document outlined that more than two million Gaza residents would either be temporarily relocated to other countries or moved into secure, closed zones within the Strip until reconstruction and rehabilitation were completed.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told French media: “Gaza is not for sale. Gaza is not a city on the map or a forgotten geographic strip, but part of the greater Palestinian homeland.”

Another Hamas leader condemned the proposal as “worthless” and “unjust,” adding that the organization had not received any official communication regarding the plan and only learned about it through media reports.

{Matzav.com}

While the Belzer Rebbe is recovering, b’Chasdei Shamayim, from the surgery he underwent on Sunday after breaking his leg, the Chassidus is preparing for the Yamim Noraim, especially Rosh Hashanah, when tens of thousands of chassidim from all over Israel and the world flock to Yerushalayim to daven with the Rebbe. However, due to the growth in the kehilla, the huge main Beis Medrash in Kiryat Belz can no longer accommodate all the chassidim. B’Chadrei Chareidim reported that askanim and members of the Va’ad Mishmeres HaChinuch, headed by Rav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach, the Rebbe’s son, have been holding extensive discussions for months on a solution to the matter. Last week, in an unprecedented step, the Rebbe sent a letter to Belzer Gaba’aim and Rabbanim throughout the country, in which he asked, in light of the crowding, to organize Rosh Hashanah tefillos in all Belzer shuls that have an ezras nashim. It is the first time that such a step has been taken. The Rebbe wrote: “I request from you, in light of the increase in the tzibur, בלעה”ר, and out of necessity, to organize and hold tefillos on Rosh Hashanah in every city and town, in all Belzer Batei Medrash that also have an Ezras Nashim.” The public is asked to daven for the refuah sheleimah of the Rebbe Yissachar Dov ben Miriam b’toch sha’ar cholei Yisrael. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate has thwarted a sophisticated Iranian cyberattack that posed as an official mental health support service for veterans and reservists suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The fake site was designed to mimic legitimate resources for soldiers in crisis. In reality, it sought to harvest sensitive personal data and secretly install malware on visitors’ devices. Cyber officials said forensic analysis pointed to a well-known Iranian hacker cell, consistent with tactics previously used in Tehran’s state-directed campaigns. Thanks to advanced monitoring tools, the malicious site was identified and taken offline before it spread widely or inflicted damage. “This is proactive work on our part, and it underscores the importance of constant vigilance against efforts to exploit the public, especially at moments of emotional vulnerability,” said Dana Toren, head of operations at the directorate. Officials warned the incident may have been only one component of a broader Iranian campaign, urging the public to brace for follow-up attempts that could involve new domains, messaging platforms, or emotionally targeted appeals. Iranian-linked groups — including the notorious Charming Kitten (APT35) — have repeatedly run phishing schemes, fake social media profiles and malicious apps in order to steal data and infiltrate sensitive systems. Israeli analysts say these efforts reflect Tehran’s wider strategy: exploiting human weakness and emotional triggers alongside technical operations. The Cyber Directorate urged citizens not to click on unverified links, avoid sharing personal data with unknown entities, and rely only on recognized organizations such as NATAL, the Defense Ministry, or the One Soul program for mental health support. Suspicious online activity should be reported immediately to the directorate’s 119 hotline. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy addressed Parliament on Monday, delivering a statement in the House of Commons regarding the ongoing crisis in Gaza and Judea and Samaria while unveiling new humanitarian and diplomatic measures.

Lammy began his remarks by referring to what he called a “man-made famine” in Gaza, citing findings from a UN-backed IPC assessment. According to the report, famine had already been declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas. He claimed that since July, more than 300 people have died from malnutrition, including 119 children, and warned that over 132,000 children under the age of five were at risk of starvation-related deaths by the coming year.

He went on to criticize Israel, accusing it of preventing sufficient humanitarian aid from reaching civilians. Lammy stated that in recent months, “Over two thousand Gazans have been killed trying to feed their families.” At the same time, he condemned Hamas for intentionally depriving Israeli hostages of food, asserting that the group was exploiting them for political leverage.

Discussing the UK government’s response, Lammy said that Britain had reinstated funding to UNRWA, placed restrictions on certain arms exports, sanctioned “violent settlers and far-right Israeli ministers,” and suspended trade negotiations with Israel. He also announced an additional £15 million in humanitarian assistance and medical aid for Gaza and surrounding regions, including support for UK-Med field hospitals and World Health Organization programs in Egypt. Furthermore, he confirmed that plans were underway to transfer critically ill children from Gaza to the UK for treatment, contingent upon Israeli approval.

On the diplomatic front, Lammy reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, emphasizing that it must be linked to the unconditional release of hostages, expanded aid access, and the dismantling of Hamas’s military capabilities. He reaffirmed the UK’s intention to move toward recognizing a Palestinian state if Israel does not take what he called “substantive steps” toward a peace process. He tied this position to the legacy of the Balfour Declaration, stating that Palestinian rights are now “more under threat than at any point in the past century.”

Lammy also turned his attention to Iran, confirming that the UK, along with France and Germany, had triggered the United Nations Security Council’s snapback mechanism. This move could reinstate full sanctions on Tehran, including an arms embargo, due to violations of the nuclear agreement. He urged Iran to return to compliance but made clear that Britain would ensure the issue remains on the global agenda.

Concluding his address, Lammy pledged that Britain would remain committed to pursuing a ceasefire in Gaza, securing the release of hostages, and working toward a framework for lasting stability in the region.

However, Israeli officials have strongly rejected the IPC findings referenced in Lammy’s remarks. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the organization of manipulating statistics and “adding fictitious deaths” to meet the technical definition of famine, while disregarding independent surveys showing otherwise. COGAT, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, released its own report alleging that the IPC relied on politically biased sources and deliberately ignored Israel’s facilitation of aid deliveries. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the claims constitute “an outright lie” and “a modern blood libel,” emphasizing that since October 7, more than 101,000 aid trucks carrying over two million tons of supplies have entered Gaza — the equivalent of more than one ton per resident.

{Matzav.com}

It’s tomato season and Lidia is harvesting on farms in California’s Central Valley. She is also anxious. Attention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could upend her life more than 23 years after she illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border as a teenager. “The worry is they’ll pull you over when you’re driving and ask for your papers,” said Lidia, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only her first name be used because of her fears of deportation. “We need to work. We need to feed our families and pay our rent.” As parades and other events celebrating the contributions of workers in the U.S. are held Monday for the Labor Day holiday, experts say President Donald Trump’s stepped-up immigration policies are impacting the nation’s labor force. More than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents. Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants, according to Pew senior researcher Stephanie Kramer. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants and 24% of service workers are immigrants, she added. The loss in immigrant workers comes as the nation is seeing the first decline in the overall immigrant population after the number of people in the U.S. illegally reached an all-time high of 14 million in 2023. “It’s unclear how much of the decline we’ve seen since January is due to voluntary departures to pursue other opportunities or avoid deportation, removals, underreporting or other technical issues,” Kramer said. “However, we don’t believe that the preliminary numbers indicating net-negative migration are so far off that the decline isn’t real.” Trump campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants working in the U.S. illegally. He has said he is focusing deportation efforts on “dangerous criminals,” but most people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. At the same time, the number of illegal border crossings has plunged under his policies. Pia Orrenius, a labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said immigrants normally contribute at least 50% of job growth in the U.S. “The influx across the border from what we can tell is essentially stopped, and that’s where we were getting millions and millions of migrants over the last four years,” she said. “That has had a huge impact on the ability to create jobs.” ‘Crops did go to waste’ Just across the border from Mexico in McAllen, Texas, corn and cotton fields are about ready for harvesting. Elizabeth Rodriguez worries there won’t be enough workers available for the gins and other machinery once the fields are cleared. Immigration enforcement actions at farms, businesses and construction sites brought everything to a standstill, said Rodriguez, director of farmworker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry. “In May, during the peak of our watermelon and cantaloupe season, it delayed it. A lot of crops did go to waste,” she said. In Ventura County, California, northwest of Los Angeles, Lisa Tate manages her family business that grows citrus fruits, avocados and coffee on eight ranches and 800 acres (323 hectares). Most of the men and women who work their farms are contractor-provided […]

Tensions ran high during a stormy Cabinet session on Sunday night, as Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs laid out the official stance of the political leadership: Hamas must be completely defeated, and the partial hostage deal currently on the table — as suggested by Hamas — is not an option.

Channel 13 reported that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir launched a sharp rebuke at the ministers over their timing in addressing the issue. “Good morning, everyone. You are the Cabinet of the October 7th massacre — now you remember to talk about defeating Hamas?” he charged, highlighting what he viewed as the government’s delayed response following the attack.

Zamir pressed further, saying, “Where were you between October 7 and October 10? You’re only remembering this now, two years later. When I took office, Gaza hadn’t been defeated — today, 70 percent of it has been.”

In contrast, Mossad Director David Barnea urged the Cabinet to seize the opportunity to secure the release of Israeli captives. “Now is the time to pursue a partial deal. We must not lose momentum,” he stressed, echoing the position of certain factions within the security establishment.

Zamir countered by asserting that the success of the recent Operation Gideon’s Chariots had already created leverage that could be used to bring hostages home without needing to compromise.

MK Orit Strock of the Religious Zionism party criticized the military’s posture, accusing its leadership of sowing unnecessary fear. Quoting from Deuteronomy, she said, “Any man who is fearful and fainthearted shall return to his home, and shall not make the heart of his brother melt as his own heart.”

Zamir shot back forcefully: “I came here for the two missions of my life — to prevent a nuclear Iran and to destroy Hamas. I’m the one who recommended action in Iran. Every morning, I review the Middle East map and authorize strikes across the region. No one here is fearful and fainthearted — not me, and not the generals beside me.”

He added, “I make decisive calls that no one else has made. I present all the implications and consequences to you. If you’re looking for blind obedience — bring someone else.”

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed Zamir’s remarks before closing the session. “I don’t want blind obedience,” Netanyahu clarified, “but I also don’t want a breach of the traditional framework.”

When some ministers requested that the government hold a vote on advancing a partial hostage deal, Netanyahu firmly dismissed the proposal, declaring, “A partial deal is not relevant.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Survivors of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan just before midnight Sunday, killing over 800 people, spent Monday night outdoors as rescuers continued a massive effort to recover victims, with Kunar province, near the Pakistan border, hardest hit.

A flotilla of humanitarian aid vessels and pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, departed Barcelona on Monday after high winds forced it to briefly return to port. Organizers said around 20 boats from 44 countries are participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which describes its mission as opening a “humanitarian corridor” to Gaza and ending what it calls “the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.” The term sumud means “resilience” in Arabic. The convoy initially set out Sunday but turned back due to winds topping 56 kilometers per hour (35 mph), which organizers said posed a risk to smaller vessels. “Prioritizing safety” was the reason given for the delay. The flotilla represents the largest coordinated attempt to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza in recent years. Israel has consistently blocked such efforts, arguing the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from smuggling weapons. Officials in Jerusalem also emphasize that humanitarian aid entering Gaza is often diverted by Hamas. The launch comes as fighting intensifies in Gaza City and aid groups warn of widespread hunger. International food experts have said half a million people in Gaza face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity. Thousands of supporters gathered in Barcelona’s old port to see off the flotilla, which will be joined in the coming days by additional boats departing from Tunisia, Sicily, and other Mediterranean ports. Among the prominent figures aboard are Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau. The Israeli navy is widely expected to intercept the flotilla before it nears Gaza’s shores. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)