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In an awe-inspiring maamad tefillah utzeakah held in the beis medrash of Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein in the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak, hundreds of tinokos shel beis rabban gathered at the height of Taanis Esther to recite Tehillim and cry out for the yeshuah of Klal Yisroel during these difficult days of war.

The gathering was led by Rav Zilberstein, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the mara d’asra of the neighborhood, who addressed the assembled children with words of chizuk that electrified the packed hall.

Turning to the children with visible emotion, Rav Zilberstein drew a powerful parallel to the events of Purim.

“To the dear and beloved children of Israel, we are now in a time of great distress. There is a Haman — that is Iran — who wants to destroy us. I want to tell the dear children, when Mordechai HaTzaddik heard of the terrible decree, he gathered all the children to learn Torah. Do you know what Haman said then? Haman said like this — I am now lost…,” Rav Zilberstein declared.

“If I see the children of Israel who have no sin, under bar mitzvah age, who have now gathered to learn Torah, I am lost… About nothing else did he say that. He was at the height of his power and greatness, the king had advanced him, but the moment he saw the children of Israel gathering to learn Torah, he said ‘I am lost,’ because the children of Israel have no sin, and they are being brought to be killed, to be destroyed, and they sit and learn the laws of kemitzah — he understood he was lost, and so it indeed was.”

The Rav emphasized that the koach of tinokos shel beis rabban is beyond measure. Their Torah and tefillos, said with purity and temimus, have the ability to overturn gezeiros.

“The children of Israel have power. You are children without sin, and you learn Torah, and you all perform mitzvos, and you have homes of Torah scholars. They want to kill us, and the only ones who can stop this — it is you!”

Rav Zilberstein then outlined three specific areas of hischazkus for the children.

“In what should you strengthen yourselves? First of all, in honoring your father and mother, about which it is said ‘so that your days will be lengthened,’ a promise from the Holy One, blessed be He, that one who honors his father and mother will have long days, he and his family.

“The second thing is Shabbos, to keep Shabbos, and not to do melachah, and not to speak any forbidden things, nothing at all.

“And above all, to pray with seriousness. Know this — the Jewish people now need you! And with Hashem’s help, if you strengthen yourselves, not to speak lashon hara, and to pray with clear intention that you can save, we will have salvation, and to Hashem is the salvation, upon Your people is Your blessing forever,” Rav Zilberstein concluded.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Iran had concealed large quantities of highly enriched uranium and was potentially only weeks away from converting it into a nuclear weapon prior to recent American military action, warning that Tehran was nearing full weapons capability.

Waltz made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where he outlined what he described as the urgency of the threat posed by Iran before the U.S. strikes.

“They kept their highly enriched uranium and were hiding it,” Waltz said. “And it is within weeks, a month at the most, that you can take 60% to 90% to have a bomb.”

He further asserted that Iran was not only advancing its nuclear program but also significantly accelerating its missile production efforts.

“We also know that they are developing a long range ICBM essentially, in addition to quadrupling the amount of missiles shorter range and medium range missiles that they can build per month to overwhelm our air defenses.”

Asked directly whether he believed Iran was just weeks away from achieving nuclear weapons capability, Waltz referenced the administration’s recent operation targeting Iranian facilities.

“What I’m saying is Operation Midnight Hammer… obliterated their enrichment capability,” he said. “But we also knew they hid a lot of their highly enriched uranium.”

{Matzav.com}

The Yerushalayim Light Rail will resume operations beginning Tuesday under a limited emergency schedule, providing transportation primarily for essential workers as the security situation continues to affect public life.

In accordance with Home Front Command directives and instructions from security officials, public transportation across the country is continuing to operate in an emergency format.

The Transportation Ministry announced that bus service is currently running at approximately 45% of its regular capacity, based on ongoing security assessments and Home Front Command guidance.

Under instructions from the Transportation Ministry and the National Public Transportation Authority, the Yerushalayim Light Rail will begin operating Tuesday in an emergency framework aligned with security directives.

As part of the revised schedule, the light rail will run daily from 5:15 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. The move is intended to maintain essential transportation continuity and ensure that critical workers can reach their destinations.

The Transportation Ministry stressed that light rail operations are being carried out in accordance with the current security assessment and Home Front Command guidelines. Any changes to the schedule will be announced separately if necessary.

Passengers are advised to check for updates before traveling. The most current information regarding routes and service is available through public transportation apps, official information websites, and customer service centers operated by transportation providers.

Authorities also outlined procedures for riders in the event of a security alert during travel:

Upon receiving an alert, the train will stop at the nearest station.

The driver will announce the alert and open the train doors.

All passengers must exit the train and follow Home Front Command safety instructions.

The train will remain at the station and closed until clearance is given to resume service.

If a siren sounds without prior warning, the train will stop at the nearest station or another safe location, and the driver will open the doors.

In exceptional cases, the train may not stop at the nearest station, depending on instructions from the control center.

{Matzav.com}

After declaring war on Hezbollah for joining the war overnight Sunday and following additional rocket and drone launches from Lebanon into Israel overnight Monday, the IDF announced Tuesday morning that a limited number of ground forces were deployed to southern Lebanon. Forces from the 91st Division entered southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts it maintained […]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday that the United States risks being drawn into a prolonged and unsuccessful conflict following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing that the military action could spiral into another costly war in the Middle East.

In an interview with CNN’s Kate Bolduan, Jeffries criticized the administration’s decision after President Donald Trump announced Saturday that American forces, alongside Israel, had launched attacks against Iranian targets.

“The American people want us to focus on making their life better and making their life more affordable; not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources, has found billions of dollars for bombs but can’t find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America,” Jeffries said.

During the interview, Bolduan raised the position of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who has indicated that he does not view the operation as an illegal war.

Jeffries dismissed that view, replying, “John Fetterman knows better.”

He went on to argue that the Constitution clearly assigns war-making authority to Congress.

“Article 1 of the Constitution explicitly provides Congress with the authority to declare war, period, full-stop. And the framers of the Constitution made that decision because they were concerned about kings throughout time getting their people into unnecessary wars, impoverishing them or imperiling their very well-being by sending them off to a foreign conflict,” the lawmaker added.

He continued, “And that’s why the power was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate. And Donald Trump chose intentionally not to come before Congress, which is why we’re going to force this vote on a War Powers Resolution and make sure that we do everything we can to constrain him at this point in time.”

Bolduan also asked Jeffries whether he believed Trump could achieve regime change in Iran without deploying American ground troops.

Jeffries rejected that possibility.

“No, that’s impossible for him to do. Now, he’s claiming that he’s not going to put U.S. boots on the ground, but he’s claimed a lot of things only to do the exact opposite. This is the same person who said he is coming back to the presidency to get America out of endless wars, and now he has just gotten us into a potential endless war in the Middle East of all places, where we know, based on what happened in Afghanistan, based on what happened in Iraq, based on what happened in Libya, it’s not going to end well for American interests,” he responded.

Jeffries’ remarks reflect a broader divide among Democrats over the strikes. Several members of the party have strongly opposed Trump’s decision to target Iran, while others, including Fetterman, have publicly defended the action.

{Matzav.com}

As leading Democrats condemn the coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran’s ruling regime, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is taking a sharply different approach — vigorously defending President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s operation while criticizing members of his own party who have labeled it reckless.

Fetterman, who has increasingly embraced outspoken pro-Israel positions, questioned why critics on both the far-right and far-left have reacted so strongly against the military action. He argued that the strikes were a justified response to Tehran’s conduct and said the backlash highlights growing divisions within the Democratic Party over how firmly to stand with Israel as tensions escalate in the region.

On Monday, Fetterman posted that he’s “not sure why it’s controversial to anyone to appreciate and celebrate wiping out 49 leaders of one of the most evil regimes in recorded history,” after Trump revealed that the planned mission — expected to last up to four weeks — was moving faster than anticipated once intelligence showed several high-ranking Iranian officials were gathered in a single location and could be targeted simultaneously.

Following the initial strike on Shabbos, Fetterman reshared an image circulated by the “Israel War Room” depicting a Wanted-style poster of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei with the word “Eliminated” emblazoned across it.

“Let’s see who grieves for that garbage,” Fetterman captioned.

In subsequent remarks, the former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor expressed appreciation for Trump’s leadership, stating that he “has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.”

“God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”

Fetterman also took aim at fellow Democrats who have consistently said Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons but are now criticizing the strikes.

“Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” he wrote on X.

“I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that. Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security — which is it?”

He added Saturday that he would be a “hard no” if Democrats attempted to force a vote on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s authority.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, however, told reporters in Richmond on Monday that he plans to push ahead with a vote on the War Powers Resolution he introduced in January concerning Iran.

In a separate public statement, Kaine questioned whether Trump is “too mentally incapacitated to realize we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran…”

“The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” Kaine said.

Fetterman was not alone among Democrats in defending the strike. Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, criticized what he described as political extremes for overlooking the human rights violations, killings, and attacks on Americans carried out under Khamenei, 86, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Rep. Gregory Landsman, D-Ohio, also voiced support for the operation, likening the killing of Khamenei to the U.S. mission that eliminated Usama bin Laden. Still, he stopped short of fully endorsing Trump’s broader strategy.

“There’s a lot of folks in Congress who don’t trust this president and I’m one of those people. In the end I trust the generals and I trust our military,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

{Matzav.com}

After declaring war on Hezbollah for joining the war overnight Sunday and following additional rocket and drone launches from Lebanon into Israel overnight Monday, the IDF announced Tuesday morning that a limited number of ground forces were deployed to southern Lebanon. Forces from the 91st Division entered southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts it maintained […]

The State Department on Monday urged U.S. citizens in 14 countries in the Middle East to leave due to “serious safety risks.” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on X: “The State Department urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation due to serious safety […]

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has relied on the encrypted messaging platform Signal to correspond with fellow elected officials and political advisers, including conversations involving government matters, a practice that may conflict with public records and freedom of information requirements, according to a report by Politico.

Signal previously drew national attention after reports last year that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used the application on his personal phone to discuss U.S. military operations in Yemen.

Politico reported Monday that it independently verified that Mamdani maintains an active Signal account tied to his personal cellphone number.

Three individuals familiar with the situation told the outlet that Mamdani used the app to exchange messages with other officeholders and political advisers and that some of those communications involved official government business. The sources were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, members of the public are entitled to request access to the mayor’s official communications. However, Signal’s end-to-end encryption and its feature allowing messages to disappear after a designated period could complicate efforts to obtain those records if they are stored within the app or deleted.

Mamdani campaigned on a pledge to bring greater transparency and accountability to city government. Critics argue that using encrypted messaging applications for official communications appears at odds with that promise.

Norman Siegel, a First Amendment attorney and former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told Politico that city mayors should avoid using Signal for discussions with other government officials.

“I would urge him to not engage in Signal or similar kinds of applications that basically are meant to hide information and prevent the public from knowing the inner workings of government,” Siegel said.

Politico also reported that after his election victory in November, Mamdani exited several Signal group chats, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity. That step suggested an awareness of the potential legal and transparency issues associated with the app’s use by public officials.

Questions surrounding digital communications are not new for New York City mayors.

Shortly after taking office, Eric Adams faced inquiries about his own use of Signal. At the time, he told City & State that the app was used strictly for “private” matters and that “government business is conducted on my government phone.”

Less than three years later, federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a corruption indictment that included claims Adams used encrypted messaging platforms to communicate with aides regarding alleged campaign finance misconduct.

Before Adams, former Mayor Bill de Blasio and members of his staff also faced scrutiny in 2019 when it became public that they had used Signal to coordinate government scheduling.

Advocates for government transparency say Mamdani should halt the practice. John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, a watchdog organization focused on accountability in government, told Politico, “He’s got to stop doing that.”

Grace Rauh, executive director of Citizens Union, a nonprofit organization dedicated to government reform in New York, likewise cautioned that conversations with other officials can easily cross into official territory.

“City leaders must be deliberate about how they communicate,” Rauh told Politico. “Any discussion of official government business must occur in a manner that ensures records are preserved and accessible under the Freedom of Information Law. The rules exist to protect the public.”

{Matzav.com}