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A photograph showing Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu reading a book aboard an aircraft has ignited widespread discussion on social media, with critics questioning whether the image captured a genuine moment or was staged for public consumption.

The image, shared by political commentator Amit Segal on his Telegram channel alongside a political update, appeared to portray Netanyahu making productive use of his flight time by reading. Instead of focusing on the book itself, however, many online commenters zeroed in on details they said cast doubt on the authenticity of the scene.

Among the issues raised was the apparent difficulty of reading under the circumstances. Critics questioned why someone would choose to read a printed book inside a dimly lit, noisy aircraft while using a cellphone as a flashlight in one hand and holding the book in the other. They argued that the posture appeared awkward for sustained reading and looked more like a carefully arranged photo opportunity than a candid moment.

The biggest point of criticism centered on Netanyahu’s lack of reading glasses. Social media users referenced longstanding claims that his prepared speeches are printed in unusually large type so he can read them without wearing glasses in public. That prompted many to ask how he could comfortably read the small print of a book under poor lighting inside an aircraft without eyewear.

For many of the photo’s critics, those details transformed what might have been viewed as a flattering image into what they described as evidence that Netanyahu was posing with the book rather than actually reading it. They argued that the photograph was intended to project the image of a diligent, intellectual leader who uses every spare moment productively.

Segal also came under criticism for publishing the photograph. Some detractors argued that instead of simply reporting the accompanying political news, he amplified what they viewed as a public relations image from the prime minister’s office without explaining the circumstances in which it was taken or questioning whether it reflected a spontaneous moment or one designed to convey a particular message.

At the same time, critics acknowledged that the photograph itself does not prove Netanyahu was not reading. Nevertheless, they argued that the combination of the cellphone flashlight, the dim conditions, and the absence of reading glasses gave them reason to question whether the image depicted genuine reading or simply the appearance of it.

A remarkable historical research project led by a Christian woman from Poland has enabled a large Chassidic family with more than 5,000 descendants to locate the exact burial place of their ancestors in a Jewish cemetery destroyed by the Nazis. Her painstaking work has also uncovered thousands of forgotten Jewish burial records and inspired a separate effort to preserve the memory of prewar Jewish life through the traces of mezuzos still visible on centuries-old homes.

Janina Naskalska, 42, a Christian resident of Krakow, has spent years researching Jewish history and preserving the memory of communities that were almost entirely wiped out during the Holocaust. She leads an extensive digitization project that has documented more than 9,000 names of Jews buried in the historic Plaszow Jewish cemetery, which was desecrated and destroyed by the Nazis. She is also widely known in Krakow for launching the project, “In the Footsteps of Krakow’s Mezuzos.”

As a licensed tour guide and historian, Naskalska conducts educational tours highlighting the physical remnants left behind by Jewish families who once lived throughout Krakow. Her research focuses on the marks and indentations left on doorposts where mezuzos were once affixed before World War II.

Naskalska said her interest in Jewish history began after she realized how much of Poland’s Jewish past had been omitted from her education.

“It came as a shock to me that there was so much history that no one had ever taught me,” she said, explaining that Jewish history was largely absent from the Polish school curriculum when she was growing up.

Motivated by that discovery, she immersed herself in Jewish studies. She visited the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, traveled to Yad Vashem in Yerushalayim, learned basic Hebrew, and during the COVID-19 pandemic completed a master’s degree in Jewish Studies at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University while caring for her two children at home.

Before pursuing graduate studies, she completed specialized training at the Galicia Jewish Museum. She is now working toward a doctorate focusing on the Jewish history of Podgórze, the Krakow district where many Jews lived before the Holocaust.

Naskalska is also inviting descendants of Jews from Podgórze to contact her if they are searching for information about relatives who lived there before the war. Those seeking assistance can reach her at j.naskalska@gmail.com.

She explained that her fascination with Jewish history began roughly 15 years ago while training to become a city tour guide. During her studies, she learned that before World War II, roughly one-quarter of Krakow’s population was Jewish—and that nearly the entire community was murdered during the Holocaust.

Determined to preserve what remained, she began examining archival materials that had never previously been researched. Her work eventually led to the digitization of more than 9,000 burial records from two destroyed Jewish cemeteries. Of all the original gravestones, only one remains standing today—the matzeivah of Chaim Yaakov Abrahamer, who passed away in 1935.

One of the most emotional chapters of her work unfolded recently when she met members of the Halperin family from New York.

According to Naskalska, the family’s greatest wish was to stand at the precise location where their ancestors had been buried on what is now little more than a barren hill. Today, only one original Jewish gravestone remains at the site, alongside a reconstructed monument honoring Sarah Schenirer, founder of the Bais Yaakov movement.

Using old maps, historical records, and rare photographs, Naskalska successfully identified the exact burial location, enabling the family to stand there and recite Kaddish.

She said the family was deeply moved by the experience.

“Although the gravestones are gone, we found the exact location thanks to the maps and a handful of surviving photographs of the family graves,” she said.

Among the graves identified were those of Chaya Halperin and her husband, Rav Mattisyahu Halperin, who served as the rav of the town of Dobczyce.

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Jews of Dobczyce were subjected to increasingly harsh decrees and forced labor. In August 1942, they were deported to the Wieliczka Ghetto and from there sent to the Nazi death camps.

Today, Rav Mattisyahu Halperin’s descendants number approximately 5,000 and are spread throughout the United States, Britain, and Eretz Yisroel.

During the family’s visit, Shaya Halperin told Naskalska, “The family gravestones did not survive, but the families did, and that is a great victory over evil.”

Speaking to B’Chadrei Chareidim, Halperin reflected on the emotional significance of the discovery.

“For years, our family knew where our ancestors were buried, but we never knew exactly where their graves had stood after the cemetery was destroyed by the Nazis.”

He then recounted an extraordinary story from many years earlier.

“I once came across an auction on eBay offering an old photograph of the gravestones of my grandfather and grandmother—Rabbi Mattisyahu Halperin and his wife Chaya Halperin. I immediately began calling cousins I knew were active on eBay and asked them not to bid so I could quietly purchase the photograph without driving up the price.”

But things did not go as planned.

“However, when the auction closed, the bids kept climbing higher and higher. I couldn’t understand who would even be interested in a photograph of my family’s gravestones. I lost the auction.”

Only later did he learn what had happened.

“The winning bidder was connected to the Plaszow Museum. It turned out the photograph was one of only six known images of the old Jewish cemetery in Podgórze taken before its destruction during the Holocaust. It is considered one of the most historically significant photographs of the cemetery because it captures the magnificent Byzantine-style taharah building with its towering dome behind the graves. More importantly, the photograph clearly preserves the names on several gravestones—including those of my family.”

For years afterward, Halperin tried unsuccessfully to determine the exact location of the graves in hopes that one day they could properly commemorate them.

That breakthrough finally came through Naskalska’s research.

“She succeeded in identifying the exact place where Rabbi Mattisyahu Halperin and Chaya Halperin were buried,” Halperin said. “When we stood there together as a family, on what now appears to be an empty hill, we were finally able to say Kaddish at the actual place where our ancestors were buried before the cemetery was destroyed.”

Halperin also shared the broader history of his family.

“For me, this story goes back even further. For approximately ten generations, the rabbis of the Halperin family were buried in Berezhany, today in western Ukraine. Generation after generation—father after son—was buried there. Rabbi Mattisyahu Halperin was the first to leave that family line. After marrying into the distinguished Frankel-Teomim rabbinic family of Podgórze, whose patriarch, Rabbi Shimon Alter Frankel-Teomim, served as the city’s chief rabbi, he settled in Podgórze. When he passed away in his father-in-law’s home, he was buried in the Jewish cemetery there.”

Although the Nazis destroyed his gravestone, Halperin emphasized that they failed to erase his legacy.

Three of Rav Mattisyahu’s grandsons survived the Holocaust. One branch became the family of the renowned Rav Elchonon Halpern of Golders Green in London, whose descendants today live across Britain, Eretz Yisroel, and New York. Two additional surviving brothers established large families in Brooklyn and Efrat.

With Naskalska’s continued assistance, together with experts in historical mapping and geography, the Halperin family now hopes to reconstruct and rededicate the original matzeivah at the precise spot where it once stood, restoring a small but meaningful piece of Jewish history the Nazis sought to erase.

Reflecting on her years of work, Naskalska said the project has become deeply personal.

“It gave me a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction to do something for people who are so different from you,” she told B’Chadrei Chareidim. “I felt that it really became part of me.”

She explained that while her original goal was simply to preserve Poland’s Jewish history, she now feels privileged to help Holocaust survivors’ descendants rediscover their own family stories.

Her research has also extended to more than 200 fragments of broken marble matzeivos uncovered during excavations conducted under rabbinical supervision. Through painstaking detective work, she has identified many of the individuals to whom those fragments belonged.

One belonged to Adela Bergner, who passed away in 1939. After locating her name in municipal records, Naskalska expressed hope that Bergner’s descendants might one day read about her work and contact her to learn more about their family history.

Naskalska said one of the greatest disappointments she encountered was discovering that the Chevra Kaddisha burial ledgers disappeared during the war. Undeterred, she turned instead to municipal death registries and city archives, where families had officially recorded deaths. Through years of painstaking research, she reconstructed the identities of approximately 9,000 Jews buried in the cemeteries.

She noted one heartbreaking statistic: roughly 30 percent of those buried were infants and young children.

Beyond cemetery research, Naskalska’s unique tours encourage visitors to look closely at the old doorframes throughout Krakow. Small physical traces—a diagonal groove in the wood, rust stains from ancient nails, or faint marks in the plaster—often reveal where a Jewish family once affixed a mezuzah before the Holocaust.

Through those silent remnants, she says, the stories of Krakow’s vanished Jewish residents come alive once again. On her tour’s official website, she describes those tiny marks as “an opening to the micro-history of Krakow’s Jewish residents and the Jews who once lived here.”

{Matzav.com}

In a dramatic political announcement, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to the next Knesset, signaling the end of his parliamentary career amid longstanding ideological disagreements with Religious Zionism Party chairman and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, particularly over the military draft issue.

Sofer, a member of the Religious Zionism Party, made the announcement in a public statement, thanking his political partners while alluding to the tensions that have marked recent months within the government and coalition.

“I have decided not to present my candidacy for the next Knesset. I thank Religious Zionism Party chairman Betzalel Smotrich for years of trust and joint work, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his leadership and guidance during this complex and challenging period.

“The State of Israel must continue strengthening its security and building a firm and unshakable iron wall, but one that is also founded upon spirit, values, and unity. It is our duty to foster a spirit of unity among the people of Israel. The bereavement and wounds of war will leave scars that will not heal quickly. They will remind all of us, every day, of the magnitude of our responsibility and our commitment to the proper path.”

Addressing the Israeli public directly, Sofer also called for a more respectful political discourse.

“The citizens of Israel have a duty to demand a dialogue of unity, solidarity, and genuine partnership in the sacred and critical mission of defending the security of the State.”

Reflecting on his tenure as Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Sofer said he would remain in office through the end of the current government’s term while expressing gratitude for the opportunity to help facilitate large-scale immigration during a difficult period.

“I had the privilege, during a difficult and challenging period, to lead the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and contribute my part in the aliyah of tens of thousands who chose to make Israel their home דווקא during this time, an endeavor that filled me with great hope and optimism. I will continue contributing to the State of Israel and Israeli society in other ways. Thank you to my voters, the many activists, my partners along the way, and my dedicated staff, alongside whom I will continue working faithfully until the completion of this term, and a special thank you to my wife and family, who stood by my side throughout the journey.”

Responding to the announcement, Smotrich said he respected Sofer’s decision while praising his longtime colleague for his years of public service.

“I received with sorrow the decision of my friend and longtime political partner, Minister Ofir Sofer, not to run for the next Knesset. Ofir represents an important voice among the people of Israel and within the Religious Zionist community. Throughout the years, we worked together on important initiatives for the people of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel, all with his pleasant and unique political style.”

Smotrich added that he is confident Sofer will continue serving the Jewish people in another capacity.

The announcement follows months of public disagreements between Sofer and members of his own party over the draft law. Sofer had repeatedly voiced opposition to the legislation and previously warned of its political consequences.

In recordings published several months ago, Sofer was heard saying, “If the law is advanced, despite the reservists and against their will, the right will collapse. It will pay an electoral price for it. Certainly in the overall numbers, and even if you look at more specific constituencies.”

{Matzav.com}

Tensions flared at the Kosel on Wednesday morning as members of the trouble-making Women of the Wall group arrived on Rosh Chodesh Av, prompting confrontations and renewed criticism from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which accused the activists of turning the site into a venue for protest.

According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the group “turned the Western Wall plaza into a protest site – the likes of which have not been seen in hundreds of years, and acted in violation of the regulations and instructions from the court, when they brought the Torah scroll into the Western Wall plaza.”

Foundation officials expressed sorrow over what they described as a growing atmosphere of confrontation at the Kosel, saying the tensions reached a new level on Rosh Chodesh. They appealed to all parties to refrain from transforming the Kosel plaza into a site of demonstrations. The Foundation emphasized that the Kosel “is not a place for whistles and shouting, nor is it a place for provocations or for desecrating its sanctity.”

The Foundation also noted the significance of the day, pointing out that Rosh Chodesh Av marks the yahrtzeit of Aharon HaKohen, renowned for his love of peace and pursuit of harmony. “On Rosh Chodesh Av, which marks the anniversary of the passing of Aaron the High Priest, who loved and pursued peace, we call on everyone to give the Western Wall the proper respect and preserve its sanctity in accordance with Jewish tradition,” the Foundation said.

Women of the Wall, for its part, claimed its members were confronted by opponents during the gathering. The organization alleged that “male and female rioters surrounded the women, whistled, screamed, cursed, and pushed into them. Police distanced some of them.”

{Matzav.com}

Britain’s Labour government is reportedly preparing to scale back proposed immigration reforms after mounting opposition within the party over plans that would delay permanent residency for more than 1.6 million migrants who entered the country during the surge in migration known as the “Boriswave.”

According to reports, immigration changes championed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood could be shelved for those migrants following pressure on incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham from Labour’s left-wing backbench lawmakers.

As part of an effort to reduce the long-term financial burden associated with mass migration, Mahmood had proposed doubling the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five years to ten years.

However, applying the new rules to migrants already living in Britain has reportedly met fierce resistance from within Labour. Nearly 80 Labour MPs argued that preventing those migrants from obtaining permanent residency under the current timetable would be “anathema to who we are, what we stand for and how we should do politics.”

The Times of London reported that negotiations between Mahmood and Labour’s left-wing faction could result in a compromise that preserves the existing five-year pathway to permanent residency for Boriswave migrants while delaying their eligibility for certain welfare benefits.

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, sharply criticized the reported retreat in comments provided to Breitbart London.

“This is appalling, if entirely predictable. Whatever Ms Mahmood’s intentions may be, it is obvious that Labour’s far-left backbenchers will have none of it. This would hand settlement to 1.6 million people, each of whom could in turn bring in more dependants.

“The Prime Minister-in-waiting should stop hiding. Will Mr Burnham show more backbone than his predecessor-to-be and kill this anti-Britain plan now?”

Under current law, migrants who obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain become eligible for a range of government benefits, including Universal Credit, housing assistance, state pensions, housing subsidies, and access to National Health Service hospital and general practitioner care.

The issue has intensified scrutiny of the sharp rise in immigration that occurred under former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Critics argue that, despite promises to reduce immigration after Brexit, Johnson’s policies instead produced record-breaking levels of migration into Britain.

A report published in April by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party estimated that migrants who arrived during the Boriswave between 2020 and 2024 would ultimately cost British families an average of approximately £20,000 each over their lifetimes, for a total projected cost of £622.5 billion by the year 2085.

Reform UK has pledged that, if it comes to power, it would eliminate Indefinite Leave to Remain altogether. The party instead proposes replacing permanent residency with a five-year work visa modeled after the American system, under which migrants would not qualify for welfare benefits.

The party has also vowed to launch a nationwide inquiry into those it says were responsible for allowing record levels of immigration despite promising the opposite, including Boris Johnson and former Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Reform UK Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf condemned the Boriswave as the greatest act of “vandalism” ever inflicted on the British public and warned that unless the policy is reversed, it could “bankrupt” Britain.

{Matzav.com}

Joe Biden is set to release a new memoir this fall reflecting on his four years in the White House, with the book scheduled to hit shelves just two weeks after the midterm elections, when Democrats will be trying to win back control of Congress.

Publisher Little, Brown and Company confirmed to The Associated Press that the memoir will be published on November 17. Reports have indicated that Biden received a $10 million advance for the book.

Titled Promise Me, America, the memoir will center on Biden’s single term as president and the major events and decisions that defined his administration.

The release comes as Democrats remain divided over Biden’s political legacy, particularly following his unsuccessful effort to seek another term in the White House. His presidency has also remained under scrutiny amid ongoing questions about his mental acuity while in office and allegations regarding the use of an autopen for official documents.

According to the Associated Press, Democratic leaders are hoping this fall’s campaign remains focused on President Donald Trump’s record rather than Biden’s tenure. The report noted that Biden has largely faded from public view after his bid to return to the White House ended and support within his own party evaporated.

In a video released Wednesday alongside the announcement, Biden described the themes of the book.

“‘Promise Me, America’ is about the challenges we faced as a nation. It’s about the decisions I made and why I made them,” Biden said. “Most of all, it’s about my faith in the promise of America.”

The title recalls Biden’s 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad, which chronicled the illness and passing of his son, Beau Biden.

A spokesperson for Little, Brown said the 83-year-old Biden plans to promote the memoir with a nationwide book tour and will also participate in media interviews surrounding its release.

{Matzav.com}

More than a year after a sweeping workforce reduction tied to the Department of Government Efficiency, the Social Security Administration is still grappling with the loss of nearly 8,000 employees, even as agency leadership points to gains in technology and customer service.

The agency, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to approximately 75 million Americans each month, has seen its workforce shrink by about 14% since the DOGE-directed cost-cutting initiative began, according to a report published Wednesday by The Washington Post.

Current and former employees say the staffing losses continue to place significant pressure on daily operations, despite ongoing recruitment efforts and a broad modernization campaign.

Since taking over the agency, Commissioner Frank Bisignano has prioritized updating Social Security’s systems by increasing automation and encouraging greater use of online services.

Bisignano has said the technological improvements are expected to save the equivalent of 2,500 full-time work hours, while the agency has begun hiring for roughly 1,000 new positions.

Even so, employees and union representatives say the departure of approximately 7,800 workers has left offices across the country struggling to keep up with demand.

“The look on everybody’s face is they’re beat down, they are demoralized, they’re tired,” Chris Delaney, a claims specialist and local union president representing Social Security workers in Hudson, New York, said.

According to the American Federation of Government Employees Council 220, which represents employees in field offices, the vast majority of the agency’s roughly 1,200 local offices lost at least one-tenth of their staff during the workforce reductions.

To compensate for staffing shortages, the agency has reassigned thousands of employees to help answer calls on its national 800-number. Internal figures show that as of July 6, about 1,500 field office employees had been assigned to phone duty, while approximately 2,500 workers had been reassigned across the agency.

Officials say those staffing changes, along with upgrades to the telephone system, have significantly improved response times. Agency data show that the average wait to reach a representative dropped from 11 minutes a year ago to five minutes in May. However, callers who opt for a callback are recorded as having no wait time, and the agency no longer publicly reports the average length of time required for callbacks.

“I’d like to make this more complicated, but it’s not. It’s putting people where the work is,” Bisignano told lawmakers during a congressional hearing last month. “It’s building technology in a modern-day fashion.”

Employees, however, say the improvements in phone service have come at the expense of other critical functions.

Agency data indicate that as of July 6, only 64.6% of appointments for initial benefit claims were scheduled within 30 days, down from 78.1% during the same period last year. In some parts of the country, that figure recently fell below 45%.

Union officials argue that shifting field office staff to phone duty reduces the time available to meet with beneficiaries in person and slows the processing of claims.

“It’s extremely disruptive to the workloads,” Jeremy Maske, a union president representing frontline employees in Iowa and Nebraska, said. “If you’re assigned to the 800 number once a week, that’s taking a fifth of your time to answer those phones.”

Bisignano has highlighted other areas where he says the agency has made progress, including shorter wait times for customers with appointments, smaller claims backlogs, and faster processing of disability benefit applications.

The Social Security Administration is also testing a nationwide appointment scheduling system that would replace the current local office scheduling process. At the same time, officials have expanded online services, including the ability to request replacement Social Security cards electronically, while pledging to keep field offices open and continue offering assistance in person, by phone, and online.

Advocates for senior citizens, people with disabilities, and low-income Americans warn that reducing staff while relying more heavily on automation could create additional obstacles for beneficiaries with complicated cases.

“You can’t lose that many people in that haphazard of a manner without an impact on services,” Devin O’Connor, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said. “The question is where or when the harm will be felt.”

{Matzav.com}

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir pushed back forcefully against criticism from Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas over the government’s demolition of illegally built homes in the Negev, declaring that the law will be enforced equally against anyone who violates building regulations.

In a video message released Wednesday, Ben Gvir rejected accusations that the demolitions are motivated by discrimination.

“Racism is a lie. Listen carefully, and tell all your friends: anyone who builds illegally-their house will be demolished.”

Ben Gvir’s remarks came in response to a speech Abbas delivered in Arabic from the Knesset podium on Tuesday, in which the Ra’am leader argued that the coalition’s only real accomplishment has been maintaining unity among its members long enough to complete its term in office.

Abbas sharply criticized the current right-wing government, saying its record has been marked by “failure, crimes, murder, demolitions, and wars.” He contrasted that with the previous “government of change,” in which Ra’am served as a coalition partner and, according to Abbas, played a significant role in addressing the needs of Israel’s Arab community.

The Ra’am chairman also claimed that violent crime in Arab society declined by 15 percent during the previous government’s first year. He argued that if that coalition had remained in power for a full four-year term, the number of homicide victims could have fallen to “only forty deaths, or even fewer.”

Turning to the issue of housing enforcement, Abbas asserted that only four occupied homes in the Negev were demolished during the previous government. By contrast, he claimed that Ben Gvir has proudly cited approximately 5,700 demolition operations carried out over the past year.

Abbas also took aim at Hadash and Ta’al, the factions that make up the Joint List, accusing them of failing to shoulder responsibility when opportunities arose.

“Our colleagues from the Joint List did not understand the responsibility that rested on them,” Abbas said, arguing that Ra’am had been willing to accept the political consequences of joining the coalition. He questioned what the public ultimately gained from the collapse of the previous government and what it has lost under the continued tenure of the current coalition.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction suspending implementation of the newly enacted law that halted the arrest of bnei Torah who have not reported for military service, setting the stage for another high-profile legal battle over the status of lomdei Torah.

Supreme Court Justice Ofer Grosskopf ordered that the law be put on hold pending further proceedings. In his decision, he wrote: “In light of this Court’s longstanding rulings on the enlistment of yeshiva students, the implications of freezing arrest, investigation, and enforcement proceedings with respect to only certain segments of the population, and the substantial arguments raised by the petitioners in the various petitions challenging the law’s validity, a conditional order is hereby issued instructing the respondents to explain why the law should not be struck down.”

Grosskopf added that the petitions challenging the legislation will be heard as soon as possible before an expanded panel of justices to be appointed by the President of the Supreme Court.

Multiple petitions have already been filed seeking to invalidate the law, including those submitted by the Yisrael Beytenu and Yesh Atid parties.

MK Meir Porush of United Torah Judaism sharply criticized the court’s ruling, arguing that the injunction has no legal basis. He asserted that any soldier or police officer who takes part in arresting bnei Torah under the current circumstances would be acting in violation of the law passed by the Knesset.

The legislation, approved by the Knesset on Tuesday in its second and third readings by a vote of 58 to 54, temporarily halted the arrest of bnei Torah who are subject to military draft proceedings.

Four coalition lawmakers voted against the measure: Yuli Edelstein, Sharren Haskel, Dan Illouz, and Moshe Solomon. Minister Ofir Sofer and MK Michal Woldiger were absent during the vote.

The bill was presented to the Knesset by Minister Shlomo Karhi, who engaged in heated exchanges with opposition lawmakers during the debate from the Knesset podium.

During the debate, the Knesset Ethics Committee required Chareidi members of Knesset to disclose that members of their own families could potentially be affected by the outcome of the legislation.

A sprawling homeless encampment stretching across Manhattan’s West Side is drawing mounting criticism as opponents accuse Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new homeless policy of preventing police from taking swift action, leaving a deteriorating situation to worsen near one of the city’s busiest tourist destinations.

Under the administration’s revised approach, the NYPD is barred from clearing homeless encampments until civilian outreach workers and homeless advocates have spent seven days attempting to persuade those living there to accept services and shelter. According to sources, that seven-day countdown only began Tuesday despite residents complaining about the encampment for weeks.

Residents said city outreach teams did not arrive at the site until approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Public safety experts warned that the rapidly expanding encampment bears troubling similarities to New York City’s troubled decades of the 1980s and early 1990s.

“The mayor is too young to remember the eighties and early nineties and what a mess New York was,” former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton told The NY Post. “Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it. It all began with non-enforcement of quality-of-life offenses.

“Remember the squeegee men at every entrance to the city?” Bratton said. “Remember the rampant …. graffiti? Remember the 8,000 open air drug selling locations? Remember the rampant subway fare evasion? I remember, and it’s happening again.”

The NY Post first highlighted the encampment Friday, though neighborhood residents said tents and makeshift shelters have lined the area for several weeks. They also alleged that panhandlers have been harassing visitors while drug dealing and theft have become common in broad daylight.

By Tuesday, some of those living in the encampment had reportedly connected illegal electrical lines to nearby city utility poles in order to obtain power.

“In just half a year, Mayor Mamdani’s policies have managed to turn the West Side into Skid Row,” City Councilwoman Joann Ariola, R-Queens, told The Post Tuesday.

“The administration is repeating the same ridiculous hands-off approach to the homeless that destroyed LA and San Francisco, and now we have a 12-block homeless campsite in Manhattan.

“Way to go DSA,” she added, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America, the lefty group that counts Mamdani as a member.

Soon after taking office, Mamdani reversed former Mayor Eric Adams’ policy that empowered police to aggressively dismantle homeless encampments and remove individuals considered to be at risk from city streets.

In its place, the administration adopted what it describes as a larger, more humane strategy centered on a housing-first model. Under the plan, the Department of Community Safety relies on civilian outreach teams and social workers, rather than police officers, to connect homeless individuals with housing and support services.

The policy requires those outreach teams to spend seven days engaging with people living in an encampment before police are permitted to remove it.

The NYPD, whose role in homeless enforcement had already been reduced during the de Blasio administration, now has even less authority under Mamdani’s policy. Officers may intervene only when criminal activity, emergencies, or the protection of city workers requires their presence.

“The Mamdani Administration has stopped the failed encampment sweep policies of the past and moving forward will connect New Yorkers to the resources they need to thrive and to build a New York where everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home,” the city sanitation department said in a statement.

A City Hall spokesperson also told The NY Post on Tuesday, “This site will be cleaned.”

Brian Stettin, who served as a senior adviser on severe mental illness during the Adams administration, said the concept behind the policy may be reasonable, provided city officials move quickly.

“It’s perfectly reasonable to spend a week attempting a voluntary resolution before dismantling an encampment,” Stettin said. “But people will quickly lose faith in that policy if they see the city dragging its feet. The 7-day clock should start as soon as DHS confirms the presence of an encampment.”

Critics argue that the administration has failed to act with the urgency the situation demands.

“This is embarrassing and a big black eye on the city, especially with FIFA tourists,” one veteran cop griped. “The Intrepid is a big tourist attraction, and what are people from all over the world thinking when they walk by this encampment?”

During patrols Tuesday, police instructed occupants of two encampments to disconnect unauthorized electrical hookups from city utility poles. According to reports, however, the illegal connections are often restored once officers leave the area.

Mamdani addressed the controversy publicly on Monday but emphasized his administration’s broader strategy rather than immediate enforcement.

“We are focused on connecting New Yorkers to shelter and on establishing a pipeline to stable housing, not just moving New Yorkers from one place to another place,” he said. “To this specific encampment that you brought up, we’re going to look into the details of that.”

{Matzav.com}

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President Donald Trump is directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to resume conducting traffic stops, rejecting a recent Department of Homeland Security decision to suspend the tactic following two fatal shootings involving ICE agents in Maine and Texas.

In a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Trump defended the use of traffic stops as a critical law enforcement strategy.

“We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”

Trump’s remarks came a day after DHS reportedly instructed ICE personnel across the country to temporarily stop carrying out routine vehicle stops. The directive, according to reports, eliminated most traffic stops except in limited situations, including operations involving criminal warrants or coordinated actions with other law enforcement agencies.

The policy change followed two deadly encounters involving ICE officers. On Monday in Biddeford, Maine, agents attempting to stop a vehicle fatally shot 25-year-old Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who was married and the father of a 3-year-old daughter.

An ICE spokesperson said an officer discharged his weapon while “fearing for public safety.” The shooting remains under investigation by the FBI and local authorities, while DHS’ Office of Inspector General has also been notified.

Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin informed him that the man who died was not the individual ICE agents had initially intended to apprehend.

The Maine incident came just days after another fatal ICE shooting during a vehicle stop in Houston. Acting ICE Director David Venturella said the victim, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who had lived in the United States for decades, was likewise not the person agents had been attempting to locate.

According to DHS, officers believed Salgado Araujo matched the description of the suspect they were seeking. The department said an ICE officer fired in self-defense after Salgado Araujo allegedly rammed an agency vehicle.

Both deadly encounters occurred as the Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement nationwide, sparking anti-ICE demonstrations in both Maine and Texas.

The Associated Press reported that the ICE agents involved in the Houston shooting were not equipped with body cameras. DHS has said those officers are expected to receive body-worn cameras within the next 60 days.

Trump also used his Truth Social post to again criticize the immigration policies of President Joe Biden.

“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done. CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades,” he said.

“The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted,” Trump continued. “Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart.”

Concluding his message, Trump encouraged ICE officers to return to conducting enforcement operations while exercising sound judgment.

“I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” Trump wrote. “Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is urging television networks not to broadcast President Donald Trump’s scheduled address Thursday night, arguing that media organizations should not give airtime to claims about election fraud that she says lack factual support.

Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to deliver a speech at 9 p.m. Thursday but did not reveal what he intends to discuss. According to published reports, the president is expected to revisit his longstanding assertion that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and to argue that Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats from Georgia, are “illegitimate” members of the Senate.

Ossoff and Warnock won Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections on Jan. 5, 2021, one day before the Capitol riot, giving Democrats control of the Senate. Warnock, who initially won a special election to complete the remainder of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term following his resignation, secured a full six-year term in 2022. Ossoff is seeking reelection this November.

On Tuesday, MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez spoke with Ocasio-Cortez outside the U.S. Capitol and asked for her reaction to the president’s upcoming remarks.

“He’s basically doing a made-for-TV broadcast about election fraud and conspiracy theories,” Manríquez said.

“I don’t think we should be contributing to the platforming of lies about our elections,” the congresswoman replied. “Many news outlets oftentimes may receive transcripts [in advance], and I think we have an ethical obligation not to air things that undermine our elections that are not rooted in evidence and in fact.”

AOC on Trump’s Thursday address: I don’t think we should be contributing to the platforming of lies about our elections. Many of these outlets often receive transcripts, and I think we have an ethical obligation not to air things that undermine our elections and are not rooted in… pic.twitter.com/MrHKjt2Waa

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 14, 2026

Following the 2020 election, Trump spent the next two months challenging the results and urging Republican officials in states won by Joe Biden to revisit or overturn their certified outcomes. He repeatedly questioned the integrity of the election, and some political analysts have argued that his continued focus on alleged election irregularities discouraged some Republican voters from participating in Georgia’s Senate runoff elections, helping Democrats capture both seats and take control of the chamber.

[Video below.] President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that expanding pipeline infrastructure in Texas and Alaska could provide alternative routes for moving energy supplies as tensions with Iran continue to disrupt shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

The remarks came as the United States carried out a fourth straight day of airstrikes against Iran. U.S. officials say the military action followed Iran’s alleged violation of the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran last month. Iranian officials, however, contend that Article 5 of the agreement grants Iran authority to manage all maritime traffic through the critical waterway within its territorial waters. Although some commercial vessels have attempted to avoid Iranian-controlled waters by sailing along the Omani coastline, Iran struck several tankers last week, killing one crew member. In response, the United States reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf of Oman while continuing its bombing campaign.

Despite the escalating conflict, Trump and other administration officials have maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international traffic.

During an interview Tuesday with Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst, the reporter pointed to a dramatic decline in maritime traffic through the waterway.

“Shipping data trackers indicate that just 10 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday,” Yingst stated. “Less than 10% of what normally goes through this critical waterway. When you say the strait is open, what do you mean?”

Trump responded by insisting that access remains available to most countries while emphasizing that Iran itself is being blocked.

“It’s open if people want to go through it,” the president said. “We’re not opening it for Iran. That’s the only one it’s closed for. It’s closed for Iran both in and out. But it’s open now. A lot of things have happened, Trey, in the last few months. Pipelines are being built. We’re coming up with great alternatives, including Texas, including Alaska.”

Although Trump referenced domestic pipeline projects as potential alternatives, the United States is not controlling which commercial vessels may transit the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, the U.S. naval blockade is being enforced farther east in the Gulf of Oman, where Iranian vessels are being intercepted before reaching the strategic shipping lane.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Can a Jew stop a non-Jew driving on Shabbos and ask him to turn on an air conditioner? Is it permissible to ride in an elevator with a non-Jew? And may a non-Jew open an electronically locked hotel room door on Shabbos? These were among the practical halachah questions addressed by Rav Ofir Malka during his Israeli radio program Halachah Lemaaseh.

One listener described living in a predominantly non-Jewish neighborhood and asked whether, because of the intense heat, he could stop a passing non-Jewish driver on Shabbos and have him turn on the air conditioner in his home.

Rav Malka ruled that doing so is prohibited.

“You are hinting to a non-Jew to perform melachah with his own possessions for your benefit—that is forbidden,” the Rav said.

He explained that stopping the vehicle itself causes the non-Jew to perform additional melachos on behalf of the Jew.

“The moment he stops the car, he presses the brake, and then when he starts driving again, that is another melachah. It’s all because of you,” the Rav explained.

Another question involved hotels outside of Israel where guest rooms are accessed using electronic key cards. The caller asked whether it would be permissible to arrange in advance for a non-Jew to accompany him in the elevator and open the hotel room door for him.

Rav Malka responded that there is “absolutely no permission to ride in an elevator with a non-Jew under any circumstances,” explaining that even if the non-Jew operates the elevator, the Jew’s own use of the elevator activates various electrical systems.

The Rav elaborated that entering and exiting the elevator interrupts the light beam in the doorway, increases the electrical current, and, most significantly, activates the elevator’s digital weighing system, which adjusts the elevator’s operation based on the weight of its passengers.

“All of that is done by the Jew himself. It has nothing to do with the non-Jew—it is chilul Shabbos without even realizing it,” he emphasized. For that reason, he said, the presence of a non-Jew does not make riding the elevator permissible.

Regarding electronic hotel room doors, Rav Malka explained that if there is a significant and genuine need, it is permissible to ask a non-Jew to open the door.

Ideally, however, he advised guests to prepare before Shabbos by leaving the door latch disengaged so that the room can be entered without using the electronic lock. Only if someone is stranded without any other practical option may he ask a non-Jew to open the door in a case of substantial need.

{Matzav.com}

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly lost confidence in former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad months before his regime collapsed and even explored the possibility of replacing him with his wife, Asma al-Assad, according to a new investigative report published by the British newspaper The Observer.

The report paints an unusual picture of the relationship between Putin and Assad during the final months of the Syrian regime. According to the investigation, as Assad’s government weakened in the months leading up to its collapse in December 2024, the Kremlin considered installing Asma al-Assad as Syria’s new leader after concluding that her husband was no longer capable of effectively governing the country.

Citing multiple sources, The Observer reported that Asma al-Assad, who was born in Britain and previously worked as an investment banker, had long played a far more influential role than that of a ceremonial first lady. According to the report, she became a central figure in decision-making within the presidential palace and exercised significant control over the regime’s economic power centers. Business leaders who refused to cooperate with her associates allegedly faced tax investigations, sanctions, and the closure of their companies. Her extensive involvement in running the country reportedly drew criticism over the years from senior regime officials, intelligence figures, and members of Syria’s business community.

The investigation further claims that Putin personally raised the idea with Bashar al-Assad of transferring power to his wife. However, the Syrian leader reportedly rejected the proposal outright. When rebel forces launched the offensive that ultimately brought down the regime in December 2024, Russia refrained from mounting any significant military intervention. Assad fled to Moscow on December 8, where he has remained under political asylum ever since, while international arrest warrants against him remain outstanding.

According to the report, Asma al-Assad had already left Syria in August 2024 to receive medical treatment in Russia. Since then, she has reportedly traveled between Dubai and other international destinations. Although she is barred from entering Britain and European Union member states, the report claims she spends considerable time in Dubai, where the Assad family owns luxury properties.

{Matzav.com}

Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student who emerged as a leading figure in anti-Israel campus demonstrations, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration and several private organizations of working together to suppress pro-Palestinian activists through doxing, detention, and attempted deportation.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court, names senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, the Heritage Foundation, and the online organizations Canary Mission and Betar as participants in what Khalil alleges was a coordinated effort to target him because of his activism.

According to the complaint, Khalil’s attorneys argue that this alleged “public-private partnership” violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era federal law designed to prevent government officials from conspiring with private vigilante groups to deprive individuals of their civil rights. The attorneys contend that evidence of such coordination first surfaced during unrelated litigation last year.

Khalil, 31, is a former graduate student at Columbia University who became one of the most visible leaders and spokesmen for student protests opposing Israel and its military campaign in Gaza.

A lawful permanent resident of the United States who is married to an American citizen, Khalil was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March 2025 at his apartment on Columbia’s campus. His detention quickly became one of the most prominent examples of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

He remained in an immigration detention facility in Louisiana for 104 days, during which he missed the birth of his first child, before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release.

Khalil’s deportation proceedings, which have been a priority for the Trump administration, have advanced rapidly through the immigration court system, which is part of the executive branch. The case could ultimately be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Khalil has repeatedly rejected accusations that his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations constitutes antisemitism.

“My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide,” he previously told The Associated Press. “It’s as simple as that.”

{Matzav.com}

A powerful explosion caused by a fragmentation grenade shattered the early-morning quiet in south Tel Aviv overnight, damaging several vehicles in a parking lot and triggering a large-scale police manhunt that quickly extended into the Chareidi city of Bnei Brak. The pursuit ended with the arrest of two young men riding a scooter.

The blast occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Anatbi Street in south Tel Aviv, sending a loud shockwave through the surrounding neighborhoods and prompting a massive response from emergency and law enforcement personnel. According to preliminary findings, unidentified suspects threw a fragmentation grenade into an open parking lot in a residential area.

The force of the explosion caused significant damage, with grenade shrapnel smashing the windows of several parked vehicles and causing additional property damage. After numerous emergency calls were received, officers from the Sharet Police Station, Border Police units from the Central District, and bomb disposal experts from the Tel Aviv District Police arrived at the scene. The area was sealed off as investigators began collecting forensic evidence and interviewing local residents.

At the same time, police launched an extensive search for those responsible, relying on technological tools and initial information regarding the suspects’ escape route.

The search quickly expanded beyond Tel Aviv and entered neighboring Bnei Brak. Officers from the Bnei Brak Police Station, who had been deployed at key locations throughout the city after receiving the alert, spotted two young men riding a scooter whose appearance matched the suspects’ description. Police said the pair’s behavior also aroused suspicion.

Officers intercepted the scooter and arrested both suspects. During a search of the vehicle, police discovered a knife concealed on the scooter.

The suspects, ages 17 and 19, both residents of the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area, were taken into custody and transferred under heavy security to the Sharet Police Station in Tel Aviv, which is leading the investigation. Police said they intend to bring the two before a judge later today to request an extension of their detention as the investigation continues and additional evidence is gathered.

{Matzav.com}

A two-year-old Israeli girl tragically drowned Tuesday night in the swimming pool of a hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Despite efforts by medical personnel to save her life, doctors were forced to pronounce her dead. ZAKA is now working to arrange the transfer of her body to Israel.

Shortly before 11:00 p.m., ZAKA’s International Unit emergency hotline (1220) received notification of the tragedy. According to initial reports, the toddler drowned in the hotel pool during the evening. She was rushed to a local hospital, where medical staff were ultimately unable to revive her and declared her deceased.

Immediately after receiving the report, members of ZAKA’s International Unit began coordinating with the relevant authorities in both Israel and Egypt.

The joint effort is aimed at expediting the necessary bureaucratic procedures so the toddler’s body can be returned to Israel as quickly as possible. ZAKA is also providing ongoing assistance and support to the bereaved family during this difficult time.

Chaim Weingarten, ZAKA’s Deputy Director of Operations, said, “Immediately upon receiving the report, we activated ZAKA’s International Unit, which operates around the clock in cases of this nature throughout the world.”

“We are in continuous contact with all of the relevant authorities in order to assist the family and bring the toddler to burial in Israel as quickly as possible, while preserving her dignity and providing the family with all the assistance they require,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset has given final approval to legislation repealing former Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana’s kashrus reform, marking a major legislative victory for MK Michael Malkieli.

In a dramatic vote that concluded overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, the Knesset plenum passed the repeal in its second and third readings. The bill was approved by a vote of 46-41.

The legislation, considered MK Malkieli’s flagship initiative, completely overturns Kahana’s kashrus reform, which was enacted in 2021 and sparked fierce opposition throughout the Torah world.

Following the vote, Malkieli, who spearheaded the campaign to repeal the reform, expressed great satisfaction with the outcome.

“After years of determined struggle led by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, we have merited to correct the Kahana reform, which threatened to breach the walls of kashrus in the Holy Land,” Malkieli said.

He added, “The new reform will bring with it many improvements, some of them historic, in every area of kashrus. The reform will strengthen Israel’s Chief Rabbinate and the rabbis of Israel. It will also regulate the employment of kashrus supervisors and, contrary to the false claims spread by interested parties, will even help lower the cost of living for all Israeli citizens.”

What the New Law Includes

Under the newly approved legislation, the provisions that allowed private kashrus organizations to operate are repealed. The authority to issue kashrus certificates will now rest exclusively with the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, authorized local rabbis, and the IDF Military Rabbinate, as appropriate.

The law also regulates numerous aspects of the kashrus system, including kashrus standards, the operation of bodies involved in providing kashrus services, supervision procedures, the separation between kashrus supervisors and the businesses they oversee, and government oversight of the entire kashrus framework.

The explanatory notes accompanying the bill state:

“On November 18, 2021, the Economic Program Law (Legislative Amendments for Implementing the Economic Policy for the 2021-2022 Budget Years) was published. Chapter 17 of the Arrangements Law, entitled ‘Streamlining the Kashrus System’ (Amendment No. 3), introduced changes to the kashrus system, including the imported food kashrus framework.

“As part of that amendment, the field of kashrus was, in effect, privatized. It provided that supervision services and kashrus certificates could be issued, among others, by private kashrus organizations, based on kashrus standards established, among others, by rabbis who are not public employees.

“The Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Chief Rabbis of Israel who headed it strongly opposed Amendment No. 3. They maintained that the unique characteristics of the kashrus system require kashrus services to remain under public administration in order to safeguard the public interest, including transparency, objectivity, and public accountability. In this way, they argued, the granting of kashrus certification and its oversight would not be influenced by the significant economic interests present within the food industry, which could lead to conflicts of interest and improper considerations.”

Chief Rabbi Backs the Legislation

Israel’s Chief Rabbi, HaGaon Rav Kalman Meir Bar, voiced unequivocal support for the legislation during committee deliberations before the vote. In his remarks, the Chief Rabbi sharply criticized the reality that had developed in Israel’s kashrus market following Kahana’s reform.

“The public wants to know that it can rely on the kashrus certificate and on the body standing behind it,” Rav Bar said. “Kashrus is not a marketing brand but a public responsibility requiring professional, continuous, and reliable oversight.”

Background to the Reform

Matan Kahana’s kashrus reform was enacted in November 2021 as part of the Economic Arrangements Law. It authorized private kashrus organizations to provide supervision services and issue kashrus certificates based on standards established, among others, by rabbis who were not government employees.

From the outset, the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Israel’s Chief Rabbis strongly opposed the legislation, arguing that the nature of kashrus supervision requires it to remain a public service in order to preserve transparency, objectivity, and accountability to the public.

{Matzav.com}