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President Donald Trump defended his proposal to send $5,000 payments to every adult American citizen, arguing that the plan would be made possible by the nation’s economic performance and tariff revenues — but only if Republicans maintain control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump explained why he has tied the proposed “Trump dividend” to Republican victories in both the House and Senate, contending that Democrats would be unable to produce the economic growth needed to support the payments.

“Because – they can’t – I’ll tell you what, because the Democrats can’t do it,” Trump told host Laura Ingraham. “Because with them, it’s negative growth. with us, it’s so positive.”

“We’re taking in $21 trillion. No country has ever taken in anywhere near that,” the president added. “That’s four-five times more than the next. That’s all because of that beautiful word you and love more than most others – tariffs.”

Trump first unveiled the proposal Wednesday night during the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, where he told supporters that Americans would receive the $5,000 payment if the GOP emerges from the November elections with control of both the House and Senate.

“I can make this promise to you, and here is my promise,” he said. “If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic — tremendous economic success like in history, we’ve never had anything like what’s happening.”

Trump compared the proposed payments to a company distributing profits to its shareholders.

“But because of our tremendous strength and success economically — I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000. Very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders,” Trump added.

The President said recipients would be required to spend the money inside the United States and has pointed to revenue generated by his tariff policies as a source of funding. The proposal, however, would require congressional approval, and independent estimates put its potential price tag at roughly $1.2 trillion. Reuters reported that the Congressional Budget Office says tariff collections during the current fiscal year totaled about $167 billion, substantially less than the estimated cost of the proposed payments.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the House, making the fight for control of Congress a central focus of the party’s Dallas gathering.

Trump again highlighted the amount of investment and revenue he says his economic policies have generated while speaking with Ingraham.

“So, we’re taking in $21 trillion. Nobody – no country has ever taken in anywhere near that. It’s four or five times higher than the next one,” Trump said.

“All because of that beautiful word that you and I love more than most others: Tariffs,” he added.

The proposed dividend has already generated debate in Washington over its cost and economic impact. Some Republican lawmakers have expressed reservations about adding more than $1 trillion in federal spending, while others have embraced the idea and are considering legislation that could put the proposal into effect. Democrats have criticized the election-linked pledge.

During his address in Dallas, Trump also acknowledged the longstanding difficulty presidents face in midterm elections, when the party controlling the White House has historically tended to lose congressional seats. After telling the audience that he’s “doing a great job,” Trump questioned why strong presidential performance does not necessarily translate into midterm victories.

“But I say, why is it that, no matter how well you’re doing, we see not a president — Democrat or Republican — almost never wins the midterms?” Trump said.

He then urged Republican voters to approach November’s congressional races as though his own name were appearing on their ballots.

“We’ve got to change that because we have something going that’s so good we can’t let that string be broken. So, I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot, just one more time.”

Any $5,000 payment program would ultimately need congressional authorization. Questions also remain about how the government would finance a program costing more than $1 trillion at a time when the federal deficit is projected to exceed $2 trillion. Supporters have pointed to tariff revenue and economic growth, while critics — including some Republicans — have raised concerns about the potential effect on the national debt and inflation.

The White House also promoted the proposal Thursday, portraying it as a way for Americans to share directly in the administration’s economic policies.

“Last night, President Donald J. Trump unveiled the Trump Dividend — a historic $5,000 cash payment to every adult American citizen, made possible by the strength of the American economy under his leadership. The announcement is the latest proof that President Trump does what the so-called ‘experts’ say cannot be done: he delivers for the American people.”

“The Trump Dividend depends on President Trump and Republicans. Democrat control means America loses — and working people pay the price,” they added.

A person who recently returned to Israel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been hospitalized in isolation after developing a fever, prompting health authorities to investigate a possible case of Ebola, the Health Ministry announced Thursday.

Officials stressed that the case remains only a suspected infection and that Ebola has not been confirmed. The patient will undergo a series of laboratory tests, with results expected in the coming days.

The individual is being treated under strict isolation protocols established for highly infectious diseases and is being transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Yerushalayim, one of the hospitals designated to handle suspected cases of this type.

The Health Ministry said an epidemiological investigation has already been completed to identify individuals who may have had relevant contact with the patient. Anyone who is not contacted directly by the ministry does not need to take any action at this stage.

Officials also emphasized that Ebola is not transmitted through the air. The virus spreads through direct contact with a symptomatic infected person or through contact with blood, bodily fluids or secretions.

The Health Ministry stressed that there has been no confirmed case of Ebola in Israel to date.

The latest scare comes after another suspected case involving a traveler returning from Congo in mid-August. That individual was also placed in isolation and tested for Ebola, but laboratory results ultimately came back negative.

The latest suspected case comes amid a major Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has prompted Israeli health authorities to step up preparations.

According to figures published at the end of August, the outbreak had surpassed 6,000 confirmed infections, with 6,041 cases and 2,911 deaths reported. The outbreak, described as the largest in Congo’s history, has been attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved specific vaccine or treatment.

In response, Israel’s Health Ministry has been monitoring the outbreak and preparing the healthcare system for the possibility of imported cases. Authorities have distributed professional guidelines to medical personnel and relevant hospitals, obtained protective gear and specialized equipment, established procedures for identifying travelers returning from affected regions, and developed a laboratory system capable of detecting Ebola infections.

The ministry is advising Israelis to avoid nonessential travel to areas experiencing active Ebola transmission, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those who must travel to affected areas are urged to obtain individualized guidance from a travelers’ clinic before departure.

Travelers returning from Congo who develop a fever or other unusual symptoms within 21 days of their stay are being instructed to remain at home, avoid contact with other people and telephone the Health Ministry’s Kol Habriut hotline at *5400. Callers should immediately inform health officials that they recently returned from an area affected by Ebola.

{Matzav.com}

A baby girl was delivered safely early Thursday morning near the gravesite of Rav Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, as tens of thousands of visitors continued arriving in the city ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

United Hatzalah received an emergency call reporting that a woman had gone into active labor near the gravesite. United Hatzalah medics Dana Weber and Shulamit Tzarfati rushed to the scene and found that the delivery was already progressing rapidly.

The medics assisted the mother through the delivery, and a healthy baby girl was born a short time later.

“I was called to a childbirth near the gravesite of Rav Nachman of Breslov, and I saw that the labor was progressing quickly,” Weber said. “I began providing her with the necessary assistance to ensure her safety and that of the baby on the way. Within a short time, and thank G-d, a healthy baby girl was born.”

The mother and newborn were subsequently transported by a United Hatzalah ambulance to a local hospital for further examination and observation. Both were reported to be in good and stable condition.

The birth came amid the annual Rosh Hashanah gathering of Breslover chassidim in Uman. Tens of thousands of chassidim and other visitors travel to the Ukrainian city each year to spend Rosh Hashanah near the gravesite of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

Thursday morning’s delivery was the second birth reported in Uman in recent days. Several days earlier, a baby boy was born in the city.

Israeli police personnel are also operating in Uman as part of a special deployment established to assist the large number of Israelis visiting the city. Teams have been responding to a range of incidents involving the visiting public, including medical emergencies.

A 7-year-old Israeli boy who became separated from his family amid the massive Rosh Hashanah gathering in Uman was safely reunited with his parents Thursday following a search by Israel Police officers stationed in the Ukrainian city.

The incident unfolded while Israeli police personnel were conducting operations in Uman. An Israeli man approached a team of officers with the young boy and told them that he had found the child after he apparently lost contact with his parents.

Police said the boy was extremely confused and frightened when officers began speaking with him in an effort to determine his identity and locate his family.

Officers questioned the child extensively and spoke with people in the area while carrying out additional efforts to track down his parents. Their search ultimately succeeded, and the boy was safely returned to his family.

The relieved family expressed their gratitude to the Israel Police personnel in Uman for their assistance.

The incident occurred as tens of thousands of Breslover chassidim and other visitors were arriving in Uman for the annual Rosh Hashanah kibbutz at the tziyun of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

Israel Police personnel have been deployed in Uman as part of special preparations for the large influx of Israeli visitors. Officers are assisting with a variety of incidents during the gathering, including missing-person cases and other emergencies, while also helping maintain public safety and order.

Police operations in Uman are continuing throughout the Rosh Hashanah period.

Rav Yitzchak Yosef sharply criticized Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot on Thursday, warning against the possibility of an Eisenkot-led government and accusing the former IDF chief of staff of having promoted policies that weakened religious standards in the Israeli military.

Speaking at a gathering in Ashdod, the Rishon LeTzion recalled his opposition to the integration of male and female soldiers in IDF tank crews during Eisenkot’s tenure as chief of staff. Contemporary reports confirm that Rav Yosef made the remarks at an Ashdod gathering Thursday.

“We saved the Talmudei Torah. If the left, Eisenkot and his friends ever come to power, oy vey. He was chief of staff; he instituted a rule in the army that a male soldier and a female soldier would be together in a tank. Oy vey,” Rav Yosef said.

Rav Yosef said that while he was serving as Israel’s Sephardic chief rabbi, he personally approached Eisenkot about the matter and sought to explain the severity with which he viewed the policy.

“I was chief rabbi at the time. I explained to him the severity of the matter. Is this how you deal with the issue? He didn’t even answer me. Friends, a little respect. You’re the chief of staff, a chief rabbi reaches out to you, and you don’t even answer.”

Rav Yosef went further, accusing Eisenkot of contributing to the secularization of the IDF and questioning whether he could be trusted to lead the country. Reports of the speech quoted him asking, “Can he be trusted?” while warning against an Eisenkot-led government.

The remarks represented a striking change in tone from comments attributed to Rav Yosef regarding Eisenkot just two months ago.

During his weekly shiur at the time, Rav Yosef said that he did not believe Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would do teshuvah, but added, “Eisenkot might do teshuvah.”

A day later, Army Radio correspondent Mordechai Halperin reported comments allegedly made by Rav Yosef in a private conversation in which he purportedly raised the possibility of supporting Eisenkot for prime minister.

According to that report, Rav Yosef said, “Gadi Eisenkot is a good person, a warm Jew, he loves those who study Torah,” and added, “It is possible that we will go with him in the upcoming elections, it is possible to support him to be the next prime minister.”

Rav Yosef’s office subsequently categorically denied that those remarks had been made.

“The content of the report is completely denied; it is regrettable that someone chose to distort and publish things that were not said,” his office said at the time.

Thursday’s remarks, delivered at an Ashdod gathering ahead of the Yomim Noraim, put Rav Yosef’s criticism of Eisenkot squarely on the record, focusing in particular on his experience dealing with the former chief of staff over religious concerns within the IDF. The gathering featuring Rav Yosef had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Ashdod.

As New York prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on Friday, an unusual calendar convergence is creating logistical challenges for Yidden in Lower Manhattan: the massive security operation surrounding the commemorations will take place just hours before the onset of Rosh Hashanah.

The NYPD plans to close much of the west side of Lower Manhattan to vehicular traffic beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, with streets expected to reopen at approximately 3 p.m. The closures will encompass the area surrounding the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial, where thousands are expected to participate in commemorations marking a quarter-century since the attacks.

For shuls in the area, that means much of the final Erev Yom Tov preparation will have to take place amid road closures, checkpoints and an enormous police presence — with only several hours separating the reopening of the streets from the onset of Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbi Jonathan Glass realized the potential difficulty when he learned that the traffic restrictions would encompass the area surrounding the Tribeca Synagogue, where he serves as rav.

The shul is preparing to host a large Rosh Hashanah seudah on Friday night, along with meals throughout the two-day Yom Tov on Shabbos and Sunday. The road closures immediately raised a practical concern: whether food and other deliveries would be able to reach the shul through the police perimeter.

“I’m going to have to let people know about this as soon as possible,” he told JNS. “It could be a problem.”

Rabbi Glass said he hopes the security checkpoints will be easier to navigate than they were in the months immediately following the September 11 attacks 25 years ago.

At that time, police checkpoints were ubiquitous around the former World Trade Center site. According to Rabbi Glass, some officers stationed at the checkpoints were unfamiliar with the Tribeca Synagogue and mistakenly informed people attempting to reach it that the shul was closed, even when it was operating.

September 11, 2001, was the only time the Tribeca Synagogue closed its doors since 1938.

Although no member of the kehillah was killed in the attacks, many congregants lived close to the World Trade Center and were forced to evacuate their homes. Some were unable to return for three to six months, Rabbi Glass said.

The neighborhood itself was transformed in the aftermath of the attacks. Clouds of toxic white ash and debris blanketed the World Trade Center area and spread through Lower Manhattan and into portions of Brooklyn, remaining an environmental and health concern long after the Twin Towers collapsed.

Friday’s ceremonies will commemorate 25 years since 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes on September 11, 2001, murdering 2,977 people. Two aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center towers, causing both buildings to collapse. Another struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, while the fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to retake control of the plane.

The main ceremony Friday morning at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will initially be limited to relatives of those who were killed, with admission by invitation. As has been done annually, the names of every victim will be read aloud. The memorial is scheduled to open to the general public later in the day.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday that the security operation surrounding this year’s commemoration will be particularly extensive. The 25th anniversary, combined with Rosh Hashanah and the broader international security environment, has prompted the NYPD to increase its deployment.

“There will be layers of security that are highly visible and others that the public will not see,” Tisch said at the press conference. “New Yorkers can expect to see uniformed officers throughout the area, along with members of our counterterrorism bureau, heavy weapons teams and other specialized resources deployed as part of the operation.”

Officials said the affected streets are expected to reopen at 3 p.m.

For Yidden rushing to complete their final Yom Tov preparations, however, that does not leave much breathing room. Rosh Hashanah begins in New York shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, meaning the neighborhood will have only a few hours between the lifting of the security restrictions and the beginning of Yom Tov.

At Chabad of FiDi in Manhattan’s Financial District, Rabbi Nissi Eber is taking the situation in stride — although there is at least one important Yom Tov concern.

“It may be a little harder to get our brisket order from the butcher with the street closures,” Rabbi Eber told JNS.

Fortunately, most of the approximately 100 people Rabbi Eber expects for davening and the Rosh Hashanah seudah live within walking distance of the Chabad center, limiting the impact of the traffic restrictions on the mispallelim themselves.

Rabbi Eber and his wife, Chaya, arrived in the Financial District nine years ago to establish a permanent Jewish presence in the neighborhood. Two years ago, they began holding regular tefillos at their center.

Last Rosh Hashanah, the young kehillah celebrated another milestone when it welcomed its first Sefer Torah.

The hachnosas Sefer Torah captured an unusual scene: Rabbi Eber and members of his kehillah carrying the Sefer Torah through Fulton Street, with One World Trade Center — the Freedom Tower — rising behind them.

The 1,776-foot skyscraper, whose height including its spire intentionally commemorates the year of American independence, was constructed on part of the World Trade Center complex.

“We walked through the streets proud of our heritage, with the Freedom Tower in the background,” Eber told JNS.

This year, the same streets will once again become the setting for a powerful convergence of remembrance and Jewish life.

On Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Eber and his kehillah plan to blow the shofar and walk to the South Street Seaport for tashlich.

“We’ll have apples and honey, so that even the synagogue-averse can enjoy a taste of the holiday,” he said.

For Rabbi Eber, having the 25th anniversary of September 11 fall immediately before Rosh Hashanah brings an added emotional dimension to this year’s Yom Tov.

The anniversary naturally carries painful memories for New Yorkers, while Rosh Hashanah brings its own profound period of tefillah, reflection and teshuvah.

The convergence, Rabbi Eber said, produces “mixed feelings.”

“Rosh Hashanah is a holiday of introspection and reflection,” he told JNS. “Which is also how we New Yorkers view 9/11.”

A confrontation erupted overnight Thursday at a chareidi girls’ school in Haifa’s Neve Shaanan neighborhood after municipal workers arrived in an attempt to evacuate the building, allegedly breaking into the premises, damaging property and removing mezuzos before police intervened and halted the operation.

The building has housed schools affiliated with Chinuch Atzmai for decades under a municipal allocation. Shaarei Torah previously operated there, and approximately 20 years ago, students from the Gur community’s school also began using the premises. After the Gur community left Haifa about six years ago, a Bais Yaakov serving girls from Neve Shaanan began operating at the site. The school currently has approximately 16 classes.

According to school administrators, the Haifa Municipality subsequently sought to cancel the allocation, arguing that only a small number of students were studying in the portion of the building previously occupied by Shaarei Torah. Chinuch Atzmai opposed the move, maintaining that the entire facility was necessary to accommodate the Bais Yaakov’s continued growth and expansion.

The dispute eventually reached court. According to the school, the court rejected the municipality’s cancellation of the allocation and ordered city officials to reconsider the application “with an open mind” and in good faith. The Haifa District Court also ordered that the schools not be removed from the building until the municipality issued a new decision.

Approximately two months ago, the municipality held another hearing on the allocation request and again rejected it. School officials contend that the new decision failed to comply with the court’s instructions. They also said discussions were simultaneously underway with the municipality’s legal adviser regarding continued use of the property.

The dispute came to a head Thursday night when municipal inspectors, together with the head of the city’s Property Department and other employees, arrived at the school and attempted to clear the premises. According to documentation and accounts from the scene, the building was forcibly entered, equipment was damaged and mezuzos were torn from their places.

Haifa City Councilman Michi Alper, who heads Degel HaTorah in the city, arrived during the incident and contacted Haifa police. Following the intervention, police instructed the municipal employees, including the Property Department director and his staff, to leave the premises.

“This was a step taken contrary to the court’s ruling, while the building is allocated to Chinuch Atzmai. It was even done without any notification or dialogue, like thieves in the night. It is very good that Israel Police backed away from this activity,” a statement issued on Alper’s behalf said.

The dispute has left uncertainty surrounding approximately 350 chareidi girls who are expected to attend the school, with administrators concerned that they could be left without a building in which to study.

Chinuch Atzmai has now turned urgently to the courts in an effort to prevent the eviction and secure continued use of the facility.

Haifa District Court Vice President Judge Tamar Naot-Peri ruled that the petition and the request for a temporary or interim injunction will be transferred Monday morning, September 14, to Judge Baumgart, who also presided over the previous petition concerning the building.

The school administration is meanwhile expected to continue dealing with municipal officials and the courts in an effort to resolve the building’s status.

The Haifa Municipality rejected allegations that it had acted improperly.

“The Haifa Municipality acted in accordance with its authority and pursuant to the provisions of the law. Any additional claim will be discussed in court,” the municipality said.

Agudas Yisrael, the Chassidishe faction of UTJ, is freezing its regular party operations as it grapples with a major debt arrangement expected to continue until at least 2027, according to a letter from party secretary-general Chanoch Zeibert that has added new fuel to the escalating internal battle within the chassidic party.

In the letter sent to Shlomei Emunim chairman MK Meir Porush and Elikim Stark, the new representative of Belz, Zeibert detailed the party’s financial difficulties stemming from debts accumulated during previous election campaigns.

Because of the debt arrangement and the need to reorganize ahead of the upcoming elections, Zeibert said Agudas Yisrael would suspend its ongoing activities, with the exception of work necessary for the election campaign.

“Due to the debt arrangement, and alongside the need for renewed organization following the new financing agreements, we are forced at this time to freeze the ongoing activities of Agudas Yisrael, with the exception of preparations for the elections,” Zeibert wrote.

The decision means that the party’s routine operations will be sharply curtailed for the time being, with its resources and attention concentrated primarily on preparations for the upcoming Knesset elections.

The disclosure immediately became another flashpoint in the increasingly bitter struggle inside Agudas Yisrael. Figures associated with Shlomei Emunim and Belz argued that Zeibert’s letter bolsters accusations they have recently made about the management of the party’s finances.

“This letter is the definitive proof of what we have been claiming all along about the theft of funds and the emptying of the party’s coffers,” figures in the factions charged, pointing to the party’s acknowledgment of its financial crisis and long-term debt arrangement.

The existence of the debts and the repayment arrangement, however, does not in itself establish the rival factions’ allegations of theft. Those accusations remain disputed and have not been substantiated by the financial information disclosed in Zeibert’s letter.

Zeibert also addressed Porush’s status within Agudas Yisrael, arguing that Porush’s decision to run through the new Chomas Toras Yisrael party effectively terminated his membership in Agudas Yisrael.

The latest confrontation comes amid a broader upheaval within Agudas Yisrael over control of the party, the allocation of positions on its Knesset slate and financial management. Recent disputes have exposed significant divisions among its constituent factions. Earlier this week, an Agudas Yisrael meeting broke down amid a dispute over the proposed removal of Sanz representative Moshe Shimon Roth from the party’s Knesset slate.

Tensions had already been rising before the latest clashes, with senior figures in Shlomei Emunim and Belz publicly saying that Gur did not represent them in negotiations concerning the upcoming elections and referring to unresolved financial disputes inside Agudas Yisrael.

Zeibert’s letter has now introduced the party’s financial condition directly into the center of that struggle. What had already been a fight over political control and representation is now also a battle over Agudas Yisrael’s finances, with the party acknowledging that its debt obligations are serious enough to require the suspension of its ordinary operations.

In an unusually sweeping directive, the Chassidishe Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisrael in Eretz Yisroel has issued a letter instructing members of the chareidi community not to join any military programs designed for chareidim, without exception, warning that the various frameworks share a common goal of changing the character and spirit of the chareidi community.

The letter comes after weeks of closed-door discussions and deliberations and was signed by all members of the Moetzes, including the admorim of Gur, Belz, Vizhnitz and Sanz, along with numerous other chassidic leaders.

The directive specifically comes amid growing attention to programs such as Kodkod and Maalot Tzur, which have been promoted as frameworks enabling chareidi men to serve in professional roles under conditions tailored to their lifestyle. The programs have generated mounting opposition within portions of the chareidi community in recent months.

“Recently, various tracks have been opened for members of faithful Jewry under the guise that soldiers in these units will go without uniforms,” the Moetzes wrote.

The letter then issued an unequivocal directive: “From now on, one must not go to any of the tracks intended for chareidim, without exception. The common denominator among them is the desire to change the essence and spirit of the chareidi community. Do not go on the path with them; keep your feet from their pathway.”

The letter represents a broad rejection of the various specialized programs rather than an objection to any single framework. Kodkod and Maalot Tzur have been among the programs at the center of controversy, with previous efforts by rabbonim and activists seeking to prevent their promotion in chareidi publications. In June, a chareidi advertising company stopped marketing the two programs following intense communal pressure.

The IDF, meanwhile, has described such programs as part of its effort to expand chareidi enlistment while providing frameworks intended to accommodate religious requirements. According to figures reported by Ynet earlier this year, Kodkod, launched in 2023, had grown to approximately 1,000 participants as of May, with the military expecting additional growth by the end of 2026.

The Moetzes letter was issued against the backdrop of significant internal tensions within Agudas Yisrael. Those divisions have intensified following the establishment of the new Toras Chomas Yisrael party led by Meir Porush and Elikim Stark, who announced plans to run within United Torah Judaism but separately from Gur and Vizhnitz.

According to Kikar HaShabbat, a senior Agudas Yisrael figure described the development as the culmination of a “long, years-long process, in which Meir Porush and Elikim Stark chose to put an end to the dictatorial conduct of Gur activists.”

Gur representatives, however, have maintained that the new faction is an independent party that “is no longer subordinate to the movement’s institutions or to the authority of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.”

The internal disagreements were also evident during a contentious meeting in Netanya, according to the report, where Gur representatives sought a written commitment from Sanz representatives. Sanz rejected the demand, maintaining that it answers only to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe. Gur representatives ultimately withdrew the request.

The chassidic Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah has convened several times over the past year. At one gathering held at the Vizhnitzer Rebbe’s place of rest in Moshav Ora, most members of the Moetzes participated, and the Biala Rebbe joined for the first time as a member of the council, succeeding his father.

The Trump administration has dramatically expanded its legal campaign against state laws allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state college tuition, with the Justice Department now challenging such policies in 21 states and securing court orders or agreements ending them in several states.

The administration has already obtained favorable results in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois, where analogous tuition laws have been permanently blocked or declared unconstitutional. Kansas has also moved toward ending its policy under a proposed consent decree reached with the Justice Department, though the agreement requires court approval.

The Kansas action became the latest development in the administration’s effort to prevent states from offering reduced tuition to illegal immigrants when comparable benefits are unavailable to U.S. citizens from outside those states. The Justice Department sued Kansas in June and simultaneously joined the state in asking a federal court to approve an agreement permanently barring enforcement of the challenged provisions.

A much larger group of states remains caught up in the administration’s legal offensive. As of late August, pending Justice Department cases included Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Colorado, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

The campaign widened substantially in August. On August 27, the Justice Department announced new lawsuits against Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, bringing to 21 the number of state in-state tuition laws challenged by the administration.

At the heart of the lawsuits is a federal statute enacted in 1996. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1623, an immigrant who is not lawfully present in the United States may not receive a postsecondary education benefit based on state residence unless U.S. citizens are eligible for the same benefit regardless of their state of residence. The Justice Department contends that the challenged state programs violate that restriction.

“Over 30 years ago, Congress made clear that States cannot put illegal aliens before our Nation’s own citizens,” Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. said when the latest round of cases was announced. “By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona are pushing citizens to the side and ignoring federal law. No more. As of today, we have now sued 21 states who we allege were thwarting Congress’s clear prohibition on placing aliens over citizens. Our efforts will not cease until President Trump’s promise is fulfilled: illegal aliens will not receive benefits denied to American citizens.”

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division similarly framed the administration’s position as a question of compliance with federal law.

“This is a simple matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” Shumate said. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”

The administration’s lawsuits seek court orders preventing states from enforcing laws that make illegal immigrants eligible for resident tuition rates. In several cases, the Justice Department is also challenging state financial-aid and scholarship programs available to those students.

The litigation has produced a string of favorable outcomes for the administration. By late August, the Justice Department said court rulings in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois had permanently enjoined and declared unconstitutional comparable state laws, including a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kansas followed a somewhat different route. Rather than fighting the federal government through extended litigation, state officials joined the Justice Department in proposing a consent decree that would permanently prevent enforcement of the state’s in-state tuition and scholarship provisions for illegal immigrants.

The Justice Department has continued filing cases elsewhere rather than limiting its effort to states where it has already prevailed. Its pending challenges stretch from California and Washington on the West Coast to New York, New Jersey and several New England states, making the dispute over tuition benefits a nationwide legal battle over the relationship between federal immigration law and state higher-education policies.

A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to allow the Trump administration to enforce new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections, leaving in place a lower-court injunction against a U.S. Postal Service rule implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order.

The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came as the Supreme Court is separately considering the administration’s request to allow the requirements to take effect. The legal battle has taken on added urgency because some states have already begun sending mail ballots to voters for the November 3 elections.

The appeals court declined to lift a preliminary injunction issued last week by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts. Talwani’s order bars the Postal Service from enforcing key portions of its newly finalized regulations governing the handling of ballots sent through the mail during the 2026 elections.

The disputed regulations stem from an executive order signed by President Trump in March directing the Postal Service to develop new requirements for mail voting in federal elections. The final USPS rule was issued in August, less than 70 days before the midterm elections.

Under the rule, states using the Postal Service for mail ballots would face new requirements involving the design and federal review of ballot envelopes. State and local election officials would also have to register with a Postal Service ballot-mail portal and upload and certify information about voters receiving ballots. The regulations contemplate withholding Postal Service transmission of ballots when the required conditions have not been met.

Election officials challenging the plan have argued that complying with the new system on such short notice would be extraordinarily difficult and could prevent eligible voters from receiving their ballots. The issue has become particularly urgent as Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun sending mail ballots.

The three judges on Thursday’s panel, all of whom were appointed by President Joe Biden, sided with the challengers at this stage of the litigation, finding that the administration had not demonstrated that Talwani was likely wrong in blocking the rule.

“Appellants have not made a strong showing that the district court erred in determining that the Final Rule is likely unlawful,” the judges wrote.

The challengers, which include Democratic-led states and voting-rights organizations, argue that the Constitution does not give the president unilateral authority to regulate how states administer elections. The administration, by contrast, has defended the measures as reasonable safeguards aimed at improving the security and integrity of mail voting.

The case has already traveled an unusually complicated path through the federal courts.

The 1st Circuit previously upheld an earlier injunction imposed by Talwani against Trump’s executive order. The Supreme Court subsequently lifted that injunction, but its action was procedural and did not settle the underlying question of whether the administration’s plan is constitutional.

After the Postal Service finalized its regulations in August, the plaintiffs returned to court with new challenges directed at the final rule itself.

Talwani initially issued a temporary restraining order on August 27 preventing enforcement of portions of the new USPS requirements. On September 4, she replaced that temporary order with a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the mandatory provisions for elections taking place through November 3.

The Trump administration appealed and has also turned to the Supreme Court for emergency relief. Solicitor General John Sauer has argued that a quick decision is necessary because leaving the restrictions unresolved while states proceed with their election preparations could itself create confusion.

The 1st Circuit’s decision Thursday leaves Talwani’s injunction in force while that Supreme Court fight continues.

A separate lawsuit filed by Democrats and civil-rights organizations in Washington, D.C., is also challenging Trump’s executive order.

The dispute now places the Supreme Court at the center of a rapidly developing election-law battle less than two months before Election Day. For the moment, Thursday’s ruling means the Postal Service remains prohibited from enforcing the contested mandatory mail-ballot requirements for the November midterms unless the Supreme Court or another court intervenes.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has escalated his ongoing dispute with Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, informing the police chief that his ministry will directly purchase urgently needed equipment for police officers rather than transfer hundreds of millions of shekels to the police for them to spend themselves.

At the center of the dispute is an additional allocation of approximately NIS 450 million. In a letter sent Thursday to Levy’s office, Ben Gvir said the money belongs to the National Security Ministry’s budget rather than the police budget and had originally been earmarked for vehicles and construction projects at police stations.

Ben Gvir said that after examining the police’s requests, however, he discovered that some of the money was being sought for projects that he did not consider urgent. Among the examples he cited was a request for NIS 7 million in renovations at Lahav 433, the police’s national crime-fighting unit, which he said involved a project that began last year without authorization.

The minister also criticized requests to replace vehicles used by senior police and Border Police officials, including commanders of central investigative units and deputy district commanders. He said those requests prompted him to reassess how additional funding is allocated not only to the police, but also to the Israel Prison Service and the Fire and Rescue Authority.

“Israel Police does not belong to the commissioner,” Ben Gvir wrote. He said rank-and-file police officers should not suffer because of “plans to carry out ostentatious projects or the desire of various parties to curry favor with the media.”

Ben Gvir stressed that urgent operational needs would continue to receive funding, but said his ministry would now make the purchases itself rather than handing the funds over to the police.

“I instructed my ministry staff that insofar as there are urgent needs for operational patrol vehicles or improvements to police facilities, the purchases will be made by the National Security Ministry directly for the officers, without transferring the money itself,” he wrote.

According to Ben Gvir, the purpose of the new arrangement is “to ensure appropriate and proper use of the funds.”

The decision comes amid a widening confrontation between Ben Gvir and Levy over police funding, appointments and promotions. The dispute has intensified in recent days, with Levy arguing that the withholding of hundreds of millions of shekels is damaging the police force’s ability to carry out its responsibilities. Ynet reported Wednesday that Levy characterized the withholding of NIS 333 million as a threat to national security and the police’s ability to fulfill its missions.

The Finance Ministry has meanwhile been discussing a possible mechanism that would allow money to be transferred directly to the police, bypassing the National Security Ministry. Finance Ministry officials told Ynet earlier this week that the funds had been allocated by the state to the police and argued that the force should not become “a hostage of the minister.”

The budget battle is part of a broader clash between Ben Gvir and Levy. Earlier this week, Ben Gvir announced that police appointments would be frozen until after the upcoming elections, while Levy proceeded with a number of senior appointments, including that of Tamar Liberty as deputy police legal adviser.

The IDF on Thursday released new footage from deep inside a sprawling Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, showing weapons and other infrastructure left behind by terrorists before Israeli forces destroyed the underground complex with approximately 1,100 tons of explosives.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin entered the tunnel system before its destruction, describing the massive underground network as a command complex that had served as the “nerve center” of Hezbollah’s Badr Unit and played a central role in directing the terror group’s operations in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said the operation resulted in the destruction of approximately 5.4 kilometers, or 3.4 miles, of underground passages beneath the strategic ridge.

“The network was built over two decades, with funding and direction from the Iranian terror regime,” Defrin said.

According to Defrin, Hezbollah used the tunnels as a central command-and-control facility from which fighting in southern Lebanon was directed during Operation Northern Arrows, Operation Roaring Lion, and the current fighting.

Defrin also revealed details of the months-long IDF operation that preceded the tunnels’ destruction. Israeli forces surrounded the area and steadily increased pressure on Hezbollah terrorists who had entrenched themselves inside the underground passages.

Terrorists who attempted to emerge from the tunnels, as well as Hezbollah operatives who tried to bring supplies to those remaining underground, were targeted by Israeli forces from the air and on the ground, according to the IDF.

Some Hezbollah terrorists attempting to escape the tunnel complex encountered IDF ambushes and were killed in close-range fighting.

“All the terrorists who were in the infrastructure were eliminated or fled,” Defrin said. “Although Hezbollah declared that it would defend the infrastructure at any cost, it failed and even abandoned its men to die inside.”

During searches of the tunnel system, IDF troops discovered large quantities of weapons that Hezbollah operatives had left behind. Some of the weapons, the military said, were manufactured in Iran.

“This is further proof that the Hezbollah terrorist organization is an arm of the Iranian terror regime,” Defrin said.

The destruction of the underground network marked the culmination of a major ground operation that, according to the IDF, involved deception and tactical maneuvering designed to surprise Hezbollah.

Troops from the IDF’s 36th Division captured the Beaufort Ridge from an unexpected direction after crossing the Litani River. The Commando Brigade and combat engineering forces from the elite Yahalom unit subsequently cleared the underground passages and prepared the extensive tunnel system for demolition.

Defrin also addressed the Israeli soldiers who were killed and wounded during the fighting to capture and clear the ridge.

“In the battles to capture and clear the ridge, our fighters fell, the best of our sons, the salt of the earth. Fighters who acted out of a sense of mission, with courage and a deep commitment to defending the communities of the north,” he said, while wishing the wounded a speedy recovery. “We completed the mission, these achievements are first and foremost theirs.”

“The underground route was neutralized and destroyed,” Defrin added. “We will continue to defend the communities of the north and act to remove every threat to our citizens and our forces. Just as we acted here, we will continue to act along all the borders.”

Following the operation, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu hailed the destruction of the tunnel network as a major blow to Iran and Hezbollah.

“Tonight we destroyed the largest Iranian outpost outside Iran – the Ali Taher tunnels in Lebanon. We are completing the mission. Shana Tova!” Netanyahu said.

[Video below.] A striking drone display illuminated the skies above New York City on Wednesday night, with 2,977 individual lights honoring those killed in the September 11 terror attacks and, at one point, forming an enormous image of the Twin Towers ahead of Friday’s 25th anniversary.

The aerial tribute unfolded over Lower Manhattan, with each of the 2,977 lights representing one of the victims who lost their lives in the attacks.

During one of the most dramatic portions of the display, the drones assembled into a towering outline intended to recreate the “full architectural scale” of the Twin Towers as they appeared on the Manhattan skyline before the 2001 attacks.

The drone formation appeared over New York Harbor while the traditional “Tribute in Light” beams shone into the sky from near Ground Zero, creating two simultaneous memorials to the victims.

The installation, called “2977 Lights Over New York Harbor,” was sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. Other small aircraft were temporarily kept out of the area for several hours while the drone operation was underway.

From across the Hudson River, spectators at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, watched as the illuminated outline of the Twin Towers appeared against the Manhattan skyline, near One World Trade Center.

The display came two days before the annual commemoration at Ground Zero marking the September 11 attacks.

Friday morning’s ceremony will include moments of silence corresponding to the times when the hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, when each of the towers collapsed, and when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

For the first time, this year’s commemoration will also feature a seventh moment of silence dedicated to those who have died in the years since the attacks from illnesses or injuries connected to September 11.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert is pushing back against reports portraying the city as being in financial collapse, saying that a combination of wartime revenue losses, delayed property-tax collections, soaring special-education expenses and other unexpected shortfalls created a temporary budget gap that the municipality is now working to close.

In an extensive interview with B’Chadrei Chareidim ahead of Rosh Hashanah 5787, Zeibert addressed growing public concern over Bnei Brak’s finances, problems with street cleanliness and possible cuts to municipal services and employees. He insisted that the city’s difficulties are manageable and said he expects Bnei Brak to finish 2026 with a balanced budget.

“There is nothing ‘sudden’ here, and there is no conspiracy of decline. This is a controlled situation whose background needs to be understood in depth,” Zeibert said.

He explained that Bnei Brak has traditionally operated with little financial cushion, balancing revenues and expenditures each year while simultaneously funding numerous municipal projects.

“First of all, we are built around balancing the budget anew every year alongside projects, and it does not balance itself automatically. It is important to say that Bnei Brak has always lived on the edge in terms of income versus expenses, and that is how it operates — without surpluses and without large profits. We are not a wealthy city. We have the BBC complex, without which we would not be able to sustain a city of Torah, and the large sums that come in from there are what keep the city above water every year. What happened is that in 2025, we dealt with specific events that opened budget gaps for us. Everyone was saying it would be a year of growth, and accordingly, we also built economic plans and a budget that we brought for approval…”

Then came the war.

“We entered a period of war during which you cannot simply stop a budget. The city has to function, provide activities — perhaps even more than usual — and allow everything to continue flourishing. On the other hand, it caused us a loss of revenue.”

Zeibert pointed to several examples, each of which he said cost the municipality more than NIS 10 million.

“Let’s take several examples, each one of which cost the municipality more than NIS 10 million. First example: floors that the municipality rents to the Defense Ministry — everything was delayed by almost a year because of all the security events. Not only did we lose monthly rent and property tax, we also paid management fees on the property. Second example: parking. Not only did no money come in from parking throughout the security period, we have a municipal ordinance regulating parking rates that has not been signed for nearly two years because there is no interior minister in office. It was included in our revenue projections, and we prepared expenditures against it, but in practice, it did not happen.”

Zeibert said the slowdown in construction and commercial real estate added to the municipality’s problems.

“Third example: betterment levies and commercial property tax, where there has been a slowdown in the country over the past year and a half. There isn’t much new commercial construction, occupancy is delayed, companies prefer to leave floors vacant so they don’t have to pay property tax and management fees. In wealthy cities, this is felt less. In Bnei Brak, it was another burden. Should I continue?”

Asked to elaborate, Zeibert pointed to one of the city’s largest growing expenses: special education and individualized assistance.

“Okay. There is the major issue of education and personal assistance. Today, many people choose to take an individual package instead of a special-education institution, and that creates an enormous burden. About two-thirds of the cost is paid by the Education Ministry and approximately one-third by the municipality, which reaches sums of NIS 15 million to NIS 20 million a year, and sometimes even more. These things are growing at a dizzying pace that you are not prepared for.”

The mayor said Bnei Brak entered 2026 having already instituted efficiencies based on lessons learned from the previous year, only to encounter another problem: delays in collecting municipal property taxes, known as arnona.

“In 2026, despite the efficiencies we introduced in many areas as lessons learned from the 2025 deficit, we got stuck with a cash-flow problem involving property-tax collection after the Interior Ministry published the discount table late this year, and all collections were delayed. The money will eventually come in, but a cash-flow problem is never healthy, especially when you are trying to stabilize such a large system — this is the sixth-largest city in Israel.”

Zeibert said the late approval of arnona discount schedules forced the municipality to begin collecting payments approximately three months behind schedule. At the same time, Bnei Brak was carrying out major construction and infrastructure projects.

He said another source of anticipated revenue disappeared when bidders failed to participate in tenders issued by the city’s economic development company amid the construction slowdown.

“There were many tenders from the economic company that, because of the entire construction freeze, people simply did not bid on. They did not bid — money did not come in, and that caused a deficit because no one anticipated that people would not bid on the tenders.”

Taken together, Zeibert said, the delayed collections, infrastructure spending and rapidly rising education expenses produced an unusually pronounced gap during the opening quarters of 2026.

“There are always gaps at the beginning of a year, but this time it was felt much more.”

Asked why the municipality’s financial problems became public in a manner that generated widespread concern, Zeibert said some Interior Ministry officials had told the city that the information had not been intended for publication.

“There were officials in the Interior Ministry who told us they did not want to publicize it, but the information leaked out,” he said, declining to elaborate.

Zeibert nevertheless insisted that the city has a clear plan for addressing the shortfall.

“Certainly. We know exactly how to identify the gap, and we expect to present all the stages and solutions to the Interior Ministry and local government authorities. We have major projects in the pipeline, including a project that will bring in significant sums and that the public will hear about very soon, which is now in its final stages. Parking enforcement is returning, tenders are being published, and money is beginning to come in, alongside efficiency measures that we are implementing and constantly reviewing. Everything is being managed under supervision, and very soon we will present the precise figures that will prove that things are balancing out.”

Zeibert said municipal officials have already presented an initial recovery plan to the Interior Ministry and expect to return within two weeks with a more comprehensive proposal.

“I say and declare constantly that, with Hashem’s help, we will finish 2026 with a balanced budget, without exceeding what is permitted. The year 2027 will also be a balanced year, with Hashem’s help, and we will remain vigilant. Again, assuming there are no significant surprises.”

Beyond the budget, Zeibert addressed another issue that has generated considerable frustration among Bnei Brak residents: declining cleanliness on city streets.

The mayor acknowledged that residents had legitimate complaints and said he was personally familiar with conditions throughout the city.

“Let’s tell the truth about this as well. I walk around all the time, and I know exactly what is happening. We are all scarred from the past. About two years ago, at the beginning of 2025, we ran a sanitation program that required an additional NIS 20 million in the budget. We approved the overage, and in the end, we exceeded that by another NIS 17 million beyond the program. When half of 2026 had passed, it became clear that we were exceeding the budget by another NIS 10 million. I understood that there was no way to allow gaps like these to open and that we could not continue this way.”

According to Zeibert, tighter municipal oversight revealed that some private sanitation contractors were being paid for work they were not actually completing.

“We discovered that the contracting companies were not always doing the work properly. Our inspections proved it unequivocally: a company takes money but does not carry out all the collections. For example, a company is supposed to empty four underground garbage containers at a particular location; in practice, they empty only one but report four. Or they bring one truck and photograph it in several locations. Contractors who did things like this created a situation in which the city suffered. I decided to get deeply involved and demand strict oversight of the companies, with GPS and close supervision.”

Zeibert acknowledged that the crackdown angered the sanitation contractors and initially contributed to visible problems on the streets.

“That’s correct. The companies flexed their muscles because suddenly they were being hit in the pocket, and people come and complain — rightfully so — when they see problems in the streets. But that is part of my job, and I am strong enough to do it,” Zeibert said.

“The alternative was to look the other way and continue deepening the deficit because of this. It is like medical treatment — sometimes it hurts, but you have to do it. Baruch Hashem, we can already see improvement in the city compared to what it was. We have resumed additional garbage collections, the situation is steadily improving, and things on the ground are returning to normal. I hope that within a period of time the city will once again be clean, but without it costing the residents and the municipality many times more.”

Zeibert also sought to reassure Bnei Brak’s municipal employees that they would not be made to bear the brunt of the city’s cost-cutting effort.

“Under no circumstances will we allow only the employees to carry the burden. We are holding lengthy working meetings in order to minimize the impact on employees,” Zeibert said.

He argued that confronting excessive spending by outside sanitation companies was itself necessary to protect city employees and essential municipal services.

“The truth is that if I had not put things in order with the sanitation contractors, the money ultimately would have had to come from somewhere else. Either culture would have been harmed, or education, or welfare, or the employees would have been hurt much more.”

Zeibert revealed that he had received a firm demand to dismiss a number of municipal workers but resisted doing so.

“I received an unequivocal demand to fire a number of municipal employees, but the employees are dear to my heart and I did not want to fire a single worker. So we decided to carry out a very small efficiency measure regarding the employees and leave the workers at their posts, out of respect for their work.”

“We appreciate the effort and dedication of our employees, but we have a short blanket. We are performing the surgery that is necessary to protect the home, and with Hashem’s help, we will get through this challenging period with complete success.”

{Matzav.com}

Tensions within United Torah Judaism continued to escalate Thursday, as Agudas Yisroel Secretary-General Chanoch Zeibert formally notified Meir Porush and Eliakim Stark that their membership in Agudas Yisroel has ended following their departure from the party and establishment of the new Chomas Toras Yisroel faction.

In separate letters sent to Porush and Stark, Zeibert wrote that their decision to leave Agudas Yisroel and run in the elections for the 26th Knesset as part of a separate party automatically terminated their membership in Agudas Yisroel, along with all rights and authority stemming from that membership.

The move comes one day after Porush and Stark announced the establishment of Chomas Toras Yisroel amid the ongoing upheaval within United Torah Judaism.

On Thursday morning, Hamivaser, the newspaper affiliated with Shlomei Emunim, portrayed the split as merely a technical move. Zeibert, however, rejected that characterization in his letters, citing Agudas Yisroel’s bylaws.

Under those rules, Zeibert wrote, a member of Agudas Yisroel may not simultaneously be a member of, belong to, or associate with another political party or an organization politically affiliated with another party. He therefore maintained that Porush and Stark’s move to Chomas Toras Yisroel resulted in the immediate termination of their Agudas Yisroel membership.

One immediate consequence involves control over the party’s finances.

Earlier this week, at Monday’s meeting of Agudas Yisroel’s National Council, Porush and Stark were approved as authorized signatories on the party’s bank account. That decision was made before the two publicly announced that they were leaving Agudas Yisroel.

Zeibert informed them Thursday that the authorization is now void and that they no longer possess signing authority over Agudas Yisroel’s accounts.

In his letter, Zeibert also raised questions about when Porush decided that he would not run as part of Agudas Yisroel. According to Zeibert, there is reasonable cause to suspect that Porush already knew at the time of the meeting that he would not be running on the Agudas Yisroel slate, even as the party leadership was approving him as an authorized signatory.

Zeibert added that the following day, when the electoral lists were submitted, Porush told him that he had not voted in favor of the provision granting him signing authority.

The split will also have significant financial consequences for Agudas Yisroel itself.

Zeibert wrote that under an agreement between the parties comprising United Torah Judaism, Agudas Yisroel will now receive approximately half of the political funding allocation it had previously received. The other half will be allocated to the newly established party headed by Porush.

With Agudas Yisroel therefore facing a substantially different financial structure — and with the Knesset election campaign underway — Zeibert announced that the party is temporarily freezing its regular operations.

For the time being, ongoing Agudas Yisroel activities will be suspended, with the exception of operations necessary to prepare for and conduct the upcoming election campaign.

Despite what Zeibert characterized as a complete separation between the two parties going forward, he acknowledged that some coordination will still be necessary during the election period.

He therefore asked Porush and Stark to appoint a representative on behalf of Chomas Toras Yisroel who can serve as a liaison with Agudas Yisroel on matters requiring cooperation between the two parties during the campaign.

The letters mark another significant step in the rapidly widening split within the chassidish political camp, transforming what Shlomei Emunim has described as a technical electoral arrangement into a formal organizational separation, with immediate consequences for party membership, finances and authority.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of yungeleit in the Ateres Shlomo kollel network across Eretz Yisroel received three months of overdue stipends on Thursday after an unusual agreement in which Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin agreed to travel with a wealthy American donor to Uman for Rosh Hashanah in exchange for the donor covering the massive shortfall.

Thousands of avreichim learning in Ateres Shlomo kollelim throughout Eretz Yisroel had not received their regular monthly stipends for three consecutive months due to serious financial difficulties.

The financial strain was attributed in part to the low exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, which has reduced the value in shekels of donations raised overseas.

The administration of the sprawling Torah network had been attempting to navigate the mounting budgetary shortfalls, but the crisis appeared to have no immediate solution, leaving thousands of avreichim and their families awaiting badly needed funds as the Yomim Noraim and the Tishrei Yomim Tovim approached.

The dramatic breakthrough came when Rav Sorotzkin visited the home of a wealthy donor from Miami.

During the visit, the donor surprised the Rosh Yeshiva with an unusual proposition.

“If the Rosh Yeshiva comes with me to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, I will cover all the debts that same day and transfer the full amount for the three months,” the donor told him.

Rav Sorotzkin, who carries the enormous responsibility of sustaining the Ateres Shlomo Torah network, did not immediately respond.

Late Wednesday night, Rav Sorotzkin held an urgent telephone consultation with one of the Gedolei Yisroel, presenting the complicated question and the condition imposed by the American donor.

After considering the circumstances and the plight of the thousands of families awaiting a solution before Yom Tov, the Gadol instructed Rav Sorotzkin to accept the offer.

Rav Sorotzkin immediately contacted the donor and gave him his answer.

“Transfer the money, and I’m coming,” he said.

Rav Sorotzkin subsequently departed for Uman, with a photograph showing the Rosh Yeshiva aboard the plane en route.

Within hours, the arrangement produced its intended result.

On Thursday, the bank accounts of thousands of Ateres Shlomo avreichim were credited with the outstanding funds, with the full amount of all three months of unpaid stipends deposited into their accounts.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opened a massive collection of previously unreleased city records concerning air quality and health hazards following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, accusing government leaders at the time of misleading New Yorkers about the dangers of breathing the air around Ground Zero.

The Mamdani administration on Tuesday made approximately 170,000 pages of records available through a new public portal examining the city’s response to the attacks and their aftermath. The city’s fiscal 2027 budget includes $34.2 million for the creation and maintenance of the portal, which officials say will eventually contain additional records from numerous city agencies.

“Close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself,” Mamdani said during a press conference announcing the release.

Mamdani appeared alongside relatives of 9/11 victims, first responders and advocates. Rep. Jerry Nadler and comedian Jon Stewart, who has spent years advocating for 9/11 first responders and survivors, also participated in the event.

“It would be one thing if government had stood alongside survivors and provided them with everything they needed at every step of the way,” Mamdani added, noting that “could not be further” from what occurred.

“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” the mayor continued.

The newly released material includes records dealing with health concerns, environmental conditions and the city’s actions following the destruction of the World Trade Center. Among the documents are the so-called Harding Memo and the “68 boxes” of records that officials say were not located until 2025 despite repeated Freedom of Information Law requests.

The release also brings an end to two lawsuits filed against the city by 9/11 Health Watch, which had fought for access to records concerning what city officials knew about environmental and health dangers following the attacks.

Ben Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, thanked Mamdani “for being the Mayor, after 25 years, who finally begins to answer the question, ‘What did the City know about the dangers from the toxic cloud at Ground Zero and when did it know it?’”

Mamdani is the fifth mayor to lead New York City since the attacks. Rudy Giuliani was mayor on September 11, 2001, and was succeeded by Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, Eric Adams and Mamdani.

The terrorist attacks killed 2,977 victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. In the years since, however, the health consequences of exposure to the toxic dust and debris have continued to claim lives and cause serious illnesses.

More than 400,000 people were exposed to contaminants resulting from the destruction of the World Trade Center, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Its figures show approximately 140,000 people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program as of March 2024, with about 49,000 first responders and survivors diagnosed with cancers certified by the program as connected to their World Trade Center exposure.

The health consequences remain particularly pronounced among first responders. A report released this month by the city and FDNY found that more than 10,000 FDNY members have been certified as suffering from a physical health condition related to 9/11.

The World Trade Center Health Program was established under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2011. The program provides medical monitoring and treatment for eligible responders and survivors suffering from conditions associated with exposure to the World Trade Center disaster.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Mamdani said the documents being made public could help provide a clearer picture of what city officials knew about the environmental dangers surrounding Ground Zero and how the government responded.

Asked specifically by a reporter whether Giuliani had lied about air quality following the attacks, Mamdani declined to make that accusation directly.

“I leave it to New Yorkers to make their judgements.”

Mamdani added, “What we want to do is finally allow them the documents that they have long been demanding.”

The initial 170,000-page release is only the beginning. Mamdani said additional batches of records will be published during the coming year, potentially bringing the total number of available documents much higher and allowing survivors, first responders, families and researchers to examine records that had remained inaccessible for decades.

Yesterday, Agudath Israel of America filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in the Supreme Court of the United States in Grand v. City of University Heights, a case involving the right to hold religious gatherings in the home.

The case centers on Daniel Grand, a man who sought to organize an at-home minyan (a Jewish prayer gathering requiring a quorum of ten men) on Shabbos. Because observant Jews cannot drive or use electronics on Shabbos, the city’s alleged concerns regarding traffic and noise were entirely negated. Nonetheless, University Heights treated the gathering as “a home operating as a house of worship” and required Mr. Grand to obtain a special use permit, while also encouraging neighbors to report gatherings and deploying police surveillance of the home. Mr. Grand sued the City in federal court. Ultimately the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reach the merits of his religious-liberty claims, ruling instead that they were not yet ripe because the local zoning board had not yet made a final determination as to whether the permit requirement applied to his gatherings.

Agudath Israel’s brief urged the Supreme Court to reverse that decision, arguing that religious Americans should not be forced to submit to a discretionary permitting regime before a court may consider whether government action has already chilled core religious exercise in the home.

The brief explains to the Court how deeply religious practices and the Jewish home are intertwined, giving examples such as sitting shiva in the home (thus requiring minyan to take place there as well), the obligation of teaching children, beshivtecha b’vaisecha, while sitting at home (recited every day in Shema) and bonding with family around the Shabbos and Yom Tov table. The brief relates the extensive history of government’s attempts to regulate religious gatherings in homes and the steps the founding fathers took to curtail that power.

“A small prayer gathering in a private home is not merely a land-use issue.” said Daniel Kaminetsky, General Counsel of Agudath Israel. “It is a core exercise of faith. Zoning laws and permit requirements should not be used to burden religious worship in the home. The First Amendment and RLUIPA were designed to protect religious practice from exactly this kind of government interference, and we trust that the Court will reaffirm that religious worship is not dependent on the permission of local officials.”

Agudath Israel thanks the Harvard Law School’s Religious Freedom Clinic and the attorneys who prepared the brief, Josh McDaniel, Kathryn Mahoney, and Jake McIntosh.