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A car was deliberately driven into an entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, tonight, setting off a significant law enforcement and emergency response and raising renewed concerns about security at the site.

Shmira volunteers and NYPD officers cleared the building as authorities cordoned off the area and treated the location as an active crime scene. Officials have not yet disclosed the identity of the driver involved.

Footage circulating from the scene shows the suspect slamming a vehicle multiple times into the building’s front doors before police detained him. Law enforcement officials said no injuries were reported.

As police activity continued, the NYPD advised the public to expect road closures, traffic slowdowns, and a large emergency presence near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, urging motorists to seek alternate routes and plan for delays.

Police said the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m., at a time when the building was filled with bochurim after a video screening and as many others were arriving for farbrengens marking Yud Shevat.

The attack has once again drawn attention to earlier efforts to bolster security around the Chabad headquarters. In July 2018, community activists in Crown Heights called on the city to establish a permanent security installation or pedestrian plaza outside 770 Eastern Parkway. During that period, New York City Public Spaces Director Emily Weidenhof toured the proposed area on July 31, 2018. Those discussions, however, did not result in the creation of a permanent security plaza.

Following tonight’s incident, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the site alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York State Attorney General Tish James.

In a statement posted on X, Mayor Mamdani wrote: “I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident. This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world. Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable. I stand in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community, and I am grateful to our first responders for taking swift action. I will keep New Yorkers updated as we learn more about the incident.”

Police in Bnei Brak are searching for a teenage suspect believed to be responsible for a series of disturbing harassment incidents targeting chareidi women in recent weeks.

According to reports, the suspect—described as a minor around 15 years old who appears to dress in chareidi clothing—has allegedly approached women from behind along Herzl Street in the Pardes Katz neighborhood and forcibly pulled off their head coverings or shaitels before fleeing the scene.

Local residents say several of the incidents occurred in close proximity to a municipal special-education kindergarten located on Herzl Street. Security cameras installed near the facility may provide footage that could assist authorities in identifying the suspect, according to sources.

Police confirmed that the case is under investigation and that efforts are ongoing to locate and question the suspect. Authorities urged anyone with relevant information or footage to come forward as the investigation continues.

{Matzav.com}

With a partial government shutdown looming, Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands Wednesday for the Department of Homeland Security, including an enforceable code of conduct for federal agents conducting immigration arrests and a requirement that officers show identification as the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. It […]

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[Video below.] Late-night host Stephen Colbert devoted a segment of his show to criticizing immigration enforcement agencies and the Trump administration following the killing of Alex Pretti, weighing in on what he described as a disturbing pattern of deadly encounters involving federal agents.

Opening his monologue on the January 26 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert referenced the recent shootings involving immigration authorities, telling viewers, “On Saturday, only 17 days after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent, another American citizen was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection agents.”

Colbert went on to fault the administration for what he characterized as an effort to “immediately blame the victim.” He noted that video footage of the confrontation between Pretti and ICE agents showed that Pretti was not pointing a weapon at officers, although he was legally carrying a concealed firearm with a permit.

Addressing the graphic nature of the footage, Colbert said he deliberately chose not to air it on his program. “I’m not going to play you that video. You’ve all seen it. And if you haven’t seen it, it’s because you didn’t want to, and I don’t blame you,” he told the studio audience.

Viewers also reacted strongly to Colbert’s language during the segment, particularly when he addressed comparisons between ICE and the Gestapo. “Do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis,” said Stephen before a twist. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.”

The remark drew intense responses online. “‘The Nazi’s were willing to show their faces’ was a chilling sentence to hear,” one fan wrote in the YouTube comments.

Commenters flooded social media with emotional reactions, with many expressing outrage toward the government and describing Pretti’s death as a “murder.” One viewer wrote, “I’m not even American, and I’m crying watching this from afar – tears of anger and tears of sadness. It’s an absolute tragedy and an absolute outrage.”

Colbert also read a full statement from Pretti’s family on air, a move that viewers praised. “I really appreciate how his parents’ statement is being read in full, not only by Stephen but also by news channels,” one commenter said.

Many online commenters described Pretti as an “American hero” and a “true patriot,” language echoed by his family. “I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman,” they said. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”

Additional reactions poured in across platforms, including one post that read, “Alex Pretti believed in America, in free speech, and in coming to the non-violent aid of women being brutalised by ICE. The govt. is a liar.” Another commenter wrote, “It says everything about Alex Pretti and his wonderful nature, when faced with such violence and brutality, that he didn’t pull his gun and start shooting. That he didn’t choose violence. I hope his and Renee’s deaths are not in vain and that ICE faces the consequences of their actions!”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

In what askanim are calling an unprecedented event, tens of thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Mir are set to unite for the first time ever in a single gathering, marking a historic moment for the world’s largest yeshiva.

The Adirei HaTorah-styled event, titled “Malki Rabbanan,” will take place on Rosh Chodesh Adar at the Pais Arena in Yerushalayim in the presence of Gedolei Yisroel and the yeshiva’s roshei yeshiva.

Yeshivas Mir, with thousands of talmidim learning across numerous batei midrash, has never before brought its entire student body together under one roof. Organizers say the upcoming asifa will serve as a powerful public demonstration of kavod haTorah and appreciation for those who dedicate their lives to Torah study.

The massive gathering, expected to fill the Yerushalayim arena to capacity, represents both a logistical and historical breakthrough. Since the yeshiva’s founding — and even as it expanded into its current vast network of botei medrash centered in Yerushalayim’s Beis Yisroel neighborhood — there had never been an opportunity for all of its talmidim, from every beis medrash and chaburah, to assemble at a single event.

Yeshiva personnel stressed that the asifa is intended to be far more than a technical convening. “Mir is not just a yeshiva, and not just a kollel. It is an engine of Torah for the entire world,” members of the hanhalah said. “The goal is to honor those who toil in Torah, and to declare loudly: upon you the world stands.”

The dais of honor will be graced by leading gedolim, alongside hundreds of rabbonim from the Mir’s many batei midrash, led by the roshei yeshiva.

In addition to the drashos, a carefully curated musical and artistic program has been planned, tailored to the elevated nature of the event. Musical direction will be led by arranger and conductor Moishy Roth, who will oversee performances by singers including Yisroel Adler, Boruch Levine, Zanvil Weinberger, and Bentzi Stein.

To accommodate the thousands of participants, a special transportation network will operate, ferrying talmidim directly from Mir’s various botei medrash to the arena.

{Matzav.com}

As a continuation of President Donald Trump’s pitch to Americans on affordability and the economy under his administration, the U.S. Treasury and White House are celebrating the upcoming launch of a program they view as a key milestone: Trump Accounts. A provision of Trump’s tax legislation, Trump Accounts are meant to give $1,000 to every newborn, so long […]

Israel’s Chief Rabbi and Rishon LeTzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, delivered an emotional and deeply moving hesped on Wednesday at the funeral of Master Sergeant Ran (Rani) Gvili HY”D, whose body was finally brought to burial after being recovered from Gaza following two years of agonizing uncertainty.

Thousands attended the levayah in the southern community of Meitar, where Rav Yosef spoke words of grief, faith, and national reflection, drawing a powerful historical parallel between the present tragedy and the destruction of Beitar during the Bar Kochba revolt nearly two millennia ago.

In his remarks, the Rishon LeTzion recalled the horrors inflicted by the Romans after the fall of Beitar, emphasizing the cruelty of denying burial to Jewish victims and the profound meaning of Ran Gvili finally being laid to rest in a Jewish grave.

“The Gemara tells us that during the Bar Kochba revolt, Beitar was destroyed and the Romans carried out a horrific massacre of the Jews,” Rav Yosef said. “Tens of thousands were slaughtered and murdered. But the Romans were not satisfied with the massacre itself — they wanted to break the spirit of the Jewish people, and they did not allow the bodies to be buried. They used the bodies of Jews to build fences for their vineyards, erecting a barrier eighteen kilometers by eighteen kilometers, as tall as a person. From this we understand the magnitude of the catastrophe and the unimaginable number of those killed in the destruction of Beitar. These events occurred about fifty years after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, some 1,900 years ago. Only much later did the Romans allow the bodies to be buried. Our sages instituted a special blessing in response — the blessing of HaTov VeHaMeitiv. To this day, we recite it in Birkas Hamazon. ‘HaTov’ — that they were given burial, and ‘HaMeitiv’ — that the bodies had not decomposed. They remained whole.”

Rav Yosef then drew a direct and haunting connection to the present day.

“1,900 years have passed, and history is repeating itself,” he said. “The entire Jewish people has been fighting to bring our fallen soldiers to a Jewish burial, and here too, the miracle has returned. Ran Gvili comes back whole — whole in body. Wonder of wonders. The G-d of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, loves us. The nations of the world — not so much. Sadly, we are dealing with antisemitism. We are a people that rose up and simply wants to survive, wants to live — and the world accuses us. When we seek to defend ourselves, the verse says, ‘The Jews gathered and stood up for their lives,’ yet the world directs its arrows specifically at us. Unfortunately, there is no logical solution to antisemitism. We must fight it, but we must also understand — they hate us because we are Jews. And we must be proud that we are Jews. We are the chosen people of the Holy One, blessed be He. ‘Behold, a nation that dwells alone.’ Yes, we still dwell alone — but we are Jews, and we must take pride in the fact that we merited to be the people of Hashem. As the verse says, ‘All the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they will fear you.’ In the end, the Jewish people live forever. Nothing will help them — we are here because this land is ours, the land of our forefathers, given to us by the Holy One, blessed be He, and we will be here forever, with G-d’s help.”

Toward the end of his address, Rav Yosef turned to the social fabric of Israeli society and issued a heartfelt call for unity, particularly around bereaved and wounded families. He spoke with admiration of the strength shown by the Gvili family and the way their struggle united the nation.

“Rabbosai, it is no secret that we are living through an extremely difficult period, a time of deep internal division,” he said. “Everything we have gone through in recent years reflects a great crisis. But we must also look at the half-full cup. There is no other nation like ours — when one person is hurt or when a soldier falls, the entire people grieves and mourns. When there was a terror attack in faraway Australia, on the first night of Chanukah, I went to the Kosel to light the menorah, and it felt like Tisha B’Av — all of us in deep pain. Ultimately, we are one people. Everything we have experienced proves that we are still one nation, that we love one another. We have a great mission around which we can unite.”

He continued, “We have seen the heroism of the Gvili family. I met the dear parents. They shook the world. The entire world stood astonished, watching how a whole nation fought for what? To return a fallen soldier. To bring a fallen son home. We have much to be proud of — and we also have thousands of broken-hearted families. ‘What shall I testify to you, to what shall I liken you? For your breach is great as the sea,’ says the prophet. We have thousands of bereaved parents, siblings, orphans, and widows. We have a great responsibility to encourage, to strengthen. We have many wounded. Each and every one of us must unite around them. This is how we are one people. We hurt, and when we show them that we hurt with them, we strengthen them — and we strengthen ourselves as well.”

Addressing the family directly, Rav Yosef concluded, “Dear Gvili family, may Hashem comfort you among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim. The entire Jewish people stands with you. On this day, you merited to unite all of Am Yisrael around you. May you be comforted from Heaven. Amen, may it be His will.”

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia held an event on Monday to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in what appears to be one of the first public commemorations of the Holocaust hosted in the Gulf kingdom. The embassy shared images from the event on social media showing several Orthodox Jewish participants in attendance. In a […]

A powerful “bomb cyclone” winter storm is taking shape over the Atlantic and is on track to slam into the New York City metro area this weekend, threatening fresh snowfall, punishing winds and dangerous wind chills for a region still digging out from last weekend’s historic storm. Forecasters say the rapidly intensifying system is expected […]

The FBI on Wednesday searched the election office of a Georgia county that has been central to right-wing conspiracy theories over President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, acting just one week after the Republican leader predicted prosecutions over a contest he has baselessly insisted was tainted by widespread fraud. The search at Fulton County’s main election facility […]

A group of U.S.-based anti-Israel activist organizations announced a nationwide “week of solidarity” campaign for two men still imprisoned for their roles in financing Hamas. The campaign centers on Shukri Abu Baker and Ghassan Elashi, two former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based organization whose senior officials were convicted […]

Instacart has started adding a new surcharge to grocery orders placed by New York City customers, introducing what it calls a “regulatory response fee” shortly after new delivery worker regulations went into force this week, according to The New York Post.

The new charge appears directly in customers’ order summaries, with Instacart’s website now stating, “NYC regulatory response fees appear in the order summary.” The company explains that the fee “helps cover increased operating costs in NYC due to government regulations on delivery platforms,” language that was not present on the site as recently as last month.

An analysis by The Post found that no such fee appeared on Instacart orders before Monday. By Tuesday, however, customers placing orders between $35 and $184 were seeing an added charge of $5.99.

Instacart confirmed that the fee went into effect Monday and pointed the finger at city lawmakers. In a statement to The Post, the company blamed “the City Council’s misguided and burdensome grocery delivery laws.”

“For months, we raised clear, data-backed concerns that the policy would increase grocery delivery costs for New Yorkers, but those warnings were repeatedly ignored,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said the agency is looking into the matter.

The added fee comes as Instacart is already facing scrutiny following a report last month that accused the company of using an opaque algorithm that allegedly charged different customers different prices for the same items without disclosure.

The new city rules, which took effect Monday, significantly expand protections for grocery delivery workers, including higher minimum pay for drivers working on platforms such as Instacart. Under the law, drivers must earn at least $21.44 per hour before tips, with scheduled increases in future years.

The legislation also requires food delivery apps, including Uber Eats and DoorDash, to present customers with a tipping option before checkout, setting the default gratuity at no less than 10% of the order total.

Earlier this month, the Mamdani administration accused Uber Eats and DoorDash of costing delivery workers more than $550 million in tips by previously requiring customers to add gratuities only after completing checkout.

City officials argued the new approach was necessary to safeguard workers’ earnings, particularly after tips reportedly dropped following the introduction of a new minimum-wage rule in late 2023.

Uber Eats and DoorDash sought to block the law in federal court, claiming the city violated their free speech rights by forcing them to “speak a government-mandated message in a prescribed manner and at a prescribed time.”

The companies also contended that the higher minimum pay requirements have driven up delivery costs in New York City and warned that the new regulations — along with “tipping fatigue” and “generally rising prices” — would negatively affect their profits.

U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels rejected that challenge in a decision issued Friday. Shortly thereafter, Instacart’s new regulatory fee began appearing on customer orders.

{Matzav.com}

SNOW IN TAMPA BAY FLORIDA?? There is a 10% to 20% of snow flurries along the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida, late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The snow, if it falls, is not expected to stick. The last time it snowed in Tampa Bay, Florida, was on January 19, 1977!

When the Supreme Court granted an unusually quick hearing over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a similarly rapid resolution seemed possible. After all, Trump’s lawyers told the court that speed was of the essence on an issue central to the Republican president’s economic agenda. They pointed to a statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that […]

Senior U.S. officials are openly acknowledging that Washington has no clear picture of who would assume power in Iran if the current regime were to collapse, even as American military forces continue to surge toward the region. Speaking at a Senate hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of succession after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains unanswered, according to a report by Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.

“Nobody can give an answer as to what will happen the day after if the Iranian regime falls,” Rubio told lawmakers. He also emphasized the risks facing U.S. personnel in the region, noting that between 30,000 and 40,000 American troops stationed in the Middle East could be targeted by Iranian missiles or drones in the event of retaliation following a U.S. strike.

Rubio stressed that military readiness remains a core element of the administration’s posture, explaining that “The President always keeps for himself the option of launching a defensive preemptive strike.” He added, “That’s why it is wise to have forces in the region that can respond and, if necessary, carry out a preemptive strike to protect American troops and our allies. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

President Donald Trump echoed that message on Wednesday, issuing a public warning that a significant U.S. naval force is on its way toward Iran while urging the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enter talks without delay and agree to what he described as a fair agreement.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.”

He continued with another warning, stating, “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

Trump followed up with an additional post, repeating his earlier threats toward Tehran: “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The president reinforced that warning last Thursday during an in-flight briefing with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Davos, describing what he said was a substantial American military buildup near Iran. “We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”

During the same exchange, Trump claimed he personally intervened to stop mass executions in Iran the previous week. “I stopped 837 hangings [last] Thursday. They would have been dead. Every one of them would have been hung…I said ‘if you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts.’ And an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they canceled it. And they actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it. They canceled it. So that was a good sign.”

Iran responded with its own warnings. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned that any attack would trigger what he described as a “comprehensive and regret inducing” retaliation by the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, reports on Tuesday indicated that U.S. officials are considering limited strikes aimed at Iranian officials and military commanders, as reports from inside Iran put the death toll from ongoing protests at more than 36,000.

{Matzav.com}

HaRav Chaim Ber Weisberg, one of the veteran Sanzer Chassidim in Williamsburg, recites an emotional Shehecheyanu with full Shem U’Malchus in honor of the visit of his Rebbe, the Sanzer Rebbe.

First Lady Melania Trump on President Trump: “I always thought that one day he might go and run, and I always told him, ‘If you do it, you will win,’ because I knew how much people loved him.”