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Dear Matzav Inbox,

We Americans have a funny way of looking at ourselves. We like to think that we are a little more sophisticated, a little more open-minded, a little more “with it.” Israel is wonderful, of course, but somehow, in the back of our minds, we sometimes imagine that we Americans have figured out certain things that they haven’t. We know how to bridge communities. We know how to be inclusive. We know how to look beyond labels and backgrounds.

And then you see a scene like the one that took place in Belz.

The Belzer Rebbe hosted Sefardic Selichos, with Rav Yitzchok Yosef and Rav Yitzchok Dovid Grossman present.

Think about that for a moment. The Belzer Rebbe. In Belz. Hosting Sefardic Selichos. There was something so beautiful about it, and something that, at least to me, was also a little uncomfortable. Because I found myself wondering: Could I picture this happening here?

Could I picture one of the great American Chassidishe courts or yeshivos hosting a full-blown Sefardic Selichos, with leading Sefardic rabbonim participating? Could I picture everyone simply appreciating the beauty of another community’s mesorah, without worrying whether it was “ours” or “theirs”?

Maybe it could happen. I hope it could. But I have trouble picturing it. And that should make us think.

We talk endlessly in America about achdus. We have dinners about achdus, speeches about achdus, panels about achdus and organizations devoted to achdus. We know all the terminology. We know how important it is.

But sometimes achdus is much simpler than that.

Sometimes it is a Belzer Rebbe opening his doors to Sefardic Selichos.

Sometimes it is recognizing that another mesorah does not threaten yours. You can be completely Belz and still make room for something that comes from a different part of Klal Yisroel. You can be fiercely loyal to your own minhagim and still celebrate somebody else’s.

In fact, perhaps that is what real confidence in your own mesorah looks like.

There is a tendency in America to confuse being “advanced” with being modern. But maybe being advanced has nothing to do with how modern you are. Maybe it means being secure enough in who you are that you can embrace another Yid who looks different, davens differently, pronounces the words differently and comes from a completely different mesorah.

The Belzer Rebbe did not deliver a lecture about unity.

He showed us what it looks like.

So the next time we American Jews congratulate ourselves on how progressive, sophisticated and broad-minded we are, perhaps we should remember that scene in Belz.

Who, exactly, is more advanced?

I say we Americans could learn a few things from the Belzer Rebbe.

C. B.

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Canada’s public broadcaster has ignited a firestorm after an internal directive instructed journalists not to independently characterize the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as acts of terrorism, instead directing them to use language describing the hijackings and subsequent plane crashes.

According to an internal CBC memo signed by Bassam Boushra, a senior official responsible for journalistic standards, reporters and editors were instructed to describe the events by stating that hijackings resulted in passenger planes crashing in Washington, Pennsylvania and Manhattan, and that the World Trade Center was destroyed.

The internal guidance was disclosed by political consultant Warren Kinsella in a Toronto Sun column and subsequently reported by the National Post.

The directive quickly drew sharp criticism from Canadian politicians and Jewish organizations, who accused the CBC of sanitizing the nature of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history.

Conservative Member of Parliament Rachael Thomas called the guidance completely disgraceful, arguing that it dishonors the victims, their families, survivors and emergency personnel who responded to the attacks.

Thomas stressed that the Sept. 11 attacks were an act of terrorism, period.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada also condemned the broadcaster’s policy, describing it as a complete collapse of journalistic standards.

CBC pushed back against the criticism, saying reports that its journalists were instructed to declare that 9/11 was not terrorism are inaccurate.

CBC spokeswoman Kerry Kelly said the guidance reflects a longstanding editorial policy under which terms such as “terrorist” and “terrorism” should generally be attributed to governments, experts or other authoritative sources rather than presented as the broadcaster’s own characterization.

The controversy echoes criticism CBC faced following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, when employees were similarly instructed not to refer to Hamas terrorists as “terrorists” in the network’s own editorial voice.

The Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by Al-Qaeda terrorists in 2001, killed 2,977 people, including 24 Canadians.

Adding to the controversy, the Canadian government itself officially describes the events of Sept. 11 as terrorist attacks on its government website.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Ted Cruz is openly acknowledging his desire to become president, raising the prospect of a high-profile battle with Vice President JD Vance for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.

“It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said Wednesday during an appearance on a podcast hosted by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Pressed on whether that means he will actually enter the 2028 race, the Texas Republican stopped short of committing, responding, “Time will tell.”

Cruz was similarly cautious when questioned by Newsmax about his presidential plans, insisting that his immediate political priority is helping Republicans retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

“My focus politically right now is Election Day in November,” Cruz told host Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday. “We are at real risk of losing both the House and Senate. So I am devoting every waking hour to raising money, to campaigning, to fighting to keep the Senate Republican, to keep the House Republican.”

Cruz, who competed for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, made light of his continued interest in the White House, describing presidential ambition as a “permanent and often fatal bug.”

His remarks followed comments earlier in the week in which Cruz rejected the idea that the Republican Party is ready to simply hand its next presidential nomination to Vance as President Donald Trump’s presumed political heir.

“Oh, no — there is going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz told MS NOW host Ali Vitali on Monday. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion.”

According to Cruz, the 2028 Republican primary should serve as a broader argument over the party’s future, with major disagreements likely to center on America’s role abroad and the GOP’s approach to economic policy.

On foreign affairs, Cruz said Republicans will have to determine whether the party intends to become “an isolationist party that withdraws from the world” or remains committed to “American leadership.”

He said a similar ideological choice awaits Republicans on domestic economic policy, contrasting a “small-government, free-market conservative party” with a “big-government, nanny-state party.”

Those arguments could place Cruz squarely against Vance in a future Republican primary. The vice president has frequently expressed reservations about American military involvement overseas and is already regarded as one of the leading potential contenders for the party’s 2028 nomination.

Vance, however, has yet to announce his intentions and has said he plans to wait until the midterm elections are over before deciding whether to launch a presidential campaign.

The potential Republican field could extend well beyond Cruz and Vance. Trump has mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a possible figure on the party’s 2028 ticket, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024, is also believed to be weighing another campaign for the White House.

{Matzav.com}

The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to fire two air traffic controllers who allegedly left their posts about an hour before their shifts ended on the night of the deadly March collision between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to reports Thursday.

The early departures allegedly left just two controllers in the LaGuardia tower without backup as they dealt with an unusually heavy workload. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, said air traffic at the airport was running at roughly twice its normal volume that night.

The March 22 disaster occurred after Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal, landed on Runway 4 and collided with an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was crossing the runway. The plane’s captain and first officer were killed.

According to the NTSB’s preliminary findings, two controllers were working in the tower at the time of the collision. One was simultaneously handling ground-control and controller-in-charge responsibilities while dealing with a separate aircraft emergency, while the other took over communications on both the ground and local-control frequencies. The NTSB has not yet determined the probable cause of the crash, and its investigation remains ongoing.

The newly disclosed FAA findings raise questions about why only two controllers were available at the time. According to the Journal, federal officials determined that two additional controllers had departed approximately an hour before their scheduled shifts were over, leaving the remaining controllers without additional personnel to assist during the heavy traffic period.

The practice of controllers leaving before the scheduled end of their shifts is reportedly known within the industry as an “early shove.” Federal aviation officials are now conducting a broader examination of alleged timecard abuses involving air traffic controllers.

The FAA confirmed that it is taking the allegations seriously but did not publicly identify the two controllers.

The agency said it “is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing controllers, said it is discussing the allegations directly with FAA officials.

“NATCA is actively discussing these allegations with F.A.A. leadership. We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter,” the union said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also condemned alleged abuse of work schedules, saying most controllers faithfully perform an extraordinarily demanding job but that the government would act against employees who violate the rules.

“We will not tolerate fraud, and we are taking appropriate action to hold folks accountable and prevent unlawful practices from disrupting the traveling public,” Duffy said, adding that such practices “take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers and impact the airspace.”

The NTSB’s preliminary investigation has provided a harrowing picture of the moments immediately preceding the collision. The fire truck had requested and received clearance to cross Runway 4 as the Air Canada aircraft approached. The runway’s warning lights were functioning, and the controller subsequently repeatedly ordered the truck to stop as the danger became apparent.

Investigators found that the controller first instructed the truck to stop about 12 seconds before impact and again issued a warning four seconds before the collision. Both the fire truck and aircraft apparently attempted evasive maneuvers immediately before they struck one another.

The FAA has since accelerated efforts to improve the tracking of airport vehicles, announcing a $16.5 million initiative to equip its airport vehicles with transponders that allow controllers to identify and follow them on runway and taxiway surveillance systems. The agency specifically cited the LaGuardia crash in announcing the safety initiative.

For now, however, investigators have not concluded that staffing levels or the alleged early departures caused or contributed to the fatal collision. The NTSB investigation remains open, with a final determination of the accident’s cause still pending.

The FAA’s effort to terminate the two controllers nevertheless adds a significant new dimension to the investigation, focusing scrutiny not only on what happened in the seconds before the crash, but also on staffing decisions inside the LaGuardia control tower in the hours leading up to it.

{Matzav.com}

Former South African-Israeli hostage  Aviva Siegel recounted in an interview published on Sunday how Hamas terrorists beat, tortured and abused women held hostage in Gaza during her 51 days of captivity in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion into the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.

“I’m a witness of all of the girls who were beaten up into pieces,” she told The Daily Mail from her home in northern Israel.

Seeing one girl return after she was abused, Seigel continued, “she was purple; I wanted to die. That was one of the hardest moments: knowing what was happening to the young girls.”

Siegel, 65, and her husband, Keith, 67, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 massacre. She was released on Nov. 26, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement. Her husband was redeemed after 484 days in captivity.

The pair elaborated further about their harrowing experiences.

“After a couple of days, Keith looked at me and said he couldn’t breathe, because there was a lack of oxygen. I couldn’t breathe myself, and I remember trying to figure out what was happening, or if we were just going to die,” Siegel said.

“I said to him, ‘Just lie down and try and breathe.’. And while he lay down, I was scared to look at Keith, dead. I remember saying to myself, ‘Just don’t look at him, because you don’t want to see him dead.’ And just trying to say, ‘Please, let me die first, because I don’t want to see Keith dead,’” the former hostage was quoted as saying.

Keith Siegel recounted the time his captors became even crueler, after a ceasefire collapsed on Dec. 1, 2023.

“I’m lying on my back, on the floor. He came up to me, standing above me, and he starts screaming at me and cursing me. And he spat on me, he kicked me. He kicked me in my legs, and he kicked me in my ribs,” he said.

While he was held in total isolation for six months, Siegel asked the guards to teach him Arabic, in an attempt to keep himself sane.

One guard agreed, but asked Siegel to repeat words of the Shahada, a Muslim declaration of faith recital that converts non-Muslims to Islam. The guard said, “Okay, now you’re a Muslim,” to which Siegel said he replied, “No, I’m not a Muslim; I’m a Jew.”

Siegel was released on Feb. 1, 2025, and was reunited with his wife and their four children.

Aviva Siegel released a memoir in March, titled The Main Thing Is to Wake up to a New Morning.

“Everybody who reads the book will feel what it’s like to be a hostage in Gaza, underneath the ground, feeling like it’s the end of the world,” she told The Daily Mail. JNS

{Matzav.com}

CIA Director John Ratcliffe used a highly secretive visit to Moscow this week to deliver a direct warning to Russian officials against launching attacks or provocative operations targeting NATO countries, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

The message comes amid U.S. intelligence assessments suggesting that Moscow may be considering actions designed to probe the strength and unity of the NATO alliance and determine how President Trump would respond to aggression against a member state.

Iran was also reportedly on Ratcliffe’s agenda. The CIA director warned Russian officials that additional sanctions could be imposed if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial shipping, according to people briefed on the talks.

Ratcliffe’s previously undisclosed trip became public Tuesday after observers spotted a U.S. Air Force aircraft arriving at a Moscow airport and subsequently noticed a diplomatic motorcade traveling through the Russian capital.

The trip marked Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to Russia since becoming CIA director.

Ukrainian officials were informed in advance that an American delegation would be traveling to Moscow, according to a senior Ukrainian official. Kyiv was also asked to refrain from carrying out strikes during the period in which the U.S. delegation was visiting Russia.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Ratcliffe’s mission included delivering the warning concerning potential Russian actions against NATO.

The CIA has declined to publicly explain the purpose of the director’s trip.

President Trump confirmed Wednesday that Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow, telling radio host Glenn Beck that the visit was “semi-routine.” Trump disputed reports tying the mission specifically to Iran or concerns about Russia testing NATO.

Trump nevertheless suggested that the talks could ultimately produce developments connected to his efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end, saying “something may come out of” Ratcliffe’s visit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ratcliffe held discussions with Russian intelligence officials during his stay in Moscow but did not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Peskov rejected media accounts describing Ratcliffe’s visit as an effort to warn Russia against provocative action involving NATO.

“A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality,” Peskov said, while asserting that Russia “is facing a very aggressive policy towards itself from European countries.”

The reported warning comes against the backdrop of recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Putin may be prepared to authorize provocative operations on NATO territory.

Those actions could include cyberattacks, hybrid operations and other forms of interference deliberately kept below the threshold of a conventional military assault, according to U.S. officials.

American officials believe the objective of such operations might be less about triggering an outright military confrontation and more about testing whether NATO members remain unified — and whether the Trump administration would follow through on American commitments to defend an ally under pressure.

A series of incidents involving Russia has heightened those concerns. Officials have pointed to Russian drone incursions into Romania, a Russian missile that entered Polish territory last month, and an increase in suspected sabotage operations and cyberattacks across Europe.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty provides for collective defense among alliance members, meaning an attack against one member can be treated as an attack against all. The United States invoked Article 5 following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Trump, however, has repeatedly criticized NATO countries that he believes fail to spend enough on their own defense and has publicly questioned whether alliance members are carrying their fair share of the security burden.

At the same time, Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to reach an agreement ending their four-year war, though efforts to secure a diplomatic breakthrough have recently shown signs of stalling.

Russia’s relationship with Iran has added another layer of tension to Washington’s dealings with Moscow during the U.S. war with Iran.

Russia has continued cooperating with Tehran and has provided Iran with intelligence regarding U.S. positions in the region, according to previous reports. Moscow and Tehran have also maintained years of cooperation involving the production of military drones.

{Matzav.com}

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) killed a Hamas Nukhba terrorist identified by the military as a bodyguard of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in a strike in the Khan Yunis area on Monday, the agencies announced on Thursday.

Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration of the IDF’s Re’im base, according to the statement.

In a separate strike in Khan Yunis on Sunday, the IDF killed Hazem Mousa, another Hamas Nukhba terrorist who the military said also infiltrated the base during the massacre. The IDF and Shin Bet said both men had been planning attacks on Israeli troops and civilians and working to rebuild Hamas’s “military” capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire.

On Monday, the IDF also targeted two Hamas terrorists in central Gaza who it said participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, confirming that Nukhba Force member Mohammad Abu Asaad was killed in Deir al-Balah. The military said they too had been planning attacks and rebuilding Hamas’s capabilities.

Also on Monday, the IDF and Shin Bet struck five Hamas weapons-storage facilities and a launch site across the Gaza Strip, including sites inside mosques and near humanitarian infrastructure. After the IDF said it had uncovered dozens of Kalashnikov rifles hidden inside Gaza mosques, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter accused Hamas of failing to disarm: “This is not disarmament.”

Israel has also responded to renewed kite launches from Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy toward kites and balloons launched from Gaza into communities in the Negev. Netanyahu and Katz warned Hamas that continued launches would lead to intensified strikes against those responsible and evacuations from areas used as launch sites.

The developments came as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed during a visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that Israel would prevent Hamas from rebuilding and continue pursuing those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre. “The IDF will not return to the doctrines that prevailed on Oct. 6,” he said.

“The pursuit of the terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre continues—everyone who took part in the massacre will live on the run until they are eliminated,” Zamir added.

He described the effort as a long-term mission and said the IDF remained committed to demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas. JNS

Meta has agreed to impose major new restrictions on teenagers using Facebook and Instagram, including a combined two-hour daily limit and an overnight lockout, as part of a landmark settlement with state attorneys general that could ultimately cost the social media giant nearly $18 billion.

Following Wednesday morning’s announcement of the agreement, Meta issued an open letter calling on Snap, TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same protections. The company urged its competitors to join an industry-wide effort to “support teens and empower parents” by embracing what Meta says is its most extensive framework yet for regulating young people’s social media use.

The settlement will cap teens’ combined daily use of Facebook and Instagram at two hours and prevent them from accessing the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m., although messaging functions will remain available. Notifications will also be turned off during school hours. Meta will introduce stronger age-verification measures and new default settings governing beauty filters and the visibility of likes on posts.

The deal marks a significant resolution for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company, which had faced potentially enormous financial exposure from litigation over allegations that its platforms harmed children.

“We want to ensure teens benefit from this new industry standard, but we cannot do it alone. These protections will only be truly effective if we work with our peers — TikTok and YouTube — to put the same measures in place,” Meta said in its open letter.

The agreement was also deliberately crafted to encourage the 52 state attorneys general involved to pursue comparable settlements with Meta’s largest social media competitors.

Should Snap, TikTok and YouTube, which are confronting their own legal challenges from state attorneys general, accept the same framework, Meta has agreed to subject itself to even tighter rules.

Among those additional concessions would be a further reduction in how much time teenagers can spend on Meta’s platforms. The initial settlement establishes a two-hour daily ceiling, but that limit would fall to only one hour if the other social media companies agree to participate in the framework.

Meta’s public appeal specifically called on Snap, TikTok and YouTube to “support teens and empower parents” by adopting the broad set of safeguards governing social media use.

The company’s financial obligation would increase as well if its competitors join the agreement. Meta’s payout would rise from approximately $12 billion to more than $17 billion under those circumstances.

A person familiar with the agreement acknowledged that offering to accept tougher restrictions and a larger payment if competitors join might appear unusual, but said the arrangement was designed to make the settlement truly industry-wide.

“The rationale is that it’s not a comprehensive agreement unless others sign on, and certainly competitors must match at least a portion of payment if Meta is going to pay out fully … it ensures incentive for continued action on this.”

The settlement’s numbers illustrate both its enormous financial scale and the extent of the changes Meta has accepted.

At roughly $18 billion, the maximum payout would be by far the largest settlement in Meta’s history, vastly exceeding the $5 billion penalty the company paid to the Federal Trade Commission in 2019.

Based on Meta’s $200.1 billion in revenue during fiscal 2025, the company generates approximately $18 billion in just 33 days.

Meta has committed to paying 70% of the potential $18 billion total. The remaining 30% would become due only if TikTok and YouTube collectively agree to pay $5.3 billion and implement comparable changes to their apps.

Teenagers will initially be allowed a maximum of two hours per day across Facebook and Instagram. If TikTok and YouTube agree to equivalent limits, Meta’s cap would be reduced to one hour.

A six-hour overnight “Night mode” will automatically prevent teen users from accessing the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m.

Most of the settlement’s requirements will remain effective for 10 years.

Three particularly significant changes will affect the teen experience on Meta’s platforms. They include prohibiting “cosmetic surgery and extreme makeup filters”; hiding “Likes” and other reactions on teen posts by default; and expanding parental controls and supervision over teens’ use of the apps.

One area left untouched by the settlement is Meta’s recommendation algorithm. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt has criticized that omission, arguing that the system is “engineered to maximize young people’s engagement even with content that harms them.”

One of the central concerns surrounding restrictions imposed solely on Meta is that teenagers who reach their Instagram time limit could simply switch to another social media platform and continue scrolling there.

Meta has maintained that restrictions affecting Facebook and Instagram alone cannot solve the broader problem of excessive social media use among teenagers, which is why the company is pressing its competitors to accept comparable rules.

A second person familiar with the matter told The Post that Snap may be receptive to joining the initiative. There is currently no sign, however, that TikTok or YouTube is preparing to sign on in the near future. Snap, TikTok and YouTube did not provide comments in response to inquiries.

Snapchat, led by Evan Spiegel, could therefore emerge as one of the first competing platforms to voluntarily consider adopting the framework restricting teen social media use.

The settlement ends a multistate lawsuit brought in 2023 by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general. The states accused Meta of deliberately creating addictive platform features that harmed teenagers while also improperly collecting young users’ information.

Settlement payments will be distributed to the states over a 10-year period. Although each state will have discretion over how its share is spent, the money must be directed toward programs involving the “remediation of harms related to youth social media use.” Potential uses include counseling services, wellness initiatives and after-school programs. Individual users will not receive settlement payments.

If Snap, TikTok and YouTube ultimately adopt Meta’s framework, Meta will be required to implement the additional restrictions it has pledged as part of the deal.

The settlement is still awaiting judicial approval. Assuming it receives the necessary signoff, its provisions are expected to be fully put into effect within six months.

For Meta, the agreement brings an end to years of negotiations and litigation that at one point threatened to expose the company to as much as $200 billion in potential costs. Investors appeared to view the settlement favorably: Meta shares initially jumped following the announcement before finishing the trading day approximately 1% higher.

The resolution closes the door on a lengthy and potentially far more damaging legal fight for the social media giant.

“Litigation is over,” a source said. “They are putting it to bed.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed documents directing that Lake Ontario be officially renamed “Lake America,” escalating his rhetorical battle with Canada as a tariff dispute between Washington and Ottawa continues to intensify.

“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The president held up the signed directive following the announcement, while the White House also released a map reflecting the newly designated name for the Great Lake.

“We filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else. We notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So we’ve done everything that you have to do, and this is official, effective immediately.”

Trump tied the decision directly to his growing dispute with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, accusing Canadian officials of treating the United States unfairly and singling out tariffs imposed on American agricultural products.

Trump said that “the Canadian officials have created this very badly. They’re nasty people. They charge our farmers 400% tariffs.”

The Lake Ontario move follows Trump’s decision last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Trump suggested Thursday that he might eventually take his renaming campaign even further, joking that with a gulf and a lake now bearing the America name, an ocean could be next.

“If you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific,” Trump said Thursday.

{Matzav.com}

Nearly 38 years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, relatives of those murdered in the terror attack are facing another painful wait for justice after the trial of an alleged bombmaker was abruptly postponed because of newly discovered evidence.

Jury selection had been scheduled to begin Wednesday in Washington, D.C., in the case against Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is accused of constructing the explosive device that killed all 259 people aboard the flight and another 11 people on the ground. Several victims’ relatives had planned to attend the proceedings and “stare down” the accused terrorist in court.

Instead, the emergence of undisclosed new evidence prompted the trial to be delayed, adding yet another unresolved chapter to a case that has stretched across nearly four decades.

“There are some family members that will stare at him — it brings them peace to stare him down,” said Kara Weipz, whose brother, Rick Monetti, was killed in the historic attack. “I don’t care to look at him.”

Monetti was a junior studying communications and was one of 35 Syracuse University students aboard the London-to-New York flight when it was destroyed on Dec. 21, 1988.

Weipz, who was forced to scrap her travel arrangements after Monday’s announcement that the trial had been postponed, said her previous encounters with Al-Marimi during pretrial proceedings left her unsettled by his demeanor.

“He seems very calculating, in my opinion,” Weipz said. “It’s tough, it’s difficult being in the courtroom with him.”

“My purpose for going is to represent my family and learn more about the truth,” said Weipz, who works as a preschool teacher in New Jersey.

For Weipz and other relatives who have spent decades waiting for answers and accountability, the latest postponement represents one more delay in an extraordinarily long legal saga.

“It’s a constant anxiety,” she said of her brother’s death and the ensuing legal battles — which included one conviction in 2001.

“It dredges it all up. You go through a roller coaster of emotions,” she said.

Federal prosecutors allege that Al-Marimi, a onetime Libyan intelligence operative who is now in his mid-70s, traveled to Malta carrying a suitcase containing the bomb. There, according to authorities, he met with fellow conspirators who directed him to program the device’s timer in preparation for the attack.

Authorities contend that Al-Marimi and his alleged accomplices carried out the bombing on orders from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was overthrown and killed during Libya’s civil war in 2011.

Weipz said she hopes the prosecution of Al-Marimi will finally provide additional answers about the plot that took her brother’s life and establish responsibility for another person allegedly involved.

“[I want] a guilty verdict and to hold another person who played a part in his murder accountable,” she said.

But even a conviction, Weipz said, cannot erase what happened or truly end the grief that has followed her family since 1988.

“There’s no such thing as closure,” she said. “This pain doesn’t go away … The question is can you find more peace?”

The bombing claimed 270 lives in all, including 11 residents of Lockerbie on the ground. Among those killed were 190 Americans.

The attack remains the second-deadliest terrorist attack against Americans, behind only the Sept. 11 attacks, and the deadliest terrorist attack ever carried out in the United Kingdom.

Another of those killed was 20-year-old Alexia Tsairis, a Syracuse University student who was returning home after participating in a study-abroad program. Her mother, Aphrodite Tsairis, has carried the loss for nearly four decades.

“We were left with holes in our hearts,” said Tsairis, 83, of New Jersey. “There will always be an empty seat at our table.”

Al-Marimi is only the third person to have been criminally charged in connection with the bombing.

Two other suspects, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, went on trial in 2001 before a panel of Scottish judges convened in the Netherlands over their alleged involvement in the attack.

Al-Megrahi was found guilty, while Fhimah was acquitted. In an unexpected development this week, Libyan Airlines announced Tuesday that Fhimah had died, according to the BBC.

Tsairis said the timing of Fhimah’s death caught her attention, particularly because the new evidence emerged at roughly the same time and resulted in the postponement of Al-Marimi’s trial. She wondered whether the two developments could somehow be connected.

“I’m wondering if there’s a connection,” she said. “Maybe he had a change of conscience before his death. Maybe he left a note.”

Tsairis had intended to travel by train to Washington to attend the proceedings. With the case now postponed, the trial is expected to be delayed until approximately January.

“I’d like to see a conviction — but what I really want I can never have back,” she said of losing her daughter.

For Tsairis, the trial offers the possibility of learning more about the people behind the bombing and the motives that led to one of the deadliest terrorist attacks involving Americans.

“My hope is that the trial is going to answer more of the ‘who and why.’ It puts a period at the end of the sentence,” she said.

“I think the world has to know the American justice system will follow you wherever you go.”

If convicted, Al-Marimi faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of a Rikers Island inmate who was awaiting prosecution for allegedly murdering a Bronx laundromat owner in a seemingly random meat-cleaver attack.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning,” Mamdani said. “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss.”

The mayor said authorities have not yet established what led to the inmate’s death, while pointing to the broader history of fatalities at the troubled jail complex.

“We do not yet know the cause of death, but we do know that too many New Yorkers have died on Rikers Island,” he said.

Mamdani said the Department of Correction, together with its oversight partners, will conduct an investigation into the death. He also reiterated his administration’s pledge to address conditions in the city’s jails and shutter Rikers Island “as quickly as possible.”

The inmate, Clarence Woodward, was a 39-year-old homeless parolee who had been arrested in connection with the Aug. 8, 2024, killing of 45-year-old Jose Miranda at the 303 Laundromat in the Bronx. Woodward faced charges of murder, manslaughter and assault.

According to police, Woodward entered the 24-hour laundromat at approximately 2:40 a.m. and attacked Miranda and another man without any apparent provocation.

Authorities alleged that Woodward stabbed Miranda in his legs and upper body with a meat cleaver and also wounded the second victim, a 47-year-old man, in the back before escaping from the scene.

Both injured men were rushed to Lincoln Hospital. Miranda succumbed to his wounds, while the second victim survived the attack.

Woodward had reportedly been released from prison approximately one month before the deadly attack.

Mamdani’s statement mourning Woodward’s death quickly drew criticism on X, where users questioned whether the mayor had similarly expressed condolences for Miranda and his grieving family.

{Matzav.com}

The amount of sugar consumed during the earliest years of life may have consequences that extend well into adulthood, with new research linking lower early-life sugar exposure to reduced rates of several cancers, slower biological aging and healthier eating habits decades later.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in early August, examined 64,761 people born in Britain between 1951 and 1956. During part of that period, Britain was still rationing sugar and other foods in the aftermath of World War II.

Researchers drew on information from the UK Biobank to examine the long-term health of people whose first 1,000 days of life occurred while sugar rationing was in place and compared them with individuals born after those restrictions ended.

The first 1,000 days encompass the period beginning at conception and continuing through a child’s second birthday, a relatively short window that is considered especially important for growth and development.

It is also during these early years that dietary tastes and preferences begin taking shape, raising the possibility that the foods available during infancy and early childhood could influence eating patterns — and potentially health — many decades later.

Researchers uncovered particularly striking differences when examining cancer rates. Those who experienced sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days had substantially lower risks of developing several forms of cancer compared with those who did not.

The study found a 69 percent lower risk of liver cancer, a 52 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk, a 41 percent lower risk of lung cancer, a 40 percent reduction in rectal cancer risk and a 36 percent lower risk of breast cancer among those exposed to early-life sugar restrictions.

The apparent benefits were not limited to cancer. Researchers also found evidence suggesting that people exposed to sugar rationing early in life experienced slower biological aging.

As part of the analysis, scientists examined telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes that have been associated with aging and longevity. Participants who experienced sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days had longer telomeres than those who did not, with researchers estimating that the difference corresponded to slightly more than two additional years of life expectancy.

The study also suggested that the effects of the early dietary environment could be seen in eating behavior more than half a century later. Adults who had been exposed to sugar rationing early in life tended to consume less sugar, eat smaller portions and follow healthier and more varied diets.

Britain’s postwar sugar rationing has previously provided researchers with a natural experiment for examining how sugar consumption during early development might affect health later in life.

In another recently published study, researchers found that individuals who experienced sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days had significantly lower rates of anxiety and depression as adults.

Other research using the same historical circumstances has also linked early-life sugar rationing with lower rates of chronic illness, decreased odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease and improved cardiovascular health.

Despite the substantial differences identified between the groups, researchers emphasized that the findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Because the study was observational, it cannot prove that reducing sugar intake during the first years of life was itself responsible for the better health outcomes seen decades later.

{Matzav.com}

Security forces launched extensive searches near Modiin Illit on Wednesday evening after reports of gunfire coming from the direction of the Palestinian village of Deir Qaddis, with a resident describing seeing an armed Arab emerge from a building and apparently begin shooting.

Following the report of possible gunfire toward Modiin Illit, the military declared an “Abir Layla Bet” security alert in the city and dispatched forces to search the surrounding area.

A resident who was near the Brachfeld neighborhood, close to the neighboring Arab villages, described witnessing the frightening incident firsthand.

According to the resident, he initially noticed several Arabs in the area. A short time later, he saw a man emerge from a building holding what appeared to be a firearm.

“I hear bangs, I look, I think it’s a rifle. He starts shooting. We ran away. There was some kind of container there, so I ran to the container,” the resident recounted.

He estimated that he and the others with him were only about 200 to 250 meters away from the individuals at the time.

The residents contacted security officials immediately after the incident and provided their location and details of what they had witnessed.

According to the witness, numerous security personnel arrived within minutes, including the local security coordinator, a Shin Bet officer and military vehicles.

Security personnel questioned the witnesses and gathered information about what they had seen and heard. The resident said he later observed forces entering the nearby village and conducting searches of buildings and other structures.

“I see from a distance jeeps entering the village, going into houses with flashlights, entering a pen, checking everything,” he said.

The witness said security personnel did not subsequently inform him whether anything suspicious had been discovered during the searches or whether anyone had been apprehended.

Authorities were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the reported gunfire and whether the incident represented an attempted shooting attack.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands gathered late Wednesday night in the massive Belzer bais medrash in Yerushalayim for a stirring Selichos gathering attended by the former Rishon L’Tzion, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, and Rav Yitzchok Dovid Grossman, rov of Migdal Ha’emek.

The two rabbonim stood alongside one another for the special recitation of Selichos, which was conducted according to the nusach of Edot HaMizrach.

The Selichos featured the participation of the Belzer Rebbe.

Rav Grossman, the rov of Migdal HaEmek and nosi of the Migdal Ohr institutions, joined Rav Yosef for the late-night gathering as the enormous Belzer bais medrash filled with thousands of chassidim.

The gathering took place during the days leading toward the Yomim Noraim, as the atmosphere of Elul and the approaching Yemei Harachamim V’Haselichos intensifies.

The sight of Rav Yosef and Rav Grossman participating together added a particularly powerful dimension to the occasion, bringing together Torah leaders representing different communities and traditions.

With thousands filling virtually every available section of the vast bais medrash, the emotional recitation of Selichos created an extraordinary scene of tefillah, achdus and hischazkus.

{Matzav.com}

A bizarre case that has stunned Brazil ended with the conviction of a 38-year-old woman who authorities say spent more than a year living with an unsuspecting couple while pretending to be a 12-year-old girl — speaking in a childlike voice, playing with dolls, using pacifiers and baby bottles, and even celebrating what the family believed was her 12th birthday.

The woman, identified as Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, was convicted of fraud and using a false identity. Investigators say the episode was far from an isolated incident, with similar allegations involving different names and identities surfacing in numerous parts of Brazil.

The extraordinary deception in Joinville, in the southern state of Santa Catarina, began when Oliveira appeared in a local evangelical community under the name “Gabriela.” At first, she reportedly claimed to be 18 years old, said she had previously worked in a bakery and explained that she was searching for employment.

Through a local religious leader, she was introduced to a couple who decided to help her.

As their relationship developed, however, “Gabriela’s” story changed dramatically. She told the couple that she was actually much younger and claimed to be a child who had fled an abusive home in Pará, a state in northern Brazil. She also portrayed herself as autistic and suffering from various health problems.

The couple accepted her account and brought her into their home, where she remained for approximately 14 months. They came to regard her as a foster daughter, providing her with housing, clothing, food, medication and medical care. They even prepared a bedroom filled with toys for her.

At one point, the family held a birthday celebration marking what they believed was “Gabriela’s” 12th birthday.

Maintaining the identity involved far more than simply claiming to be a child. According to reports and investigators, Oliveira spoke in a high-pitched, childlike voice, played with dolls and produced drawings resembling those of a young girl. Evidence also indicated that she used pacifiers and baby bottles.

The couple even paid for weight-loss medication for her.

The performance was apparently so convincing that when police ultimately arrived at the house to arrest Oliveira, the woman who had taken her in reportedly struggled to comprehend that the supposed child living in her home was actually an adult.

According to an account published by The Washington Post, officers entered “Gabriela’s” bedroom and found her sitting on the bed eating, surrounded by dolls and drawings.

Local police chief Rodrigo Goss reportedly addressed her by her real name — Amanda — and made clear that the charade was over.

Then came the moment that effectively shattered the identity she had maintained for months.

The woman who had been speaking in a childlike voice suddenly changed the way she spoke. She stood up from the bed and began talking in the voice of an adult woman.

The unraveling of the alleged deception had begun with a relative of the couple who became suspicious that “Gabriela” was considerably older than she claimed.

The relative began searching online and discovered reports about a woman named Amanda who had been connected to a similar case in Rio de Janeiro.

The photographs and other details appeared to match.

Police were contacted, and Oliveira was arrested at the family’s home on June 2. During questioning, she provided her real identifying information and acknowledged using a false name and age.

But investigators soon found that the Joinville case appeared to be only one chapter in a much longer story.

According to Brazilian investigations and media reports, Oliveira allegedly used numerous names and identities over the years, including Gabriela, Ana Clara, Maria Eduarda, Beatriz and Maria Clara. Cases and investigations connected to her reportedly surfaced in several Brazilian states, with Oliveira allegedly portraying herself on multiple occasions as a distressed child or teenager.

The Washington Post reported that Oliveira admitted she had been pretending to be a child for more than 15 years.

The Times, citing court documents, reported cases connected to her in numerous Brazilian states, including Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Ceará, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo.

In one 2023 case in Rio de Janeiro, Oliveira allegedly called herself “Maria Eduarda.” Two women who believed they were dealing with a vulnerable young girl rented a home for her and purchased clothing, food and personal supplies.

A police examination of her identity eventually revealed that the supposed girl was actually Oliveira, who was 35 at the time.

Another disturbing detail emerged from the account of Renata Magalhães, a nutritionist from Rio de Janeiro who had previously helped Oliveira.

Magalhães said Oliveira approached her seeking assistance, and she eventually became emotionally attached to her, regarding her almost as a daughter.

After suspicions arose, Magalhães began investigating Oliveira’s identity and discovered the alleged deception. She said police later showed her Oliveira’s online search history.

According to The Times, those searches included questions about how an autistic person behaves and how to create drawings that would evoke an emotional response from evangelical Christians.

The latest case culminated in a court ruling last week, when a Santa Catarina court convicted Oliveira, now 38, of fraud and using a false identity.

Her attorneys argued during the proceedings that she suffers from psychiatric problems and requires treatment. The defense also disputed the contention that the family had sustained the type of financial loss necessary to support a fraud conviction.

The court rejected the argument that Oliveira’s condition absolved her of criminal responsibility.

According to the ruling, she knowingly constructed and maintained a false identity in order to persuade the family to believe her story, allowing her to receive her living expenses and other necessities for months. The court also addressed the emotional and familial impact on the couple, who had formed a relationship with someone they believed to be their young daughter.

Oliveira was sentenced to one year, six months and 10 days in prison for fraud, along with another four months and 18 days for using a false identity.

The court ordered her to remain in custody and did not permit her to pursue her appeal while free.

Her defense has already announced plans to appeal the ruling and seek to have the conviction overturned.

For now, the verdict closes the latest chapter in one of Brazil’s most extraordinary impersonation cases.

{Matzav.com}

For the first time since the Holocaust era, official textbooks devoted to Jewish religious education are set to be introduced into German schools, with a new series designed for use by both Jewish and non-Jewish students.

The first volume of the series, titled “Da’at HaDorot,” is intended for students between the ages of 10 and 16 and is scheduled to enter classrooms during the coming school year. The inaugural book will focus on the Torah, while seven additional volumes are planned covering Tanach, tefillah, ethics, halachah, Yomim Tovim and Jewish history.

The project was developed jointly by the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Ernst Klett publishing house. The books are being considered for use in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools and are intended to address a longstanding shortage of organized educational materials that conform to Germany’s official curriculum.

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the initiative marks the first time Jewish religious education in the country is being placed on comparable footing with Christian religious studies.

“This cooperation combines the professional and religious expertise of the Central Council with our didactic and publishing experience,” said Maximilian Schulyok, managing director of Ernst Klett. “The impetus created also enriches the further development of our educational media.”

The series has been designed to serve a broad range of students, including both Jews and non-Jews. Among its features are interactive components such as QR codes, as well as Hebrew terminology accompanied by translations and transliterations.

The initiative carries particular historical significance in Germany. Before the Nazis came to power, organized Jewish religious education existed throughout the country. That system was ultimately destroyed during the Holocaust.

Jewish education was reestablished in Germany after World War II, but the new textbook project represents a major step toward providing standardized Jewish religious materials within the country’s contemporary school system.

{Matzav.com}

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new once-daily pill for certain patients with advanced pancreatic cancer after a major clinical trial found that patients receiving the treatment had a median survival of 13.2 months, nearly twice the 6.7 months recorded among patients receiving standard chemotherapy.

The drug, Rasonque, is manufactured by California-based Revolution Medicines and is designed to treat the most common form of pancreatic cancer. Taken once a day, the medication inhibits several forms of the RAS protein, which plays a central role in driving the growth of pancreatic tumors.

Announcing the decision, the FDA described Rasonque as a “new treatment option for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.” The agency granted approval more than six months before the deadline originally set for completing its review.

“Today’s approval provides a critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer. It is our fundamental duty to deliver more cures and meaningful treatments to patients as quickly as possible,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said in a press release.

“I am immensely proud of the dedicated FDA scientists whose fast, thorough review and relentless commitment made this groundbreaking milestone a reality.”

The approval applies to adults with metastatic pancreatic cancer whose disease has failed to respond to at least one previous treatment, as well as patients who are unable to receive certain combinations of cancer medications.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is among the deadliest cancers in the United States and accounts for as much as 95% of the approximately 67,000 pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed annually, according to National Cancer Institute figures.

Although pancreatic cancer represents only about 3.2% of all cancer diagnoses, it is responsible for a disproportionately large share of cancer deaths. The disease is frequently discovered only after it has reached an advanced stage and is known for its ability to spread rapidly.

The FDA’s approval was based on results from a randomized, open-label study involving 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had already received treatment. Median overall survival among those who received Rasonque reached 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months among patients in the standard chemotherapy control group.

“This drug showed unprecedented results in an area of high unmet need,” said Angelo de Claro, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence.

Rasonque reached approval through several expedited regulatory pathways. The FDA granted the treatment priority review, orphan drug status and breakthrough therapy designation, allowing the agency to accelerate its evaluation of the medication.

The application was also reviewed through the FDA commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program, an initiative intended to speed the availability of treatments considered important to public health.

Even before Wednesday’s formal approval, some patients had been given access to Rasonque. In May, the FDA issued a “safe to proceed” letter permitting an expanded-access protocol through which eligible patients could receive the drug while its final review remained underway.

Clinical-trial safety data identified the most commonly reported side effects as rash, diarrhea, mouth sores, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, fluid retention, loss of appetite and bleeding.

“Today’s landmark approval is the most significant advance we have seen in the fight against pancreatic cancer, a devastating disease,” said Anna Berkenblit, M.D., chief scientific and medical officer of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).

“I believe this drug will transform how pancreatic cancer is treated, giving people the opportunity for more time with loved ones, the possibility of a better quality of life and optimism that continued research may lead to even greater advances.”

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Ohr Olam, a leader in halachic publications, has announced the release of its newest sefer, Halachic Discussions for Everyday, the second volume in the popular Halachic Discussions series by Rabbi Doniel Neustadt shlita. The sefer, published in the Shimoff Edition, is available now.

The new volume follows the tremendous success of the series’ first installment, Halachic Discussions on Hilchos Shabbos, which offered clear, practical answers to real life shailos organized according to the flow of a typical Shabbos, from Friday afternoon through Motzei Shabbos.

Halachic Discussions for Everyday takes that same format and applies it to the full scope of daily Jewish life. The sefer presents practical, sourced questions and answers that introduce readers to the vibrant world of contemporary halachic debate as it plays out from the moment one wakes up in the morning until retiring for the night, and everything in between.

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For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact Ohr Olam at 718.506.0101 or OhrOlamMB@gmail.com, or visit www.ohr-olam.org.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency team broke federal law and FEMA rules by deliberately bypassing 11 Florida homes displaying signs supporting Donald Trump while conducting disaster-relief outreach following Hurricane Milton in 2024, according to a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report released Aug. 18.

The watchdog determined that a Disaster Survivor Assistance crew leader directed personnel not to approach residences displaying pro-Trump political signs. Investigators concluded that the instructions violated FEMA policy as well as the Hatch Act of 1939, which generally prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity while performing their official duties.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, FEMA personnel canvassed 744,288 residences and other locations. Agency records showed that workers made no contact at 555,374 of those locations for a variety of reasons, including residents not answering their doors, gated communities and signs identifying property as private.

When investigators examined notes connected to those records, however, they discovered 11 surveys in which FEMA workers specifically identified Trump signs as the reason they had not approached a residence. Every one of those entries came from the same FEMA crew.

The crew leader later maintained that the directive was motivated by safety concerns rather than partisan politics. She said FEMA personnel had encountered hostility while conducting disaster outreach amid the highly charged political atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election.

The first record documenting such an incident was entered on Oct. 19, 2024. Four days later, another note explicitly stated, “did not visit due to Trump flag.”

FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility became aware of the matter on Oct. 28, 2024, after the Transportation Security Administration submitted a complaint on behalf of TSA employees who had been deployed to assist with the disaster response.

Separate investigations conducted by FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Special Counsel subsequently determined that agency personnel had violated FEMA rules and the Hatch Act.

According to investigators, the practice was able to continue for several days in part because supervisors were not required to examine the notes entered by personnel conducting outreach in the field.

The inspector general also identified shortcomings in FEMA’s training procedures, finding that the agency had failed to ensure that personnel received required instruction on ethics and the Hatch Act before being deployed. Records showed that 60% of a sample of 25 crew members and leaders had not received that training.

The watchdog said it was unable to establish whether FEMA personnel had similarly bypassed homes during other disaster-response operations because investigators no longer had access to the agency’s survey database. That access disappeared after a support contract expired in September 2025. The report attributed the lapse to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failing to act on a FEMA funding request before the contract ended.

The inspector general ultimately issued four recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents, including requiring standardized documentation and making ethics training mandatory before personnel are deployed for disaster-response work. FEMA agreed with all four recommendations.

{Matzav.com}

Evyatar David, who endured 738 days in Hamas captivity before being released, has spoken publicly about his ordeal in an international interview for the first time, describing extreme starvation in Gaza’s tunnels and revealing what happened behind the scenes of the horrifying propaganda video in which he was forced to dig what his captors told him would be his own grave.

David, 25, was released on October 7, 2025, as part of a US-mediated hostage agreement, after spending more than two years in captivity. He had been abducted from the Nova music festival together with his childhood friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Speaking to CNN, David described the severe hunger he suffered underground, particularly during the months leading up to the release of the August 2025 Hamas propaganda video that showed him emaciated and holding a shovel as he dug his own grave.

David said his Hamas captors selected him to appear in the propaganda footage after comparing his physical condition with that of Gilboa-Dalal and determining that David looked worse.

“It’s staged, but it’s based on the truth, we didn’t eat for three months,” he recalled.

David described being so physically depleted that even holding the shovel for the staged scene was an enormous challenge. His captors, he said, showed no concern as his body began giving out.

“When I tried to dig the grave, just holding the shovel was almost impossible. When I told my captors that I noticed I was almost collapsing, they ignored me. I could hear them laughing, eating cakes and drinking tea, as if there wasn’t someone walking next to them who looked like a skeleton.”

David said the Hamas terrorists guarding him had access to food, air conditioning and television. Although his captors claimed there was no food available in Gaza, he said the terrorists themselves appeared well-fed and muscular even as the hostages were being starved.

Since returning home, David has faced a difficult and ongoing rehabilitation process. He said he continues to struggle with post-traumatic stress, including flashbacks and nightmares that awaken him at night. According to David, his family and friends were forced to launch a crowdfunding campaign because the assistance being provided by the government to released hostages has been insufficient.

Music has become an important source of comfort and a central part of David’s efforts to cope with the trauma he endured. He now plans to travel to the United States next month with his older brother for a series of public appearances aimed at ensuring that the world does not forget what the hostages suffered during their captivity.

{Matzav.com}