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Sources say that some admorim and roshei yeshiva in the United States have been invited to a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House this week, with the future of Orthodox Jewish education and other communal concerns expected to be raised.

Several details now circulating — including the full list of participants — have not been independently confirmed. There has also been no public announcement from the White House confirming the meeting as of today.

The original report said that information had been received in the United States shortly before Shabbos regarding a planned White House meeting between Trump and leading American Torah and Chassidic figures.

Another source subsequently said that information it had received indicated that the meeting was expected to take place this week.

Both sources identify the same core group of invitees: the Satmar Rebbe, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, and Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler. The meeting is reportedly being planned for Thursday.

Sources say that the delegation will use the alleged meeting to express hakaras hatov to Trump for his administration’s support of the Orthodox Jewish community and its institutions.

That stated agenda is consistent with issues that the Trump administration has publicly made a priority. The White House says its religious-liberty agenda specifically includes parental rights in religious education, school choice and institutional autonomy, and Trump established both a White House Faith Office and a Religious Liberty Commission after returning to office.

There is also substantial precedent for contacts between Trump and many of the Chareidi communities whose leaders are reportedly involved.

In April, Trump personally hosted a group of frum communal representatives at the White House for a Pesach gathering. Those present included representatives of Satmar and Skver, Agudath Israel representative Reb Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Yehuda Kaploun, and Tzedek Association founder Reb Moshe Margaretten. New Square Mayor Yisroel Meir Spitzer attended and conveyed greetings to Trump from the Skverer Rebbe.

Trump also sent a personal letter to the Skverer Rebbe in August 2025 on the occasion of the wedding of the Rebbe’s great-grandchild. The letter was presented to the Rebbe by New Square Mayor Spitzer and other Chareidi activists with ties to the administration.

The relationship between the rabbinic leaders named in the current report and Trump goes back considerably further. In 2020, a letter thanking Trump for his defense of religious liberty was signed by an array of leading American admorim and roshei yeshiva, including both Satmar Rebbes, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey and others.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Yehoshua Safrin zt”l, the Komarna Rebbe of Manhattan, a scion of the illustrious Komarna dynasty and the son of the Komarna Rebbe, Rav Chaim Yaakov Safrin zt”l.

The Rebbe was niftar over Shabbos, leaving behind a family and a legacy deeply rooted in the extraordinary Torah and chassidic heritage of Komarna.

Rav Chaim Yaakov Safrin served as the Komarna Rebbe in New York and later in Yerushalayim and was considered one of the outstanding mekubalim and talmidei chachomim of his generation. Rav Chaim Yaakov was renowned for his mastery of both nigleh and nistar. The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l, is reported to have described him as unique in his generation in the realm of remez.

Rav Chaim Yaakov, born in 1891, was a descendant of the great Komarna dynasty and became one of its principal surviving leaders in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when much of the dynasty and its leadership had been destroyed. Survivors of Komarna looked to him to continue the mesorah of the famed chassidus.

The Safrin family had reached America before the Holocaust. Rav Chaim Yaakov recognized the danger developing in Europe and urged others to escape as well. He and his family arrived in the United States in 1938, and his chassidim established Bnei Yaakov Anshei Komarno for him on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

It was within that distinguished family that Rav Yehoshua grew up, surrounded by the distinctive Komarna tradition of intense Torah learning, avodah and the study of Toras hanistar.

The Komarna dynasty traces its roots to Rav Alexander Sender Safrin and, most famously, to his son Rav Yitzchok Eizik Yehuda Yechiel Safrin of Komarna, known as the Heichal Habracha, one of the leading chassidic and kabbalistic figures of the 19th century. The dynasty became particularly renowned for its emphasis on the teachings of Kabbalah and the Zohar alongside nigleh and chassidic avodah.

Rav Yehoshua was one of several sons of Rav Chaim Yaakov who continued the family’s Torah and chassidic legacy. His brothers included Rav Shalom Safrin of Yerushalayim; Rav Nesanel Safrin; Rav Menachem Monish Safrin, who served as the Komarna Rebbe in Bnei Brak; Rav Alter Yitzchok Elimelech Safrin in the United States; and Rav Yissachar Dov Safrin of Bnei Brak.

Rav Yehoshua was the son-in-law of Reb Moshe Menachem Razler zt”l.

In addition to carrying on the Komarna mesorah, Rav Yehoshua played an important role in preserving and publishing the Torah writings of his father.

Rav Yehoshua Safrin was the publisher of works left in manuscript by Rav Chaim Yaakov. Among them was Pri Chaim, containing derushim and chiddushim arranged according to the Alef Bais and based on the four levels of Pardes. Another volume of Pri Chaim contains his father’s writings on Tehillim.

Rav Yehoshua was also involved in bringing his father’s Poras Yosef to print, a collection of 267 teachings organized around Yosef Hatzaddik and the parshiyos of Vayeitzei, Vayishlach, Vayeishev, Mikeitz, Vayigash and Vayechi. The work was preserved in Rav Chaim Yaakov’s own manuscript before being prepared for publication by his son.

These efforts formed part of a larger preservation of Rav Chaim Yaakov’s Torah legacy, which includes works such as Bais Avos, Shabbos Shalom Umevorach, Pri Chaim and Poras Yosef.

Rav Chaim Yaakov eventually left New York for Eretz Yisroel in 1962 and settled in Yerushalayim, where he established his bais medrash in the Geulah neighborhood near Kikar Shabbos. The bais medrash remains active today. He was later buried on Har Hazeisim.

Rav Yehoshua, meanwhile, remained associated with the Komarna presence in New York, carrying the title of Komarna Rebbe in Manhattan and representing another living link to the family’s prewar chassidic heritage.

His passing closes another chapter in an American Komarna story stretching back nearly nine decades, to the arrival of his father and family in New York on the eve of the destruction of European Jewry.

The levayah will take place Sunday, August 30, at 11 a.m. at Shomrei Hadas Chapels, 3803 14th Avenue in Brooklyn.

The family will be sitting shivah in Manhattan.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Sefardi rabbonim are calling on the public to gather outside Israel’s Prison 10 on Sunday night for a major atzeres tefillah and protest following the arrest and imprisonment of Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur Yisroel Guchafi over his military draft status.

Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, and Rav Shlomo Machpud, a member of the Moetzet, issued a joint call urging widespread participation in the gathering outside the Neve Tzedek military prison.

“It is incumbent upon everyone to participate and protest the arrest of talmidei chachomim at the gathering for the honor of Torah,” the rabbonim declared.

The rally is scheduled for Sunday, 17 Elul, at precisely 9 p.m. outside the gates of Prison 10 at the Neve Tzedek military base.

The latest mobilization comes following the arrest of Guchafi, a Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur who was taken into custody and sent to military prison amid the ongoing enforcement campaign against yeshiva students classified by the authorities as draft evaders.

In a letter issued by Rav Machpud and joined by Rav Maya, the rabbonim placed the call under the heading “Lech kenos es kol haYehudim — Go, gather together all the Jews.”

“In light of the degradation of the honor of Torah and the persecution of those who study it, with the arrest of the yeshiva student, the distinguished bochur R’ Yisroel Guchafi of the city of Bnei Brak, who was arrested and sent to prison for the ‘crime’ of toiling in Torah,” the letter states.

The rabbonim said Guchafi’s arrest has now triggered a commitment previously undertaken by Bnei Brak rabbonim during a major gathering held on 14 Tammuz.

At that gathering, the city’s rabbonim declared that if a Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur or kollel yungerman were arrested, they would unite in defense of kavod haTorah and travel to Prison 10.

The new letter quotes that earlier resolution: “If, G-d forbid, one of the yeshiva students or kollel yungeleit from our city is apprehended, we, the rabbis of Bnei Brak, are hereby joined and united to elevate the honor of Torah, to go out to Prison 10 to cry out and daven before Hashem for the annulment of the decree.”

With Guchafi now imprisoned, the rabbonim are calling on the broader public, and Bnei Brak residents in particular, to fulfill that commitment and join Sunday night’s gathering.

The event is being characterized as an atzeres tefillah, public outcry and demonstration of support for Guchafi and his family, amid the broader confrontation over the arrest of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim who have not reported for military service.

Organizers stressed that the gathering is intended to proceed peacefully and in accordance with the instructions of the rabbonim.

“The gathering will take place with Kiddush Hashem, while observing the instructions of the law and with absolute adherence to the guidance of our rabbonim, the Gedolei Hador, and the ushers at the site,” the announcement states.

The letter concludes with a forceful declaration that the community will continue protesting arrests of those engaged in Torah learning.

“The Torah is our life and the length of our days. We will neither rest nor remain silent over the honor of Torah and those who study it.”

{Matzav.com}

A New York appeals court has rejected the latest attempt by the Gabboim of 770 Eastern Parkway to obtain further review in the years-long legal battle involving the iconic Lubavitch headquarters, denying their request to appeal a January 2024 ruling involving Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Agudas Chasidei Chabad.

The one-page order, entered Thursday, August 28, 2026, by the Appellate Division, Second Department, denied a motion filed by Zalman Lipskier, Avrohom Holtzberg and Shalom Ber Kievman. The three had asked the court for permission to challenge the January 2024 decision issued by the Appellate Term.

The court rejected the request.

Although the latest order is exceedingly brief, it represents another consequential development in litigation that has continued for years over the properties and shul facilities at 770 Eastern Parkway and 784-788 Eastern Parkway.

The scope of the new ruling is important. The Appellate Division was not being asked at this stage to conduct a new review of the underlying ownership dispute or issue a fresh determination regarding who owns the properties.

Instead, the Gabboim were seeking the court’s permission to pursue an additional appeal of the Appellate Term’s January 19, 2024 decision.

In Thursday’s order, the Appellate Division described the application by Lipskier, Holtzberg and Kievman as a motion “for leave to appeal” from the January 19, 2024 decision and order.

Having reviewed the submissions from both sides, the four-justice panel issued a succinct determination: “the motion is denied.”

The ruling therefore means that the Appellate Division will not hear the requested appeal.

Justice Francesca E. Connolly signed the decision, with Justices Linda Christopher, Helen Voutsinas and Laurence L. Love concurring.

The latest ruling is the newest chapter in a complicated legal fight that stretches back nearly two decades.

At the center of the litigation are Agudas Chasidei Chabad, which courts have recognized as the owner of 770 Eastern Parkway; Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the owner of 784-788 Eastern Parkway; and Congregation Lubavitch, Inc., the corporate entity associated with the Gabboim.

The buildings encompass the central Lubavitch shul as well as offices and other facilities. For years, the Gabboim have been involved in the everyday administration of the shul.

The dispute has traveled through several levels of New York’s judicial system, including Supreme Court, the Appellate Division and Civil Court.

In an earlier Supreme Court case, Agudas and Merkos secured an ejectment judgment against Congregation Lubavitch, Inc. involving 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. The court determined that Agudas and Merkos were the respective property owners and were entitled to possession. The Appellate Division later upheld the portion of that judgment ejecting CLI from the properties.

A subsequent phase of the litigation began when Agudas and Merkos initiated summary proceedings seeking possession of their respective premises.

Agudas brought proceedings involving 770 Eastern Parkway, while Merkos pursued proceedings relating to 784-788 Eastern Parkway. Merkos additionally commenced a separate proceeding over office space at 302-304 Kingston Avenue, identified during the litigation as the “Gaboyim-CLI Office.”

After conducting a non-jury trial, the Civil Court issued judgments on January 6, 2022, granting possession to the respective petitioners.

The Gabboim and Congregation Lubavitch appealed those judgments.

That appeal resulted in a January 19, 2024 ruling by the Appellate Term that was considerably more complicated than some accounts of the decision indicated.

The Appellate Term dismissed the cases against several entities that had improperly been named as unincorporated associations and vacated the judgments entered against those entities.

Regarding Congregation Lubavitch, Inc., the court modified the judgments covering 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. It vacated the portions entered against CLI and dismissed those portions of the petitions. The court nevertheless upheld the judgment concerning the office at 302-304 Kingston Avenue.

The reason the proceedings involving CLI and the Eastern Parkway properties were dismissed was largely the doctrine of res judicata, which generally bars parties from relitigating claims that have already received a final judicial determination.

The Appellate Term cited the earlier Supreme Court ejectment litigation, observing that CLI had already been ejected from 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway and that the relevant judgment had subsequently been affirmed by the Appellate Division.

Because the question of possession from CLI at those properties had already been adjudicated, the Appellate Term concluded that the later proceedings seeking possession of those same premises from CLI were barred by the previous judgment.

The Kingston Avenue office presented a different situation.

Because the 302-304 Kingston Avenue property had not been included in the earlier ejectment litigation, the Appellate Term found that the proceeding concerning that space was not barred by res judicata. It therefore allowed the judgment regarding that office to stand.

The Appellate Term also turned aside claims that secular courts lacked jurisdiction to resolve the dispute because of its religious dimensions.

The court concluded that questions involving property ownership and possession could be decided through “neutral principles of law,” such as examining deeds, corporate records and bylaws, without requiring judges to rule on matters of religious doctrine.

The Gabboim and CLI subsequently sought another opportunity to challenge the January 2024 decision.

In June 2024, the Appellate Term rejected motions asking it to reconsider its January ruling or, alternatively, to permit an appeal to the Appellate Division.

That denial left another procedural avenue available: asking the Appellate Division directly for permission to hear an appeal.

It was that effort that culminated in Thursday’s decision.

Lipskier, Holtzberg and Kievman asked the Appellate Division for leave to appeal the Appellate Term’s January 19, 2024 ruling.

After reviewing papers submitted in support of and in opposition to their application, the Appellate Division refused to grant permission.

Unlike the extensive January 2024 ruling, Thursday’s order does not reconsider the evidence or analyze the competing arguments regarding ownership, possession, religious questions or the other issues that have surfaced during the litigation.

Its determination is procedural and narrow: the court declined to permit the requested additional appeal.

The practical importance of the decision therefore centers on what remains in place.

The January 2024 Appellate Term ruling continues to govern this particular round of litigation, with the latest effort to secure review by the Appellate Division now unsuccessful.

That decision also exists alongside the earlier Supreme Court and Appellate Division rulings concerning CLI’s ejectment from 770 and 784-788 Eastern Parkway. Indeed, those earlier decisions were the basis for the Appellate Term’s conclusion in 2024 that the subsequent possession claims against CLI were barred by res judicata.

Thursday’s order does not newly rule that the Gabboim must physically leave the shul, nor does it issue a separate determination governing the everyday operation or administration of 770. Its immediate effect is to shut down another attempted route for appellate review of the January 2024 ruling.

Throughout the long-running fight, New York courts have addressed distinct questions involving legal ownership of the properties, the right to possession and the practical administration of the shul — issues that should not be treated as interchangeable.

After years of litigation across multiple courts, the August 28 order marks another significant procedural setback for the Gabboim and further narrows the remaining avenues for challenging the rulings that have shaped the legal battle over 770.

Likud minister Eli Cohen is accusing Israeli pollsters of consistently underestimating the political right, arguing that current surveys do not accurately reflect the strength of Likud and predicting that undecided right-wing voters will ultimately return to the party when elections are held.

Cohen made the comments in his first interview with Ynet since scoring a major victory in the Likud primaries, where he finished first by a wide margin and emerged in a significantly strengthened position within the ruling party.

“Actions beat populism and shouting,” Cohen told Ynet, arguing that Likud members rewarded his record in government rather than political rhetoric.

Cohen pointed to accomplishments from his tenures in the Foreign and Energy ministries, including securing visa-free travel to the United States for Israelis, the natural gas agreement with Egypt, maintaining Israel’s energy sector during wartime and breaking the Israel Electric Corporation’s monopoly.

Despite his strong showing in the primaries and his growing standing within Likud, Cohen declined to engage in speculation about the party’s leadership after Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

“That question is not relevant right now,” Cohen said, stressing that Likud is united behind Netanyahu as the party prepares for the upcoming elections.

Cohen did, however, make clear which senior government position he would like to hold next: finance minister.

According to Cohen, the Finance Ministry should remain under Likud control following the election. He said the next finance minister should prioritize economic growth, reducing the cost of living, increasing employment and narrowing economic disparities, rather than concentrating primarily on the distribution of government funding.

On the contentious issue of Chareidi military service, Cohen adopted an unequivocal position.

“Our Chareidi brothers must also enlist,” Cohen said.

He argued that those for whom Toraso umnaso does not apply should participate in military service, describing increased enlistment as a security, economic and social necessity for Israel.

Cohen also addressed Israel’s confrontation with Iran, saying the country achieved substantial successes in the campaign and significantly delayed Tehran’s nuclear program.

He warned that Israel remains prepared to act again if Iran attempts to rebuild either its nuclear program or its ballistic missile capabilities.

Turning to domestic politics, Cohen challenged the accuracy of recent election polling, maintaining that Likud and the broader right-wing bloc have repeatedly been underestimated by surveys.

Cohen pointed to previous Israeli elections in which, he said, right-wing parties ultimately performed better at the ballot box than polling had suggested beforehand. He predicted that a similar pattern could emerge in the coming election, with voters from the nationalist camp who currently describe themselves as undecided eventually returning to the right when they enter the voting booth.

Cohen also addressed the October 7 massacre, saying Israel should establish a national commission of inquiry with a mandate to examine the conduct of the country’s institutions and decision-makers over a period of years.

At the same time, Cohen argued that Israel’s position in the region has changed dramatically since October 7, saying that the country has emerged as the strongest and most formidable power in the Middle East.

{Matzav.com}

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully denied a report that he is considering a run for president in 2028, rejecting claims that he has privately discussed a possible White House campaign with friends and associates.

Hegseth, who worked at Fox News before joining the Trump administration, responded to the report on X, calling it “100% false” and saying he had directly informed NBC News that he had no plans to run.

He accused the outlet of disregarding his denial, writing that he told NBC he wasn’t running, “but they just lie w/ anonymous ‘sources.’”

The NBC News report, published Friday, said Hegseth had spoken with people close to him about the possibility of seeking the presidency in 2028. The report also pointed to his recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair as one indication that he could be positioning himself for a national campaign.

Hegseth’s trip to the politically significant early-voting state, however, was officially made on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican for whom the defense secretary was campaigning.

No major contender has formally entered the race for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, leaving the prospective field largely a matter of speculation.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has publicly acknowledged that he is interested in another presidential run. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also frequently been mentioned among potential Republican contenders.

Hegseth has previously sought elected office, although his only campaign ended before reaching the primary ballot.

In 2012, he launched a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Hegseth ultimately withdrew from the contest following the state Republican Party convention.

Two years later, Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor and went on to become a prominent conservative media personality.

President Trump nominated Hegseth in 2024 to lead the Department of Defense, and he has served as defense secretary since early 2025.

Speculation over the Republican Party’s post-Trump presidential field has intensified ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, although several of the figures most frequently discussed have stopped short of announcing campaigns.

Prediction markets currently show Vance receiving the most attention among possible GOP nominees. Kalshi gives the vice president a 44% probability of winning the Republican nomination, followed by Rubio at 19%, while no other prospective candidate is above 5%.

Vance has said he intends to make a decision about his political future after the midterm elections.

Rubio, meanwhile, has said he would support Vance for the Republican nomination if the vice president decides to seek the presidency.

The two men have nevertheless been associated with different currents within the Republican Party. Vance has generally been identified with the populist wing of the GOP and its skepticism toward some forms of American intervention overseas, while Rubio has historically been associated with the more traditional interventionist foreign-policy approach that held greater influence within the party before Trump’s rise.

{Matzav.com}