Feed aggregator

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Rafael Yehuda Berdugo zt”l.

Rav Berdugo was a beloved marbitz Torah and rov who served for many years as the spiritual guide of his community in the city of Migdal HaEmek. In recent years, he resided in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where he continued to radiate his light and inspiration.

Rav Berdugo’s petirah marks the loss of one of the last remaining links to the illustrious sages of Morocco’s Knesses HaGedolah.

He was born in Morocco to his father, Rav Avraham Berdugo, and was a grandson of Rav Chaim Berdugo, rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim in Meknes.

From his youth, Rav Rafael Yehuda was deeply attached to the great rabbonim of Meknes, among them Rav Yosef Messas and Rav Rafael Baruch Toledano. He also served as a mashgiach in the Chabad Yeshiva of Meknes, where he inspired generations of young talmidim.

After making aliyah to Eretz Yisroel, Rav Berdugo settled in Migdal HaEmek, where he devoted his life to spreading Torah and nurturing talmidim. He founded the city’s first shiurim and Torah programs, served as rov to several kehillos hakodesh, and dedicated himself with self-sacrifice to the spiritual growth and guidance of his talmidim and community members.

In his later years, he moved to the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where he continued to share his wisdom and warmth with all who crossed his path.

Rav Berdugo leaves behind sons and sons-in-law who are distinguished talmidei chachamim, along with a remarkable family that carries on his noble legacy and the proud traditions of the distinguished Berdugo rabbinic dynasty.

The levayah took place at Yeshivas Bris Yaakov in Bayit Vegan, headed by his son-in-law, Rav Shimon Toledano, and continued to the Ponovezh Cemetery in Bnei Brak, where he was laid to rest.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I want to make sure no one misses this! If your New Jersey gross income is under $250,000, you may be eligible to receive between $1,000 and $1,500 back through a New Jersey State program for homeowners. Renters can receive approximately $450, and senior citizens may qualify for even more.

The deadline to apply is today — October 31!

Take a minute to file — it’s quick and simple. Go to https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor/. Then scroll down slightly and click the small blue button on the left labeled “File Online.”

This is real money that belongs to hardworking residents — don’t let it go unclaimed. Please share this information widely so others can benefit before the deadline passes!

Kol tuv.

Sincerely,
A NJ Resident

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com

DON’T MISS OUT! Join the Matzav Status by CLICKING HERE. Join the Matzav WhatsApp Groups by CLICKING HERE.

The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.

NYC Mayor Adams leaving the funeral of NYPD Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass, and greeting community leaders, including Josh Mehlman from the FJCC and members of Flatbush Shomrim.

A major development has shaken Israel’s military justice system after Chief Military Prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted to authorizing the release of classified materials to the media and subsequently tendered her resignation. In her letter to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s successor, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Tomer-Yerushalmi stated that her actions were intended “to repel false propaganda against law enforcement officials in the IDF,” and acknowledged, “I bear full responsibility.”

The resignation came amid allegations that Tomer-Yerushalmi and her staff were involved in leaking investigation materials and a sensitive video related to the abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military base. Following her admission, she is expected to be questioned by police in the coming week.

During a conversation with Chief of Staff Zamir, the prosecutor took full responsibility for the leak, explaining that her intention had been to counter “a campaign of lies and delegitimization directed at the military justice system.” Zamir accepted her resignation, which took immediate effect.

In her letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote, “Over the past two years, I was required to defend the Military Advocate General’s Corps and its members from a false and illegitimate campaign of delegitimization. Officers and prosecutors found themselves the targets of personal attacks, severe insults, and even threats—all because we stood guard over the rule of law in the IDF, alongside our commanders.”

She continued, “This destructive campaign reached its peak following the decision to investigate the Sde Teiman affair. The verbal assaults against law enforcement officials in the army were accompanied by unprecedented acts, including mass intrusions into the Sde Teiman base and the compound of the military court. The incitement accused us of favoring terrorists over our own soldiers. This campaign continues to this day, gravely damaging the IDF, its reputation, and the morale of its soldiers and commanders.”

Tomer-Yerushalmi further admitted, “As head of the Military Advocate General’s Office, and out of a deep sense of responsibility for the IDF, my unit, and my subordinates, I authorized the release of certain materials to the media in an effort to counter the false propaganda directed against law enforcement authorities in the army. I bear full responsibility for every piece of material that left the unit for the media. From this responsibility also comes my decision to end my tenure as Chief Military Prosecutor.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz released a statement earlier on Friday emphasizing that she would not be reinstated, declaring, “I will ensure that justice is done with anyone who took part in the blood libel against IDF soldiers in the Sde Teiman affair,” noting the gravity of the allegations and the sensitivity of her position as the top legal authority responsible for upholding the rule of law throughout the military.

According to legal sources, responses submitted to the High Court regarding efforts to identify the source of the leak were allegedly false, with officials claiming it was impossible to locate the leaker.

Sources familiar with the case suggest that the leak itself may be less serious than the subsequent attempts to conceal it. While Tomer-Yerushalmi may not have directly executed the leak, the central concern now is whether she was complicit in the cover-up and in providing misleading information to the High Court and the Knesset.

{Matzav.com}

The coffin carrying NYPD Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass has just been removed from the East Midwood Jewish Center on Ocean Ave and Ave L as around 1,000 police officer salute him for his nearly 60 years of service.

[COMMUNICATED]

Eden Gardens, FL – A new chapter of Torah growth and community development is unfolding in Eden Gardens with the official establishment of the Eden Gardens Kollel and a vibrant celebration marking this milestone.

The newly founded Kollel, led by Rabbi Yisroel Meir Shalom, has brought with it six dedicated families—five Kollel families and the Rosh Kollel’s own—who have settled in Eden Gardens to learn, teach, and strengthen the growing community. These families have arrived from Yerushalayim, Bayswater (Far Rockaway), Flatbush, Lakewood, and Detroit, each bringing their own warmth and commitment to Torah life.
 They are: the Bondi, Braun, Levovitz, Tucker, and Winegard families.

Rabbi Shalom, formerly of the Kollel at Yeshivas Bais Yehudah in Detroit, is a gifted young talmid chacham whose leadership and scholarship are already leaving a deep impression. The Kollel learns daily in a brand-new, beautifully refurbished Beis Medrash adjacent to the Eden Gardens Shul, complete with a full seforim library and three daily sedarim. A community Night Seder program offers full- and part-time residents the chance to learn with the Kollel through chavrusa study, shiurim, and special programming.

In addition to his role as leader of the Kollel, Rabbi Shalom will be guiding the community in halachic matters and will oversee the Eden Gardens Mikvah and Eden Gardens Eruv.

The Kollel’s establishment was made possible through the vision and support of Joseph Saka, Eli Steinhardt and family, and Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz alongside a group of passionate Eden Gardens homeowners eager to see the neighborhood flourish as a true Makom Torah.

With the arrival of the Kollel and additional new families, Eden Gardens now boasts close to 20 full-time year-round families and a steady daily minyan, transforming the area into one of Orlando’s most promising centers of Jewish life.

The celebration event drew the entire Eden Gardens community, along with guests from neighboring Orlando communities and beyond. Distinguished rabbanim in attendance included Rabbi Yom Tov Goldberger (Rosh Kollel of the Orlando Community Kollel), Rabbi Menachem Zev Kramer (Rav of the Orlando Torah Center), and Rabbi Yisroel Meir Shalom, who each shared inspiring words about the exponential growth of Torah in the region.

Guests enjoyed a lavish fleishig buffet catered by Eatin’ Gardens—the neighborhood’s own food truck, operated by Shimon Shushan and family—followed by a spirited kumzitz led by Avraham Shmuel Weinschneider and Eliezer Kanner. The Roshei Yeshiva of Orlando Torah Academy—Rabbis Chaim Kazan, Yehuda Schepansky, and Avraham Wachsman—along with Rabbi Naftali Kassorla, Executive Director of the Orlando Community Kollel, also joined in the festivities.

Speakers highlighted how Eden Gardens is “seeding the ground with ruchniyus,” creating a foundation for Torah, family life, and spiritual growth in the heart of Florida.

What began as a dream is now taking root, a real Torah community in the heart of Orlando. With a kosher grocery on premises, and with plans underway for a dedicated 5,000-square-foot shul, men’s and women’s gyms, and a water park currently out for permitting, Eden Gardens continues to evolve as a premier destination for frum family life.

The soon-to-open Eden Gardens Mikvah, which will serve Eden Gardens, Encore, Reunion, Solterra, and the surrounding vacation communities, marks another milestone in this growth. With a strong pipeline of new families preparing to move in, the momentum toward Torah, community, and shared vision continues to build, accelerating the establishment of the Kollel and solidifying Eden Gardens as a thriving Makom Torah in Central Florida.

To learn more about Eden Gardens visit EdenGardensOrlando.com

Newly released bodycam footage shows an illegal alien driving a massive semi-truck who cannot speak English, with officers asking, “You don’t understand English!? What company do you work for?” and the driver responding, “California.”

BREAKING: The Trump Administration has decided to strike military installations in Venezuela, with attacks possible at any moment. -Miami Herald.

While Hezbollah’s leader was speaking, the IDF struck Choukine in southern Lebanon, killing a terrorist on a motorcycle—the second terrorist killed in separate strikes this morning.

Thirty bodies of Palestinians were handed over to Gaza on Friday under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire arrangement brokered by the United States, according to officials at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The hospital confirmed to AFP that “the bodies of 30 Palestinian prisoners were received from the Israeli side as part of the exchange deal.”

As in prior exchanges, the Red Cross served as the intermediary, transporting the bodies from Israeli authorities to the hospital in southern Gaza for identification and burial preparations.

The latest handover followed Hamas’s return of the remains of two Israeli hostages—84-year-old Amiram Cooper and 25-year-old Sahar Baruch—marking the first time in more than a week that the terror group had released the bodies of captives.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel agreed to transfer the remains of fifteen Palestinians for each deceased Israeli hostage returned by Hamas terrorists. With Friday’s delivery, the total number of Palestinian bodies repatriated to Gaza has now reached 225.

So far, Hamas has returned twenty living hostages who were abducted during its brutal October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel—a day when terrorists murdered roughly 1,200 people and dragged 251 others into Gaza.

In addition to living captives, Hamas has begun handing over the bodies of 28 hostages confirmed dead, though the process has been slow and erratic, prompting anger from Israeli officials.

Israel has accused Hamas of intentionally obstructing the deal, alleging that the group already “knows the location of the vast majority, or even all, of the remaining bodies of hostages, and is purposely stalling and staging fake discoveries of bodies.”

Earlier this week, tensions escalated when the IDF carried out a wave of strikes across Gaza after a soldier was killed in Rafah and Hamas publicized a video of what Israel described as a staged recovery of the remains of Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had actually been retrieved months earlier.

Health authorities in Gaza reported that more than 100 people were killed in the Israeli strikes. By Wednesday morning, Israel announced that the ceasefire had been reinstated.

According to Israeli assessments, ten of the October 7 hostages’ bodies are still believed to be held in Gaza, along with one individual missing since 2014. Of those, all but two—one Tanzanian and one Thai national—are Israeli citizens.

To date, Hamas has handed over fifteen bodies identified as Israeli hostages, as well as two foreign nationals, one from Thailand and one from Nepal, who were also seized during the October 7 rampage.

While Israeli officials continue to accuse Hamas of breaching the ceasefire terms, families of the remaining hostages have been pressing the government to take firmer action to compel compliance.

Hamas has publicly claimed it remains committed to the truce but says the extensive destruction from two years of Israeli bombardment has made locating the remaining bodies extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, Egyptian recovery teams equipped with heavy machinery have joined efforts to search for additional remains amid the devastation across Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

DHS arrested Emilio Ramirez Cortez and his son Edgar Ramirez Diaz at the Laredo Port of Entry for smuggling over 500 guns and 31,000 rounds of ammo to Mexico, hidden behind false walls in two trailers.

NEW: LA firefighters were told to leave a smoldering blaze that later reignited as the deadly Palisades fire, destroying thousands of homes and killing 12 people, federal authorities say.

A high-speed train slammed into a truck stuck on a level crossing in Meteren, with CCTV showing the truck jerking as the barriers dropped before the train plowed through, sending debris flying; five people were injured, all minor, according to rail operator ProRail.

Speaker Johnson defended President Trump’s push for Senate Republicans to nuke the filibuster, allowing the shutdown to end.

Speaker Johnson slammed Democrats for opposing President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s strikes on narco-terrorists, saying the cartels are at war with the U.S. and have killed more Americans than past wars. He said Trump is protecting Americans and Democrats should be applauding him, not criticizing him.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack in Michigan, arresting multiple subjects who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the United States has signed a new 10-year defense framework agreement with India.

The IDF says an Israeli drone strike earlier today killed Hezbollah terrorist Ibrahim Muhammad Raslan in the southern Lebanese town of Kounine. Raslan, identified as a Hezbollah maintenance officer, was reportedly involved in restoring the group’s infrastructure in the region.