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Standing at the Nova festival grounds near Re’im, where hundreds were murdered and dozens abducted during the Hamas-led October 7 attack, President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday marked the massacre’s third anniversary with a pledge that Israel will remember those lost, rebuild what was destroyed and continue to live.

Herzog joined survivors, bereaved families and others at the memorial ceremony at the site of the festival, which has become one of the central symbols of the atrocities perpetrated on October 7, 2023. This year’s commemoration was the first anniversary since all of the hostages were returned to Israel, either alive or for burial.

The ceremony began at 6:29 p.m., exactly 12 hours after the time Hamas launched its assault three years earlier. Former hostage Elkana Bohbot recited a prayer for the bereaved, followed by Kaddish from a bereaved father and the lighting of a memorial candle. Nova survivor Yuval Raphael, who later represented Israel at Eurovision, performed at the ceremony.

Before addressing those gathered for the memorial, Herzog spoke to members of the international media from the Nova site, recalling what the field had been before terrorists transformed a celebration into one of the deadliest scenes of the massacre.

“Here at the Nova Musical Festival, thousands of young people came to sing and to dance, to celebrate life. People of 36 nationalities, from all over the world and from Israel. They were horrifically butchered, killed, tortured, raped, and abducted into Gaza,” Herzog said.

More than 370 people were murdered at the Nova festival and surrounding area, and dozens were abducted to Gaza. The memorial grounds at Re’im are now filled with photographs and tributes to those killed, drawing bereaved families, survivors and visitors from Israel and around the world.

Herzog said that three years after the massacre, the site stands not only as a place of grief and remembrance, but also as a testament to the determination of the survivors, families and communities that have struggled to rebuild their lives.

“We are here to tell their stories, and to remember, and reflect, and reminisce, and say to the world: we will dance again, we will live again,” he declared.

“We are a nation in agony, but we are showing immense resilience. This whole region, which was attacked barbarically on October 7th, is now rebuilding.”

Communities throughout the Gaza border region held memorial events Wednesday, as Israelis returned to the locations where the October 7 atrocities unfolded. Ceremonies and gatherings were held in communities including Kfar Aza and at the Nova site, while commemorations elsewhere in Israel began at 6:29 a.m., the moment the attack started.

Herzog used his remarks to stress that Israel’s determination to defend itself against terrorism does not conflict with its desire for a peaceful future in the region.

“We are a nation like all nations. We have the inherent right to defend ourselves and fight terror. But we yearn for peace, and we want our neighbors to live in peace as well,” he said.

The president said the international community must work toward the disarmament of Hamas while confronting the broader threat posed by Iran and its allies throughout the region.

“And there is a pathway to that by implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2301, which calls for the disarming of Hamas. This should be the international goal, as well as combating the empire of evil from Tehran,” Herzog stated.

Herzog also expressed appreciation to people around the world who reached out to Israelis and the families of the victims on the anniversary, as messages of solidarity arrived from numerous world leaders and governments.

“I want to thank everybody who came here, and all those who have sent messages of condolences and share in our pain,” he said.

The Nova memorial itself has continued to develop over the past three years. What began with families placing photographs, flowers and personal items at the places where their loved ones were killed has evolved into an official memorial site, with individual memorial pillars and trees planted in memory of victims.

For the Nova community, the site remains both a physical reminder of the devastation of October 7 and a gathering place for survivors and bereaved families determined to preserve the lives and stories of those who were murdered.

Herzog closed his remarks with a final tribute to the victims.

“Let the memory of those who were killed be a blessing to all of us.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “hijacking” the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, comparing the mayor’s decision to use the day to attack Israel to transforming the anniversary of 9/11 into “a day of mourning for al-Qaeda terrorists.”

Mamdani’s statement Wednesday acknowledged the Hamas-led massacre that killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages abducted to Gaza, but devoted most of its message to accusations against Israel, including charges of “genocide,” “apartheid” and “war crimes.”

Danon said Mamdani had taken a day that should have centered on the victims and survivors of Hamas’s atrocities and instead turned it into an opportunity to condemn the Jewish state.

“‘Mamdani-ism’ — an attempt to hijack the anniversary of October 7 and turn it into yet another propaganda attack against Israel,” Danon wrote on X. “We will remember those who were murdered, and we will never forget who was behind this massacre.”

Speaking separately about the mayor’s statement, Danon said the timing was particularly offensive because October 7 is the one day specifically set aside to remember those slaughtered and abducted in the attack.

“What he is trying to do is hijack the only day we have for the victims and survivors,” Danon said. “He’s trying to hijack the day to talk about attacking Israel.”

Danon compared the approach to commemorating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by shifting the focus from those murdered by al-Qaeda to criticism of America’s subsequent response.

Mamdani began his official statement by describing the Hamas attack as “horrific war crimes” and acknowledging the Israelis murdered and taken hostage on October 7, 2023.

He said Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 people, adding that New Yorkers continue to grieve alongside friends and neighbors carrying the pain of the massacre.

But the mayor then shifted to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of an “ongoing genocide” and invoking accusations of “occupation,” “apartheid,” and “war crimes.”

Mamdani further charged that the United States was complicit in Israel’s conduct by continuing to provide the Jewish state with weapons.

Israel has categorically rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, maintaining that its war is directed against Hamas and other terrorist organizations and that the IDF takes extensive measures intended to minimize civilian casualties.

Mamdani’s statement triggered criticism from a range of Israeli officials and Jewish organizations Wednesday. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the mayor’s remarks an “outrageous & disgusting rant,” while Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis accused Mamdani of displaying “a complete lack of human sensitivity.”

The controversy erupted against the backdrop of continuing concern over antisemitism in New York City. New NYPD figures released this week show that Jewish New Yorkers were the victims in 245 of the city’s 463 confirmed hate crimes during the first nine months of 2026 — approximately 53% — despite Jews accounting for roughly 10% of the city’s population.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch highlighted the disparity Tuesday while discussing the city’s latest crime statistics and the heightened security being provided to Jewish institutions around the October 7 anniversary.

“The most striking trend continues to be antisemitic hate crimes,” Tisch said.

“So far this year, 53% of all confirmed hate crimes have targeted Jewish New Yorkers, despite Jews making up only roughly 10% of the city’s population,” she said. “Those numbers are deeply concerning.”

The NYPD has deployed additional resources around Jewish institutions and communities, with Tisch pledging continued police protection as the city confronts both antisemitic incidents and demonstrations surrounding the anniversary.

“On the eve of the third anniversary of Oct. 7, we renew our pledge to Jewish institutions that they will not be left to protect themselves without a strong partner in the NYPD,” Tisch said.

Mamdani’s handling of antisemitism has also drawn skepticism among Jewish New Yorkers. A poll of 503 Jewish voters across the five boroughs conducted from October 2 through October 6 found that 65% disapproved of the mayor’s handling of antisemitism, including 47% who strongly disapproved, while 34% approved.

The dispute comes just days after Mamdani unveiled a citywide strategy to combat antisemitism. Several major Jewish organizations welcomed portions of the initiative while arguing that the administration had failed to address anti-Israel rhetoric that they believe can contribute to hostility toward Jewish New Yorkers.

UJA-Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, AJC New York and the New York Board of Rabbis praised elements of the plan but warned that rhetoric that “demonizes and delegitimizes Israel” can have consequences for Jews in the city.

Mamdani has consistently rejected the argument that his attacks on Israel amount to hostility toward Jews. He has maintained that his criticism is rooted in opposition to harm against civilians regardless of who commits it and has repeatedly pledged that Jewish New Yorkers will be protected and valued by his administration.

Danon, however, said October 7 was not the day for the mayor to wage that political battle, insisting that the anniversary must remain focused on those murdered and abducted by Hamas.

{Matzav.com}

Doctors say she urgently needs intensive treatment, nutritional therapy, and constant medical supervision to survive.

Exactly three years to the minute after Hamas launched its October 7 invasion of Israel, Israel Prison Service forces carried out coordinated surprise raids Wednesday morning in five prisons holding security prisoners, conducting extensive searches aimed at uncovering contraband and preventing disturbances or attacks.

The operation began at precisely 6:29 a.m. — the time the Hamas assault began on October 7, 2023 — as Israel marked three years since the massacre that killed more than 1,100 people and saw 251 hostages abducted into Gaza.

The large-scale prison operation was launched following a security assessment ahead of the highly sensitive anniversary, with officials seeking to head off any attempt by security prisoners to exploit the date to cause unrest or threaten prison personnel.

The raids were conducted simultaneously at five security detention facilities across Israel. Officers entered cells and prison wings housing terrorists and other security prisoners and carried out extensive searches for prohibited items and potential security threats.

The operation drew personnel from across the Prison Service’s northern, central and southern districts and included a substantial contingent of specialized forces.

Among those participating were members of the elite Metzada unit, which specializes in complex prison emergencies and hostage situations, along with the Nachshon unit, district units, first-response prison forces and prison intelligence and investigative personnel.

The Prison Service said the goal was to reinforce its control and authority within the facilities, locate contraband and thwart in advance any effort to disrupt prison order, attack guards or compromise the security of the prisons.

The timing at 6:29 a.m. was deliberately chosen to coincide with the exact moment Hamas began its assault three years earlier. The same hour was marked elsewhere across Israel Wednesday with memorial events, moments of silence and ceremonies honoring those murdered on October 7.

The Prison Service did not immediately disclose whether weapons, communications equipment or other prohibited materials were discovered during Wednesday morning’s searches.

The operation comes amid a dramatically changed prison landscape since October 7. Before the massacre, Israel held approximately 16,200 inmates in Prison Service facilities, including roughly 5,200 security prisoners. The war and the detention of thousands of terrorists and terror suspects placed enormous additional pressure on the country’s prison system.

Since the outbreak of the war, Israeli authorities have also significantly tightened the conditions under which security prisoners are held, while increasing searches, intelligence operations and other measures intended to prevent terrorist organizations from maintaining command structures and communications from inside Israeli prisons.

Under the policy of Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, officials said proactive operations aimed at asserting control over security prisoners are conducted throughout the year. Those measures are intensified when intelligence assessments indicate heightened sensitivity or an increased potential for unrest.

The third anniversary of October 7 was considered one such period, leading authorities to increase preventive and deterrence measures throughout the prison system and stage Wednesday’s coordinated operation.

“The Israel Prison Service will continue to act with determination to maintain order, control and security in correctional facilities and to thwart any threat emanating from them,” the service said.

{Matzav.com}

Neriyah Leiter, the IDF reservist and son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter who suffered a severe brain injury in a terrorist ramming attack two weeks ago, has begun breathing on his own in an encouraging development, his father revealed Wednesday.

While Neriyah remains unconscious and his condition continues to be extremely serious, the latest update marks a significant improvement from just days ago, when Ambassador Leiter said his son remained on life support following emergency brain surgery.

“Neria has severe head injuries, but in recent days he has begun breathing on his own. He is still unconscious.”

Neriyah was critically wounded on Sept. 23 when a Palestinian terrorist rammed him with a vehicle near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443. The terrorist was subsequently shot and killed by IDF soldiers at the scene.

Neriyah was rushed unconscious to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim, where doctors performed hours of emergency brain surgery and other procedures. The hospital said following the operation that his condition remained extremely serious and that his life was in danger.

The critically wounded reservist has served hundreds of days in the IDF reserves on several fronts since the October 7 massacre, despite the devastating loss of his older brother, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, who was killed fighting Hamas in Gaza in November 2023.

Ambassador Leiter rushed back to Israel after learning of the attack on his son. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu visited Neriyah and the family at the hospital shortly after the attack and returned for another visit ahead of Simchas Torah.

Only days before Wednesday’s encouraging update, Ambassador Leiter wrote an emotional message from Neriyah’s bedside, describing his son as still dependent on life support and thanking Jews around the world for the extraordinary outpouring of tefillos on his behalf.

“As I sit here at my son Neria’s bedside, I am thinking about what the most appropriate message would be as we enter the Simchat Torah holiday. Neria is still on life support and my first thought is one of immense gratitude for the support and all the prayers on his behalf. Your prayers have given my family and me tremendous strength in the knowledge that prayers matter. Prime Minister Netanyahu visited us in the hospital today to share a much-needed sense of comfort and support.”

Leiter then connected the attack on his son to the broader wave of terrorism directed at Israelis and Jews, writing that the ideology behind the October 7 massacre remains a threat that must be defeated.

“My second thought is of the importance of reminding ourselves, and anyone still willing to listen, that the October 7 attack on Simchat Torah three years ago was cultivated in an ideology that believes killing Jews is admirable and that there is no place for an Israel, any Israel. It is the same ideology that murdered Nathaniel Shukrun just before Yom Kippur, tried to murder my second son right after Yom Kippur, and tried to crash a passenger jet on its way to Tel Aviv two days before the anniversary of Israel’s own September 11. Until we defeat this ideology, we are all like Neria, on life support.”

In a third reflection, the ambassador turned to the resilience of Klal Yisroel and the significance of his son’s name.

“And thought #3: People don’t understand Israeli resilience. Neria is Hebrew for “G-d’s candle.” We gave him that name because he was born just before the Sabbath when the Biblical portion that begins with Numbers 8:2 is read in synagogues. In the verse, G-d instructs Moses to tell Aharon to set up seven lamps in a way that they face forward and give light in front of the Temple’s golden lamp stand. Aaron’s merit in this task was greater than all the other leaders who participated in the consecration of the holy Temple. Greater why? Because the consecration was a one-time occurrence, while illuminating the Temple, Jerusalem, was a permanent and ongoing duty.”

Leiter then cited Mark Twain’s famous reflections on the remarkable survival of the Jewish people through centuries in which far larger and more powerful civilizations disappeared.

“History has proven the light’s eternity. Mark Twain perhaps put it best: “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of.”

“He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers.”

“He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.”

“The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

At the time, with his son still on life support, Leiter concluded with a plea that the public continue its tefillos and expressed the hope that Neriyah would be able to celebrate Simchas Torah with his family one year from now.

“Please continue to pray for Neria’s recovery, perhaps next Simchat Torah he will be able to rejoice together with his darling wife and children.”

Wednesday’s news that Neriyah has now begun breathing independently offered the first major encouraging development since the attack, although he remains unconscious with severe head injuries.

The public is asked to continue davening for Neriyah Dov ben Chana for a complete refuah sheleimah.

{Matzav.com}

Three years after the October 7 massacre, the IDF has opened to journalists a sprawling Hamas tunnel complex near Kibbutz Nachal Oz that military officials say was used by terrorists involved in one of the deadliest battles of the attack and later served as part of the underground network into which Israeli hostages were taken. Pasted markdown

The tunnel, stretching approximately a mile and a half beneath Gaza, contains reinforced doors, living quarters, electricity, running water, air conditioning and other infrastructure that allowed Hamas terrorists to remain underground for extended periods. An IDF commander described the network as effectively “a city under a city.”

The newly exposed tunnel lies less than half a mile from Nachal Oz, one of the communities and military positions hit hardest when Hamas launched its massive invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

“It is hard to imagine, but it [the tunnel] is all connected and goes back to [Gaza City],” an IDF commander in the southern Gaza Strip told reporters.

From above ground, there was little to indicate what lay underneath. The entrance was concealed in an area that has since been largely leveled, with what appeared to be an ordinary screen door leading down into the underground system.

Once inside, however, reporters encountered an extensive Hamas installation built for prolonged use. A massive reinforced door had been installed near the entrance, designed to delay Israeli soldiers attempting to enter while giving terrorists time to escape through another route.

The underground compound included several rooms, sleeping quarters, a bathroom and sink, air-conditioning equipment and a functioning water system. Electrical wires ran along the narrow corridors, lights were installed along the walls, and pipes carried water through the complex.

“Many thousands [of Hamas terrorists] could live in the tunnels,” the commander said.

The revelation comes exactly three years after the October 7 attack, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed across southern Israel and 251 people were abducted into Gaza.

Nachal Oz was among the scenes of the most devastating fighting. Hamas terrorists attacked both the IDF base and the neighboring kibbutz, overwhelming Israeli defenses before murdering soldiers and civilians and abducting Israelis into Gaza.

A subsequent IDF investigation into the fall of the Nachal Oz military base described what happened there as a “systemic failure.” There were 162 soldiers stationed at the base that morning, including only about 90 who were armed, when waves of Hamas terrorists descended on the facility.

Military investigators later determined that Hamas had gathered extraordinarily detailed intelligence about the base before the attack. The terror group knew its layout, the location of barracks and bomb shelters, where commanders slept, the number of soldiers ordinarily stationed there, where surveillance cameras were positioned and how long it was expected to take Israeli reinforcements to arrive.

Hamas had even calculated that it could reach and penetrate the base within approximately 15 minutes of crossing the Gaza border. The terrorists took slightly longer than that to break in, but major Israeli reinforcements would not arrive for hours.

At approximately 6:30 a.m., surveillance soldiers began detecting Hamas squads moving toward the border carrying explosives. Terrorists subsequently blasted through sections of the border defenses and began pouring into Israel on foot, motorcycles and pickup trucks.

The Nachal Oz base was located only about 850 meters from the Gaza border. Despite that proximity and its critical surveillance role, investigators found serious weaknesses in its defenses. Guard positions were inadequately manned, troops were not prepared for an assault of such magnitude and Hamas rapidly overwhelmed the forces attempting to defend the installation.

Approximately 215 Hamas terrorists ultimately stormed the base in several waves. Fifty-three Israeli soldiers were killed there, including 16 female surveillance soldiers, and 10 soldiers were abducted into Gaza.

Seven of those abducted were female surveillance soldiers. Ori Megidish was subsequently rescued by Israeli forces. Noa Marciano was killed in captivity and her body recovered by the IDF. Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Agam Berger were eventually freed in hostage agreements.

Images of the captured surveillance soldiers became some of the most haunting footage from October 7. Several were seen bloodied and injured after being taken prisoner, surrounded by armed Hamas terrorists.

The IDF base’s extensive network of security cameras captured portions of the assault as Hamas fighters overwhelmed the facility. Terrorists attacked soldiers in shelters and eventually set fire to the command center after Israeli troops inside refused to surrender.

At the same time, Hamas terrorists invaded nearby Kibbutz Nachal Oz. Seven people were abducted from the kibbutz itself, while residents were murdered and homes were burned during the attack.

The tunnel now shown to reporters was part of the underground system used after the assault. According to the IDF commander who led journalists through it, 18 soldiers and civilians abducted from the Nachal Oz area were taken into the tunnel network. Israeli military officials believe some hostages may subsequently have been held inside portions of the complex during the Gaza war.

The scale and sophistication of the facility provide another glimpse into the underground infrastructure Hamas constructed beneath Gaza over many years. Rather than serving merely as passageways, portions of the network were built as functioning subterranean bases where terrorists could eat, sleep, communicate and remain hidden for extended periods.

An IDF commander who has been involved in operations against Hamas’s underground infrastructure estimated that Israeli forces have destroyed at least 32 miles of tunnels during operations under his command since the war began.

But the military believes hundreds of miles of Hamas tunnels remain beneath Gaza. The commander estimated that dismantling the remaining network — believed to total more than 300 miles — could “take years.”

The journalists were also taken to an IDF position inside Gaza overlooking Deir al-Balah. Israeli officials said the territory presently under IDF control represents nearly 70 percent of Gaza and that there are “no Palestinians inside the IDF-controlled territory.”

Despite the ceasefire that has prevented a return to the full-scale warfare seen earlier in the conflict, Israeli troops continue to face attacks from Hamas. Military officials said terrorists detonated a roadside bomb against an IDF engineering vehicle only days before the journalists toured the area.

Israeli officials also say Hamas is using the relative lull to replenish its ranks and rebuild its capabilities.

“Hamas is doing everything to rebuild,” an IDF official from a Gaza Strip military post said. “A Gaza boy at the age 15 [in 2023] is now recruitable.”

The tour also brought journalists to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, another Gaza-border community devastated on October 7. Sixty-four residents were killed there, including children, and numerous residents were abducted.

IDF spokeswoman Rona Epstein, who grew up in Kfar Aza, told reporters that her brother, Netta, was among those murdered. During the Hamas attack, Netta threw himself on a grenade to shield his partner, Irene Shavit. When IDF soldiers eventually reached the scene, they found Shavit alive beneath his body.

Kfar Aza was home to approximately 1,000 people before October 7 and had employed Gazans in an effort to foster peaceful relations between the communities. Three years later, only about 200 residents and volunteers are living there.

The newly exposed tunnel near Nahal Oz stands as another physical reminder of what was waiting just across the border before October 7: an extensive underground military infrastructure running beneath Gaza, close to Israeli communities that would become some of the principal targets of the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history.

{Matzav.com}

A special service is taking the concept of a mobile shul to an entirely different level, offering families and event organizers the ability to have virtually everything needed for a fully functioning minyan delivered directly to their location.

Known as “The Rolling Shul,” the service provides a complete portable shul setup for occasions where a regular shul may not be readily available, including family events, retreats, weekends away and other gatherings throughout the tristate area and beyond.

Rather than forcing organizers to piece together a temporary shul on their own, The Rolling Shul delivers and arranges the entire setup at the requested location.

Available equipment includes an aron kodesh, bimah and amud, along with custom bookcases already stocked with siddurim, chumashim and seforim. Sifrei Torah and talleisim can also be provided, allowing organizers to have the necessities of a functioning minyan prepared in advance.

The service even offers bris equipment, making it possible to create an appropriate setting for a bris milah at a location that does not ordinarily have the necessary furnishings.

The idea is simple: instead of finding a shul near the event, bring the shul to the event.

The Rolling Shul handles delivery, setup and arrangement, with its promotional message summing up the concept: “You plan the event, we bring the shul.”

The service is available throughout the tristate area and beyond, with full shul setups brought directly to the customer’s location.

For additional information, The Rolling Shul can be reached at 848-240-4321 or therollingshul@gmail.com.

President Donald Trump briefly confused Brazil with India in a late-night Truth Social post about Sunday’s Brazilian presidential election, incorrectly telling his followers that 125 million people had voted in “India’s Presidential Election” before deleting the message and reposting it with the correct country.

The mistake came as Trump sought to contrast Brazil’s rapid vote count with the lengthier process used in parts of the United States, arguing that American elections should be able to produce results much more quickly.

“125 Million People voted today in the first round of India’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY!” Trump wrote in the original post, which was published at approximately 11:32 p.m. ET Sunday.

There was one significant problem: India had held no presidential election. Brazil had gone to the polls Sunday for the first round of its presidential contest between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and other candidates.

Trump’s figure of 125 million voters was, however, remarkably close to Brazil’s actual turnout. Official figures from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court showed approximately 125.3 million voters participated in Sunday’s election.

The error was quickly corrected. Trump removed the original post and published essentially the same message again, this time correctly identifying Brazil as the country that had held the election.

“125 Million People voted today in the first round of Brazil’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY! In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!” Trump wrote in the corrected version.

Screenshots and archived versions of the initial post confirmed that Trump had originally written “India” before changing it to “Brazil.”

The distinction is particularly notable because India does not directly elect its president through a nationwide popular vote. India’s president is selected indirectly by an electoral college consisting of elected members of Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

Brazil, by contrast, held its first-round presidential election on October 4. With virtually all ballots counted, Flávio Bolsonaro finished first with 47.03 percent of valid votes, receiving approximately 56.1 million votes. Lula finished second with 45.16 percent, receiving approximately 53.9 million votes.

Because neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the valid vote, Bolsonaro and Lula will face each other in a runoff election on October 25.

Trump’s underlying argument focused on the striking speed with which Brazil tabulates its election results. Brazil uses a nationally standardized electronic voting system, allowing authorities to process results from across the country rapidly after polls close.

The United States operates under a substantially different system. Elections are administered primarily under state law, meaning procedures vary widely from state to state. Some jurisdictions also accept mail ballots that arrive after Election Day if they were properly postmarked, while election officials must verify signatures and complete other processing requirements before those ballots can be counted.

For that reason, the fact that some American jurisdictions continue counting ballots for days after Election Day does not by itself indicate fraud. Trump provided no evidence in the post to support his allegation that slower counting in Detroit, Philadelphia, California or elsewhere is the result of elections being “rigged.”

The president has long criticized extended ballot-counting periods and mail voting, repeatedly arguing that the United States should move toward elections in which voting and counting are completed far more rapidly.

His Brazil post was intended to reinforce that argument, pointing to a country with a population of more than 200 million that was able to report the overwhelming majority of its presidential vote within hours.

Instead, the original version of the post attracted attention for the Brazil-India mix-up. Several Indian news organizations quickly highlighted the mistake, noting both that India had held no election that day and that its president is not chosen through a direct national popular vote.

Trump did not publicly address the error when he corrected the message, and the White House did not immediately provide an explanation for how “India” appeared in the original post.

The corrected post remained focused on Trump’s broader criticism of American election administration, with the president declaring, “Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!”

{Matzav.com}

Concern is mounting in Teveria after Rav Dov Chizkiyahu HaKohen Kook was hospitalized again following a deterioration in his health, just weeks after he was able to return home ahead of Yom Kippur.

Rav Kook experienced a slight worsening of his condition, prompting doctors to transfer him to Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center for testing and close medical observation.

B’chasdei Shomayim, his condition stabilized and has since returned to its previous state. Rav Kook remains hospitalized under observation.

The latest development follows an extended and difficult medical period for Rav Kook. He was hospitalized for a lengthy period and subsequently underwent a complicated series of treatments and rehabilitation that continued for several months.

Shortly before Yom Kippur, Rav Kook was released to his home in Teveria, allowing him to spend the Yom Hakadosh together with his many talmidim and participate in the tefillos.

Because his medical condition still required close supervision, special arrangements were made for him inside the bais medrash. A designated area was prepared and enclosed with a curtain, allowing Rav Kook to remain together with the tzibbur while maintaining his privacy and preventing visitors from approaching him in a manner that could interfere with his much-needed rest.

Rav Kook’s family expressed its gratitude to the public for the concern and numerous tefillos offered on his behalf throughout his illness.

In light of his latest hospitalization, the family is asking the tzibbur to continue storming the heavens for a complete and speedy refuah sheleimah for Rav Chizkiyahu Dov HaKohen ben Shoshana, b’soch she’ar cholei Yisroel.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced a barrage of condemnation from Israeli, American and Jewish officials Wednesday after using his statement on the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre to accuse Israel of “genocide,” “apartheid” and “war crimes,” with critics charging that he had hijacked a day meant to remember Hamas’s victims in order to attack the Jewish state.

Among the harshest responses came from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who branded Mamdani’s message an “outrageous & disgusting rant” issued on a day that “ought to honor the over 1200 civilians butchered by Hamas including 46 Americans.”

Huckabee compared Mamdani’s approach to commemorating the September 11 attacks by simultaneously condemning America for its response to al-Qaeda.

“There is NO genocide in Gaza,” Huckabee stated, blaming the death toll on Hamas and its continued holding and abuse of hostages. He added that an apology for Mamdani’s “obtuse and utterly ignorant remarks” would not be enough, concluding: “God help the people of New York for electing a jihadist sympathizer!”

Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, also issued a blistering response, accusing Mamdani of displaying a shocking lack of sensitivity on the anniversary of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

“Anyone with a human heart should be ashamed today of the New York City Mayor’s response to the October 7th massacre,” Akunis stated.

“A day when human monsters invaded the State of Israel on a holiday, murdering, kidnapping, beheading hundreds, and raping hundreds of women.”

Akunis said Mamdani had chosen to continue making what he called antisemitic accusations against Israel rather than devote the anniversary to remembering those murdered and abducted by Hamas.

“Mamdani is displaying a complete lack of human sensitivity and continues to spread his antisemitic blood libels against the Jewish state,” he said.

“It is a disgrace to New York City that such a man stands at its helm, and that, on this day, he chooses to disparage the memory of the murdered victims.”

Akunis then renewed an invitation he had extended to Mamdani earlier this week to attend a screening in New York of the IDF’s approximately 47-minute compilation of raw footage from the October 7 atrocities. The film includes graphic material recorded by Hamas terrorists themselves during the massacre.

“It is not too late for him to attend the screening of the horror film we are hosting this evening, and to witness with his own eyes, for the first time, the kind of human monsters he supports,” Akunis stated.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon similarly accused the mayor of attempting to transform the anniversary from a day of remembrance into another vehicle for anti-Israel messaging.

“’Mamdani-ism’ – an attempt to hijack the anniversary of October 7 and turn it into yet another propaganda attack against Israel. It is like turning September 11 into a day of mourning for al-Qaeda terrorists. We will not let this happen. We will remember those who were murdered, and we will never forget who was behind this massacre.”

The Israeli-American Council also delivered an extensive condemnation, saying that whatever political debate Mamdani wished to have about the Gaza war, October 7 was first and foremost a day for the Jewish and Israeli communities to remember the victims of Hamas’s attack.

“For the Jewish and Israeli community, October 7 is, first and foremost, a day of mourning, remembrance, and trauma. On the third anniversary of Hamas’ mass murder, mass rape, mass torture, and mass hostage taking of over 1,200 Israelis, Mayor Mamdani chose, once again, to use the day to accuse Israel of “genocide.” That claim is demonstrably false. The IDF has taken extraordinary steps to minimize civilian casualties, far beyond what the law of armed conflict requires, while fighting an enemy that systematically hides beyond women and children and uses civilians as human shields.”

The organization said Mamdani’s remarks could not be dismissed as a single poorly chosen statement, arguing that his rhetoric about Israel has become a recurring feature of his public messaging and has consequences for Jewish New Yorkers.

“This is not a one-time lapse. Every year, on the anniversary of the day our community buries its dead, the mayor reaches for the same blood libel against the Jewish state. Rhetoric like this doesn’t stay online – it is exactly the kind of messaging that has fueled a documented rise in antisemitic incidents across New York City,” the IAC said. “The mayor’s job is to keep New Yorkers safe and ensure Jewish and Israeli residents can mourn without their grief being hijacked for a political attack. The mayor today has betrayed his duty and continued to fuel anti Jewish hatred.”

The backlash followed Mamdani’s official statement Wednesday morning marking three years since Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 others into Gaza.

Mamdani began by acknowledging the massacre and the continuing pain experienced by New Yorkers with relatives and friends affected by it.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7,” Mamdani wrote on X.

“On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss.”

But Mamdani then devoted most of his statement to Gaza, declaring that Palestinian suffering “did not begin nor end that day” and accusing Israel of conducting an “ongoing genocide.”

He claimed that more than 74,000 Palestinians, including more than 21,000 children, had been killed by Israel, and said more than 1,400 Palestinians had died since what he called the “so-called ceasefire.” Those figures are based on casualty counts from authorities in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel has repeatedly disputed Hamas’s presentation of the casualty figures and categorically rejects the charge that it is committing genocide.

Mamdani also accused Israel of bombing ambulances outside hospitals, targeting residential buildings and journalists with drone strikes, and preventing shipments of food from crossing into Gaza. He said American taxpayers were financing Israeli “war crimes.”

He concluded by calling for an end to what he characterized as Israeli “occupation and apartheid” and accusing the federal government of complicity through continued weapons shipments to Israel.

The controversy came only days after Mamdani’s administration unveiled a $7.4 million citywide initiative aimed at combating antisemitism, including increased security measures, educational programs and training for city employees. The mayor has maintained that his fierce criticism of Israel should be distinguished from hostility toward Jews.

The timing of Wednesday’s remarks nevertheless intensified criticism from Jewish and Israeli leaders, particularly as memorial ceremonies were being held in New York, Israel and around the world for those murdered and abducted three years ago.

Mamdani’s October 7 rhetoric has been controversial before. On the second anniversary of the massacre in 2025, before becoming mayor, he similarly mourned those killed by Hamas before accusing Israel of waging what he called a “genocidal war” in Gaza, drawing a condemnation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ignited a new firestorm Wednesday after using his official statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre to accuse Israel of carrying out an “ongoing genocide” in Gaza, practicing “apartheid” and committing “war crimes” with American support.

While Mamdani began his statement by acknowledging the Israelis murdered and kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack, the bulk of his message focused on condemning Israel and the United States, prompting fierce criticism from Israeli officials and Jewish leaders who accused the mayor of turning the anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust into a platform for his longstanding attacks on the Jewish state.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” Mamdani said.

He then pivoted immediately to Gaza.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them—all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes.”

The casualty figures cited by Mamdani are based on figures from authorities in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel has disputed Hamas’s accounting of casualties throughout the war and strongly rejects allegations that its campaign constitutes genocide, saying its military operations target Hamas and other terrorist organizations while seeking to minimize civilian casualties. Israel also disputes accusations that it systematically blocks humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.

Mamdani went on to condemn Israel’s presence in Palestinian territories and Washington’s continued military assistance to the Jewish state.

“Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment,” said Mamdani.

“To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.”

The statement came exactly three years after Hamas-led terrorists stormed across Israel’s border on October 7, 2023, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages into Gaza. Entire communities along the Gaza border were devastated, hundreds of young people were murdered at the Nova music festival, and families were slaughtered or abducted from their homes.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon blasted Mamdani for using the anniversary to shift attention from the victims of the Hamas massacre to accusations against Israel.

“What he is trying to do is hijack the only day we have for the victims and survivors. He’s trying to hijack the day to talk about attacking Israel,” Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told The Post.

Danon compared Mamdani’s approach to using the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks to focus simultaneously on the terrorists responsible for them.

“It’s like on 9/11 you talked about victims and al-Qaeda terrorists. It’s basically taking the only day we have for victims and trying to attack Israel with propaganda. He’s dangerous and sophisticated. He will go to both ceremonies and try to say he feels for both losses of life.”

Menashe Shapiro, who served as an adviser to Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, issued an even more blistering condemnation, calling the mayor’s statement “incitement and electronic violence against New York’s Jews.”

“He doesn’t get to hide behind Hamas’ made-up stats to justify his open Jew-hatred.”

The controversy comes amid already strained relations between Mamdani and significant portions of New York’s Jewish community over his rhetoric concerning Israel. Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide and has sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government.

Those tensions have persisted even as Mamdani has sought to reassure Jewish New Yorkers that his administration is committed to combating antisemitism. Just days before the October 7 anniversary, City Hall unveiled a new citywide strategy to fight antisemitism, including enhanced security around Jewish institutions, educational initiatives and efforts to address anti-Jewish hate crimes.

A new survey released Wednesday underscored the depth of the divide. The poll of 503 Jewish voters across New York City found that 65% disapproved of Mamdani’s handling of antisemitism, including 47% who strongly disapproved, while 34% approved.

The survey also found substantial opposition among Jewish respondents to Mamdani holding or attending an official city commemoration of October 7, reflecting the distrust that has developed between the mayor and portions of the community.

The issue has taken on particular urgency in New York, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said this week that antisemitic incidents continue to constitute more than half of all reported hate crimes in the city, even though Jews represent only a fraction of New York’s population.

Mamdani has faced criticism from Jewish leaders before over the effect they say his language about Israel can have on Jewish New Yorkers. During an August meeting with a group of rabbis and Jewish leaders, participants directly confronted the mayor over those concerns.

{Matzav.com}

Israel is moving to tighten security screening for foreign airline crews following the attempted attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, with crew members from countries designated as high-risk to undergo security vetting 48 hours before departing for Israel.

The new procedures were discussed Tuesday during a classified session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Intelligence Subcommittee, amid growing questions over how foreign flight crews are screened before being permitted to enter Israeli airspace and land in the country.

The meeting followed several days of finger-pointing among Israeli government and security agencies over responsibility for screening the crew of the Flydubai flight.

According to the plan discussed at the session, the National Security Council will work with the Mossad and Shin Bet to formulate a list of countries that will be classified as presenting a heightened security threat.

Once that list is established, the identities and personal details of flight crew members from those countries will have to be provided to Israel 48 hours before a scheduled flight, allowing Israeli security agencies to conduct background checks and grant approval before departure.

A second change will involve passengers and crew members traveling on passports issued by countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

At the request of the Transportation Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority will be required to provide the ministry’s security division with lists identifying passengers and crew members holding passports from such countries.

The closed-door discussion also sought to establish more clearly which Israeli government agency bears responsibility for each stage of the screening process.

According to information presented during the meeting, responsibility for checking the passports of passengers and flight crew members rests with the Population and Immigration Authority, working through the National Security Council. Relevant information is then supposed to be transferred to the agencies responsible for carrying out the necessary security assessments.

The changes follow revelations of significant gaps in Israel’s existing system for vetting foreign flight crews.

According to previous reports, Israeli authorities received the crew list for Flydubai Flight FZ1073 in advance and raised no objection to any of the individuals aboard. The flight’s Omani co-pilot was subsequently accused of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack during the Israel-bound flight.

The incident raised questions over whether the existing system adequately evaluates the backgrounds and nationalities of foreign crew members before they are permitted to operate flights to Israel.

Tuesday’s classified meeting was therefore aimed at creating a clearer division of responsibility among the National Security Council, Shin Bet, Mossad, Population and Immigration Authority and Transportation Ministry, while ensuring that potentially significant information reaches the appropriate security agency before an aircraft departs for Israel.

Under the proposed framework, Israeli authorities would have a 48-hour window to examine flight personnel from countries considered particularly sensitive, rather than confronting potential security concerns only after a flight is already underway or approaching Israeli airspace.

{Matzav.com}

Six people aboard a medical transport jet traveling from Bermuda to Boston are presumed dead after the aircraft reported electrical problems, plunged thousands of feet and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean south of Nantucket, with the U.S. Coast Guard later locating wreckage from the plane.

The Gulfstream G100, operated by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance and flying as Heartbeat 104, was carrying a Bermudian patient and her son, along with two Canadian pilots and two Canadian medical crew members, when it went down early Saturday, Oct. 3.

What began as an enormous search-and-rescue operation ended after approximately 66 hours, with the Coast Guard suspending its active search after covering thousands of square miles of ocean. No survivors were located.

The six people aboard have since been identified as 66-year-old Marilyn Lavonne Bean of Bermuda, who was being transported to Boston for medical treatment; her 41-year-old son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore; Captain Philip Gregory Childerhose; First Officer Thomas Henry Farquhar; flight nurse Sarah Jane Paton; and respiratory therapist Jolene Beth Weir.

The Canadian-registered aircraft, tail number C-GRJP, departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport shortly after midnight and was heading to Boston Logan International Airport when the crew encountered trouble while approaching the northeastern United States.

The plane was scheduled to arrive in Boston at approximately 1:25 a.m., but air traffic controllers began having difficulty communicating with the crew as the aircraft flew north over the Atlantic.

Chilling air traffic control recordings captured a controller struggling to understand transmissions from the jet as its apparent emergency developed.

“You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” the air traffic controller asked around 12:46 a.m. “Are you declaring an emergency or no?

“You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was,” the controller added.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has since confirmed that the crew reported electrical difficulties as the aircraft approached the Boston area. The jet subsequently entered a rapid descent before air traffic controllers lost contact with it south of Nantucket.

Flight-tracking information showed the aircraft falling from approximately 24,000 feet to around 11,000 feet in roughly three minutes beginning at about 1:04 a.m. The jet appeared to stabilize following the dramatic descent, but communications problems continued.

At Boston Logan, emergency personnel were already preparing for the aircraft’s arrival. At approximately 1:12 a.m., a Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher alerted crews that a plane experiencing an “electrical issue” was expected to land in Boston in about 15 minutes.

“The aircraft has lost radio and radar,” the dispatcher said of the plane.

Those preparations would prove futile. The jet never reached Boston, and an official search-and-rescue alert was triggered at approximately 1:20 a.m.

“The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft,” the agency said as the search began.

The Coast Guard deployed an extensive array of resources into the waters south of Nantucket, including an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point and the Coast Guard cutter William Sparling.

The William Sparling continued searching through the night as aircraft and vessels combed the ocean for any indication of the missing plane or its six occupants.

Crews eventually spotted a debris field in the Atlantic south of Nantucket. The Coast Guard subsequently confirmed that the wreckage was associated with the missing Gulfstream, extinguishing hopes that the aircraft might somehow have remained airborne or made an emergency landing elsewhere.

During the first 27 hours alone, Coast Guard crews searched approximately 1,644 square miles. The massive effort ultimately continued for about 66 hours and covered thousands of square miles before officials concluded that the chances of finding survivors no longer justified continuing the active search.

Latitude Air Ambulance subsequently said that the six people aboard Heartbeat 104 were presumed dead. The company described the loss as a devastating event and said it would cooperate with investigators while supporting the families of those aboard.

The flight was a medical mission carrying Bean from Bermuda to Boston for treatment. Her son Lottimore, a Bermuda-based reinsurance executive and former Warwick Academy student, accompanied her on the flight.

The four Canadian crew members were experienced aviation and medical professionals tasked with carrying patients requiring specialized care between countries. Latitude Air Ambulance is based in Hamilton, Ontario, and specializes in long-distance medical transportation.

Attention has now shifted from rescue operations to determining exactly what caused the aircraft to go down.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board announced that it will lead the investigation because the Gulfstream was registered in Canada. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will participate as an accredited representative, and Canadian investigators are expected to assist with efforts to locate and recover the aircraft and other evidence.

The investigation will focus in part on the electrical difficulties reported by the crew, the deterioration in radio communications and the jet’s sudden loss of altitude. Investigators will also examine weather conditions along the aircraft’s route.

No official determination has been made about what caused the crash, and investigators have cautioned against drawing conclusions before the wreckage, flight data and other evidence can be examined.

Former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo said the combination of the aircraft’s steep descent, poor weather and possible instrument problems would be particularly dangerous for a pilot.

“Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm. It’s a terrible place to have a loss of your instruments and be flying blind,” said Schiavo.

“It’s very easy to get disoriented and not know if you’re turning, climbing, descending, etc. Spatial orientation hits pretty quickly.”

The aircraft was manufactured in 1996 and had been registered to Latitude Air Ambulance since 2018. The Gulfstream G100 is a twin-engine business jet that can be configured for long-range medical transportation.

Because the accident occurred in international waters off the Massachusetts coast, the investigation involves authorities from multiple countries. Under international aviation agreements, however, Canada, as the aircraft’s country of registration, will take the lead, with U.S. investigators assisting.

Investigators are expected to seek the recovery of as much wreckage as possible as they attempt to reconstruct the aircraft’s final minutes and determine why a medical flight bound for Boston suddenly lost communications, descended sharply and disappeared into the Atlantic.

{Matzav.com}

An uplifting moment during the Hakafos Shniyos celebration at Yeshivas Mishkenos HaTorah in Bnei Brak became a powerful lesson about success in Torah learning, as the mashgiach, Rav Moshe Dovid Lefkowitz, shared a remarkable story involving his mother and the Chazon Ish.

The central Hakafos Shniyos celebration at the yeshiva, located on Ben Yaakov Street in Bnei Brak, continued late into the night, led by the rosh yeshiva, Rav Ephraim Cohen, together with the rabbeim and hundreds of bochurim, avreichim and alumni who filled the bais medrash.

As he does each year, Rav Moshe Dovid Lefkowitz arrived close to midnight to participate alongside the rosh yeshiva. At the height of the celebration, the mashgiach led the crowd in singing, “Blessed is our G-d Who created us for His glory,” pausing between portions of the song to reflect on and explain the meaning of the words.

When the singing reached the words, “He will open our hearts through His Torah,” Rav Lefkowitz stopped to emphasize what he described as a fundamental point about achieving success in Torah learning: it does not depend primarily upon a person’s natural intellectual abilities.

“Now we are going to begin to daven and ask,” Rav Lefkowitz said. “But we do not ask, ‘He should open our talents.’ Rather, we ask, ‘He should open our hearts.’ What does ‘He will open our hearts through His Torah’ mean? We see that Torah does not depend on talent! It depends on desire… on someone who has a deep desire…”

To illustrate the point, Rav Lefkowitz related an incident involving his mother, Rebbetzin Chava Esther Lefkowitz, the wife of his father, Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz.

“I heard that my mother went to the Chazon Ish, of blessed memory, and asked him for a blessing ‘that the children should want to learn and should know how to learn.’ The Chazon Ish then sent back the message that he was amazed by these women who know how to ask… because the essence is the ‘desire.’ And what is desire? It is the heart.”

Rav Lefkowitz then resumed the singing together with the bnei hayeshiva, repeatedly singing the words, “He will open our hearts through His Torah… He will open our hearts through His Torah,” as the spirited singing and hisorerus continued late into the night.

{Matzav.com}

California is moving closer to effectively banning the fabrication of many popular engineered-quartz countertops, as state regulators confront a rapidly worsening epidemic of silicosis that has sickened nearly 600 countertop workers, led to dozens of deaths and forced scores of patients to undergo lung transplants.

The proposed regulation would prohibit workers in California from fabricating or manufacturing engineered-stone countertops and similar products containing more than 1 percent crystalline silica. That would encompass most traditional engineered quartz, which can contain more than 90 percent crystalline silica.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously in May to begin the process of establishing the prohibition, directing Cal/OSHA to pursue emergency rulemaking. Cal/OSHA has since moved the proposal forward, releasing a draft standard in September and soliciting public comments as regulators work toward a final rule.

The danger is not primarily to homeowners who have quartz countertops installed in their kitchens. Rather, the crisis involves workers who manufacture and fabricate the slabs, particularly those who cut, grind, drill and polish engineered stone. Those activities can release extremely fine particles of crystalline silica into the air, which workers can inhale deep into their lungs.

Repeated exposure can cause silicosis, a progressive and incurable disease in which scar tissue develops in the lungs, eventually making it increasingly difficult for patients to breathe. Severe cases can require lung transplantation and can be fatal.

The scale of California’s outbreak has risen dramatically. Researchers reported in August that California health officials had identified 592 cases of engineered-stone silicosis between January 2019 and June 2026. Of those workers, 65 had undergone lung transplants and 31 had died. Researchers cautioned that the actual number of cases is almost certainly higher because many workers have never been screened or have been misdiagnosed.

The disease has struck workers at unusually young ages. California officials have said that approximately 98 percent of workers diagnosed with industry-related silicosis in the state are Latino men and that the average age of workers who died was under 50.

Engineered stone has become enormously popular because it can offer the appearance of natural stone while being durable, consistent and available in a wide variety of designs. Unlike slabs of natural granite or marble, engineered quartz is generally produced by crushing quartz and combining it with resins and pigments.

That manufacturing process is at the heart of the health concern. Traditional engineered stone can contain extraordinarily high concentrations of crystalline silica, meaning that cutting and grinding it can generate large amounts of dangerous silica dust.

California has already tried imposing stricter workplace rules rather than eliminating the material. An emergency silica standard was adopted in late 2023, followed by permanent requirements in 2025 governing such practices as cutting, grinding, polishing, cleanup, respiratory protection and exposure monitoring.

But state officials concluded that those measures have not been enough. Cal/OSHA and Standards Board staff found that workers fabricating and installing artificial stone continued to face significant exposure risks and that the silicosis crisis was worsening despite existing protections.

California health officials have also warned that even commonly required safeguards, including wet-cutting methods designed to suppress dust, may not always reduce silica exposure sufficiently to prevent disease. The sophisticated equipment and controls needed to maintain extremely low exposure levels can also be difficult and expensive for smaller fabrication shops to implement consistently.

The proposed rule therefore represents a fundamental change in strategy: instead of attempting only to control the dust generated by high-silica engineered stone, California would largely remove the hazardous material itself from fabrication workplaces.

Importantly, the proposal is not a blanket prohibition on every product marketed as quartz or engineered stone. The key threshold is crystalline silica content. Under the draft approach, engineered-stone products containing more than 1 percent crystalline silica would be prohibited from fabrication, pushing manufacturers and contractors toward low- or no-crystalline-silica alternatives.

Manufacturers have already begun developing substitute products using materials such as amorphous silica, which carries a substantially lower silicosis risk than crystalline silica.

California would not be the first jurisdiction to take drastic action. Australia banned the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone beginning in 2024 after its own surge in silicosis among countertop workers. California officials and researchers have repeatedly pointed to the Australian response while considering how to address the growing number of cases in the state.

The California epidemic was barely recognized several years ago. The state identified its first known countertop-fabrication silicosis case in 2019. That worker was diagnosed at just 32 years old and died of respiratory failure at 38. Investigators subsequently discovered additional cases among workers at the same company, helping reveal what has since become a statewide occupational-health crisis.

By November 2025, California had confirmed 432 cases, including at least 25 deaths and 48 lung transplants. By June 2026, those figures had climbed to 592 cases, 31 deaths and 65 transplants — illustrating how rapidly additional victims are being identified.

Enforcement has also intensified. Through its silica enforcement initiative, Cal/OSHA has issued more than 900 citations carrying approximately $1.9 million in proposed penalties and conducted hundreds of workplace consultations reaching more than 27,000 employees.

The proposed ban would directly affect California’s countertop-fabrication industry and could have broader implications for manufacturers, contractors, kitchen remodelers and consumers. High-silica engineered quartz has become one of the most widely used countertop materials in American homes, and California’s enormous construction and remodeling market means a prohibition could accelerate the industry’s shift toward alternative products nationwide.

For now, however, quartz countertops have not simply been “banned” in California. The state is still in the rulemaking process. The Standards Board authorized Cal/OSHA to pursue an emergency prohibition, and regulators released a draft in September targeting fabrication and manufacture of artificial stone containing more than 1 percent crystalline silica.

If the rule takes effect substantially as proposed, California would become the first U.S. state to impose such a sweeping restriction on high-silica engineered stone, transforming a product found in countless kitchens into the target of one of the nation’s most significant occupational-health crackdowns in years.

{Matzav.com}

A senior IDF official has acknowledged that young Military Police soldiers are effectively incapable of carrying out arrests of chareidi yeshiva bochurim when confronted by hundreds of protesters, following the dramatic collapse of an attempted arrest in Modi’in that ended with the bochur being released.

“We are dealing with enormous protest operations. Young soldiers in the Military Police have absolutely no chance against an event like this,” the senior military official said. “We need much more significant police assistance, with much larger forces.”

The admission followed the chaotic events in Modi’in, where Military Police arrived to arrest Yairi Lieberman, a student at Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim who is approximately 20 days away from his wedding.

When Military Police arrived at the building, the “Black Color” alert system was activated, rapidly bringing hundreds of protesters to the scene. Demonstrators arrived from Modi’in as well as Modi’in Illit, Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh, eventually making their way all the way to the apartment on the 11th floor.

“Suddenly, at around midnight, I heard knocking at the door, and they told me, ‘Go in, go into the room — it’s the Military Police,’” Lieberman recalled. “While they gave me time to get ready, I managed to call ‘Black Color.’”

Within a short period, hundreds of people had converged on the building. The Military Police ultimately departed without taking Lieberman into custody.

The episode has now triggered a bitter dispute between Israel Police and the IDF, with each side presenting a sharply different account of how the arrest unraveled — and, in particular, who made the decision to release Lieberman.

An internal Israel Police review placed responsibility squarely on the Military Police, saying that a small military force had operated in direct violation of established procedures.

According to the police account, the Military Police arrived to arrest the draft evader but, instead of immediately removing him from the location once the arrest had been carried out, allowed him an extended and unreasonable amount of time to prepare to leave.

That delay gave protesters time to surround the building in large numbers, eventually leaving the military force itself in serious difficulty. Israel Police said its officers were then summoned on an emergency basis to rescue the Military Police personnel and restore order.

Police also emphatically rejected any suggestion that their officers had ordered Lieberman’s release.

“The decision to release the draft evader and provide him with an order to regulate his status was made by IDF officials and not by Israel Police,” police said.

The IDF, however, presented the opposite version of events, maintaining that the decision to release Lieberman was effectively made by Israel Police.

The failed arrest comes amid mounting pressure from the attorney general for authorities to significantly increase enforcement against chareidi draft evaders.

During a discussion on the issue Tuesday, it was revealed that 64 draft evaders had managed to leave Israel without being apprehended and were arrested only when they subsequently returned to the country.

A document presented during the proceedings stated that proactive enforcement operations have effectively been absent for some time and called for action by the Military Police and military prosecutors. IDF officials said proactive enforcement will resume during October, with operations coordinated between the Military Police and local Israel Police stations.

A senior official in one of the chareidi parties said the developing situation had vindicated the position taken for years by the Peleg Yerushalmi regarding the draft issue.

“The situation we find ourselves in now, and throughout the recent period, in which there is no draft law and there are efforts by the legal authorities to push the IDF and police to resume the arrests, which will clearly lead to riots and demonstrations, proves to us first and foremost that the ‘Peleg Yerushalmi’ was right throughout the years in all of its arguments regarding the draft issue.”

The Modi’in confrontation follows several other recent cases in which attempts to arrest yeshiva bochurim were disrupted by rapidly mobilized protesters.

On the night of Hoshana Rabbah, authorities attempted to arrest a yeshiva bochur at the Paz-Hayarkon gas station on Namir Road in Tel Aviv and transfer him to the Military Police.

Within minutes, hundreds of yeshiva bochurim arrived at the scene and succeeded in removing him from the area. The protesters subsequently blocked Namir Road, with hundreds dancing and singing in the roadway.

At the same time, two other bnei yeshivos were arrested in Eilat and transferred to the Military Police.

Yakir Ralbag, formerly a student at Yeshivas Chevron-Knesses Yisrael and currently learning at Rav Sosovsky’s yeshiva in Beit Meir, was arrested in Eilat and immediately handed over to the Military Police.

His arrest followed that of a Yerushalmi kollel yungerman who had reportedly been listed as absent from military service for more than 450 days. The avreich, who married only about three months ago, was apprehended while on a family vacation in Eilat.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”

It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.) 

Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.

Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!

Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!

YES! YOU CAN MAKE
your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE
Shas, Rashi & Tosfos
IN JUST ONE YEAR!

The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha

The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly:  It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact. 

All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.

Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year

The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own. 

Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden. 

Official Shtar from Shas Yiden

Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.

All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.

The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!

Yissachar-Zevulun Pact – Beyond the Grave

The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon. 

Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).

One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”

In the words of Gedolei Torah:

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:

“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).

“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.

“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”

Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:

“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”

Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:

 “Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”

Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:

“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”

Maran Hagaon Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:

“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory. 

ShasYiden.com

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has issued an unequivocal commitment that his party will neither join nor enable the formation of any future government unless legislation regulating the draft status of yeshiva bochurim is passed first.

Deri said the position was adopted on the instructions of Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah and former Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef, making passage of the legislation a prerequisite to any coalition negotiations following the election.

“As we have said, in the sense of ‘know what to answer’ — there is also a clear answer,” Deri said. “The Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah instructed us, and we announced it explicitly. Maran the Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef also announced at the opening conference of Shas’s election campaign: Shas will not enter a government and will not allow a government to be formed without first passing the law regulating the status of those who learn Torah.”

Deri’s declaration means that, according to the party’s stated position, Shas will demand that the draft issue be resolved legislatively before discussing cabinet positions, budgets or other elements of a coalition agreement.

Shas officials said there would be no flexibility on the sequence of events.

“Deri left no room for maneuver,” party officials said. “We have made it clear to all potential partners — anyone who wants Shas in the government will have to understand that the issue at the heart of the chareidi community is not something to be bargained over. First they will pass the law and regulate the status of the yeshiva students, and only afterward will we talk about positions and budgets.”

The pledge comes as the confrontation over the draft has intensified, with the absence of legislation regulating the status of bnei yeshivos leaving thousands exposed to enforcement action for failing to report for military service.

The tensions erupted again earlier this week in Modi’in, where an attempt to arrest a yeshiva bochur led to a large protest and ultimately ended with his release. Police subsequently conducted a review of the incident that placed responsibility for what occurred on the Military Police.

At the same time, the attorney general has been pressing for the urgent resumption of arrests of draft evaders, while the IDF has announced that proactive enforcement operations will resume during October.

Two additional bnei yeshivos were arrested in Eilat in recent days — a student at Yeshivas Chevron and a married Yerushalmi kollel yungerman who wed approximately three months ago.

{Matzav.com}

Elkana Federman, who served as the security chief of the Nova music festival and was wounded while fighting terrorists during the Oct. 7 massacre, has filed a 2.5 million shekel lawsuit against former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, accusing him of negligence in the hours before the Hamas invasion and alleging that intelligence in Bar’s possession could have led authorities to evacuate the festival hours before the attack.

The damages lawsuit, filed in Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court, alleges that Bar failed to fully relay intelligence to officials who could have taken action before the Hamas assault began.

According to the lawsuit, the Shin Bet received several unusual indications during the night before the massacre. Among them was the activation of dozens or possibly hundreds of Israeli SIM cards that had allegedly been prepared for use by Hamas terrorists, unusual movements involving senior Hamas figures, and changes in the terror organization’s communications patterns.

The suit further alleges that a human intelligence source reported Hamas operatives gathering at mosques and other meeting points, and that this information ultimately reached Bar.

Federman claims that this particular piece of intelligence was not presented during a situation assessment held at Southern Command at approximately 3 a.m. The lawsuit describes the information as a potential “game changer” that could have caused officials to interpret the other warning signs very differently.

Federman also points to Bar’s decision to dispatch the Shin Bet’s elite Tequila unit to southern Israel during the night, arguing that the move itself demonstrates that the Shin Bet chief was preparing for the possibility of terrorists infiltrating Israeli territory.

According to the lawsuit, Bar “did not provide a complete report to Southern Command,” and Federman argues that had the full intelligence picture been conveyed, the IDF would have prepared differently and the Nova festival would have received different treatment from security officials.

The lawsuit further alleges that Bar should have directly warned the police responsible for securing the festival about the possibility of an infiltration or kidnapping attempt, but that “through his negligence, he did not lift a finger to protect the festival participants, including the plaintiff.”

The filing also recounts Federman’s actions as the Hamas attack unfolded on the morning of Oct. 7.

When the rocket barrage began, Federman and the security personnel under his command began helping thousands of festivalgoers evacuate the site. According to the lawsuit, the security team operated according to the principle that “we do not leave the event until the last participant has left.”

When Hamas terrorists reached the area near the festival exit and began shooting fleeing participants, Federman and several other security personnel drove ATVs toward the gunfire and began bringing wounded victims back toward the festival grounds.

At one point, a damaged tank arrived carrying two soldiers, including Ofir Testa, who was critically wounded and later died. According to the lawsuit, after Testa climbed out of the tank, Federman asked him for his weapon and then joined police officer Andrey Pushibay, who was later killed, in fighting the terrorists.

Federman continued firing at the attackers until his magazine was empty. After Pushibay was shot and killed, Federman took the officer’s handgun, which had six bullets remaining, and continued advancing toward the terrorists.

It was during that confrontation that Federman was shot.

Despite being wounded and still under fire, Federman managed to run several hundred meters toward the Gerar Stream area, where he concealed himself inside a bush for hours.

The lawsuit describes him lying there with “one hand pointing the handgun in his possession upward in case the murderers reached him, and the other hand on the wound trying to stop the bleeding.”

Federman was eventually discovered by other people who had escaped the festival together with soldiers. He was evacuated to Soroka Medical Center and later transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he underwent two surgeries.

At the heart of Federman’s lawsuit is his contention that none of this would have happened to him had the intelligence warnings been properly communicated before the attack.

He argues that with an appropriate warning, “the party would have been stopped and the compound would have been evacuated hours before the rocket fire and the infiltration began,” thereby preventing him from being wounded.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump says the troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is finally nearing completion, predicting that the iconic Washington landmark will be refilled with water this week following months of repairs, repeated drainage and controversy over what caused its new lining to fail.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump said work on the pool itself was essentially finished and that crews had also replaced aging pipes as part of the project.

“I think they’re going to fill it up this week,” Trump said.

“The Reflecting Pool is totally complete, and we changed the old pipes we wanted to get open for July 4,” he said, later adding that “I think it’s almost complete, from what I understand.”

Trump also said restoration work was nearly finished on the grounds between the Reflecting Pool and the National World War II Memorial, where new grass had previously been installed as part of his broader effort to renovate and beautify Washington’s monumental core.

That lawn was damaged in June when enormous numbers reading “86 47” appeared in the grass. The numbers were widely interpreted as an anti-Trump message — “47” referring to Trump as the 47th president — while the White House argued that “86 47” amounted to a threat of political violence against him.

Trump referred to that episode Tuesday while discussing the restoration work.

The new grass, he said, had been “destroyed with the letters, the famous letters.”

“And that’s been just about completed,” Trump added.

The president also continued to attribute at least some of the problems at the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, despite court filings and evidence that have raised serious questions about whether the most significant damage was instead caused by faulty installation during the rushed renovation.

“Well, we had vandalism there and we have it about as vandal-proof as you can get. But only sick people do that, and we have their pictures.”

The Reflecting Pool has become an unexpectedly contentious issue in Washington since Trump ordered a major renovation of the landmark earlier this year ahead of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary.

The more than 2,000-foot-long pool, which stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial, underwent an extensive makeover that included coating its bottom in a dark shade Trump called “American flag blue.” The work was performed under no-bid contracting arrangements that later became a focus of scrutiny.

The project was intended to dramatically improve the appearance of a landmark that had long suffered from algae, leaks and maintenance problems. The pool had previously undergone a major reconstruction costing approximately $34 million between 2010 and 2012.

But trouble emerged almost immediately after the newly renovated pool was filled. Algae proliferated in the water, turning portions of the pool green, while pieces of the newly installed coating began separating from the bottom and floating to the surface.

Trump and Interior Department officials initially blamed vandals for deliberately damaging the pool. The president said people had cut or pulled up sections of the new surface, and several individuals were investigated or arrested.

Trump continued making that allegation as recently as late August, when he predicted that the landmark would soon reopen.

The pool would “be opening in a few weeks. Will be a beauty. NO VANDALS PLEASE.”

At other points, however, Trump acknowledged that construction problems contributed to the damage. Earlier in August, he referred to “some contractor error” and described the resulting damage as “relatively inconsequential.”

The government’s own criminal case against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn ultimately produced evidence sharply undermining the original vandalism explanation.

Hearn, who represented the United States in canoe slalom at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was arrested after being accused of pulling at a detached section of the Reflecting Pool liner. He was subsequently indicted on a felony charge of destruction of government property, exposing him to the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.

But documents obtained after the indictment showed that problems with the pool’s surface existed before Hearn’s encounter with it. Investigators ultimately found widespread defects, including damage in areas of the pool where prosecutors concluded a vandal would have been unlikely to reach or attempt to peel away the lining.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office eventually moved to dismiss the case after receiving additional information from the Interior Department showing that the damage resulted from problems with the installation and the rush to finish the project before the July 4 celebrations.

In the government’s own filing, prosecutors said the damage was caused by the contractor’s “botched” installation “and not vandalism as initially represented” by the Interior Department.

Pirro’s filing also stated that the Interior Department had provided “less than fulsome information at the outset of the case.”

“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” Pirro wrote.

The filing further said that had “DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment.”

The reversal was particularly notable because Pirro had previously described the prosecution as supported by “tremendous evidence.”

Last week, D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman went further, permanently dismissing the case with prejudice. The ruling prevents prosecutors from bringing the same charge against Hearn again.

“The Court respects the authority of the Office of the United States Attorney to decide which cases to prosecute and which to dismiss,” Edelman wrote. “However, in the exceptional circumstances posed by this case, the government has no right to retain the ability to compound the errors it has already made, or even to threaten to do so, at Mr. Hearn’s expense.”

The controversy is continuing even as repairs to the pool near completion. Hearn’s attorneys on Tuesday called on the inspectors general of both the Justice and Interior departments to investigate the renovation and the criminal case brought against him.

His lawyers contend that government officials rushed a defective renovation, failed to disclose evidence showing that the pool was already deteriorating, wrongly portrayed Hearn as a vandal and pursued a criminal prosecution despite evidence pointing toward construction problems.

They are asking for separate investigations into both the Interior Department’s management of the renovation and the Justice Department’s handling of Hearn’s prosecution.

The Interior Department has continued to maintain that Hearn interfered with the pool’s lining, while his attorneys dispute the government’s characterization of what he did.

The controversy surrounding Hearn is separate from the “86 47” markings cut into the nearby National Mall lawn. Those markings were real and were documented in photographs in June, although authorities did not initially identify who created them or precisely how they were made.

Trump has repeatedly linked both episodes to what he describes as vandalism targeting his effort to restore Washington’s monuments and public spaces. The evidence that emerged in Hearn’s case, however, indicates that the widespread failure of the Reflecting Pool’s new surface cannot be attributed to vandalism.

{Matzav.com}