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Otzma Yehudit set off intense debate on Tuesday after sharing the outline of its proposed death penalty legislation for terrorists in the National Security Committee’s WhatsApp group. The circulated draft lays out the party’s vision in stark, uncompromising terms.

The document explains that the penalty would be applied solely in cases where a Jew is murdered because they are Jewish. It mandates that a simple majority be sufficient to impose the sentence, that no appeal be permitted, and that lethal injection be the method of execution. The responsibility for carrying out the penalty would fall to the Prison Service, and the execution would have to occur within 90 days.

Interestingly, the plan has not only gained traction among coalition partners but has also found backing from Yisrael Beiteinu, broadening its political reach.

According to the draft, the measure is framed as a deterrent “that looks to the future based on past (negative) experience,” insisting that such a law must be practical and fully enforceable, not merely a declarative statement.

As written, anyone who murders a Jew for being Jewish — whether by orchestrating, attempting, or committing the act — would automatically be sentenced to death. The legislation would remove judicial discretion entirely, prohibit appeals regarding the nature of the punishment, and bar plea agreements or pardons, consistent with existing legal limitations. To eliminate procedural delays, the proposal requires that executions take place within 90 days of a verdict becoming final. Lethal injection would be codified as the official method, with statutory adjustments to accommodate it.

Nonetheless, legal analysts warn that the bill, if advanced in its current structure, would likely encounter serious constitutional and procedural hurdles in the High Court, raising doubts about its ultimate viability.

{Matzav.com}

No GOP senator stepped in to derail a procedural move that would have forced an immediate vote on compelling the release of Jeffrey Epstein–related files.

Within hours of the House’s overwhelming approval of the resolution, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., followed through on his promise to push it forward, bringing the matter to the Senate floor.

Schumer insisted there was no reason for the chamber to stall, declaring that the Senate “should pass this bill as soon as possible, as written and without a hint of delay.”

He warned Republicans not to meddle with the language, saying, “Republicans must not try to change this bill or bury it in committee, or slow walk it in any way. Any amendment to this bill would force it back to the House and risk further delay. Who knows what would happen over there?”

Once the House formally sends the measure across the Capitol, it will head directly to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The resolution, authored by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., mandates that the Department of Justice publish every unclassified file, memo, communication, and investigatory document connected to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment, making them “publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format.”

Unlike the House — where the push for disclosure upended schedules and even triggered a temporary recess earlier this year under House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. — the Senate has been far less volatile as the issue has moved forward.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that Republicans were already evaluating the bill through the hotline process, the internal mechanism for vetting legislation before it reaches the floor. If it passed that stage, he said, the expectation was to bring it forward before lawmakers adjourn for the Thanksgiving break.

“We’ll see what the Democrats have to say,” Thune remarked. “But it’s the kind of thing, probably, that could perhaps move by unanimous consent.”

In the end, the measure advanced without needing a roll-call vote.

The landscape shifted considerably once President Donald Trump — who had spent months blasting efforts to force open the Epstein archives — unexpectedly embraced the Massie-Khanna proposal over the weekend.

He condemned the push as a “Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.”

He added on Truth Social, “Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory.”

Many Senate Republicans have long said they are open to making more information public but stress that victims must not be exposed in the process. House Speaker Johnson has urged lawmakers to add protections ensuring that identifying details remain shielded.

But Senate leadership signaled that such revisions are unlikely.

“I think when a bill comes out of the House 427 to one, and the president said he’d sign it, I’m not sure that amending it is in the cards,” Thune said.

  A young girl is suffering. A father is breaking. A family is struggling to survive. Chana has battled a severe illness multiple times, and now, the nightmare has returned for the fourth time. Her only chance is life-saving treatment in Philadelphia, forcing her parents to leave everything behind to be with her. The financial […]

  HURRY!! Sunday is Rachel Imeinu’s yahrtzeit, and Talmidei Chachamin, messengers of Yad L’Achim will be davening in Kever Rachel for all your names for tefillah!  There is no cost to submit names online by clicking HERE, or visit www.YadLachim.org or call 1-718-690-2944.  Rav David Abuchatzeira shlit”a, The Vizhnitzer Rebbe shlit”a & Rav Yaakov Ades shlit”a will daven for all […]

A significant majority of Israelis are opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines. The poll, released Monday by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, came just hours before the UN Security Council was set to vote on a U.S. proposal that could open the door to Palestinian statehood. […]

A 22-year-old Georgian national, Michail Chkhikvishvili (aliases “Mishka,” “Michael,” “Commander Butcher,” “Butcher”) pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to soliciting hate crimes and distributing instructions to manufacture bombs and ricin, in what investigators say was a sprawling global neo-Nazi extremist operation. The chilling details laid out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York […]

Israeli airstrikes hit a Hamas training compound in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon on Tuesday evening, in what Lebanese outlets described as an unusually deep strike into the area. Minutes after the initial reports surfaced, the IDF confirmed that its aircraft had targeted terrorists operating at the site.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that fifteen people were killed and many more wounded. Hamas, however, issued a denial, claiming in an official statement that “it was a soccer field where children were playing at the time of the strike.”

Lebanese media reported heavy Hamas security around the area inside the Ein al-Hilweh camp following the attack, as operatives worked to keep civilians away. One unverified report from Lebanon said more than twenty individuals were inside the targeted building and that the facility had been used for gatherings of senior Hamas figures.

According to additional Lebanese media coverage, the strike was aimed at a group that had just exited the Khaled Ibn al-Walid Mosque in the camp and was preparing to board vehicles parked nearby when the attack occurred.

In its formal statement, the IDF said the Air Force had struck terrorists operating “in a military compound used by the terror organization’s operatives for training and instruction to plan and execute terror routes against IDF forces and the State of Israel.” The spokesman added that precautionary steps were taken ahead of the strike “to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

The IDF stressed that it is acting consistently against Hamas’s foothold in Lebanon and “will continue to act forcefully against terrorists of the Hamas terror organization wherever they operate.”

Military correspondents in Israel added further context. Yossi Yehoshua reported that dozens of Hamas members—mostly lower-level operatives—had gathered at the compound and were involved in preparations for future terror attacks. Intelligence assessments indicated that the site served as a coordination hub for local Hamas cells in Lebanon.

Journalist Itay Blumental noted that the IDF had been planning to strike the compound for some time, but only on Tuesday did the operational conditions align. Once surveillance confirmed the presence of numerous terrorists, a fighter jet carried out the strike. According to early assessments, those killed were relatively low-ranking operatives.

This was the fourth Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday. Around 16:50, Lebanese media reported a drone strike in the village of Blida in the south. Earlier, at about 10:00, another UAV strike was reported on a vehicle in Bint Jbeil. In the morning hours, a drone reportedly targeted an excavator in Blida as well, marking a full day of ongoing military activity in southern Lebanon.

{Matzav.com}

In forceful and characteristically blunt remarks, Rav Yaakov Bender, the longtime rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah and one of the most influential chinuch voices in the U.S., issued a grim warning about what he called a “terrible, terrible problem” spreading through frum communities: a rapidly escalating culture of drinking that he says is fueling […]

In a landmark moment for Orthodox Jewish representation in American politics, Michelle Weiss clinched the mayoralty of University Heights, Ohio, setting a national first as an orthodox Jewish woman elected to lead a U.S. municipality.

Weiss, who has spent years cultivating a reputation as a pragmatic Republican voice in a predominantly Democratic suburb of Cleveland, centered her bid on cooperation over partisanship. Her message of unity, coupled with her long record of public service, helped her secure the community’s confidence.

With 15 years on the city council and six more as deputy mayor, Weiss entered the race as a familiar and steady presence in local government. Her election stands out not only for its political significance but for breaking new ground—no other orthodox Jewish woman is known to have held a comparable mayoral role in the United States.

At the outset of her campaign, she spoke of her deep bond with the city. “I love University Heights – my husband and I raised our children here and now watch our grandchildren grow,” she said. “I feel a debt of gratitude to the city and a commitment to make a difference.”

Her platform highlighted her reputation as someone ready to “reach across the aisle” to build consensus. Throughout the campaign, she emphasized strengthening infrastructure, promoting commercial growth, and safeguarding the needs of longtime residents. Weiss is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2026.

{Matzav.com}

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday paused a California law set to take effect in January requiring large companies to report every two years on how climate change could hurt them financially. Another new law requiring major companies to annually disclose their carbon emissions can stay in place for now, the court ruled. The policies […]

Okeechobee, Fl.—Wednesday of Parashas Chayei Sarah will go down in the annals of American Jewish history as the day in which the heimishe city of Lakefront in Okeechobee, Floriday, has been transformed from a dream and plan into a stunning reality—a turning point in the history of American Jewish life which has thus far been […]

Speaking to attendees at the Tikva Jewish Leadership Conference, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz offered a rare glimpse into the strategic thinking guiding Washington’s expectations for how the Gaza conflict must ultimately conclude, Channel 12 News reported.

Waltz described the administration’s view of the crossroads bluntly. “Here are the choices: it was either Hamas, or it was the IDF in perpetuity (in the Gaza Strip). And if it was the IDF in perpetuity, then frankly I don’t think we had a way of expanding the Abraham Accords, which is the number one objective of this administration.”

His comments underscored a central tension in US policy: while Hamas remaining in control of Gaza is wholly unacceptable, the White House is equally unwilling to endorse a long-term Israeli military and civil presence there. A sustained IDF role, he stressed, would directly interfere with the administration’s diplomatic ambitions—particularly its push to broaden the Abraham Accords.

Waltz went on to credit the architects of the original regional breakthroughs, saying, “You don’t get that unless you have President Trump, his team – Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Marco Rubio and people in there fighting the good fight,” pointing to the individuals he believes laid the groundwork for any further regional realignments.

{Matzav.com}

A Brooklyn court case that has shaken an entire community took another dramatic turn when Miriam Yarimi accepted a plea agreement that sharply reduced her potential prison time. Judge Danny Chen approved the deal, granting a sentence of three to nine years after Yarimi pleaded guilty to manslaughter, according to court filings.

Prosecutors, who had pressed for a far steeper penalty, are preparing a detailed submission ahead of her Wednesday sentencing. They intend to outline why they believe Yarimi’s punishment should be closer to the 15-year maximum they originally requested.

The tragedy unfolded in March, when Yarimi’s Audi A4 hurtled down Ocean Parkway and smashed into an Uber before spiraling toward Natasha Saada and her four young children. Two of the children, Diana, 7, and Deborah, 5, were killed instantly, while 4-year-old Philip suffered devastating injuries.

“The lives of Natasha Saada and her young daughters were stolen by the callous choices of a chronically reckless driver on Ocean Parkway,” said Eric Gonzalez, district attorney for Brooklyn. “Though the proposed sentence falls short of the maximum we sought, it will still send a clear message that reckless driving that ends in tragedy will be met with serious penalties.”

The wreck rattled south Brooklyn’s Jewish community, where residents had long voiced fears about speeding along Ocean Parkway but say this disaster underscored how quickly disaster can strike.

Yarimi, known for her work as a wigmaker and even advertising it with the vanity plate “WIGM8KER,” had no valid license at the time of the crash. She had amassed an astonishing 93 traffic violations, among them 20 speeding offenses that together brought more than $10,000 in fines, records indicate.

Her behavior in the moments after the collision added another disturbing layer. First responders reported that Yarimi made erratic and alarming remarks, insisting she was “possessed” and “had the devil in me,” according to sources. A criminal complaint states she told officers, “The devil’s in my eyes. I’m haunted inside. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hurt anyone. Prove it. Show me proof.”

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Education Department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan to shut down the department. It represents a major step forward for the administration’s dismantling of the department, which has mainly involved cutting jobs since President Donald Trump called for its […]

The office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued a fierce denunciation on Monday night, insisting that Israel bear full accountability for what it characterized as a direct provocation by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The uproar followed Ben-Gvir’s declaration that Abbas should be arrested and that senior PA figures should be assassinated if the United Nations advances recognition of a Palestinian state.

In its announcement, the PA leadership said it viewed Ben-Gvir’s remarks as nothing less than an open call to harm Abbas and other senior officials. The statement blasted what it described as “dangerous incitement” and argued that such rhetoric fuels violence, emboldens would-be attackers, and encourages Israeli civilians to target Palestinian Arabs, their communities, and their sacred sites.

The PA Chairman’s Office urged Washington and the broader international community to intervene, asserting that global pressure is needed to halt what it labeled a reckless escalation from the Israeli government. According to the statement, this kind of language only ratchets up instability, fans hostility on the ground, and drags the region further from any realistic attempt to restore negotiations.

Ben-Gvir ignited the controversy during the opening of his Otzma Yehudit faction meeting on Monday, where he took aim at a UN Security Council proposal that includes the phrase “a path to a Palestinian state.” He claimed the concept keeps resurfacing in different formats and is once again being pushed forward.

Linking diplomatic advocates of statehood to terrorism, Ben-Gvir argued that those promoting such political moves are the very same players who support violence. He dismissed the notion of Palestinian nationhood as a project for a “fabricated people,” asserting that its champions hope to erect it “upon the ruins of the State of Israel.” He also tied the idea to the October 7th attackers, accused its supporters of paying stipends to terrorists, and claimed that those who deny the Holocaust share the same objective of establishing a Palestinian state.

Ben-Gvir then pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take decisive steps against the Palestinian Authority. He declared that Abbas “and his terrorist associates” should not be shielded from consequences. If the UN proceeds with recognition, Ben-Gvir insisted Israel must respond with targeted action against top PA leaders and order Abbas’ arrest, suggesting that a prison cell in Ktzi’ot Prison is already waiting for him.

{Matzav.com}

NYC Mayor Eric Adams toured one of the Hamas-built terror tunnels used for attacks and kidnappings.

J.D. Vance, Jr., a 67-year-old resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan – who shares his name with Vice President J.D. Vance – was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Monday after posting several threatening messages online, including threats to kill the President, the Vice President, and one of the President’s children. U.S. District Judge […]

UPDATE: Lebanese authorities say the death toll from the Israeli strike on Hamas in Lebanon has risen to 13.

Saudi Arabia’s leadership signaled a massive expansion of its financial footprint in the United States, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telling President Donald Trump that the kingdom will boost its expected investments from $600 billion to about $1 trillion. The dramatic increase reflects strong confidence in the direction of the U.S. economy and Trump’s aggressive focus on economic growth.

Their conversation at the White House on Tuesday began with Trump applauding the already-announced $600 billion commitment. But he wasted no time in urging the crown prince to go even further. “Because he’s my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I’m gonna have to work on him,” Trump said.

Mohammed bin Salman did not hesitate to meet the challenge. He told Trump that Saudi Arabia would raise its investment target to $1 trillion, a pledge he then restated publicly. According to Al Jazeera, the crown prince affirmed that the previously unveiled $600 billion plan “will increase to $1 trillion.”

Trump, prodding him to confirm the leap, asked: “You’re telling me now the $600 billion will be $1 trillion?” The crown prince answered plainly: “Definitely.”

Al Jazeera also highlighted a social-media message quoting the crown prince: “We will announce an increase in our investments in the United States to reach approximately one trillion dollars.”

The original initiative called for hundreds of billions to flow into American energy ventures, infrastructure projects, security cooperation, and technology partnerships over a four-year span. Some of that funding is already translating into major agreements—from multibillion-dollar weapons purchases to advanced AI-related deals as Saudi-aligned firms partner with chipmakers and cloud providers to construct data centers and artificial-intelligence hubs.

The exchange underscored Trump’s signature approach to global diplomacy, one that pairs political alliances with demands for tangible economic rewards inside the United States.

Saudi advisers have maintained that the enormous spending reflects their confidence in Trump’s tax and regulatory reforms, predicting they will unlock substantial opportunities for both the kingdom’s sovereign wealth entities and private-sector investors.

For the crown prince, the move fits neatly into his Vision 2030 blueprint, which seeks to broaden Saudi Arabia’s economic base beyond oil. Yet the bulk of this expanded investment is expected to pour into U.S. production facilities, energy infrastructure, construction, and frontier technology.

Uncertainties remain about the timeline for deploying a full trillion dollars and about how much of the total will come from public versus private Saudi sources.

Still, the understanding forged between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman points to a potentially transformative chapter in the relationship between Washington and Riyadh.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF carried out an airstrike this evening inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, targeting what it says was a Hamas training facility used by operatives preparing attacks against Israel. Lebanon’s health ministry reports that 13 people were killed and four others wounded in the strike. According to the IDF, the site […]