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A large crowd of chassidim and distinguished guests took part this week in the Chsunah of the granddaughter of the Spinka Rebbe, who married the grandson of HaGaon haRav Efraim Fishl Motzen, Av Beis Din of Kiryat Baal Shem Tov in Petach Tikvah. During the chuppah, the chosson’s uncle, the Sanzer Rebbe, was honored with […]

A moving discovery has come to light at the Satmar yeshiva in Komemiyus, revealing a poignant detail from the final hours of a 17-year-old bochur who was killed earlier this month in a tragic accident.

Naftali Tzvi Kramer z”l was struck and killed by a bus on the second day of Shevat near Komemiyus as he was returning with fellow talmidim from a protest opposing post-mortem examinations. In the hours before the accident, he approached the person responsible for the yeshiva otzar haseforim and asked that the otzar haseforim purchase a newly released sefer titled Shema Shlomo, a collection of teachings from Rav Shlomo of Karlin, who was killed al kiddush hashem.

The demonstration Naftali attended had been organized by members of the Badatz of the HaEdah HaChareidis following the horrific daycare tragedy in Yerushalayim in which two young children lost their lives. Talmidim from the yeshiva traveled to protest in defense of kavod hameis. As the group was returning to Komemiyus, a bus drove into them at high speed near the moshav. Naftali was killed at the scene, in front of his stunned friends.

The sefer Naftali had requested, Shema Shlomo, was recently republished in an expanded and elegant edition. It brings together the teachings, minhagim, and accounts of the life of Rav Shlomo Halevi of Karlin, one of the foremost disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch and a foundational figure in the early Chassidic movement.

Rav Shlomo of Karlin himself was murdered al kiddush hashem on the 22nd of Tammuz in the year 1792, during the Polish-Russian war. A Cossack shot him through the window of a shul in Ludmir while he was wrapped in his tallis and deeply immersed in davening. He succumbed to his wounds several days later. Since then, he has been revered as a kadosh, and thousands visit his kever each year on the yahrtzeit.

Only after Naftali’s petirah did fellow talmidim learn of his quiet request to acquire the sefer. In retrospect, it took on an especially haunting meaning. Talmidim spoke emotionally of the striking parallel: a young man drawn, in his final hours, to the teachings of a tzaddik who gave his life for his faith, before himself being taken while returning from a protest conducted to defend the honor of the deceased.

The revelation sparked a powerful wave of chizuk throughout the yeshiva. Talmidim quickly fulfilled Naftali’s request, purchasing the sefer and placing it in the yeshiva otzar haseforim in his memory.

{Matzav.com}

Trump on Farmers: “The farmers are doing very well. We just handed them $12 billion out of tariff money. They don’t even want it. They just want to be treated fairly.”

Additional footage shows a U.S.-led coalition convoy following its withdrawal from the Al-Shaddadi base in northeastern Syria, reportedly heading toward Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

U.S. forces have begun pulling out of the Al-Shaddadi base in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province, moving toward Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, an Iraqi security source told Qatari outlet Al-Araby TV. Syrian media report the convoy also includes buses transporting ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Investigators are set to give an update on the search for Nancy Guthrie — after searching her property and the home of her daughter.

CNN: “New data shows January was the lowest months for job cuts since the 2009 Great Recession … layoffs way up, hiring ways down. During the month of January, US-based employers announced just over 108,000 layoffs. That’s roughly double January 2025. In fact, this is the highest since January 2009.”

TRUMP: “I never get a fair break from the fake news, which is back there. That’s a lot of fake news. Last time I was having a lot of fun, we had 60,000 people and I’m talking about the fact I will never make it to heaven. I was being funny … I really think […]

Iranian IRGC terrorists claim they have captured two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf carrying around 1 million liters of diesel fuel.

What is being described as an “urgent asifah” will take place today at Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, NJ to address the challenges posed by AI, or artificial intelligence.

Signs posted at the yeshiva call the gathering an “asifa nechutzah (urgent gathering) and kinnus chizuk.”

The gathering will be addressed by Rav Malkiel Kotler; Rav Dovid Breslauer, rosh kollel at Yeshivas Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg; and Rav Efraim Glassman, menahel at Mesivta Torah Vodaas in Brooklyn.

The asifah is scheduled to take place at 6:15 p.m. at the Beren Dining Room of the yeshiva.

{Bais Medrash Govoah}

A hearing about oversight of the U.S. financial system devolved into insults several times Wednesday as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clashed with Democratic lawmakers over fiscal policy, the business dealings of the Trump family and other issues. Appearances by treasury secretaries on Capitol Hill are more typically known for staid exchanges over economic policy than […]

It was an incredible evening of learning in Flatbush. This wasn’t your typical night seder. There was a special exuberance and pervasive ruach in the Beis Medrash. After extensive preparation with his tutor, one young man, a graduate of Edward Murrow Public High School, read an entire line of Chumash. It isn’t easy learning new letters, phonics […]

Australian police have charged an Australian teenager for allegedly making online death threats against President Isaac Herzog ahead of his visit to Australia. Herzog is scheduled to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit after receiving an invitation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre. The Australian […]

The State Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday filed charges against Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, and two other defendants on charges of trafficking cigarettes into the Gaza Strip as part of a large-scale smuggling operation. All three suspects face charges of aiding the enemy during wartime, a crime that can carry […]

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is maintaining flexibility in dealing with Iran, including the possibility of military action if diplomatic efforts do not succeed.

In an interview with Megyn Kelly on SiriusXM, Vance said the president alone will determine the next steps in confronting Tehran, noting that Trump “will ultimately decide how we handle this particular Iranian situation, just like he decided on Operation Midnight Hammer.”

Vance said Trump’s position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions has remained unchanged for years, emphasizing that the president has repeatedly drawn a firm line against Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons. “What he has been very clear on, if you go back to 2015, 2016, 2021, 2025, the President has said consistently we can’t let these people have a nuclear weapon. Now, why? Why does that matter to America? Number one, [Iran is] the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Vance said.

He warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would dramatically raise the stakes for global security, arguing that such a development would increase the risk of catastrophic attacks and spark a regional arms race. “You think it’s bad when we have a domestic terror attack where a couple of people die, and you’re right. What happens when the same people who are shooting up a mall or driving airplanes into buildings have a nuclear weapon? That is unacceptable. And it’s not just them, because if the Iranians get a nuclear weapon, you know who gets a nuclear weapon the next day? The Saudi Arabians. And then somebody else in the Gulf Arab state. And so you have nuclear proliferation on a global scale. The biggest threat to security in the world is a lot of people having nuclear weapons. So what the president has said is Iran’s not going to get a nuclear weapon,” the Vice President stated.

Vance reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a central pillar of the administration’s policy, while acknowledging criticism from both sides of the political spectrum over Trump’s tone and tactics. “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. That is the stated policy goal of the president of the United States. It’s so funny. Sometimes you have people who are saying, ‘Well, the president’s too belligerent.’ And then sometimes you have people who say, ‘Well, the president, he’s talking about diplomacy and he’s talking about negotiating with the Iranians. We shouldn’t negotiate. We should just bomb them.’”

Describing how Trump approaches foreign policy decisions, Vance said the president prefers to exhaust non-military avenues before turning to force, but will not rule out any option. “What the president’s going to do is he’s going to keep his options open. He’s going to talk to everybody. He’s going to try to accomplish what he can through non-military means. And if he feels like the military is the only option, then he’s ultimately going to choose that option.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s leading expert on Iran, Eliyahu Yossian, told Kol Chai Radio that at least 43,000 people have been killed by the regime in Iran since the protests began. Yossian said Iran’s aggressive actions at sea do not necessarily indicate a desire for war but are rather efforts to project strength and negotiate under fire. “The […]

A dramatic last-minute move by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri late last night halted a planned vote on Israel’s Arrangements Law, sharply increasing pressure on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and throwing the coalition’s legislative timetable into uncertainty.

After dozens of hours of marathon discussions in the Knesset House Committee on splitting sections of the Arrangements Law and assigning them to various committees, the vote was expected to proceed. However, moments before it was to be held, Deri instructed Shas lawmakers not to allow the vote to take place. As a result, the committee dispersed without a decision, and the vote was postponed — for now — until next week, contingent on Shas agreeing to cooperate with advancing the budget and the Arrangements Law.

Behind the scenes, Deri’s move reflects growing chareidi anger over continued delays in legislating a new draft law and formally regulating the status of yeshiva students. The frustration has been compounded by ongoing disputes between the chareidi parties and the Knesset’s legal advisers regarding the framework of the proposed legislation.

Because of last night’s maneuver, the Arrangements Law is now considered to be in real jeopardy. The coalition has less than 30 days remaining to pass the 2026 state budget and the accompanying Arrangements Law. The legislation includes several major economic measures, among them a dairy market reform promoted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has previously warned that failure to pass the reform would lead him to push for the immediate dissolution of the Knesset.

While Shas lawmakers deliberately stayed away from the committee discussions in order to avoid voting directly against the coalition, Housing and Construction Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf did attend the debates and voted against the proposals alongside opposition members.

A Shas Knesset member said this morning: “From the very first moment, we said we would not allow the budget to pass without regulating the status of yeshiva students, and that remains our position. We agreed to support the first reading in order to give a few more days to advance the draft law, but unfortunately, that did not happen.”

{Matzav.com}

The Anti-Defamation League slammed comments by Dr. Mehmet Oz, accusing the Trump administration official of reinforcing antisemitic stereotypes and contributing to a climate of rising hostility toward Jewish communities. In a statement and series of posts on X, the ADL highlighted excerpts from a two-week-old interview Oz gave to The Epoch Times program “American Thought […]

The U.N. human rights chief said Thursday that his office is in “survival mode” as he presented an appeal for $400 million to meet its estimated needs this year, after funding cuts last year hurt its work in 17 countries including Colombia, Myanmar and Chad. Volker Türk laid out his office’s needs after the United […]