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by Rabbi Yair Hoffman According to all accounts, the Adirei Torah event was a remarkably inspiring event with an incredible message,  The link below was re-edited without permission and gives the Dvar Torah of the Rosh Yeshiva Shlita Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler SHlita with boosted sound.  In addition the lyrics of the song made from the letter of the Chazon Ish have been added.  The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced on Friday morning the names of two IDF reserve soldiers who were killed in battle in the central Gaza Strip: Sergeant First Class (Res.) Omer Smadga HY’D, 25, from Ganot Hadar, and Sergeant First Class (Res.) Saadia Yaakov Dery HY’D, 27, from Tel Aviv. Both soldiers were part of the 9203rd Battalion, 3rd “Alexandroni” Brigade. In the same incident that claimed the lives of Smadga and Dery, three other reserve soldiers from the 3rd “Alexandroni” Brigade were severely wounded. They were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment, and their families have been notified. These deaths bring the total number of troops killed in the ground offensive against Hamas and operations on the Gaza border to 313. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of R’ Yaakov Yisroel HaKohen Goldfeder z”l. He was 76. The Niftar was one of the original founding members of Rockaway Lawrence Hatzalah, known by his unit number “RL-15”. He was very close to HaRav Shlomo Freifeld Zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv, where the Niftar Davened and learned his entire life. He leaves behind a Mishpacha of Bnei Torah and Baalei Chesed. He is survived by his wife, Mrs Susie, sons HaRav Yehuda (a Rov in Florida), Reb Yosef (Flatbush), daughter Chaya Gibber (Far Rockaway), a brother Avi (Chicago) and sister Sara Brazil (Oceanside, NY). The Levaya will take place tomorrow, Friday morning, at 10:30AM, in Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv. The Kevura will be in Eretz Yisroel. The Levaya can be watched live on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5167914444?pwd=VjM5a0pkRnJ2dDRpckRpMmNRQTdWdz09&omn=86279762240 Meeting ID: 516 791 4444 Passcode: 4444 — One tap mobile +16469313860,,5167914444#,,,,*4444# US +19292056099,,5167914444#,,,,*4444# US (New York) — Dial by your location • +1 646 931 3860 US • +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 305 224 1968 US • +1 309 205 3325 US • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 360 209 5623 US • +1 386 347 5053 US • +1 507 473 4847 US • +1 564 217 2000 US • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) • +1 689 278 1000 US • +1 719 359 4580 US Meeting ID: 516 791 4444 Passcode: 4444 Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdaQsrNcO

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has condemned Wikipedia’s characterization of the organization as an “unreliable source” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, describing the assessment as evidence that “facts no longer matter,” according to Yisroel Hayom.

In an online discussion, Wikipedia editors defended their stance, arguing that the ADL’s dual role as a research entity and a pro-Israel advocacy group compromises its ability to provide unbiased reports on Israel and antisemitism.

“The organization is very biased toward Israel, to the point that it often acts as a pro-Israel lobbying organization,” wrote one editor, “Loki.” This, according to Loki, affects the ADL’s ability to report accurately on individuals and groups that disagree with its stance, particularly non-Zionist or anti-Zionist Jews.

Only a handful of Wikipedia editors contested this viewpoint, Yisroel Hayom noted.

In response, the ADL issued a statement denouncing the decision as part of a “campaign to delegitimize the ADL,” emphasizing that editors who opposed the decision “provided point-by-point refutations, grounded in factual citations, to every claim made, but apparently, facts no longer matter.”

According to Yisroel Hayom, Wikipedia’s decision to label the ADL as “a source that is generally unreliable” implies that data or statements from the ADL cannot be cited in Wikipedia articles, except in rare instances.

Additionally, Yisroel Hayom reported that Wikipedia editors are also considering a vote on whether to label the ADL as an unreliable source on antisemitism, challenging the ADL’s position as a leading authority on the subject.

{Dov T. Heller – Matzav.com}

On June 6th, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft carried two astronauts to the International Space Station. It was supposed to be a high mark, after months of controversy surrounding the company – not to mention delays and budget overruns with the spacecraft.

However, celebrations will have to wait. The two astronauts – veterans Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are now stuck on the ISS as engineers on the ground scramble to learn more about issues plaguing the spacecraft.

The Starliner mission was only supposed to last a week. But troubles the vehicle experienced en route to space, including helium leaks and thrusters that abruptly stopped working, have caused NASA to stop and halt a return to earth for the time being.

Williams and Wilmore will now stay in space until at least June 26, NASA announced Tuesday.

Officials have said there is no reason to believe Starliner won’t be able to bring the astronauts back home, though “we really want to work through the remainder of the data,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager.

Meanwhile, Boeing is trying, although not so successfully, to frame the mission as a success and learning opportunity. Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president and program manager of the Starliner program, describing the issues as simply “unplanned”.

It’s not uncommon for astronauts to unexpectedly extend their stay aboard the space station — for days, weeks or even months. (NASA has also said the Starliner can spend up to 45 days at the orbiting laboratory if needed, according to Stich.)

The International Space Station, hypothetically, could host the astronauts for months in case of an emergency, while NASA worked out a rescue mission. While at this time, no one has expressed concern for the astronauts well being, the incident is surely an embarrassment for Boeing, and another item on a long list of issues for the pivotal US company.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Department of Education announced investigations into reports of alleged bigotry in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act at the Commack School District in Commack, N.Y., and Dorchester County Public Schools in Cambridge, Md.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stated that the reviews into discrimination claims involving shared ancestry began on June 10 and June 13, respectively. The OCR usually does not provide details about the origins of investigations.

The complaint against the Dorchester schools involves alleged discrimination based on religion.

On Nov. 14, Commack High School administrators found racist and antisemitic vandalism in a bathroom stall. The district also includes a middle school, two intermediate schools and four elementary schools.

Dorchester County off the Chesapeake in the eastern part of the state district features two high schools, two middle schools, six elementary schools, and a pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school.

{Matzav.com}

It was a regular day for a few dozen protestors of the Peleg Yerushalmi, who took to Highway 4 near Bnei Brak. The highway was brough to a halt in both directions, as the crowd protested the recent news about the IDF drafting Chareidim. Police say they made four arrests. One protestor held a sign which read “Israel is an Antisemitic country”. An Associated Press photographer snapped a photo of the sign, and it has gone around the globe. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A brutal robbery occurred on Thursday afternoon near the entrance to the Arab town of Qalqilya, leaving a 70-year-old man severely injured. The victim was driving his vehicle when robbers violently pulled him out and left him wounded on the side of the road, escaping in his car. A passerby discovered the injured man and brought him to the Eliyahu Crossing, where medical teams provided urgent care. The man collapsed upon arrival and was treated by Magen David Adom (MDA) EMT Shai Cohen, who described the scene: “We provided medical treatment, including resuscitation and electrical shocks from a defibrillator, and after his heart resumed beating, we evacuated him in a mobile ICU to the hospital in serious condition and intubated.” Security forces are currently searching for the attackers. IDF forces entered Qalqilya to search for suspects, which led to riots breaking out, with rioters throwing rocks at the forces. The forces responded with gunfire, and at least one rioter was hit. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Shaul Goldstein, CEO of Noga – Israel Independent System Operator, spoke at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Sderot regarding the electricity outlook if war breaks out with Hezbollah.

Goldstein does not think Israel will be able to keep the electric grid up and runningm but that: “We will rely on Israeli ingenuity.”

“Israel is an energy island and we need to supply ourselves – that is also our advantage, we are trained to work in isolation. When I took office and started to investigate what the real threat to the electricity sector was, I asked – suppose a missile hit the electricity sector and there is a power outage for one hour, three hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and beyond. What happens in such a situation to Israel? The bottom line is that after 72 hours – it is impossible to live in Israel. People do not understand how much our lives here depend on electricity,” he said.

Goldstein continued: “I have 15 inspectors across the country, if there is a power outage then after 5 hours I have no phone to call him. Suppose he gets a carrier pigeon after 12 hours, that inspector arrives at a gas station but there is no fuel, no gas station works, at every station there is a line of at least 30 kilometers, if not more. You check all our infrastructure – the optical fibers, the ports, and more – we are not in a good condition. We are not ready for a real war. We live in a fantasy world in my opinion.”

“The good side is that we have invested a lot in fortification using a joint team with the Electric Company. If Nasrallah wants to bring down Israel’s electricity grid, he just needs to call the person in charge of Beirut’s electricity system, which looks exactly like Israel’s. He does not even need a UAV to photograph it, he calls a second-year electrical engineer asking him where the most critical points in Israel are. Everything is on the internet.”

“Our recognition of our situation has not been internalized. If the war is delayed by one year, five, ten years – our situation will be better,” he concluded.

The CEO of the Israel Electric Company, Meir Spiegler, responded saying: “Shaul Goldstein’s statement regarding the lack of resilience of the electricity grid is irresponsible, disconnected from reality, and creates panic among the public.”

However, The Energy Ministry called upon Israeli citizens to be prepare for any situation, and follow the directives from the Home Front Command. These include carrying batteries, water and portable chargers.

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said: “The State of Israel will not be left alone. We are preparing for every scenario, holding discussions and assessing the situation, and spending billions of shekels to ensure a regular supply of energy to all Israeli citizens.”

Cohen concluded: “It is important for me to make it clear to our enemies: If there is a power outage lasting for hours [in Israel], in Lebanon, there will be a power outage for months.”

{Matzav.com}

Yehuda Green has done it again! His brand new album titled “Amar Abayeh” is already making waves throughout the world, with hartzige nigunim sung in classic Yehuda style. The music of Yehuda is sung in every home, at every Simcha, at every Kumzits. With his classics such as “Nishmas”,  “Neshamale”, Hashiveinu, “Mashiach”, “Barcheini”, “Neshamele” and so many others, this new album will be taking us back to our roots. Now Yehuda sings about the Amoraim of the Gemarah, Simchas Hatorah, and our hope to return to our land, the land given to our fathers, to Eretz Hakodesh. “Amar Abayeh” features not ten, but thirteen songs from the Carlebach of our generation. Songs like “Venismach”, “Amar Abayeh”, and “Ribono Shel Oilam” are sure to be favorites for the Summer season, and years to come. Order Now Listen Now

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un say a new strategic partnership is a breakthrough, but what it means for their relationship is still uncertain. The pact requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war, according to North Korean state media. While the agreement, inked Wednesday at a summit in Pyongyang, could represent the countries’ strongest deal signed after the Cold War, there are differing opinions on how strong the security commitment is. Kim claimed that the deal elevated bilateral relations to the level of an alliance, while Putin was more understated and did not call it an alliance. North Korean state media released the text of the agreement, which also includes broader cooperation in military, foreign policy and trade. Russia has not published its version of the text. Relations between sprawling Russia and small, isolated North Korea — both of them nuclear powers — have warmed significantly in recent years amid Russia’s growing acrimony with the West over the invasion of Ukraine and suppression of all domestic opposition. One of the first knock-on effects of the agreement came Thursday, when South Korea’s government said it would reconsider its policy of limiting its support to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies. South Korea, a growing arms exporter, has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but it has not directly provided weapons to Kyiv. Here’s a look at what is known about the new partnership — and what is still unclear. What did Russia and North Korea promise? Most of the debate over the partnership agreement revolves around the article that pledges mutual aid. According to North Korean state media, the section states that if one of the countries gets invaded and is pushed into a state of war, the other must deploy “all means at its disposal without delay” to provide “military and other assistance.” But it also says that such actions must be in accordance with the laws of both countries and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes a U.N. member state’s right to self-defense. To some analysts, that sounds like a promise that either nation would intervene if the other comes under attack, renewing a pledge made under a 1961 treaty between North Korea and the Soviet Union. That deal was discarded after the collapse of the USSR, replaced in 2000 by one that offered weaker security assurances. Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, said the agreement echoes the language of the 1961 treaty, as well as provisions of the U.S.-South Korea mutual defense treaty about activating channels to coordinate if either of faces the threat of invasion. “North Korea and Russia have completely restored their Cold War-era military alliance,” Cheong said. Other experts were more cautious, saying the section is carefully worded to avoid implying automatic interventions and strictly limits the circumstances in which either country would be obligated to step in. And the language of the agreement is much less important than what each nation is actually capable of and willing to do, Du Hyeogn Cha, an analyst at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said. While it’s rare for any defense treaty to spell out specifically that a country is required to automatically intervene to defend […]

A pair of Republican senators have accused the Biden administration of slow-rolling military aid to Israel, as the public spat between the allies over arms sales continues to escalate.

“The White House is mad because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling the truth,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) wrote on Wednesday.

Hagerty noted that the Biden administration “has refused to send Congress formal notifications to finalize a host of arms sales to Israel,” including F-15s, smart bomb kits and munitions even after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee “informally cleared these sales.”

“The norm is for the executive branch to submit formal notifications to Congress roughly 48 to 72 hours after committees informally cleared proposed arms sales,” Hagerty added. “But the Biden administration is violating this norm amid Israel’s multi-front war.”

Netanyahu released a video on social media on Tuesday saying that “in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.”

The White House has insisted that it only paused a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns that they could cause civilian casualties. It has been said that all other arms sales and military aid to Israel are flowing normally.

“We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday. “We just don’t.”

John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, repeated to reporters at a briefing on Thursday that the White House does not understand what Netanyahu is saying.

“It was perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing, especially given that no other country is doing more to help Israel defend itself against the threat by Hamas and, quite frankly, other threats that they’re facing in the region, than the United States,” Kirby said.

“It was vexing and disappointing to us as much as it was incorrect, so difficult to know exactly what was on his mind,” Kirby added.

Although Kirby announced that Washington is prioritizing surface-to-air missile sales to Ukraine above other countries, he told reporters on Thursday that Israel would be unaffected by the move.

Following an Axios report on Tuesday that Biden canceled a meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for the latter’s upcoming trip to Washington in July, Kirby was asked during the call with reporters on Thursday whether the two would meet. Kirby said he had nothing to say about the president’s schedule.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote to U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday accusing him and his administration of engaging in “sleight-of-hand” in response to the White House’s insistence that only one arms delivery to Israel has been paused.

The senator repeated Hagerty’s charge that Washington is slow-rolling the munitions.

“As you are aware, the Arms Export Control Act requires the administration to notify Congress before sending weapons to a foreign country,” Cotton wrote. “Your administration has manipulated this requirement by withholding this formal notification to Congress of approved weapons sales, including F-15s, tactical vehicles, 120-mm mortars, 120-mm tank rounds, joint direct attack munitions and small diameter bombs.”

“Your administration can then claim that the weapons are ‘in process’ while never delivering them,” he wrote. “You’re playing politics with the nation’s honor and our ally’s security.”

“Worse still, your administration lacks the honesty to communicate its true policy to the American people, instead preferring to hide behind weasel words and bureaucratic process,” he added.

JNS sought comment from the National Security Council of the White House about the allegations that the administration had taken more than 72 hours to deliver formal notification to Congress of Israeli munitions deliveries after their approval by the relevant House and Senate committees.

Netanyahu said on Thursday that he understands the potential cost of his statements.

“I am willing to absorb personal attacks if that is what it takes for Israel to get the arms and ammunition it needs in its war for survival,” the Israeli prime minister said.

{Matzav.com}

In a precise and targeted strike, the IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA) eliminated a leading Hamas sniper and Nukhba Forces Commander, Ahmed Hassan Salame Alsauarka, in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. Alsauarka was a key figure in the October 7th Massacre, leading sniper attacks and infiltrating Israeli communities in southern Israel. According to IDF and ISA intelligence, Alsauarka was a squad commander in the Nukhba Forces and played a significant role in Hamas’ attacks on IDF troops. Following an extensive search, IDF troops identified and eliminated him in the Beit Hanoun area. To minimize civilian harm, the IDF took several precautions before the strike, resulting in no civilian casualties. The operation is part of ongoing IDF activities in the central Gaza Strip, where a mortar shell launch post was recently struck by aerial and artillery forces. Additionally, two terrorists posing a threat to IDF troops were targeted with an Iron Sting precision missile. In the Rafah area, IDF troops continue to conduct precise, intelligence-based operations, eliminating several terrorists in close-quarters encounters and conducting targeted raids to locate rocket launchers. The IDF remains committed to protecting Israeli communities and combating Hamas terrorism. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israelis filling out applications for US green cards and visas must now answer detailed questions regarding their army service to ensure they didn’t commit war crimes, Ynet reported on Thursday. According to the report, Yuval, a senior manager at a high-tech company in Silicon Valley in the U.S., was happy to receive a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) last week about his application for a green card. But he was shocked by the content of the letter: “In your application form you stated that you served in the Israel Defense Forces between 2005-2008. You must provide us with additional information about your military service so that we can make a final decision on your case,” the letter read. “You must submit an affidavit under oath, describing your military service,” the letter continued. “As part of this affidavit, the following questions must be addressed: Did you participate as a combatant in battles during your military service? If so, please describe your activity/role in these battles; Did you command soldiers in the army? If yes, please describe the aspects of your command; Have you ever guarded (or commanded others to guard) detainees? Did you use explosives during your military service? If so, detail the types of weapons or explosives you were trained on.” “Have you ever actually used weapons or explosives? If so, what weapons or explosives did you use? How did you use weapons or explosives? On how many occasions did you use weapons or explosives? How often did you use weapons or explosives? Did you use a weapon and/or an explosive against another person? If so, the circumstances must be detailed, and explain why you used a weapon and/or an explosive against another person/people.” According to the letter, if Yuval did not provide an affidavit with answers satisfactory to the USCIS within eight days, he could be expected to be deported from the U.S. “In order to get the work visa two years ago, I answered questions about my military service, so they know that I was released 16 years ago after a rather banal service,” Yuval says. “But these new questions – I am shocked. I feel as if questions were copied From the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.” Attorney Liam Schwartz, head of the Labor and Corporate Immigration Department at the Tel Aviv-based law firm of Goldfarb, Seligman, told Ynet that the USCIS is now applying a new policy on Israelis, under which they must be questioned about their military service – both present and past. “An investigation that seeks explanations about how, when and why weapons and/or explosives were used against another person is intended to understand if you have committed war crimes. A question regarding the custody of detainees is intended to ‘catch’ the military personnel and police officers who participated in the arrests in the West Bank. A demand for information regarding the active participation as a combatant in battles may also be used by the authorities for the purpose of formulating their position in relation to acts defined as genocide.” Schwartz added: “The USCIS has the authority to issue permits to foreign citizens, whether they are workers, students or the spouses of Americans. The new policy of the USCIS is extremely worrisome […]

On Thursday, CNN reported that US officials are seriously concerned that Israel’s aerial defense systems would not be able to withstand a large-scale Hezbollah attack if an all-out war were to occur.

According to the report, Israeli officials have told the US that Israel is planning to move resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel in preparation for a possible offensive in Lebanon.

A senior administration official told CNN: “We assess that at least some” Iron Dome batteries “will be overwhelmed,”.

The report said that an Israeli official believes this would be more likely to occur if Hezbollah conducts wide scale attacks mainly with precision-guided weapons, which would be more challenging to intercept.

Another US official confirmed to CNN that the US would provide additional Iron Dome replenishments and air defense systems in the event of a full blown war – with the US believing these would be the most critical shipments Israel would need in the war.

The IDF declined to comment.

{Matzav.com}