The roshei yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood have issued a formal letter prohibiting a concert that had been scheduled to take place in Jackson, New Jersey.
In the letter, the roshei yeshiva state that they were informed of plans to hold a concert event in Jackson and felt compelled to express their firm opposition.
The concert they refer to is a performance by the Miami Boys Choir.
The letter emphasizes concerns about the spiritual and communal implications of such an event, noting that similar gatherings have, in the past, led to outcomes that were not in keeping with the standards and values of the Torah community. The roshei yeshiva stress that the decision was made after careful consideration and with a sense of responsibility for the broader ציבור, particularly given the proximity of the event to large concentrations of bnei Torah.
The letter bans the concert even if there’s only separate seating.
The letter is signed by Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rav Yisroel Neuman, Rav Dovid Schustal and Rav Yeruchem Olshin.
The concert has since been cancelled.
{Matzav.com}
Newly released internal communications have renewed scrutiny of the FBI’s 2022 search of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, with senior officials and lawmakers pointing to evidence that agents questioned whether the legal threshold for the raid had been met.
FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the issue Tuesday, confirming that the operation proceeded despite internal reservations. “It’s true – we just turned over documents to Capitol Hill to be made public showing the FBI told DOJ they did not have probable cause for raiding President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago but DOJ ‘didn’t give a …..’ and did it anyway,” Patel wrote on X.
Earlier in the day, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa released newly declassified emails and memoranda detailing exchanges between the FBI and the Justice Department in the weeks leading up to the August 8, 2022 search. According to the records, FBI officials repeatedly questioned whether they had sufficient grounds to seek a warrant.
In one document, the FBI’s Washington Field Office stated that it “does not believe” that “we have established probable cause for the search warrant for classified records” at Mar-a-Lago. Another passage noted, “DOJ has opined that they do have probable cause, requesting a wide scope including residence, office, storage space.”
The internal correspondence also reflected frustration within the bureau over the direction of the investigation. “The 6 weeks spent fixated on probable cause for a search warrant have been counterproductive,” the document quotes the FBI as saying. It further added, “Continued investigation and additional interviews have not found any witness who has reported seeing classified records at Mar-a-Lago since the return of records via compliance on June 3, 2022,” and suggested that “WFO suggests alternative, less intrusive and likelier quick options for resolution.”
Grassley summarized his reaction to the disclosures in a post on X, writing, “Received shocking new docs today from DOJ & FBI showing FBI DID NOT BELIEVE IT HAD PROBABLE CAUSE to raid Pres Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home but Biden DOJ pushed for it anyway.” He added, “Based on the records Mar-a-Lago raid was a miscarriage of justice.”
Late Tuesday night, President Trump weighed in forcefully on the revelations, denouncing the search in a Truth Social post. “Unreasonable Search and Seizure!!! That was the FBI’s CRIMINAL RAID on Mar-a-Lago. This can never be allowed to happen again!!!,” he wrote.
Trump also responded to a supporter calling for accountability over the raid. After a user posted that “Someone should be arrested. Wray & Garland,” Trump replied, “and many others!!!”
{Matzav.com}
A group of Iranian hackers is claiming responsibility for a cyber intrusion targeting the cellphone of Naftali Bennett, according to reports in Hebrew-language media.
The allegation surfaced after the hackers, identifying themselves as “Handala,” announced what they described as a successful breach of Bennett’s device, an operation they named “Operation Octopus,” Ynet reported.
In a statement cited by Ynet, the group mocked Bennett’s professional background in the cyber field. “You once prided yourself on being a leading light of cybersecurity, and displayed your expertise to the world,” the hackers said, referring to Bennett’s role as a co-founder of a cybersecurity company.
The message continued with further derision. “And even so, how ironic that your iPhone 13 fell so easily into the hands of Handala,” the statement said. “Despite all of your pride and boasting, your digital fortress is nothing more than a paper wall waiting to be broken.”
Bennett has previously used the phrase “the head of the octopus” when describing Iran’s role in orchestrating threats against Israel throughout the region.
The incident comes as Bennett, who previously served as Israel’s prime minister, is widely viewed as the most serious political rival to Prime Minister Bibi Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of elections expected next year.
{Matzav.com}Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons has flatly denied allegations circulating online that ICE officers stopped Rep. Ilhan Omar’s son after a routine shopping trip, saying the agency has no record of such an encounter.
According to Lyons, ICE databases show no instance in which officers or agents detained or questioned the Minnesota congresswoman’s son. “ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son,” Lyons told Fox News Digital. He added that the accusation was made without any substantiating evidence. “It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof,” Lyons said, arguing that the claim fits a broader effort to portray ICE negatively.
The controversy began after Omar described the alleged incident during a media interview, asserting that her son was stopped by ICE agents and released only after producing identification. “He did get pulled over by ICE agents and once he was able to produce his passport ID they did let him go,” she said.
During the exchange, the interviewer sought clarification about the unusual circumstance. “So your son went to Target last night with his passport,” the WCCO interviewer asked. Omar responded, “He always carries it with him.” The interviewer pressed further, saying, “In case he gets pulled over,” and added, “which he did by ICE.” Omar replied, “Yes.”
Despite ICE’s denial, Omar’s office has stood by her account. Spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers said the congresswoman maintains that the stop took place and characterized it as discriminatory. Rogers said in part, “The congresswoman’s son and others were pulled over by ICE, racially profiled, and forced to prove their citizenship with a passport.”
Rogers went on to sharply criticize the agency, accusing it of misconduct and poor recordkeeping. “ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform. It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight. ICE now claims it has records of all the stops, and our office would welcome the opportunity to review them,” she added.
The dispute comes amid ongoing criticism of Omar over her views on immigration enforcement and her defense of Somali migrants in Minnesota who have been implicated in large-scale fraud cases, as previously reported by Breitbart News. One of the most prominent cases involved “Feeding Our Future,” an organization run by Minneapolis-area Somali migrants that prosecutors say fraudulently obtained $250 million in state child nutrition funds.
Additional cases cited by prosecutors include tens of millions of dollars allegedly stolen from Minnesota’s autism treatment program, as well as more than $550 million taken from pandemic-era coronavirus relief funds, with Somali migrants again at the center of the investigations.
Omar has dismissed scrutiny of these cases as politically motivated. She has described such criticism as nothing more than “hate and fearmongering.”
Republican lawmakers, however, have continued to publicly challenge Omar over both her rhetoric and her record. Speaking on Breitbart News Daily, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer accused her of fostering hostility on campus. “Oh, this gal is an anti-Semite. She’s hateful. She’s a racist. She goes to the University of Minnesota campus and essentially encourages violence against Jewish students,” Emmer said.
Emmer also tied Omar to the Feeding Our Future scandal, disputing her distance from the matter. “Ilhan Omar, she is not — she doesn’t have clean hands on this at all,” he said, asserting that she was responsible for creating the program, which he described as “the largest Somali fraud case in a pandemic case in the country.”
He continued by highlighting the scope of the indictments. “Ninety percent of the people — there’s over 80 people, were indicted in that $250 million fraud scheme — 90 percent of those indicted were from her Somali community,” Emmer said.
Emmer concluded with a blistering assessment of the congresswoman and the media’s treatment of her. “So she’s she’s as dirty as they come, and she is a con artist. But the national news media will not hold that gal accountable for anything. Who knows why? But the American public are smarter than that, and they agree with Donald Trump,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
