Feed aggregator

The IDF’s Home Front Command has imposed restrictions on the residents of northern Israel – schools are closed and hospitals are operating underground – but the Kol HaTorah continues and yeshivos in northern Israel are continuing their usual intense Elul schedule. On the other hand, the tense security situation cannot be ignored and some yeshivos are considering moving  to central Israel if the situation worsens. Moti Wizgan, the administrator of the Rechasim Yeshiva and deputy head of the Rechasim local council, spoke with Radio Kol B’Rama on Sunday and discussed how the yeshiva is dealing with the security concerns. “We have 600 bochurim at the yeshiva,” Wizgan said. “We talked to the parents last night, many of whom are worried about the situation. As of now, none of the students have left the yeshiva. There are shelters in the basement of the building and we are continuing classes as usual.” “The decision about whether to remain is up to the Rosh Yeshiva. If there’s a significant escalation, we might consider relocating the yeshiva to the center.” Yediot Achronot military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua was also interviewed on the program and said: “The enemy is planning revenge, which could succeed, fail, or be thwarted. Residents won’t return to the north when there’s no security and as long the Radwan Force terrorists aren’t pushed back from the border. The Israeli decision was not to go to war. There are those in Israel still looking for a diplomatic solution.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby on Sunday blamed Hamas for delaying negotiations aimed at securing a hostage-ceasefire deal, while also calling for a diplomatic solution amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. In an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Kirby said, “It doesn’t appear that Mr. [Yahya] Sinwar is prepared at all to keep negotiating in good faith, especially after he murdered six hostages in a tunnel, execution style.” Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, has been at the center of ceasefire negotiations. Kirby’s comments refer to the IDF’s recovery of six hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, whose bodies were discovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah area earlier this month. The hostages were executed shortly before being found, according to reports. Kirby further emphasized Hamas’s role in stalling negotiations, saying, “It doesn’t appear as if he’s willing to move this forward.” Despite the deteriorating situation, he expressed the White House’s stance that regional military escalation is not in Israel’s best interest, underscoring the need for diplomacy. “We’re saying this directly to our Israeli counterparts,” Kirby noted. “The tensions are much higher now than they were even just a few days ago,” Kirby said, referencing the ongoing rocket fire from Hezbollah that reached Kiryat Bialik, near Haifa, overnight. The attack left a building in flames, vehicles incinerated, and significant damage caused by shrapnel. However, Kirby remained hopeful for a non-military resolution, adding, “We still believe that there can be time and space for a diplomatic solution here, and that’s what we’re working on.” “We’ve been working since the beginning of this conflict, October 8th and on, to try to prevent an escalation, to prevent a broadening of this conflict there in and around Israel, but also in the region,” he said. “An escalating war is certainly not going to be in the best interest of all those people that Prime Minister Netanyahu says he wants to be able to send back home.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Police Prosecution Division has filed an indictment against Moshe Eichstein, the personal driver of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for causing a traffic accident in April. Eichstein is accused of running a red light and crashing into a civilian vehicle at the scene of a terror attack in Ramla, injuring the driver, Idan Domtov. Eichstein faces charges of reckless driving, running a red light, and conduct leading to actual damage and injury. Domtov, who had the right of way, was moderately injured in the collision. The accident occurred while Minister Ben-Gvir was traveling from the site of the terror attack to his home. Footage from the scene shows the minister’s vehicle running the red light, colliding with Domtov’s car, and flipping over. Emergency medical teams evacuated Minister Ben-Gvir, his daughter, Eichstein, and a bodyguard to Shamir Medical Center, where they were treated for light injuries. The indictment states that Eichstein entered the intersection while the light was red, failing to notice Domtov’s vehicle or take appropriate precautions. A police source confirmed that the minister’s car had driven through the red light before the crash. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a frum family from Brooklyn, NY was involved in a serious accident on NJ-17 near Monsey, NY.

The crash occurred at around 2:30 a.m. while the family was driving home to Brooklyn when a drunk driver collided with their vehicle.

Monsey Hatzolah responded swiftly to the scene, and the family members were transported to Hackensack Medical Center for observation.

Despite the car sustaining significant damage, the occupants miraculously emerged without any injuries. They were all discharged at approximately 6:30 a.m.

Members of Boro Park Shomrim arrived shortly thereafter to assist the family, bringing them back home to Boro Park.

{Matzav.com}

A U.S. Secret Service agent is expected to recover after accidentally shooting himself in what the agency described as a “negligent discharge” on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred while the agent was on duty in the area of 32nd and Fessenden streets Northwest, shortly before 8 p.m. The agent was handling his weapon when it discharged, injuring him. His injuries are not life-threatening, and he was taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment. “No one else was injured in the incident,” a Secret Service spokesperson said. While the exact circumstances that led to the accidental shooting remain unclear, the agency has launched an internal investigation into the matter. The Secret Service has been under heightened scorn and scrutiny recently, following two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump in the last two months. The first incident occurred on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman was able to get a clear line of sight on Trump. The former president was grazed by a bullet, while a Trump supporter, retired firefighter Corey Comperatore, was fatally shot. The suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead. The second attempt took place last Sunday, when Trump’s Secret Service detail opened fire on a suspect, Ryan Routh, who was found at the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh had reportedly intended to assassinate the 2024 Republican presidential nominee but was arrested before carrying out the attack. Trump was not injured in the incident. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a historic moment on Sunday, construction finally began on the excavation of a tunnel which will house the upcoming Kosel elevator, a project which will bring major accessibility improvements to the holy site.

Harzel Ben-Ari, the CEO of the Company for the Development and Renovation of the Jewish Quarter, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the Jewish people, after 2,000 years of yearning, we can finally allow every Jew, regardless of age or physical condition, to connect with their roots and touch the heart of our history.”

The elevator will bridge the 26 meter height difference between the Jewish quater of the old city, and the Kosel plaza.

“Every meter of excavation has been a journey through time,” said Ben-Ari. “We have discovered entire worlds: ancient mikvahs, the remains of houses and streets that have not seen the light of day for thousands of years. Every stone, every shard of a vessel, tells us a story about our ancestors who walked here.”

Ben-Ari added that some of the findings discovered during construction will be displayed in the elevator lobby, giving visitors a glimpse into the Yerushalayim under their feet.

However, the old city of Yerushalayim is a challenging construction environment, and the project is expected to take 2 years, due to the complexity of the project.

{Matzav.com}

A fire broke out at the Chabad of Greater Orlando headquarters on Sunday morning shortly after Shacharis ended, causing severe damage to the building. Miraculously, the shul’s six Sifrei Torah were saved from the inferno. Rabbi Sholom Dubov, the executive director of the Chabad, told Fox 35 Orlando, “The fact that we were able to retrieve all six Torahs… is absolutely an act of grace from G-d.” Among the Sifrei Torah was one with a particularly significant history, as it had survived the Holocaust. It had recently been sponsored and brought to the shul, where it was to be used for the first time on Yom Kippur. Video footage captured the moment two firefighters carried one of the Sifrei Torah out of the burning building, as Rabbi Dubov quickly ran to retrieve it. In the video, one firefighter is seen giving a thumbs up after successfully rescuing the Torah. The fire, which was reported shortly after 11 a.m., required a two-alarm response from the Seminole County Fire Department. Photos shared on social media showed heavy flames and smoke pouring from the building’s windows. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The Seminole County Fire Rescue say the cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal. Chabad leaders believe the fire started in the bais medrash, where shacharis had been held shortly before the fire began. They noted that just days before the fire, the large Torah had been moved from the bais medrash to an office because it did not fit in the space—an act that likely spared it from more severe damage. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a closed meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly informed lawmakers that only half of the 97 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 are believed to be alive. “According to the information we have, half of the hostages in Gaza are alive,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Army Radio. The revelation came during a tense briefing, where Netanyahu also addressed the status of ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release. According to earlier leaks from the meeting, Netanyahu denied obstructing a potential deal to free the hostages, instead blaming Hamas for repeatedly altering the terms of the proposed agreement. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Following the elimination of the arch-terrorist Ibrahim Aqil in an airstrike in Beirut on Friday, the Saudi news network Al-Hadath is reporting that Hezbollah has chosen the next commander of it’s Radwan forces – Ali Reda Abbas.

Abbas was the deputy of Aqul, who was killed along with a large number of other Hezbollah commanders in the strike on Friday.

The new second in command will be Ali Mussa Daqduq, who established a Hezbollah unit on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. His son was eliminated in that area in an Israeli airstrike.

Abbas, also known as Abu Hussein Barish, is from the town of Barish near Tyre in Southern Lebanon. He has largely avoided media attention despite acting as a spokesman for Hezbollah. The Al-Hadath report claims both he and Aqil survived assassination attempts int he 90’s.

Abbas was trained in Iran, and was accused of kidnapping and murdering 5 US soldiers in Karbala, Iraq, in 2007. He was released from Iraqi prison in 2012, and returned to Lebanon.

{Matzav.com}

A high-powered U.N. advisory body said Thursday that global governance of artificial intelligence is “imperative” and urged the United Nations to lay the foundations for the first inclusive global institutions to regulate the fast-growing technology. In a 100-page report, the group said AI “is transforming our world,” offering tremendous potential for good from opening new areas of science and accelerating economic growth to improving public health, agriculture and optimizing energy grids. But left ungoverned, it said, AI’s benefits could be limited to a handful of countries, companies and individuals, while even more powerful systems than exist today “could upend the world of work,” create autonomous weapons, and pose risks to peace and security. The advisory body outlined principles that should guide formation of new institutions to govern AI including international law, and especially human rights law. It calls on all governments and parties involved in AI to work together to protect human rights. The group made wide-ranging recommendations including establishing an international scientific panel on AI to create a global understanding of its capabilities and risks, and a global dialogue on AI governance at the U.N. to anchor future institutions on human rights principles and international law. The recommendations also call for a global AI fund to ensure that the technology bridges the divide between rich and poor nations and promotes achievement of U.N. development goals for 2030, and a “Standards Exchange” to foster technical compatibility. At present, the report said, only seven of the 193 U.N. member nations are party to seven recent prominent AI governance initiatives while 118 countries, primarily in the global South, “are missing entirely” from any conversation. Among the initiatives are the European Union’s first-ever legal framework to regulate AI, which entered into force on Aug. 1. This month,. the Group of 20 leading world economies agreed to establish guidelines for developing artificial intelligence, calling for “ethical, transparent, and accountable use of AI,” with human oversight and compliance with privacy and human rights laws. And lawmakers in California — home to many of the world’s biggest AI companies — recently adopted legislation to regulate AI which is before the governor. The advisory board’s report concluded on a positive but cautious note. “As experts, we remain optimistic about the future of AI and its potential for good,” the report said. “That optimism depends, however, on realism about the risks and the inadequacy of structures and incentives currently in place.” The board stressed that “The technology is too important, and the stakes are too high, to rely only on market forces and a fragmented patchwork of national and multilateral action.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed the advisory body last October, saying coordinated action is needed to keep the threat of artificial intelligence from becoming an uncontrolled “monster.” The group comprises 39 prominent AI leaders from 33 countries — chosen from over 2,000 nominations. They represent all regions of the world, are serving in their personal capacity, and include experts from government, the private sector and civil society. Guterres commended the group’s work Thursday, expressing full support for its recommendations “which provide a blueprint to build on existing efforts and together, shape an international AI architecture that is inclusive, agile and effective – for today and the future.” When the secretary-general told reporters last year that he planned […]

Join the sweet, deep pre-Rosh Hashana learn fest for growth-oriented women: The Rise Into Your Crown Summit V!  🧒Parenting 🧑‍🏫Teaching 📚Adult Education 👐Kiruv 🎀Educating our Girls 🫣Parenting the Inner Child 👒Jewish Femininity [Video for women only]  You’re a thoughtful Jewish woman with a thirsty soul.  It’s been 11 months of war. 11 months of searching for answers and connection. You know the Torah holds the most satisfying, deep, relevant answers. What would happen if you could actually access them? Simple: You would change the world around you.  Because when a woman is filled with profound, nourishing, healing Torah and feels a deep connection to Hashem, it overflows naturally onto the world around her… You’re INVITED!  Join the FREE sweet, deep pre-Rosh Hashana learnfest for growth-oriented women:  👑The Rise Into Your Crown Summit V👑  THIS WEEK Featuring 40 leading voices in Jewish education hosted by Rebbetzin Tamar Taback Founder of the Nexus School of Transformational Torah for Women Endorsed by Rabbanim                                              At the Summit you will… Unfurl🌹 the deep, sweet inner essence of all types of Chinuch (education)… Re-connect🔗 to a part of yourself which recedes behind the screen of your humdrum day-to-day…  Take a large step👣 back, out of survival mode, and rejuvenate your role as a Torah guide of the thirsty big and little people in your life… And finally, uncover🎉 the most effective way to touch the neshamos of any age or stage… and internalize that it’s 100% within your power.  10 days  |  40 speakers  |  1000s of women | 1 mission                                        Join Rebbetzin Taback in conversing with 40 leading voices in Torah Education, including: Rabbi Menachem Nissel Rabbi Daniel Whitman Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky Rabbi Dan Roth (Torah Live) Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith (Aish) Rebbetzin Tzipora Gottlieb Rebbetzin Shira Smiles Rebbetzin Slovie Jungreis Wolff Dina Friedman Lori Palatnik Dr. Tzipora Koslowitz Yael Kaisman Debbie Selengut Faigie Zelcer, Sivan Rahav Meir  Blimie Heller Rochel Zimmerman (Torah Umesorah) Dr. Tzipora (Robyn) Koslowitz, PhD  Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner Dr Ilyssa Bass  Rivkie Krause Dvorah Waldman Jordana Baruchov (Olami) Ruchoma (Fay) Ginzberg  Shira Francis  Miriam Davidson  Fally Klein Rivky Kaplan  Chana Margulies Explore the rest of our prestigious presenters→ (And find your favorite!) THIS WEEK NOTE: All workshops will be available for 36 hours only!   Day 1: [ LIVE] Orientation with Rebbetzin Tamar Taback Day 2-10:  Day 11: [🔴LIVE] Summit Finale!  (Stay tuned for details!)                “The world pursues envy, desire and honor, leading to unhappiness. Only Torah and mitzvos bring true contentment. We must resist outside influence and create a true Torah culture. Tavo Aleichen Bracha”  – Rav Aharon Feldman “Rabbanit Taback is a gifted thinker, speaker and writer, who has poured her heart and soul into teaching that understanding that ignites a love for Hashem and His Torah.” – Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky דברי ברכה – With words of blessing – Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz “Rebbetzin Taback’s programs reveal the feminine side of the spiritual in its genuine glory.” – Rabbi Akiva Tatz Join for 10 transformative days of inspiration, community and revealing the sweetness and depth of our Torah. We can’t wait to welcome you! 📞phone line available. Contact: info@thenexus.org The summit is dedicated for the safety and protection of the Jewish People, and is l’ilui nishmas Naftali ben Ezra Avraham  

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and other members of Israel’s governing coalition lashed out at former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over the weekend after he suggested that the creation of a Palestinian state can be discussed in six to eight years.

“The transformation process is complete. Good luck in the race for the leadership of the left against Lapid and Yair Golan,” the Likud’s Chikli, who parted ways with Bennett after the latter formed a coalition with Yesh Atid Party chief Yair Lapid and the Islamist Ra’am Party in 2021, tweeted on Thursday.

In video footage obtained by Israel’s Channel 14 News earlier on Thursday, Bennett did not rule out the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“What we need to do in the short term is reduce friction with the Palestinians—improve their dignity, their autonomy—but not give up our security, and we can debate a Palestinian state in six years, maybe eight years,” the former premier told attendees at a conference in Frankfurt hosted by Germany’s Bild daily and Keren Hayesod—United Israel Appeal.

Bennett once headed the Yesha Council umbrella group of Judea and Samaria communities and ran in the March 2021 election on a platform that opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Channel 14 report noted.

Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, who resigned as coalition whip shortly before the Bennett-Lapid coalition collapsed in June 2022, tweeted on Thursday, “I assume that in exchange for a premiership, it will be possible to shorten the period to 2-4 years.”

The Likud Party, which welcomed Chikli and Silman into its ranks ahead of the 2022 vote in which Bennett did not run, charged that the former prime minister “has not freed himself from the shackles” of Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas.

“After the terrible massacre on October 7, we cannot reward terrorism and enable a Palestinian state,” Likud said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has already proven over the past 20 years that he is the only barrier to the creation of a terror state between the [Mediterranean] Sea and Jordan.”

Likud Knesset member Keti Shitrit added, “After the massacre on the 7th of October, even the leftists have become disillusioned and do not see a Palestinian state in the foreseeable future. So how is it that the former CEO of the Yesha Council thinks that this can happen in 6-8 years?”

Responding to the Channel 14 News report on X, Bennett described the broadcaster’s translation of his remarks to Hebrew as a “complete fake.”

He “said in this speech what he always says: He opposes a Palestinian state. Period. Exactly the opposite of the false report on 14, unlike Netanyahu who declared his support for a Palestinian state and gave large areas to [PLO leader Yasser] Arafat,” he tweeted.

“Bennett also said it is possible and necessary to establish a broad unity government even with people who think differently, and since everyone now agrees that it is not the time for a Palestinian state, it is possible in 6-8 years to continue to debate among ourselves,” said the retired PM.

In June, Bennett hinted at a return to politics. “Three years ago today, I took the oath of allegiance as the 13th Prime Minister of the State of Israel,” he wrote on X, adding: “We did it then, and we can do it again. We will establish a state here that is worthy of this people.”

Two surveys last year found that some two-thirds of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the Oct. 7 attacks, in which around 6,000 Palestinian terrorists broke through the border, murdered some 1,200 people, wounded thousands more and took more than 250 hostages.

In July, Knesset lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The motion, put forward by opposition MK Ze’ev Elkin of the New Hope Party with support from the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, passed 68 to 9.

The Knesset opposes “a Palestinian state on any piece of land west of the Jordan River. The existence of a Palestinian state in the heart of Israel will pose an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, will further extend the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict and be a source of destabilization for the entire region,” the July 18 resolution states.

(JNS)

With the intensity of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah growing, Gazans are turning to social media to warn the people of Lebanon of the horrors war with Israel would bring.

Some videos give pointers to people explaining what to do when war breaks out. One video from Gaza based chef Hala al-Akhsham explained: “Prepare a bag, put money and gold in it, along with all your personal documents (ID cards, licenses, academic certificates, and birth certificates). Keep the bag by the door and make sure someone is responsible for grabbing it immediately in an emergency.”

Some videos include the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of war, with a Gazan on TikTok named Wasim saying from his tent in the Al-Mawasi safer zone that “Don’t fight. War only brings destruction and sets you back decades. Don’t let war destroy you.”.

Another video from a woman in Gaza said: “Don’t forget that winter is coming, so pack two tracksuits for each child in their school bags along with your personal hygiene products.”

Another Gazan named Mohamed al-Majaydeh, who fled his home in Deir al-Balah, warned: “War is death and humiliation. We’re living like the dead. May God protect Lebanon from war and may this nightmare end.”

Also from inside the Al-Mawasi safer zone, Gazan blogger Mohamed Fayyad joked: “I’m calling on the Lebanese — there’s a chance you’ll soon be relocated to Al-Mawasi, be careful.”

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. embassy in Beirut issued an updated advisory yesterday calling on all American citizens to leave Lebanon.

“Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, the U.S. embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,” the advisory read.

“At this time, commercial flights are available, but at reduced capacity. If the security situation worsens, commercial options to depart may become unavailable,” added the mission.

In late July, the U.S. elevated its travel advisory for Lebanon to the highest level, “Do not travel,” following an IAF strike in southern Beirut that killed top Hezbollah terrorist Fuad Shukr on July 30.

Germany called on its citizens to leave Lebanon two days after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 children in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams on July 27, in anticipation of an escalation of violence in Lebanon.

The United Kingdom issued a similar advisory on Aug. 3 and France issued one on Aug. 4.

At that time, however, the United States, only called on its citizens to make plans for leaving Lebanon.

On Sept. 17 and 18, hundreds of pagers and other gear used by Hezbollah terrorists exploded, killing dozens and wounding thousands in what the Iranian proxy said was an attack by Israel.

On Friday, Israel bombed a building in Beirut, killing more than a dozen Hezbollah officers including Ibrahim Aqil, 61, who was the second top commander of Hezbollah killed since Oct. 7. On Saturday, Israel struck multiple targets in Lebanon in precision strikes on sites preparing to fire into its territory.

On Sunday, Hezbollah terrorists fired rockets deep into northern Israel, wounding several people and hitting a home. One person died in a traffic accident that coincided with a air-raid warning siren.

(JNS)

[COMMUNICATED]

Another new school year begins in Monsey, infused with hopes and impassioned tefillos of parents and teachers. As thousands of eager and excited students fill its over sixty Chinuch institutions, the Monsey community celebrates a monumental turning point for schools, educators, and the broader Chinuch landscape.

This June, Torah Umesorah celebrated the soft opening of a local Teacher Center in Monsey, NY. This marks the organization’s initiation of its eighth Teacher Center with locations worldwide, in Brooklyn, Lakewood, Chicago, LA, Toronto, Montreal, and Manchester, UK.  

The Monsey Teacher Center, located at Chestnut Ridge Road and Old Nyack Turnpike, has been in the works for quite some time. Until its inauguration, Monsey mechanchim and mechanchos had to make the trip to Brooklyn or Lakewood for quality Teacher Center materials and services, so the new Center is a welcome and long-awaited milestone in Monsey’s chinuch world. 

Torah Umesorah’s Teacher Centers are built on the belief that every teacher deserves the opportunity to excel. Teaching is not just an occupation, but a noble craft that requires learning, honing, and consistent refinement of skills. The Centers offer expert coaching, curricula development, resource design, and professional development. But a Torah Umesorah Teacher Center is so much more than a list of services. 

An educator visiting a TU Teacher Center is availed of priceless opportunities. Teachers can attend seminars, speak with educational specialists, and learn more about the social-emotional needs of their students. Methodology can simultaneously be organized and broadened while gaining insight about delivering a topic with clarity, finding tried-and-true ways to assess student progress, and exploring how to cultivate with geshmak, warmth, and a genuine love of learning in the classroom. Students of every age level and demographic benefit daily from Torah Umesorah’s Teacher Centers, and their parents experience significant benefits as a result. 

The timing of the Monsey Center’s soft opening could not have been more perfect. It kicked off a splendid summer and back-to-school season – a resounding confirmation of how necessary and long-awaited an initiative it is. Without even a single advertisement, the Center attracted and serviced close to eighty teachers and principals within its first month of opening! 

The majority of visitors to the Center were Monsey residents, but a variety of summer vacationers from Arizona to Connecticut stopped in to stock up on quality materials to bring home to their classrooms. Another unique category of visitors who enjoyed the Center this August was seminaries offering special education courses. 

In addition to a selection of courses, materials, and curricula to explore, the Center hosted a groundbreaking training series for new rebbeim under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Serebrowski. Over a dozen mechanchim attended the dynamic shiurim given by R’ Avrohom Leiner, star rebbi at Cheder D’Monsey, gaining vital skills for setting up a classroom and maintaining proper procedures and communications. 

Phase Two of the Center’s expansion focuses on professional development for educators of all subject areas and grade levels. A rich variety of workshops to help teachers develop their skills both academically and socially-emotionally will be premiering throughout the winter months.

The Monsey Teacher Center was originally envisioned by Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Wagner. However, it was Mr. Benzion Heitner’s announcement at the TU Presidents Conference in 2019 that began to turn this project into a reality. Despite several hurdles, including a significant delay due to Covid, the Center finally became a reality thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Moshe Serebrowski and Mr. and Mrs. Yonti Heitner. The project is under the guidance of Mr. Jeff Weiskopf , Torah Umesorah Board Member and Rabbi Chaim Shimon Neuberger, National Director of Torah Umesorah.  The Center has been generously sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Bentzion Heitner of Toronto, along with Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Weiskopf. Mr. & Mrs. Yudi Herzberg dedicated the classroom in memory of his illustrious father, and Mr. & Mrs. Sholom Gutman dedicated the production center. Veteran mechaneches and classroom leadership coach Mrs. Nechama Rosengarten is the Center’s Chinuch coordinator, and Rabbi Moshe Serebrowski leads the Men’s Department.

It is our fervent tefillah that the new Monsey Center and all TU Teacher Centers worldwide serve as vital pillars of support to our Mechanchim and Mechanchos in their avodas hakodesh.

To reach the Monsey Teacher Center, please email:  mtcfrontdesk@torah-umesorah.org

Another new school year begins in Monsey, infused with hopes and impassioned tefillos of parents and teachers. As thousands of eager and excited students fill its over sixty Chinuch institutions, the Monsey community celebrates a monumental turning point for schools, educators, and the broader Chinuch landscape. This June, Torah Umesorah celebrated the soft opening of a local Teacher Center in Monsey, NY. This marks the organization’s initiation of its eighth Teacher Center with locations worldwide, in Brooklyn, Lakewood, Chicago, LA, Toronto, Montreal, and Manchester, UK.   The Monsey Teacher Center, located at Chestnut Ridge Road and Old Nyack Turnpike, has been in the works for quite some time. Until its inauguration, Monsey mechanchim and mechanchos had to make the trip to Brooklyn or Lakewood for quality Teacher Center materials and services, so the new Center is a welcome and long-awaited milestone in Monsey’s chinuch world.  Torah Umesorah’s Teacher Centers are built on the belief that every teacher deserves the opportunity to excel. Teaching is not just an occupation, but a noble craft that requires learning, honing, and consistent refinement of skills. The Centers offer expert coaching, curricula development, resource design, and professional development. But a Torah Umesorah Teacher Center is so much more than a list of services.  An educator visiting a TU Teacher Center is availed of priceless opportunities. Teachers can attend seminars, speak with educational specialists, and learn more about the social-emotional needs of their students. Methodology can simultaneously be organized and broadened while gaining insight about delivering a topic with clarity, finding tried-and-true ways to assess student progress, and exploring how to cultivate with geshmak, warmth, and a genuine love of learning in the classroom. Students of every age level and demographic benefit daily from Torah Umesorah’s Teacher Centers, and their parents experience significant benefits as a result.  The timing of the Monsey Center’s soft opening could not have been more perfect. It kicked off a splendid summer and back-to-school season – a resounding confirmation of how necessary and long-awaited an initiative it is. Without even a single advertisement, the Center attracted and serviced close to eighty teachers and principals within its first month of opening!  The majority of visitors to the Center were Monsey residents, but a variety of summer vacationers from Arizona to Connecticut stopped in to stock up on quality materials to bring home to their classrooms. Another unique category of visitors who enjoyed the Center this August was seminaries offering special education courses.  In addition to a selection of courses, materials, and curricula to explore, the Center hosted a groundbreaking training series for new rebbeim under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Serebrowski. Over a dozen mechanchim attended the dynamic shiurim given by R’ Avrohom Leiner, star rebbi at Cheder D’Monsey, gaining vital skills for setting up a classroom and maintaining proper procedures and communications.  Phase Two of the Center’s expansion focuses on professional development for educators of all subject areas and grade levels. A rich variety of workshops to help teachers develop their skills both academically and socially-emotionally will be premiering throughout the winter months. The Monsey Teacher Center was originally envisioned by Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Wagner. However, it was Mr. Benzion Heitner’s announcement at the TU Presidents Conference in 2019 that began to turn this project into a reality. Despite several hurdles, […]

On Sunday, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu spoke at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the plight of the hostages still being held by Hamas, almost a year after their abduction.

According to multiple people who attended the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “According to the information that we have, half of the hostages in Gaza are alive.”

Speaking about the possibility of a hostage release deal, Bibi said: “We continue to work to reach a hostage deal. Reports that Israel is the party that’s delaying the deal are not true. The delay comes from Hamas.”

Bibi also spoke about the proposed plan to designate northern Gaza as a closed military zone, saying: “(Giora) Eiland’s plan was brought before us, it makes sense. It is one of the plans being considered, but there are a few others. We are dedicated to dismantling Hamas’ civil rule.”

While Israel has touted it’s success at ‘dismantling’ Hamas’s battalions, critics argue that without ending Hamas’s civilian control, Hamas will not be defeated. Israel has thus far in the war evacuated it’s soldiers from areas in Gaza following combat, choosing not to stay and ‘hold’ areas that are heavily populated.

Bibi was also asked about his reported plan to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by MK Meir Cohen of the Yesh Atid party – Bibi evaded the question.

{Matzav.com}

Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source. Researchers analyzed genetic material gathered from the Chinese market where the first outbreak was detected and found that the most likely animals were racoon dogs, civet cats and bamboo rats. The scientists suspect infected animals were first brought to the Wuhan market in late November 2019, which then triggered the pandemic. Michael Worobey, one of the new study’s authors, said they found which sub-populations of animals might have spread the coronavirus, which may help researchers identify COVID-19’s natural reservoir. “For example, with the racoon dogs, we can show that the racoon dogs that were (at the market) … were from a sub-species that circulates more in southern parts of China,” said Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona. Knowing that might help researchers understand where those animals came from and where they were sold. Scientists might then start sampling bats in the area, which are known to be the natural reservoirs of related coronaviruses like SARS. While the research bolsters the case that COVID-19 emerged from animals, it does not resolve the polarized and political debate over whether the virus instead emerged from a research lab in China. Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh, said the new genetic analysis suggested that the pandemic “had its evolutionary roots in the market” and that it was very unlikely COVID-19 was infecting people before it was identified at the Huanan market. “It’s a significant finding and this does shift the dial more in favor of an animal origin,” Woolhouse, who was not connected to the research, said. “But it is not conclusive.” An expert group led by the World Health Organization concluded in 2021 that the virus probably spread to humans from animals and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely.” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus later said it was “premature” to rule out a lab leak. An AP investigation in April found the search for the COVID origins in China has gone dark after political infighting and missed opportunities by local and global health officials to narrow the possibilities. Scientists say they may never know for sure where exactly the virus came from. In the new study, published Thursday in the journal Cell, scientists from Europe, the U.S. and Australia analyzed data previously released by experts at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It included 800 samples of genetic material Chinese workers collected on Jan. 1, 2020 from the Huanan seafood market, the day after Wuhan municipal authorities first raised the alarm about an unknown respiratory virus. Chinese scientists published the genetic sequences they found last year, but did not identify any of the animals possibly infected with the coronavirus. In the new analysis, researchers used a technique that can identify specific organisms from any mixture of genetic material collected in the environment. Worobey said the information provides “a snapshot of what was (at the market) before the pandemic began” and that genetic analyses like theirs “helps to fill in the blanks of how the virus might have first started spreading.” Woolhouse said the […]

The IDF announced on Sunday that they are unable to either confirm or deny reports regarding the potential death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Sources consulted by The Jerusalem Post offered mixed responses. One senior source dismissed the possibility, another individual, who would typically have inside knowledge, admitted they lacked concrete information, while additional sources mentioned differences of opinion within the defense sector. None of the sources pointed to any specific IDF assassination operation targeting Sinwar.

Instead, the uncertainty could relate to the fact that Sinwar has not been in contact with intermediaries responsible for handling hostage negotiations and communications, who themselves have been unusually out of reach.

Another possibility is that some Israeli authorities might be employing psychological tactics, attempting to pressure mid-level Hamas leaders into negotiating their own terms for immunity in exchange for returning Israeli captives.

These reports emerged late Sunday night. Back in December, there were similar claims that Sinwar had been killed, injured, fled to Sinai, or was no longer in control of his network.

Ultimately, it was revealed that Sinwar had been simply laying low, a part of his evasion strategy, or that the rumors were part of psychological operations aimed at undermining Hamas as IDF forces advanced on Khan Yunis.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and Finance Ministry have agreed on a five-year budget plan aimed at establishing Be’ersheva as a thriving metropolis, the PMO announced on Thursday. According to the PMO, the initiative comes as part of a broader strategy to revitalize the Negev.

The cornerstone of the development plan is the relocation of key Israel Defense Forces units to the Negev, scheduled to commence in late 2025. The move is expected to serve as a catalyst for significant economic and demographic growth in the area, the PMO stated.

The comprehensive plan, set to be submitted for government approval by year’s end, addresses critical infrastructure needs, including transportation, housing, employment and economic development. Higher-speed rail lines, a light-rail system and long-term rental housing solutions are among the key projects slated for implementation.

“This is a significant step that will enable us to face the challenges ahead, including the IDF’s relocation to the south,” said Be’ersheva Mayor Rubik Danilovich. “We all understand that the Negev is the solution for the State of Israel. Now is the time to make dramatic decisions that will shape the country’s future and establish Be’ersheva as Israel’s leading metropolis. This is a national mission and a national interest!”

Beersheva’s city engineer, Tamar Poria Adar, warned that the Negev would lose its Jewish majority within about 20 years unless decisive action is taken. This demographic shift, according to local leaders, is a direct consequence of years of neglect and insufficient investment in the region.

Many residents of the south, while cautiously optimistic, remain wary. Yehuda Benano, chairman of the “Residents for the Negev” organization, responded, “The plans are ready in the drawer, and now is the time to act to ensure a Jewish majority that will live securely, prosperously and healthily, just like the residents of central Israel.”

One concrete move in this direction, according to Health Minister Uriel Boss, is the recent approval for a second hospital in Be’ersheva, set to open by 2028 with approximately 600 beds.

“We are advancing another step in realizing the vision to reduce the gaps between the periphery and the center, and to provide equal rights to advanced health services for every citizen in the State of Israel,regardless of their place of residence, community affiliation, or economic situation,” Bosso said in a statement.

(JNS)